The Louvre museum in Paris said Friday it has put nearly half a million items from its collection online for the public to visit free of charge. 

As part of a major revamp of its online presence, the world's most-visited museum has created a new database of 482,000 items at collections.louvre.fr with more than three-quarters already labelled with information and pictures.
It comes after a year of pandemic-related shutdowns that has seen an explosion in visits to its main website, louvre.fr, which has also been given a major makeover. 
-It's a step that has been in preparation for several years with the aim of serving the general public as well as researchers. Accessibility is at the heart of our mission- said president-director Jean-Luc Martinez.
The new database includes not only items on public display in the museum but also those in storage, including at its new state-of-the-art facility at Lievin in northern France. 
The platform also includes the Delacroix museum, which is run by the Louvre, as well as sculptures from the neighbouring Tuileries gardens and works recovered from Germany since the end of the war in 1945 that are waiting to be restored to the families from which they were looted.
The museum announced earlier this month that it would intensify its efforts to restore items looted from Jewish families by the Nazi regime. 
It is working to complete the verification of all 13,943 items acquired between 1933 and 1945, a process it hopes to complete within five years, to be followed by investigations on works acquired in later decades. 
Martinez estimated that around one percent of portraits in the collections were looted. 
-The Louvre has nothing to hide, and the reputational risk is enormous- he said. -When the next generations want to know where these collections came from, how do we react? By doing the historical work and establishing the facts.-

The world's most-visited museum has created a new database of 482,000 items at collections.louvre.fr with more than three-quarters already labelled with information and pictures

A year of pandemic-related shutdowns has seen an explosion in visits to the Louvre's website

Louvre puts entire collection online

Twitter said Thursday it is conducting a public survey to get feedback on whether world leaders should be subject to the same rules as other users of its platform.

-Politicians and government officials are constantly evolving how they use our service, and we want our policies to remain relevant to the ever-changing nature of political discourse on Twitter and protect the health of the public conversation- said the company in a statement.
-That’s why we’re reviewing our approach to world leaders and seeking your input- it said, adding it wants to hear from the public "should a world leader violate a rule, what type of enforcement action is appropriate.”
The survey starts on Friday and will be available in 14 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu.
-This is to ensure a global perspective is reflected in the feedback and mirrors the approach we've taken with previous public surveys. The survey will close on Monday, April 12 at 5 p.m. PT- it wrote.
The company also said it is in the process of consulting with a range of human rights experts, civil society organizations and academics worldwide.
-We want to serve the public conversation and allow the public to hear from and engage with leaders around the world. Ultimately, our aim is to have a policy that appropriately balances fundamental human rights and considers the global context in which we operate- said the statement.
Following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, former US President Donald Trump's Twitter account was suspended indefinitely, which sparked concern among world leaders and top government officials worldwide.

Survey starts Friday and will be available in 14 languages

Survey is available in 14 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu

Twitter seeks public input on approach to world leaders

Amazon is diving into Bollywood with its first Hindi-language movie, starring India's highest-paid actor, as it fights for viewers in the huge but crowded market.

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar will be the lead in the action-adventure flick "Ram Setu", which will be released in cinemas before its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video, the American tech giant said in a statement Wednesday.
Global streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon and Disney's Hotstar, have expanded their presence in the country of 1.3 billion in recent years, including by commissioning local productions featuring Bollywood stars.
Streaming services have surged in popularity due to the coronavirus pandemic as locked-down, cinema-loving Indians turned to them for entertainment, with theatres shut for more than six months.
Amazon, which has already bet big on India with its core e-commerce business, recently ruffled feathers when it was forced to issue an apology for "Tandav", a drama streamed on Prime.
Politicians from India's ruling party called for the show to be banned for "deliberately mocking Hindu gods" and disrespecting religious sentiments.
Streaming TV services are not subject to the country's notoriously fussy censor boards, which regularly cut scenes from movies shown in cinemas and on television.
But under contentious new guidelines announced last month, streaming platforms will soon be forced to withdraw content deemed objectionable 36 hours after a complaint.
The furore over "Tandav" and the new rules are already prompting production firms to tone down programmes they are making, or even drop them, according to media reports.
During his visit to India last year, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told an audience of Bollywood filmmakers that while Prime Video was doing well in all geographies, "there's nowhere it's doing better than in India".
Amazon has not announced a release date for "Ram Setu", which refers to Adam's Bridge, a chain of shoals off southeastern India that was built by an army of monkey warriors, according to Hindu mythology.
-I look forward to telling the story of a significant part of Indian heritage, especially for the youth- said Kumar, the highest-paid Indian actor in the world according to Forbes' 2020 rankings.
-I am happy that, with Amazon Prime Video, the story will cut across geographies and strike a chord with viewers across the world.-

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar will be the lead in the action-adventure flick "Ram Setu"

Film will be released in cinemas before its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video, the American tech giant said in a statement Wednesday

Amazon to make first Bollywood film

Star Wars fans in Russia have built a giant replica of a spaceship from the spinoff series "The Mandalorian" and installed it in a park in one of the world's coldest cities.

