AMSTERDAM (ANP) - De AEX-index op de aandelenbeurs in Amsterdam is woensdag met een kleine winst de handel uitgegaan. Bij de bedrijven was chemicaliëndistributeur IMCD koploper dankzij goed ontvangen cijfers. De chipfondsen gingen echter opnieuw omlaag, ondanks sterke resultaten van chiptoeleverancier ASMI. Daarmee zette de chipsector de zware neergang van deze week door vanwege zorgen bij beleggers over onder meer toenemende concurrentie uit China.

De AEX sloot licht hoger op 1093,10 punten. IMCD ging meer dan 5 procent omhoog. Topman Marcus Jordan sprak van een positief halfjaar voor de onderneming. ASMI bungelde onderaan met een verlies van bijna 5 procent. Het bedrijf boekte in het tweede kwartaal een omzet van meer dan 1 miljard euro en verwacht voor het lopende kwartaal een verdere toename. Branchegenoot Besi daalde ruim 4 procent en ASML werd bijna 2 procent goedkoper.

AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Madonna is komend weekeinde zoals verwacht in Amsterdam. De Amerikaanse superster laat zich zaterdag zien tijdens het World Pride Music Festival in AFAS Live, kondigt ze woensdag aan via Instagram. Het is niet duidelijk of ze ook zal zingen.

Op de line-up van het feest staat ook dj Honey Dijon, die al meerdere keren samenwerkte met Madonna. Ze remixte verschillende van haar nummers en draaide al op promo-evenementen van Madonna's nieuwe album CONFESSIONS II.

Madonna verraste Nederlandse fans dinsdag plots met een Nederlandse boodschap. "Ik heb iets waar ik over wil praten", plaatste ze op sociale media. De tekst "I've got something I wanna talk about" komt uit een van Madonna's recentste singles Bring Your Love met Sabrina Carpenter.

Op het affiche van het tweedaagse World Pride Music Festival van zaterdag staan ook onder anderen Bebe Rexha en Paris Hilton.

BERLIJN (ANP/DPA) - Thorsten Frei is gekozen tot fractievoorzitter van de CDU/CSU in Duitsland. Hij volgt Jens Spahn op, die eerder deze maand aftrad.

Frei geldt als vertrouweling van bondskanselier Friedrich Merz. Tijdens een stemming kreeg hij de steun van 91,9 procent van zijn fractiegenoten.

Merz zegt op X dat de fractie er een "ervaren en verantwoordelijke" voorzitter bij krijgt. Hij zegt zich te verheugen op de verdere samenwerking.

Spahn trad af omdat hij een kind had gekregen via een surrogaatmoeder, terwijl hij een uitgesproken tegenstander was van het legaliseren van het draagmoederschap in Duitsland. Die wet omzeilde hij door zijn kind uit het buitenland te halen. Partijgenoten vroegen vervolgens om zijn vertrek.

While Ferrari remains his ultimate goal, Ollie Bearman says he is happy to continue his development at Haas as he weighs up his long-term future.

While many in F1 are embarking on their summer break, three drivers and teams have been participating in tyre testing at the Hungaroring.

Honda’s new-specification power unit has run on-track for the first time during an Aston Martin filming day in Hungary, in preparation for its planned race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Across West Africa, Indigenous communities mark holidays, rites, and sacred events with a remarkable variety of ceremonies ranging from dances to processions. These masquerade traditions incorporate meticulously carved masks and full-body costumes that often facilitate links between humans and the spiritual world. There’s evidence of masked customs dating back millennia, and today, artists continue the tradition of hand-hewn masks and ensembles in vivid colors and a wide array of materials—sometimes with a twist.

The exhibition New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations, which opens at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg next month, celebrates contemporary creations by four artists: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa (Nigeria), David Sanou (Burkina Faso), Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah (Sierra Leone), and Hervé Youmbi (Cameroon). Along with displays of some of their masks and full ensembles, visitors will be able to explore documentary photographs and videos of ceremonies and parades in addition to immersive multimedia experiences.

“Across many West African cultures, masquerade a broad range of artistic, social, spiritual, and civic traditions,” the museum says. “Encompassing sculpture, textiles, performance, music, movement, and community participation, these performance traditions continuously adapt to contemporary life.” Sanou’s geometric masks are bold and brightly painted, often paired with costumes made from colorfully dyed fiber. And one can even spot pop culture references in Youmbi’s “Tso Scream Mask,” for example, which coats the iconic visage from the Scream movie franchise with thousands of beads.

