CNN  —  Protesters hurled soup at the “Mona Lisa” painting in Paris on Sunday, but it was protected from damage by its glass casing. The environmental group Riposte Alimentaire — which roughly translates to “Food Response” — said two protesters involved with its campaign were behind the vandalism. A video of the incident shows the demonstrators throwing orange-colored soup from bottles before ducking beneath a protective barrier to address onlookers. “What is more important: art or the right to a healthy and...…CNN  —  Protesters hurled soup at the “Mona Lisa” painting in Paris on Sunday, but it was protected from damage by its glass casing. The environmental group Riposte Alimentaire — which roughly translates to “Food Response” — said two protesters involved with its campaign were behind the vandalism. A video of the incident shows the demonstrators throwing orange-colored soup from bottles before ducking beneath a protective barrier to address onlookers. “What is more important: art or the right to a healthy and...WW…

Published 29th March 2021Credit: Courtesy of Merrion PressAI photo restoration shines a light on life in old Ireland Thousands of historical images from across Ireland are being brought to life in color for the first time, thanks to a new AI-led photo project.Combining digital technology with painstaking historical research, professors John Breslin and Sarah-Anne Buckley at the National University of Ireland, Galway, have been able to turn photos, originally shot in black in white, into rich color images. The collection spans centuries and regions of Ireland, as well as the country's...…Published 29th March 2021Credit: Courtesy of Merrion PressAI photo restoration shines a light on life in old Ireland Thousands of historical images from across Ireland are being brought to life in color for the first time, thanks to a new AI-led photo project.Combining digital technology with painstaking historical research, professors John Breslin and Sarah-Anne Buckley at the National University of Ireland, Galway, have been able to turn photos, originally shot in black in white, into rich color images. The collection spans centuries and regions of Ireland, as well as the country's...WW…

Published 29th March 2021Credit: Courtesy MSCHFLil Nas X's unofficial 'Satan' Nikes containing human blood sell out in under a minuteRapper and singer Lil Nas X launched a controversial pair of "" featuring a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a drop of real human blood -- and they sold out almost immediately.The black and red sneakers, part of a collaboration between Lil Nas X and New York-based art collective , were made using Nike Air Max 97s, though the . In an emailed statement to CNN, Nike said it was not involved in creating the modified sneakers. "We do not have a relationship...…Published 29th March 2021Credit: Courtesy MSCHFLil Nas X's unofficial 'Satan' Nikes containing human blood sell out in under a minuteRapper and singer Lil Nas X launched a controversial pair of "" featuring a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a drop of real human blood -- and they sold out almost immediately.The black and red sneakers, part of a collaboration between Lil Nas X and New York-based art collective , were made using Nike Air Max 97s, though the . In an emailed statement to CNN, Nike said it was not involved in creating the modified sneakers. "We do not have a relationship...WW…

Updated 17th March 2021Credit: Courtesy Sotheby'sChinese bowl bought for $35 at a yard sale sold for over $700,000An exceptionally rare 15th-century Chinese antique that wound up at a yard sale has sold for $721,800 at auction by Sotheby's, exceeding its top estimated sale price of half a million dollars. Bought for just $35 near New Haven, Connecticut, last year, the small blue-and-white floral bowl is now worth nearly 29,000 times that price. It features motifs of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate blossoms, and was originally commissioned by China's imperial court during the...…Updated 17th March 2021Credit: Courtesy Sotheby'sChinese bowl bought for $35 at a yard sale sold for over $700,000An exceptionally rare 15th-century Chinese antique that wound up at a yard sale has sold for $721,800 at auction by Sotheby's, exceeding its top estimated sale price of half a million dollars. Bought for just $35 near New Haven, Connecticut, last year, the small blue-and-white floral bowl is now worth nearly 29,000 times that price. It features motifs of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate blossoms, and was originally commissioned by China's imperial court during the...WW…

Published 15th January 2021Credit: Courtesy of Rex ZouThe number of new skyscrapers drops 20% amid pandemic slowdown The number of new skyscrapers built globally dropped more than 20% in 2020, according to data released this week by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Last year saw the completion of 106 new buildings measuring 200 meters (656 feet) or above, down from 133 in 2019 -- and the lowest total since 2014. The CTBUH largely attributed the slowdown to Covid-19, as projects around the world "ground to a halt" amid restrictions on assembly, said its annual report....…Published 15th January 2021Credit: Courtesy of Rex ZouThe number of new skyscrapers drops 20% amid pandemic slowdown The number of new skyscrapers built globally dropped more than 20% in 2020, according to data released this week by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Last year saw the completion of 106 new buildings measuring 200 meters (656 feet) or above, down from 133 in 2019 -- and the lowest total since 2014. The CTBUH largely attributed the slowdown to Covid-19, as projects around the world "ground to a halt" amid restrictions on assembly, said its annual report....WW…

