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French Museum Reports Theft of Arty Banana

Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual work 'Comedian' has sold for millions. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/File
Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual work 'Comedian' has sold for millions. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/File
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French Museum Reports Theft of Arty Banana

Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual work 'Comedian' has sold for millions. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/File
Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual work 'Comedian' has sold for millions. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP/File

A museum in eastern France on Sunday reported to police the theft of a banana that forms a core part of a multimillion-dollar artwork by Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan.

The missing fruit -- which was taped to a wall to form the provocative work by Cattelan called "Comedian" -- was noticed by a guard on Saturday to have gone missing.

The Pompidou-Metz museum, which is a branch of the famous Pompidou Center in Paris, said in a statement it had lodged a criminal complaint for theft against persons unknown.

It also said it had replaced the banana.

It is not the first time damage has been dealt to the conceptual artwork, whose perishable banana centerpiece is replaced every three days to keep it contemporary.

In July last year, a visitor to the museum ate the fruit. But guards quickly intervened and stuck up a replacement banana.

Cattelan said at the time he was disappointed the hungry visitor had consumed only the banana and not the tape as well. The museum did not take legal action in that instance.

This time, though, it decided to make its criminal complaint because the perpetrator was unidentified, and therefore "there is no possibility of dialogue".

It also said that "this is the second time this has happened" and it felt it was an issue of respect for the artwork.

Cattelan's edible creation, which aims to question the notion of art and its value, has sparked controversy ever since it made its debut at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach with an asking price of $120,000.

A performance artist, David Datuna, ate "Comedian" at that 2019 show, saying he felt "hungry".

But the work's value has only risen.

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun in 2024 forked out $5.2 million for one iteration of the work, then days later ate it in front of cameras in Hong Kong.

As well as "Comedian", Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called "America" that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.

A British court in March found two men guilty of stealing it during an exhibition in 2020 in the United Kingdom, from an 18th-century stately home that was the birthplace of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

It was split up into parts and none of the gold was ever recovered.

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Varieties

'I Thought I Would Perish': Everest Survivor Recounts Ordeal

Medics and rescuers carry mountaineer Dawa Sherpa upon his arrival at the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on June 4, 2026. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT / AFP)
Medics and rescuers carry mountaineer Dawa Sherpa upon his arrival at the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on June 4, 2026. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT / AFP)
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'I Thought I Would Perish': Everest Survivor Recounts Ordeal

Medics and rescuers carry mountaineer Dawa Sherpa upon his arrival at the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on June 4, 2026. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT / AFP)
Medics and rescuers carry mountaineer Dawa Sherpa upon his arrival at the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on June 4, 2026. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT / AFP)

A Nepali mountaineer who survived nearly a week on Mount Everest said he "chewed ice" to stay alive, as he recovered in a hospital after a miraculous rescue that stunned the climbing community.

Dawa Sherpa, 57, disappeared in brutal conditions on the upper slopes of the world's tallest mountain on May 30 during one of the final climbs of the spring season.

With few climbers still on the peak and his oxygen exhausted, relatives had given up hope and begun ritual mourning prayers, believing he had died on the mountain.

"I didn't think I would be alive," he told BBC Nepali on Friday from his hospital bed.

"I thought I would perish this way. I didn't get lost. As the oxygen ran out, I fell behind. After the oxygen finished, I couldn't walk."

Left stranded in freezing temperatures near Everest's "death zone", where oxygen levels are critically low, Dawa Sherpa said he survived for days with almost no food or water.

"I didn't eat anything for the first two days. Then I began chewing ice. It hurt my teeth. I chewed the ice hard," AFP quoted him as saying.

He survived on a few chocolates and snacks he found in his pockets.

"I soaked them in water and had them," he said.

Dawa Sherpa, also known as "Hillary" after legendary climber Edmund Hillary, had told others after his rescue that at one point he fell into a crevasse before managing to climb out.

"Stepping on the snow, I stood up and looked above... It felt I could get out from there," he said.

"I then looked for ropes and found one. Then I held on to it and walked... eventually I came down."

He said he walked day and night towards base camp until finally encountering people almost a week later.

He was found crawling towards the base camp on the morning of June 4 by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a Nepali team that helps set routes on Everest and clean up waste left behind.

"Boys from SPCC were going up to collect the waste. I met them. They carried me down."

He was flown to Kathmandu for treatment for frostbite, severe dehydration and a fractured thigh bone, doctors said.

