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☆ At Glastonbury, a giant spider powered by renewable energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 24 (Reuters) - A giant spider breathes fire into the cloudy night sky over Glastonbury's Arcadia stage as thumping beats from electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers excite hundreds of fans. The colossal metal arachnid, made from recycled military hardware, has been a fixture at England's world-famous music festival for years, but this time Arcadia and all the other stages at Glastonbury are being powered entirely by renewable energy sources, organisers say. This year, all its generators, including those that power its main Pyramid stage will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, a renewable substitute for diesel made from waste cooking oil, organisers said. But for their part, organisers are trying to mitigate the overall impact as much as possible. This year, a temporary, 20-metre wind turbine - another source of renewable power - towers over a section of Worthy Farm, powering food stalls with enough energy to run 300 fridges a day.

Persons: Bertie Cole, It's, Glastonbury, imploring, revellers, Sachin Ravikumar, Giles Elgood Organizations: Arcadia, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, Arcadia, Glastonbury, Worthy

THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Swimmers wade into the chilly Derwent River, in Hobart, Australia, June 22 2023. A 2017 show by Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch featuring an animal carcass and rivers of blood outraged animal rights groups. In an Australian exclusive, famed Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger retold Dante’s “Divine Comedy” in a two-hour all-female performance of sex and blood. In one scene, 20 nude dancers wet with paint and human blood writhed slowly across a blank canvas, painting with their bodies. Founded on the fortune of professional gambler David Walsh, Australia's largest private museum is dedicated to themes of sex and death.

Persons: Helen Golding, Hermann Nitsch, Florentina Holzinger, Dante’s, Ryoji Ikeda, David Walsh, Lewis Jackson, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Police, city’s Museum of, Thomson Locations: Hobart , Australia, Handout, REUTERS HOBART, Australia, Hobart, Tasmania, Sri Lanka, Sydney, Austrian, Australia's

☆ Vintage Glastonbury photos show how much the festival has changed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Martha Alexander | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

(CNN) — The countdown to this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival is on; the stages are built, headliners are on their way and some 200,000 people are expected to attend. -Twenty six-year-old British photographer Paul Misso was there on a dual mission: to drive an RV for his friend, the Oscar-winning actress Julie Christie, and to take pictures of the event. “They just languished in a drawer for decades.”A couple sit in a wildflower meadow at Glastonbury Fair in June 1971. The resulting tome, “In The Vale of Avalon: Glastonbury Festival 1971,” may be more than 50 years after the event, but it serves as both a work of art and a historical document. It’s phenomenal.”“In The Vale of Avalon: Glastonbury Festival 1971” is published by IDEA books and available in a limited run of 1,000 copies at Dover Street Market, London.

Persons: David Bowie, Paul Misso, Oscar, Julie Christie, Nicolas Roeg, Christie, “, ‘, ”, Paul Misso Misso, —, Misso, Peter Neal, Roeg, Jean Shrimpton, David Owen, Twiggy, Paul Misso “, Bill Harkin, ” Misso Organizations: CNN, Glastonbury Fair, Fairport Convention, London School of Printing, wholesomeness, Glastonbury, ”, IDEA, “, Nikon Locations: Glastonbury, London, ”, Avalon, British, Dover, Market

☆ 'Terrible': UK minister sorry for COVID lockdown party video
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - Senior British minister Michael Gove on Sunday described a video showing a party at the ruling Conservative Party's headquarters during a lockdown in 2020 as "terrible", as COVID rule-breaking gatherings continue to hang over the government. The video was published by the Mirror newspaper just days after a parliamentary committee ruled that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had wilfully misled lawmakers about rule-breaking lockdown parties at his office. "It's terrible," Gove, the housing minister, told Sky News. The issue of rule-breaking during COVID lockdowns helped bring down Johnson, who left office last year, and still hangs over the Conservatives and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Polls suggest the Conservatives, in power since 2010, are trailing the opposition Labour party by about 20% percentage points.

Persons: Michael Gove, Conservative Party's, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Gove, COVID lockdowns, Rishi Sunak, JOHNSON, Sunak, Michael Holden, Mark Heinrich, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Senior, Conservative, Mirror, Sky News, Conservatives, Labour, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Senior British, London, COVID

☆ Norway police could have prevented last year's gay bar shooting, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People embrace near the police line following a shooting at the London Pub, a popular gay bar and nightclub, in central Oslo, Norway June 25, 2022. PST also failed to share the intelligence it had about the shooter with police officers in charge of the surveillance of radicalised individuals. "This is a devastating report," Oslo's governing mayor, Raymond Johansen, told public broadcaster NRK. PST apologised to the victims, their relatives and the nation immediately after the report. The LGBTQ+ community is preparing for the one-year anniversary of the attack on June 25 and the annual Pride celebration on June 23-July 1.

