Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

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Prince Abdul Mateen and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah sit during their wedding reception. (AFP)

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The portraits of groom Prince Abdul Mateen and his bride Yanh Mulia Anisha Rosnah are seen on a billboard ahead of their wedding procession in Bandar Seri Begawan on January 13, 2024. (AFP)

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Prince Abdul Mateen (R) touching his forehead on the hand of his father, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (2nd L) after his solemnization at Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan on January 11, 2024. (Brunei's Information Department via Reuters)

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Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah pours scented oil on the hands of Prince Abdul Mateen's bride Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah during the royal powdering ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan. (Brunei's Information Department via AP)

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Brunei's Prince Abdul Mateen sign documents after his solemnization at Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan on January 11, 2024. (Brunei's Information Department via Reuters)

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Updated 14 January 2024

AFP

January 14, 2024 05:15

Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

Mateen, 32, tied the knot on January 11 with Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, 29, who is from a prominent family in Brunei
Mateen’s father is Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the world’s longest reigning monarch and once the richest man on the planet

Updated 14 January 2024

AFP

January 14, 2024 05:15

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: Lavish celebrations for the wedding of Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen and his wife will climax Sunday with a glittering ceremony attended by government leaders and blue-blooded guests from around the world.

Mateen, 32, and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, 29, will make their first public appearance as a married couple in a procession through the normally sleepy capital Bandar Seri Begawan that is expected to draw thousands of onlookers.
The popular prince was Asia’s most eligible bachelor until Thursday when he tied the knot with Anisha Rosnah, who is from a prominent family in Brunei.

Prince Abdul Mateen and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah walk down the aisle during their wedding reception at Istana Nurul Iman in Brunei's capital. (AFP)

Mateen’s father is Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the world’s longest reigning monarch and once the richest man on the planet.

The sultan’s palace has not yet unveiled the guest list for Sunday, but royals from Asia, Europe and the Middle East have previously joined royal wedding celebrations in the energy-rich nation.
Neighboring Malaysia’s Sultan Abdullah Shah has said he would be there.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended. .

Sunday’s celebration is the highlight of 10 days of pomp and pageantry in the tiny country whose extreme wealth is derived almost entirely from its enormous oil and gas reserves.

Prince Abdul Mateen and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah wave from their car during the wedding procession in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. (AFP)

Mateen, a British-trained military officer in Brunei’s armed forces and a helicopter pilot, held court with his wife at an elaborate ceremony at the sprawling Istana Nurul Iman palace, with invited guests in attendance.
The ceremony is steeped in tradition drawn from Brunei’s centuries-old history as an Islamic monarchy.
“Once seated, the ceremony was completed with a prayer read by designated religious officials,” the information office said.

People arrive ahead of the wedding procession of Prince Abdul Mateen and Yanh Mulia Anisha Rosnah in Brunei's capital on January 14, 2024. (AFP)

The couple will then lead a grand parade that will weave through the capital where their images have been displayed on street arches and building facades for days.
Thousands of the sultan’s subjects are expected to line the streets to catch a glimpse of the couple.
“I’m very excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” said school teacher Norliha Mohamad Din, 37, who plans to be among the spectators.
“I have seen Prince Mateen since he was small. I’m very happy for him. This is one way of showing appreciation to the royal family.”

Women get free ice cream ahead of the wedding procession of Prince Abdul Mateen and Yanh Mulia Anisha Rosnah in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan on January 14, 2024. (AFP)

As the 10th child and fourth son of the sultan, Mateen is unlikely to ever ascend the throne.
But he appears to have taken on the unofficial role of presenting a modern face for the royal family in a bid to connect with a younger generation of Bruneians raised on social media.
Mateen’s matinee idol looks and well-chiselled body have earned him a massive following on Instagram where carefully curated photos and videos show him playing polo, dabbling in photography and posing in military uniform.

