The Vespa, the wasp-waisted scooter that put postwar Italians on wheels and went on to ​carry Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn through ‌the streets of Rome, is returning to the capital this week to celebrate its 80th birthday.

With a 110-foot (33.5-meter) Ferris wheel, a rodeo demonstration and an eye-popping array of junk food, “The Great American State Fair” opened ​on Washington’s National Mall to start a 16-day celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.

Mandopop megastar Jolin Tsai won album of the year in Taipei, at one of the most prestigious ​entertainment events in the Chinese-speaking world, Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards.

Kane Brown has cheated death in a freak golfing accident.

Donkey is stepping out of Shrek’s shadow after DreamWorks confirmed the wisecracking sidekick will lead his own standalone film, with Eddie Murphy returning to voice the fan-favourite character in an origin story due in cinemas in 2028.

Art Garfunkel has claimed his long and often turbulent relationship with Paul Simon has reached a place of reconciliation.

Pop singer-songwriter and Louis Vuitton designer Pharrell Williams made a giant artificial waterfall the backdrop of his 2027 spring-summer collection ​on Tuesday, kicking off Paris fashion week just as ‌a record-breaking heatwave paralysed large parts of France.

Fans will be allowed to bring rainbow flags when Egypt face Iran ​in Seattle’s designated “Pride Match” at the World Cup, FIFA said, echoing comments from local organisers that ‌the symbol is one of human rights despite protests from the two competing countries.

Researchers using artificial intelligence and advanced imaging said they had achieved the first complete reading of ​a closed Herculaneum scroll burnt by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago.

The 2026 World Cup became the ​best-attended in the tournament’s history, surpassing ‌the 1994 record of nearly 3.6 million spectators, FIFA said.

“The Invite,” an American comedy film about complicated couples, debuts in U.S. theaters, exploring what happens ​when dysfunctional spouses get a steamy invite from their upstairs ‌neighbors that becomes a catalyst for chaos.

James Bond bosses have reportedly narrowed down its shortlist of actors for the next round of auditions.