Is this Central Asia’s best-preserved medieval settlement? See Khiva in pictures

Is this Central Asia’s best-preserved medieval settlement? See Khiva in pictures

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The rhythmic sound of chisel meeting wood has echoed through Khiva’s streets for centuries. Artisans carefully carve ornate motifs into traditional wooden columns, like the kind that support palaces and mosques across Uzbekistan. Photograph by Lorenz Berna The Khiva school of woodcarving is renowned for its…

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What Hollywood Is Missing About A.I.

What Hollywood Is Missing About A.I.

In 2025, A.I. seems to pop up on TV nearly as often as it does in real life. On the hospital-mockumentary sitcom “St. Denis Medical,” a curmudgeonly physician resents the unerring faith that a patient has in his A.I. diagnostic tool. In the high-school-set comedy “English Teacher,” an idealistic educator campaigns for “smart” trash cans,…

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IDF, Israeli Police, Magen David Adom complete hostage-rescue exercise along Lebanese border

IDF, Israeli Police, Magen David Adom complete hostage-rescue exercise along Lebanese border

The training operation, led by the IDF’s 91st Division and the National Ground Training Center, was the largest conducted since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War. The IDF completed an intensive five-day training intended to prepare for “extreme defense scenarios” along the northern border with Lebanon on Thursday, according to the IDF. The training operation,…

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Brazilian authorities say they addressed housing shortage for climate talks, defend oil drilling

Brazilian authorities say they addressed housing shortage for climate talks, defend oil drilling

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian authorities said Friday they have made progress in solving the housing shortage for attendees of the upcoming U.N. climate conference, while also defending a recent decision to allow exploratory drilling in the Amazon. Both issues have been contentious as Brazil prepares to host the summit, known as COP30, in November.…

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AI-generated clip of Louvre jewel heist spreads online

AI-generated clip of Louvre jewel heist spreads online

One day after thieves robbed France’s Louvre Museum of prize jewels in a brazen daytime heist, a short video purporting to show the crime from the Apollo Gallery spread in multiple languages across social media. But the sequence was generated by artificial intelligence, AFP verified. “Louvre jewelry heist footage,” says the caption of a 10-second…

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Hundreds of boxes for children in Eastern Europe

Hundreds of boxes for children in Eastern Europe

Five-hundred shoeboxes have been filled with Christmas presents for children in Eastern European countries. Volunteers at St Mary’s Church, in Brixham, Devon, have packed and checked boxes filled with toys, toiletries, clothing and other presents. The boxes will be be taken to Ukraine and Moldova by Christian Response, a charity based in Exmouth. Volunteer Lindsay…

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A Daring Show Remixes the Monuments of the Confederacy

A Daring Show Remixes the Monuments of the Confederacy

The first thing you see is a horse’s ass, protruding, upside down, from the thorax of a monster. A man’s arm descends from the beast’s stomach, his gloved hand clutching the blade of a fallen sabre. There’s no sign of a rider’s face, but a head of well-coiffed hair dangles from the creature’s eyeless muzzle.…

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