Topics: Brunei Prince Abdul Mateen Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York

Updated 21 November 2024

AFP

November 21, 2024 04:27

Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun forks over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape
Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Maurizio Cattelan

Updated 21 November 2024

AFP

November 21, 2024 04:27

NEW YORK: A fresh banana taped to a wall — a provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — was bought for $6.2 million on Wednesday by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur at a New York auction, Sotheby’s announced in a statement.
The debut of the edible creation entitled “Comedian” at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art — Cattelan’s stated aim.
Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun on Wednesday forked over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape, which went on sale for 120,000 dollars five years ago.
“This is not just an artwork. It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun was quoted as saying in the Sotheby’s statement.
“I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.”
The sale featured seven potential buyers and smashed expectations, with the auction house issuing a guide price of $1-1.5 million before the bidding.
Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.
The installation auctioned on Wednesday was the third iteration — with the first one eaten by performance artist David Datuna, who said he felt “hungry” while inspecting it at the Miami show.
Sun, who founded cryptomoney exchange Tron, said that he intended to eat his investment too.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said.
As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called “America” that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
His work is often humorous and deliberately provocative, with a 1999 sculpture of the pope stuck by a meteor titled “The Ninth Hour.”
He has explained the banana work as a critical commentary on the art market, which he has criticized in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists.
The asking price of $120,000 for “Comedian” in 2019 was seen at the time as evidence that the market was “bananas” and the art world had “gone mad,” as The New York Post said in a front-page article.
The banana sold on Wednesday was bought for 35 cents from a Bangladeshi fruit seller on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
Sun has hit headlines in the past as an art collector and as a major player in the murky cryptocurrency world.
He was charged last year by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged market manipulation and unregistered sales of crypto assets, which he promoted with celebrity endorsements, including from Lindsay Lohan.
In 2021, he bought Alberto Giacometti’s “Le Nez” for $78.4 million, which was hailed by Sotheby’s at the time as signaling “an influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors.”
Global art markets have been dropping in value in recent years due to higher interest rates, as well as concern about geopolitical instability, experts say.
“Empire of Light” (“L’Empire des lumieres“), a painting by Rene Magritte, shattered an auction record for the surrealist artist on Tuesday, however, selling for more than $121 million at Christie’s in New York.

Topics: art

Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks

Updated 21 November 2024

AFP

November 21, 2024 01:02

Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks

The sheep farmer was found guilty of destroying nests and killing chicks while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve
In his defense, he said he had no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property

Updated 21 November 2024

AFP

November 21, 2024 01:02

BEUNOS AIRES: An Argentinian farmer was given a three-year prison sentence for animal cruelty Wednesday, likely to be commuted, after being found guilty of killing over 100 Patagonian penguin chicks.
The sheep farmer from the southern province of Chubut was found guilty last month of destroying dozens of nests and killing chicks in 2021 while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve, home to one of the main colonies of Magellanic penguins on the Atlantic coast.
The farmer is unlikely to be incarcerated as Argentina’s penal code recommends alternatives to prison for a first conviction and sentences up to three years.
Prosecutors had requested a four-year sentence.
Environmental group Greenpeace, the complainant in the case, had welcomed the farmer’s conviction as “an important step for environmental justice.”
The farmer argued there was no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property, or boundaries between his farm and the reserve.
The Magellanic Penguin is listed as a species of “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, meaning it is not at risk of extinction even though numbers are in decline.

Topics: Argentina animal cruelty penguins Greenpeace

SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on

Updated 20 November 2024

AFP

November 19, 2024 22:50

SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on

Updated 20 November 2024

AFP

November 19, 2024 22:50

BOCA CHICA: SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off on its latest test flight Tuesday, with President-elect Donald Trump joining Elon Musk to witness the spectacle firsthand in the latest sign of their ever closer ties.
But the Republican leader was deprived of the chance to see the booster stage caught in the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms, an engineering marvel demonstrated by the company last month and one he personally lauded during his election victory speech.
Instead, the colossal Super Heavy first stage made a more subdued splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Company representatives cited unmet technical criteria, dampening the triumph of an event attended by a bevy of Trump-world figures, including Donald Trump Jr.
Earlier, Trump greeted Musk warmly on Tuesday afternoon, sporting a red MAGA hat as the pair headed off to watch from the control tower of the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, where the rocket blasted off at 4:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) on the sixth test flight for Starship.
SpaceX founder and CEO Musk has been a constant presence at Trump’s side since the incoming president’s election victory, joining him at a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei and even at a UFC bout.
Trump’s decision to travel to Musk’s home turf was the latest sign of the growing alliance between the billionaire duo, which has raised questions over possible conflicts of interests given SpaceX’s lucrative contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.
Tuesday’s launch marked the quickest turnaround between test flights for the world’s most powerful rocket, a gleaming, 121-meter-tall (400-foot) stainless steel colossus central to Musk’s ambition of colonizing Mars and making humanity a multiplanetary species.
Musk aims to launch the first uncrewed missions to the Red Planet as early as 2026, coinciding with the next “Mars transfer window” — a period when the journey between Earth and Mars is at its shortest.
NASA is also counting on a specialized version of Starship to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade under its Artemis program.