Published 20th October 2020Credit: Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesArchaeologists unearth 'huge number' of sealed Egyptian sarcophagiArchaeologists in Egypt have discovered another large cache of unopened sarcophagi in Saqqara, adding to the trove of almost 60 coffins recently recovered from the ancient necropolis.Although full details are yet to be announced, authorities said in a statement that "a huge number" of wooden sarcophagi had been unearthed. The country's Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany said that the find amounted to "dozens" of coffins, adding that they have...…Published 20th October 2020Credit: Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesArchaeologists unearth 'huge number' of sealed Egyptian sarcophagiArchaeologists in Egypt have discovered another large cache of unopened sarcophagi in Saqqara, adding to the trove of almost 60 coffins recently recovered from the ancient necropolis.Although full details are yet to be announced, authorities said in a statement that "a huge number" of wooden sarcophagi had been unearthed. The country's Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany said that the find amounted to "dozens" of coffins, adding that they have...WW…

Published 16th September 2020Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesNotorious B.I.G.'s plastic crown sells at auction for almost $600KA crown adorned with plastic jewels, famously . during his last ever photo shoot, sold for $594,750 at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday evening.The item, signed by the rapper days before his death in 1997, smashed auction estimates that had initially valued it between $200,000 and $300,000.The crown was among a sizable collection of auctioned off by Sotheby's in an sale dedicated to the genre's "history and cultural impact." Other lots included a five-piece drum kit,...…Published 16th September 2020Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesNotorious B.I.G.'s plastic crown sells at auction for almost $600KA crown adorned with plastic jewels, famously . during his last ever photo shoot, sold for $594,750 at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday evening.The item, signed by the rapper days before his death in 1997, smashed auction estimates that had initially valued it between $200,000 and $300,000.The crown was among a sizable collection of auctioned off by Sotheby's in an sale dedicated to the genre's "history and cultural impact." Other lots included a five-piece drum kit,...WW…

Published 3rd July 2020Credit: ShutterstockA Russian billionaire wants to buy some of America's controversial statuesA Russian billionaire has offered to buy two controversial statues that protesters want removed from US cities due to their troubling ties to racism and colonialism.Businessman Andrey Filatov's Art Russe Foundation, which collects and preserves Soviet-era art, said it is willing to purchase depictions of Theodore Roosevelt and settler Alexander Baranov, found in New York and Alaska respectively, as both men left a "positive mark" on Russia.The two statues are among hundreds...…Published 3rd July 2020Credit: ShutterstockA Russian billionaire wants to buy some of America's controversial statuesA Russian billionaire has offered to buy two controversial statues that protesters want removed from US cities due to their troubling ties to racism and colonialism.Businessman Andrey Filatov's Art Russe Foundation, which collects and preserves Soviet-era art, said it is willing to purchase depictions of Theodore Roosevelt and settler Alexander Baranov, found in New York and Alaska respectively, as both men left a "positive mark" on Russia.The two statues are among hundreds...WW…

Published 16th June 2020Credit: NBBJTencent is building a Monaco-sized 'city of the future' in ShenzhenTechnology giant Tencent has unveiled plans for an almost entirely car-free "city of the future," equivalent in size to Monaco, in the Chinese metropolis of .Dubbed "Net City," the 2-million-square-meter (22-million-square-foot) urban development will prioritize pedestrians, green spaces and self-driving vehicles, according to its designers. The ambitious city-within-a-city is set to occupy a stretch of reclaimed land jutting out into the Pearl River estuary. Designed to accommodate a...…Published 16th June 2020Credit: NBBJTencent is building a Monaco-sized 'city of the future' in ShenzhenTechnology giant Tencent has unveiled plans for an almost entirely car-free "city of the future," equivalent in size to Monaco, in the Chinese metropolis of .Dubbed "Net City," the 2-million-square-meter (22-million-square-foot) urban development will prioritize pedestrians, green spaces and self-driving vehicles, according to its designers. The ambitious city-within-a-city is set to occupy a stretch of reclaimed land jutting out into the Pearl River estuary. Designed to accommodate a...WW…