"He is doing well. We had a chat," his daughter Mendo Lhamu Sherpa told AFP.

His survival has sparked celebration among fellow climbers, but also anger from family members who accused rescue teams of failing to locate him sooner.

Nepal Mountaineering Association President Fur Gelje Sherpa called the survival extraordinary but said the incident highlighted serious concerns over climber safety.

"It is irresponsible and inhumane to leave a person behind," he said. "I believe that an investigation committee must be formed to hold the responsible people accountable for this."

Everest guide Rinji Sherpa, who comes from the same village as Dawa Sherpa, said the climber was highly experienced and familiar with the dangers of high-altitude mountaineering.

"He is very lucky, he has had several close calls before but he has survived," he said.

At least five climbers -- two Indians and three Nepalis -- died during this year's Everest season.

More than 1,000 climbers reached Everest's summit this season, according to preliminary Nepali government figures, making it the busiest season on record.

Varieties

Shark Attack Kills Man Off Western Australia Coast

A shark swims close to a diving cage during a shark cage diving experience off the coast of Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander
A shark swims close to a diving cage during a shark cage diving experience off the coast of Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander
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Shark Attack Kills Man Off Western Australia Coast

A shark swims close to a diving cage during a shark cage diving experience off the coast of Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander
A shark swims close to a diving cage during a shark cage diving experience off the coast of Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

A man has died after being attacked by a shark while fishing off the coast of Western Australia state, police said on Saturday, the third fatal shark attack in Australia in three weeks.

The 35-year-old was attacked on Saturday morning while spearfishing with family off the state's south coast at Michaelmas Island, close to ⁠the town of ⁠Albany, about 388 km (241 miles) south of state capital Perth, police said.

Reuters said he was taken ashore where he was treated by paramedics but died of his ⁠injuries.

A 4.5 meter (14.8 feet) shark, of an unknown species, was spotted by a member of the public near Michaelmas Island, a nature reserve that receives few visitors, on Saturday, state authorities said.

On May 24, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing on ⁠the ⁠Great Barrier Reef. The death followed that of a 38-year-old mauled off an island near Perth 10 days earlier.

There are around 20 shark attacks in Australia every year but the vast majority are not fatal, according to data from conservation groups. Far more people drown on the country's beaches.

Varieties

Excitement and Joy at Ljubljana Zoo after Birth of 3 Siberian Tiger Cubs

A visitor watches the Siberian tiger cubs with their mother on a screen at the zoo in Ljubljana. AP
A visitor watches the Siberian tiger cubs with their mother on a screen at the zoo in Ljubljana. AP
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Excitement and Joy at Ljubljana Zoo after Birth of 3 Siberian Tiger Cubs

A visitor watches the Siberian tiger cubs with their mother on a screen at the zoo in Ljubljana. AP
A visitor watches the Siberian tiger cubs with their mother on a screen at the zoo in Ljubljana. AP

A zoo in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana has presented its newest residents: three Siberian tiger cubs who were born there under two weeks ago.

The Siberian tiger is one of the world’s most endangered big cat species, with experts estimating that about 500 remain in the wild. Their survival is threatened primarily by habitat loss and poaching.

Zoo workers said the cubs were born to mother Arisa and father Ussuri, which arrived in Ljubljana in 2004, after careful planning and much hoping, The Associated Press reported.

“We were not really expecting, but hoping, working on it because we have a good breeding pair,” she said. Though the couple were introduced to each other at the right time “we weren't completely sure,” she added.

“So we were also a bit surprised and of course very happy,” Strus said.

Breeding wild animal species in enclosed spaces is known to be hard and often does not succeed.

The cubs, born on May 27, are highly vulnerable and need to be isolated from others except their mother, but zoo staff and visitors have been able see them on a screen streaming live video footage.

Visitors could be seen smiling as they watched the mother with her babies on the screen. Barbara Gallaido, from San Francisco, said the sight was “really fabulous.”

“I’ve seen tigers in the wild in India, but not like this, not with cubs,” she said. “It was really great.”

Arisa is a first-time mother at the age of 4, Strus said. She appears to be doing very well so far.

“She is constantly licking them (cubs,) breastfeeding them and they are resting together,” she said. “So far so good. But ... we still need to wait and see what will happen.”

According to Strus, tiger cubs open their eyes and begin hearing about two weeks after birth. She said the mother is expected to bring them out of the den for the first time when they are one month old.