Persons: Terje Pedersen, Raymond Johansen, Beate Gangaas, Marius Dietrichson, Gwladys Fouche, Hugh Lawson Organizations: NRK, Matapour, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, OSLO

☆ Ethiopians savour first night of annual 'Addis Jazz Festival'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ethiopian traditional dancers perform during the Jazz show at the Ethio-Jazz Festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriADDIS ABABA, April 30 (Reuters) - Young Ethiopians packed into the compound of the Swedish embassy in Addis Ababa on Saturday night to savour an "Ethio Jazz" performance, an annual festival that celebrates Ethiopia's love for the musical genre. On a neon-lit stage in the country's capital, artists played various Ethiopian jazz music pieces as hundreds of revellers danced, mimed and quaffed beer to celebrate the second edition of the so-called Addis Jazz Festival (AJF). AJF debuted in 2019 and was conceived as a platform to promote Ethiopian jazz as well as to bring international jazz to Ethiopia. Artists at the concert included some of Ethiopia's well- known talents, like the Young Addis jazz group, who performed some of their best hits, like "Adwa."

☆ Dutch celebrate King's Day as confidence in monarchy diminishes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pose with their daughters, Princess Ariane and Princess Catharina-Amalia, during King's Day (Koningsdag) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de WouwROTTERDAM, April 27 (Reuters) - Millions of Dutch revellers took to the streets on Thursday to celebrate King's Day festivities, dressing in orange and enjoying open-air markets - even as trust in the man at the centre of the nationwide party sinks to a low ebb. These numbers had held firm at around 75% until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The historic centres of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague have been filled with thousands of people since late on Wednesday as King's Eve parties kicked off the festivities. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ From one of Britain's most popular toys to the target of police raids: how a children's doll became a symbol of racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A police raid on a bar just outside of London renewed a debate over racist dolls. But despite the long history of the racist trope, the debate over the doll's place in British culture continues. Revellers take part in the Children's Parade at Notting Hill Carnival in London, Britain, August 28, 2022. But it does appear that there is some gradual shift in public opinion happening with the dolls. Nevertheless, the enduring popularity of the blackface doll creates the impression "that we live in a post-racial society," Scott said.

☆ New year revelry returns to Thai streets as tourism rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Devjyot Ghoshal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People play with water as they celebrate during the Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year in Bangkok, Thailand, April 13. Festivities for Songkran, a much-loved Thai festival sometimes described as the world's largest water fight, had been muted or barred for the past few years due mainly to COVID-19 restrictions. ABut as travellers now return to Thailand, the key tourism sector is helping revive Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Thailand beat its target of 6 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter, recording 6.15 million visitors between January and late March, according to government data. At least 30 million tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year and spend 1.5 trillion baht ($43.74 billion), according to projections by the Tourism Council, an industry body.

☆ Masks off, beer poured at Hong Kong Rugby Sevens after COVID restrictions dropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The general view of Hong Kong Stadium during the first day of the Hong Kong Sevens tournament in Hong Kong, China November 4, 2022. The Hong Kong leg of British music festival Creamfields is also taking place on April 1-2. The Chinese special administrative region has hosted financial summits in the past two weeks as well as Art Basel Hong Kong, one of Asia's leading contemporary art fairs. Scores of events were cancelled, postponed or taken to other Asian cities such as Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul because of Hong Kong's rigid coronavirus rules. "Over 20% of tickets purchased in the public sale are coming from overseas audiences, signalling Hong Kong’s return is in full swing."

☆ AI comes for the DJ: London partygoers rave to robot beats
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Vin Shahrestani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"If we can have AI make beautiful music and we can play that to each other, I think that's probably why it's there. For Mubert’s CEO, Paul Zgordan, the rise of AI will inevitably result in some musicians losing jobs. "We want to save musicians' jobs, but in our own way," Zgordan told Reuters via videolink from the Armenian capital Yerevan. PRETTY GOOD JOBThe DJ booth, usually the focus of parties, was left empty as an experiment to see how revellers would react to the AI DJ. "There is no ChatGPT for music because music is more complex," he said.