New African Masquerades is conceived as a dynamic exploration of the masquerade tradition’s collaborative and community-based practices, inviting viewers to a kind of reverie where time-honored heritage meets constant innovation. The show is organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art in partnership with the Museé des Civilisations noires in Dakar, Senegal. The exhibition opens on August 15 and continues through January 3, 2027, in St. Pete, Florida. Follow updates on the museum’s Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Innovation Meets Heritage in West African Contemporary Artists’ Masquerade Ensembles appeared first on Colossal.

Dead City is a complete webcomic by Max Parker and Jey Pawlik. Mikael and JP try to survive a zombie apocalypse together in an abandoned city. This is a slow burn romance with zombies as the plot device; don't expect a lot of action or horror.

Jey also made Gender Slices - an autobiographical comic about being nonbinary. And they're a regular guest artist for Oh Joy Sex Toy (nsfw).

The 6th World Nomad Games will take place in Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 6, 2026, returning to the birthplace of the international event. The opening ceremony will be held in the capital city of Bishkek, while the main sports competitions and cultural events will be hosted around the Issyk-Kul region (primarily Cholpon-Ata). Participants from around 100 countries are expected, competing in traditional heritage sports

Competitions include: Kok-Boru, or Kok-Par, essentially polo with a goat carcass; Er Enish (horseback wrestling), Alysh (belt wrestling), and Mas-wrestling (stick-pulling contest) as well as tug-of-war, this year played in rounds of 1v1, 5v5 and the standard 8v8. As well as dozens of other various forms of wrestling that were invented by, typically only entered by, and always won by the Kazakhs and the Kyrgs. Traditional Archery, Horse Archery Eagle Hunting and falconry. Taigan Zarysh (sighthound racing) Probably more congenial to mefites are the intellectual sports, including Mangala, Oware and Toguz Korgool (originally played with sheep dung, which considering 162 "beads" are needed to play, must have made a very aromatic game – boring small pebbles are the norm now). Straddled halfway between the intellectual sports and sports requiring aim is Ordo. Perhaps the most violent sounding name is Heer Shalga, Breaking of the Vertebral Bone - in which animal bones are broken by hand. These sports are the highlights of a programme that also celebrates nomadic cultural traditions and scientific achievements, so will be accompanied by musical performances, dramas, talent shows and a museum compromising of dozens of yurts, each hosting exhibitions for unique parts of Central Asias Geography and history. I'm following the GB teams Traditional Intellectual Sport Teams Instagram. Other feeds are available.

Nelly Korda may be a safer bet, but home fans would be thrilled to see Hull triumph at Royal Lytham & St Annes

Nelly Korda may be the likeliest winner of the Women’s Open but there is no question who would be the most popular. Charley Hull’s brushes with major glory – she has five runner-up finishes – have only intensified a widespread desire for the 30-year-old to break through the tape. Royal Lytham & St Annes provides the latest opportunity for the flamboyant English star.

Korda arrived in Lancashire with half her four major triumphs having come in 2026. Perhaps the Floridian can afford to be generous. Korda has endorsed Hull’s prospects. “She’s such a great personality,” said Korda. “I think it would be great for her to do it on kind of home soil, too. She’s an amazing player, a funny personality for sure. I enjoy playing with her any time. It would be great for the game of golf.”

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Northumbria police said post by Glenn Gibbins, who was reinstated to the party after internal investigation, referenced Nigerian people

A Reform councillor has been charged with posting a grossly offensive message on social media after allegedly making a racist comment about Nigerians.

Glenn Gibbins, of Sunderland city council, has been charged with the offence under the Communications Act 2003, Northumbria police said.

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Riyadh’s decision to join the US in striking sites associated with the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces further complicates a chaotic war

US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militia in Iraq on Wednesday have pushed the region into “uncharted territory”, analysts have warned.

Amid stark warnings of a widening and increasingly “unpredictable” conflict, Riyadh’s decision to publicly join the US in striking sites associated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, killing at least 20 fighters, has added another complicating dimension to the war.

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While the sizes and prices are staying the same, brands are reducing the alcohol content in their beer

Name: Drinkflation.

Age: The current round started in 2023.

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

The Thomas Crown Affair? Directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan? Ok, I’m in.

Grote ontsteltenis over het nieuwste idee van FIFA-baas Gianni Infantino om investeerders rechtstreeks te laten verdienen aan het grootste sporttoernooi ter wereld. Wat is er aan de hand?