Elon Musk speaks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and guests. (Getty Images/AFP)

Flight six of Starship was seen as a test of whether SpaceX’s first booster catch was pure precision or relied on a stroke of luck after Musk — perhaps inadvertently — disclosed how close the last flight came to disaster.
In a clip posted to X showcasing his gaming chops in “Diablo IV,” sharp-eared fans caught an employee briefing him that the Super Heavy booster was “one second away” from a system failure that could have spelled catastrophe.
Starship’s upper stage will make a partial orbit of Earth, reenter the atmosphere and splash down in the Indian Ocean a little over an hour later, but this time in the daylight, providing clearer visuals for analysis.
Key milestones include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and trialing new heat shield materials. The flight also carries Starship’s first ever payload — a stuffed banana — and serves as a swan song for the current generation of Starship prototypes.
With twice the thrust of the Saturn V rockets that powered Apollo missions, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. Musk has already teased that its successor, Starship V3, will be “3X more powerful” and could take flight within a year.
The flight comes as Musk is riding high on Trump’s November 5 White House win, having campaigned extensively for the returning Republican leader, as well as donating staggering sums from his own fortune to the cause.
His loyalty has paid off. Musk has been tapped to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — or DOGE, a cheeky nod to the meme-based cryptocurrency Musk loves to promote.
That in turn has led to concerns Musk could engage in “self-dealing” as the CEO is poised to straddle the line between government insider and corporate titan.
Critics worry he could sway regulatory decisions to benefit his six companies, including SpaceX and its marquee Starship program, which has faced launch delays linked to an environmental review the company called “superfluous.”

Stray dogs in Giza become tourist draw after ‘pyramid puppy’ sensation

A stray dog sits in front of the Great Pyramid of Khoufou (Cheops or Keops), at the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo.

Updated 18 November 2024

AFP

November 18, 2024 01:52

Stray dogs in Giza become tourist draw after ‘pyramid puppy’ sensation

Apollo became an overnight sensation last month after being filmed scaling the Great Pyramid of Khafre
As news of Apollo’s daring climb spread worldwide, interest grew in the dogs who have long made their homes among the ancient stones

Updated 18 November 2024

AFP

November 18, 2024 01:52

CAIRO: Beneath the blazing Egyptian sun, crowds at the Giza Pyramids gazed up at the ancient wonders, but some had their eyes peeled for a new attraction.
“There he is,” one Polish tourist told his wife as they spotted a scrappy dog perched on one of the stones.
They were talking about Apollo, a stray who became an overnight sensation last month after being filmed scaling the Great Pyramid of Khafre, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The viral footage, captured by American paragliding enthusiast Alex Lang and shared online by his friend Marshall Mosher, showed Apollo fearlessly climbing the 136-meter monument, barking at birds from the summit.
“He was acting like a king,” Lang told AFP.
As news of Apollo’s daring climb spread worldwide, interest grew in the dogs who have long made their homes among the ancient stones.
“He is climbing over there,” said Arkadiusz Jurys, a tourist from Poland, craning his neck for a better view.
“It is unusual,” he added, describing Apollo as surveying the picture-snapping crowd from above.
Another visitor, Diego Vega from Argentina, felt a special bond with the dogs.
“Connecting with them feels like connecting with the pharaohs,” he said, while petting a member of Apollo’s pack.
Apollo’s newfound fame has even inspired local guides to include him and his pack in their stories for tourists.
“This is Anubis,” one tour guide told two American tourists, comparing Apollo, now known as the “pyramid puppy,” with the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, often depicted as a man with a jackal’s head.
“He and his pack are now part of our tour conversations,” said Sobhi Fakhry, another tour guide.
Businesses around the Giza plateau are also seeing a boost.
Umm Basma, a 43-year-old woman selling souvenirs near the Khafre pyramid, reported an increase in sales thanks to the influx of tourists eager to meet the so-called pyramid dogs.
“We’ve always seen these dogs climbing the pyramids, but we never thought they would become a blessing for us,” she said.
One pyramid guard, who preferred to remain anonymous, also said that some celebrities had paid for permits to have their own dogs photographed with Apollo.
Apollo, a three-year-old Baladi dog, is part of a pack of about eight that has made their home among the ancient ruins.
The dogs, a local breed, are known for their resilience, intelligence and ability to survive in Egypt’s harsh climate.
Ibrahim el-Bendary, co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation, which monitors the pyramid dogs, described Apollo as the pack’s “alpha male.”
“He is the bravest and strongest in his pack,” he said.
Apollo was born in a rocky crevice within the Khafre pyramid where his mother, Laika, found shelter. Sadly, some of Apollo’s siblings did not survive the site’s perilous heights.
A sympathetic guard eventually relocated Laika to a safer spot where Apollo now stands out with his distinctive curled tail and confident nature.
The initial focus of Lang and Marshall was the daring canine climber, but their visit led to a deeper connection with Cairo’s stray dogs.
Intrigued by the challenges they face, Mosher decided to adopt a puppy from the pack: Anubi, who is Apollo’s daughter.
Anubi will join Marshall in the US after she receives the dedicated care she needs in Egypt to grow up healthy.
At the pyramids, local animal care groups are now working with the government in order to set up food and water stations for the strays, as well as for other animals including camels and horses.
A permanent veterinary center will be established at the pyramids with staff set to receive animal care training, said Egypt’s tourism minister.
Vicki Michelle Brown, the other co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation, believes that Apollo’s story can make a difference.
“It sheds so much light on the dogs and cats that are here,” Brown said.
“I definitely believe him (Apollo) climbing the pyramids can help all of the dogs in Egypt to have a better life.”