☆ Ukraine 'Art Weapon' show draws crowds in Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( James Imam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person stands in front of a video installation at the Art Weapon Festival, which showcase contemporary Ukrainian culture and various performances, created during the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the "Alte Muenze" in Berlin, Germany February 25, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret HilseBERLIN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - In a converted former mint in Berlin on Saturday, crowds danced in a blaze of strobe light as a rapper hollered Ukrainian lyrics to punchy beats. The 'Art Weapon' event - which opened at Berlin's sprawling Alte Muenze complex on Saturday - also featured live painting by Ukrainian artists, Ukrainian-language theatre and the chance to sit for a Ukrainian tattoo artist. He decided to apply for funding through a German organisation supporting cultural initiatives, allowing him to organise "Art Weapon" in Berlin. "The invasion has definitely changed art in Ukraine," he added.

☆ With ostrich feathers and flying oranges, Belgian carnival returns after COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"That is more visitors than the year before the COVID pandemic," said the spokesman, Patrick Haumont. "For two years in a row, there was no carnival and people missed all this, they missed the carnival, they missed the party." On reaching the town's main square for the parade's big finale, the Gilles don elaborate ostrich feather hats weighing several kilograms. Pierrots, sailors, harlequins and peasants follow in the procession, small bells sewn to their costumes ringing as local brass bands play the streets. Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol and Bart Biesemans, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Toughened by war's scars, Kyiv presses on while Russia attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] People walk down a street near anti-tank constructions as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in central Kyiv, Ukraine February 8, 2023. To avoid the lesson being disrupted by yet another Russian attack, she had quickly moved her class underground when the air-raid sirens sounded. "We teach math, biology, chemistry - everything according to the usual schedule," Olena, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters. Nearly a year after it began, Russia's invasion has upended life but also rallied a nation. Russia denies targeting civilians, and says its attacks are designed to weaken Ukraine's military.

☆ African artists show support for east Congo conflict at music festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Crispin Kyalangalilwa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Revellers attend the 9th edition of the AMANI festival with the aim of conveying messages of peace, entrepreneurship and environmental protection at the Athenee d'Ibanda in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Crispin KyalangalilwaBUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Artists from across Africa performed at the "Amani" festival in eastern Democratic Republic to show support for victims of conflict despite growing insecurity in the area. "Our mission is to be there with you," he told a jubilant crowd in the city of Bukavu during the event. The Amani festival, which means "peace" in Swahili, usually takes place in Goma, capital of North Kivu province. Reporting by Crispin Kyalangalilwa; Writing by Sonia Rolley; Editing by Sofia Christensen and Alison Williams;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea's parliament votes to impeach minister over Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers voted on Wednesday to impeach the interior minister over his responses to a deadly Halloween crush, setting the stage for him to become the first cabinet member ousted by the legislature. The Democrats and other opposition parties had pushed for expulsion of the interior minister, Lee Sang-min, urging him to take responsibility for botched responses to the crush. A presidential official said there was no evidence that the minister had severely violated the constitution or any law. In 2017, President Park Geun-hye became South Korea's first elected leader to be expelled from office when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment. The court dismissed an impeachment motion in 2004 for President Roh Moo-hyun.

☆ Bulgarians ward off evil spirits in ancient winter festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The festival, held every January in the village of Kosharevo, is known as "Surva" and is a mixture of Christian and pagan rituals that can be traced back to Thracian times. Some of the dancers, known as Survakars, or kukers (mummers), wear hand-made wooden masks decorated with feathers, which can be up to two metres high. The loud clanging of the bells on their belts is believed to ward off evil and diseases. During the two-day festival, the village, 50 km west of the capital Sofia, is brimming with life as extended families gather to greet the Survakars and offer them traditional dishes. Determined to pass the tradition on, he makes masks and outfits not only for himself, but for his young children too.

☆ South Korean police blame fatal Halloween crush on lack of preparation, poor response
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of tributes at a memorial at the scene of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2022. REUTERS/Heo RanSEOUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) - South Korea's police on Friday said a lack of preparations and an inadequate response were the main causes of the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul last year, wrapping up a monthslong investigation into the tragedy that killed 159 people. "Misjudgement of the situation, delay in sharing information and lack of cooperation among related agencies accumulated to cause large casualties," Sohn told reporters. The investigation team has referred 23 people, including the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to prosecutors. The bereaved families and opposition lawmakers have criticised the police investigation for failing to hold top officials accountable.

