Society & Culture

Shakira draws 2 million fans in Rio, joins ranks of largest free concerts in history

Colombian pop star Shakira has delivered one of the largest concerts in modern music history, drawing an estimated 2 million people to Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach in a free performance that cements her place among the biggest live acts ever.

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The United States and China remain the dominant forces in the global film industry, jointly accounting for nearly half of worldwide box office revenue in 2025, according to industry estimates from Gower Street Analytics and Comscore.

A new World visualized ranking of history’s best-selling books offers a revealing look at what humans across centuries, cultures, and continents have chosen to read, preserve, and pass on.

A visual representation of tourism in Asia

Asia’s tourism landscape has undergone a notable reshuffle over the past decade, with Malaysia emerging as the region’s most visited destination in 2025, overtaking traditional heavyweights such as China and Thailand.

New Zealand leads retirement rankings while Europe and Asia race to attract older wealth

New Zealand has been ranked the world’s best country for retirement in 2024, outperforming traditional European favourites and emerging Asian destinations, according to the latest global retirement index published by CEOWORLD magazine.

Indonesia, Thailand lead the global belief that religion benefits society

Public belief that religion plays a positive role in society remains strongest in emerging economies, with Indonesia, Thailand and Kenya topping global rankings, according to findings from the Pew Research Centre’s 2025 global attitudes survey.

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Japanese pop phenomenon AKB48 leads a list of bands with the largest number of members in music history, having featured 292 performers over the course of its existence, according to data compiled by Far Out Magazine.

For millions of people around the world, obtaining a second passport represents security, mobility and long-term opportunity. But while some countries offer relatively clear naturalisation routes, others maintain some of the strictest citizenship laws on the planet.

Through tariffs and sanctions, the global travel industry has only seen an increase. Travellers yearn for culture-rich cities, island escapes and deeply immersive experiences

From South America to Europe and the Caribbean, countries are competing to make citizenship more accessible. This trend reflects rising demand for greater travel freedom, economic opportunity and global security amid shifting geopolitical landscapes.

Between February 6 and 12, 2026, Bad Bunny claimed the top five spots on Billboard’s Global 200, an extraordinary feat that shows his international reach and the growing power of Latin music on the world stage.

Switzerland claimed the top honours in 2025's World Cheese Awards, with several of its varieties scoring highest among a field of hundreds of international entries.

Two decades after YouTube launched, a handful of music videos have achieved something once unimaginable: view counts in the billions, far beyond what television audiences ever reached.

Available data shows that Bad Bunny has emerged as one of the most influential artists in the streaming era.

The Super Bowl stage has a new king of halftime. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny drew an unprecedented 135.4 million viewers for his performance during Super Bowl LX on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time, according to preliminary estimates from NBC.

Italian cuisine has once again been named the Best Cuisine in the World, according to the newly released TasteAtlas 2025/26 global rankings, reaffirming Italy’s unrivalled influence on how the world eats.

Couples planning a honeymoon in 2026 are turning their eyes toward dreamy beaches, island retreats and timeless European cities, according to the latest TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Across the world, millions of people rely on food assistance as a daily necessity beyond viewing it as s a temporary safety net.

Policing levels vary widely across the world, and the differences say a lot about how governments approach security, control, and public order.