What is the Nakba and why does it still shape Palestinian life today?
Every year on 15 May, Palestinians across the Middle East mark Nakba Day - a commemoration of the mass displacement that accompanied the creation o...
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to “jump straight to the result” risks undermining the purpose of art, which he believes should be rooted in self-expression and a deeper understanding of the world.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, Fukada said his new drama Nagi Notes, which is set in rural Japan and is premiering at the event, explores ideas around the human act of creation, including the process of making sculpture.
He argued that when AI is used to generate artwork or video, it bypasses the creative journey. In his view, this means creators lose sight of the process through which people are meant to explore and understand their surroundings.
Nagi Notes follows Yuri, a Tokyo-based architect played by Shizuka Ishibashi, who travels to the western Japanese village of Nagi to visit her friend and former sister-in-law Yoriko, portrayed by Takako Matsu. Yoriko agrees to pose for a sculpture, forming the emotional centre of the story.
The film also introduces two local boys, Keita (Kiyora Fujiwara) and Haruki (Waku Kawaguchi), whose developing bond is supported by the women, who provide them with a sense of safety as they explore their feelings.
Fukada also addressed questions about the portrayal of the boys’ relationship, suggesting there remains an imbalance in how audiences perceive same-sex relationships compared with heterosexual ones on screen.
He said he hopes that in the coming decades, representation of characters across all sexual orientations will become so normalised that such distinctions will no longer be a subject of debate.
Fukada’s previous film 'Love on Trial' was shown in the Cannes Premiere sidebar in 2025. His earlier work 'The Real Thing' was included in the festival’s official selection in 2020, while 'Harmonium' premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in 2016, where it won the Jury Prize.
Nagi Notes is among 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or, which is set to be awarded on 23 May.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran loomed over U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China, as signs emerged that the conflict is causing a shift in alliances across the Middle East.
The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed his first deputy to fulfill the public’s expectations regarding the access to the Internet services and platforms amid a wartime shut-down of international connection since late February.
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he left for a high-stakes summit in Beijing on Tuesday, as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Beijing on 14–15 May 2026 for a high-stakes summit aimed at managing rising tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan and the Iran conflict.
The Spanish government has issued a defiant message to Silicon Valley, confirming it will push ahead with stringent new legislation designed to make social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrably safer.
A robotics startup says it has built an AI “brain” that can teach humanoid robots new physical skills in days rather than months, as the race to deploy human-shaped machines in factories and warehouses accelerates.
Apple and Meta have publicly opposed a Canadian bill they say could force technology companies to weaken encryption on devices and online services if it becomes law.
European Union countries and European Parliament lawmakers have agreed on a softened version of the bloc’s landmark artificial intelligence rules, including delayed implementation, in a move critics say reflects growing concessions to major technology firms.
Almaty is hosting GITEX AI Kazakhstan 2026 two-day event, drawing global tech firms and investors as Central Asia gains attention as a fast developing digital market. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus exhibition in Almaty on 4 May.
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