☆ Australia to ring in 2023 with no COVID restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Australia is gearing up to celebrate its first restriction-free New Year's Eve after two years of COVID disruptions, with more than a million revellers expected to flock to Sydney's harbourfront and watch an elaborate fireworks display. Lockdowns at the end of 2020 and a surge in Omicron cases at the end of 2021 led to crowd restrictions and reduced festivities. However, curbs on celebrations have been lifted this year after Australia, like many countries around the world, re-opened its borders and removed social distancing restrictions. A rainbow of colour will light up Sydney Harbour, with 2,000 fireworks to be launched from the four sails of the Sydney Opera House and 7,000 fireworks from more positions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge than ever before. For the first time in 12 years, fireworks will be launched from four building rooftops to frame the spectacular show, the organisers said.

☆ North Korean hackers exploited Seoul Halloween tragedy to distribute malware, Google says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - North Korean government-backed hackers referenced the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul to distribute malware to users in South Korea, Google's (GOOGL.O) Threat Analysis group said in a report. Google attributed the activity to a North Korean hacking group known as APT37 which it said targets South Korean users, North Korean defectors, policy makers, journalists and human rights activists. It reported the problem to Microsoft on Oct. 31 after multiple reports from South Korean users on the same day. North Korea does not respond to media inquiries, but has previously released statements denying allegations of hacking. On Thursday, South Korean officials warned businesses against inadvertently hiring IT staff from North Korea.

☆ Elton John to headline Glastonbury in final UK show of farewell tour
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Elton John performs "Bennie and the Jets" as he wraps up the U.S. leg of his 'Yellow Brick Road' tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 20, 2022. REUTERS/David Swanson/File PhotoLONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Elton John will headline Glastonbury next summer, performing the last British show of his lengthy global farewell tour at the renowned music festival on Worthy Farm. John is coming towards the end of a "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour which began in September 2018. John ended the U.S. leg of his farewell tour with a star-studded show at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium in November. He performs in Australia and New Zealand in January before kicking off the British tour in Liverpool in March.

Ye-jin was among 158 people who died in the disaster on narrow lane in Seoul on Oct. 29. "Children who lost their parents are orphans, but there's no word for parents who lost their children. Dressed as Princess Jasmine from the Disney animated film "Aladdin", Ye-jin had gone for the night out in the capital Seoul with two friends. Last week, some relatives of victims held a news conference demanding a government apology and a thorough investigation. Lee Ju-hee, from a collective of human rights lawyers called Minbyun, said nearly 60 families have joined a campaign for justice.

☆ South Korea police official found dead amid scrutiny over Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A South Korean police official being investigated over the deadly Halloween crush was found dead at his home in Seoul on Friday, the Yonhap news agency reported. Telephone calls by Reuters to the Yongsan station were unanswered. Jeong, 55, faced accusations that he had deleted intelligence reports warning of a serious accident, after an investigation began into police responses to the crush. Lawmakers slammed the suspected removal of the documents at a parliamentary session on Monday, and urged the arrest and punishment of those in charge. National Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun told lawmakers that the intelligence chief at the Yongsan station had ordered the records to be deleted and would be investigated.

☆ South Korea's Yoon apologises for Halloween crush, vows justice
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a flower to be placed as a tribute to victims as he visits the scene of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, Nov 7 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol apologised on Monday for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul, pledging to hold to account any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses and to reform police and safety management systems. Yoon offered the apology during a meeting to review safety rules, as the country continues to mourn the crush victims. Yoon initially ascribed the authorities' poor handling to flaws in the country's crowd management and safety regulations. At Monday's safety meeting, he vowed to overhaul the national safety management system, carry out a thorough investigation and bring those responsible for failings to account.

☆ South Korea steps up monitoring in crowded subways after Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A police officer stands guard at the exit of a subway station as people gather to pay their respects following a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo/File PhotoSEOUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) - South Korea is beefing up monitoring at crowded subway stations following a deadly Halloween crush that killed more than 150 people in Seoul, officials said on Friday. It was the first Halloween event in three years virtually free of COVID-19 restrictions. Starting on Friday, police will be deployed to subway stations in the capital to join metro officials in crowd control activities, the prime minister said. Proper crowd and traffic control by the authorities could have prevented or at least reduced the surge of Halloween partygoers in alleys, experts said.

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