Topics: Giza dogs

Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack

Updated 18 November 2024

AFP

November 18, 2024 07:34

Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack

The human inhabitants of Lopburi have long suffered from a growing and aggressive monkey population
Thousands of the fearless primates rule the streets around the Pra Prang Sam Yod temple in the center of Lopburi

Updated 18 November 2024

AFP

November 18, 2024 07:34

BANGKOK: in central Thailand said they barricaded themselves into their own station over the weekend, after a menacing mob of 200 escaped monkeys ran riot on the town.
The human inhabitants of Lopburi have long suffered from a growing and aggressive monkey population and authorities have built special enclosures to contain groups of the unruly residents.
But on Saturday around 200 of the primates broke out and rampaged through town, with one posse descending on a local police station.
“We’ve had to make sure doors and windows are closed to prevent them from entering the building for food,” police captain Somchai Seedee said on Monday.
He was concerned the marauders could destroy property including police documents, he added.
Traffic cops and officers on guard duty were being called in to fend off the visitors, the Lopburi police said on Facebook on Sunday.
Around a dozen of the intruders were still perched proudly on the roof of the police station on Monday, photos from local media showed.
Down in the streets, hapless police and local authorities were working to round up rogue individuals, luring them away from residential areas with food.
While Thailand is an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, it has long assimilated Hindu traditions and lore from its pre-Buddhist era.
As a result monkeys are afforded a special place in Thai hearts thanks to the heroic Hindu monkey god Hanuman, who helped Rama rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of an evil demon king.
Thousands of the fearless primates rule the streets around the Pra Prang Sam Yod temple in the center of Lopburi.
The town has been laying on an annual feast of fruit for its population of macaques since the late 1980s, part religious tradition and part tourist attraction.
But their growing numbers, vandalism and mob fights have made an uneasy coexistence with their human neighbors almost intolerable.
Lopburi authorities have tried quelling instances of human-macaque clashes with sterilization and relocation programs.

Topics: wildlife Thailand

Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

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Sultan of Brunei’s daughter ties the knot in lavish ceremony

Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York

Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York

How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million

Man eats $120,000 piece of art — a banana taped to wall

Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks

Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks

Major emperor penguin breeding ground gone barren since 2016

58 Australian fairy penguins slaughtered in suspected dog attack

SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on

SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on

Stray dogs in Giza become tourist draw after ‘pyramid puppy’ sensation

Stray dogs in Giza become tourist draw after ‘pyramid puppy’ sensation

New, sealed chamber discovered in Great Pyramid of Giza

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Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack

Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack

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Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

Leaders and blue bloods descend on Brunei for royal wedding climax

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