The model of the Razor Crest -- a gunship used by the hit TV show's mysterious bounty hunter to roam the galaxy's outer reaches -- now sits on a snow-covered hill in a park in the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk.
-The ship weighs more than a tonne- Ayaal Fyodorov, 28, told AFP, adding that it had taken him and his cosplayer friends around three months to build it.
The sci-fi vessel, which stands four metres (13 feet) tall, has been made from fibreboard, metal and plastic foam.
The makers sought to meticulously recreate the spacecraft's interior and the vessel even has a lowering ramp and a seat for Baby Yoda, a small creature with whom the protagonist, Din Djarin, forms an unlikely bond.
Fyodorov said he and his friends were "shocked" to see the ship getting destroyed in the series' second season. 
-We were very much motivated to make it. As if we were inside the TV series and rebuilding the ship- Fyodorov said.
He estimated the project cost more than 750,000 rubles ($10,200).
Fyodorov first used his savings, then sold his car, then asked ordinary Russians and companies to pitch in.
He is proud of the result.
-This is the only such cosplay ship in the world- he said, standing next to his creation.
The space vessel has become a major point of attraction for locals and tourists alike and has won praise from experts in a region known for its booming film industry.
-Honestly, I did not expect this to turn out so well- said Semyon Shishigin, head of Taragai Cinema, a local film studio, who recently brought his family to the park to look at the ship.
-I see that there are lots of locals here, and most of them came to see the ship. That's just fantastic!-

The makers sought to meticulously recreate the spacecraft's interior and the vessel even has a lowering ramp and a seat for Baby Yoda

This is the only such cosplay ship in the world

Star Wars fans build Mandalorian spaceship in Siberia

Facebook Inc will allow content creators on its platform to earn revenue from short-form videos via advertisements, the social network said on Thursday.

The announcement came in a blog where the company detailed its plans to help creators make more money, as smaller tech rivals have been racing to attract famous social media personalities.
Snapchat owner Snap Inc has been paying $1 million per day to creators who make viral short videos on its feature called Snapchat Spotlight. Twitter recently announced it would launch “Super Follows,” which would let users charge followers for exclusive content.
Facebook said creators can now earn ad revenue from videos as short as one minute, down from three minutes previously.
It will also begin testing ads that look like stickers, which content creators can use in their Facebook Stories to earn money.
More creators can now qualify to earn ad revenue from live-streaming videos on Facebook, previously an invite-only program.
The social media giant said it would also give away $7 million in free Facebook Stars, which users can pay to creators on Facebook Live as a form of tipping.

The social media giant said it would also give away $7 million in free Facebook Stars

The announcement came in a blog where the company detailed its plans to help creators make more money

Facebook to let content creators earn money from short-form videos

Meghan Markle said it feels "liberating" to be able to speak out about her life in the British royal family in an excerpt released Friday of her hotly anticipated interview with US host Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, who married in a fairytale wedding in 2018, stepped down from frontline royal duties last year, in part blaming media intrusion for their decision to move to North America.
However, Meghan's claims against the British institution that have aired so far from the tell-all chat are fuelling an increasingly heated public relations battle between the royal family and the US-based couple.
-As an adult who lived a really independent life, to then go into this construct -- that is different than I think what people imagine it to be -- it's really liberating to be able to have the right, and the privilege in some ways, to be able to say 'Yes, I'm ready to talk- Meghan said after Winfrey asked when she chose to speak now.
-We have the ability to make our own choices in a way that I couldn't have said 'yes' to you then. That wasn't my choice to make- she added.
The clips released by US broadcaster CBS came after Buckingham Palace said it was probing claims that Meghan had bullied royal household staff during her time in Britain. 
Meghan accused the British royal family of peddling lies against herself and Harry in a previous excerpt.
-I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there's an active role that 'The Firm' (royal family) is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us- she told Winfrey.

Meghan and her husband Prince Harry stepped down from frontline royal duties last year

Markle: -I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there's an active role that 'The Firm' (royal family) is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us

Meghan Markle says 'liberating' to speak out in Oprah interview

At 118 years old, the world's oldest living person is preparing to carry the Olympic torch this May in Japan.

Kane Tanaka, who has twice survived cancer, lived through two global pandemics and loves fizzy drinks, will take the flame as it passes through Shime, in her home prefecture of Fukuoka.
While Tanaka's family will push her in a wheelchair for most of her 100-meter (about 328 feet) or so leg, the supercentenarian -- a person aged over 110 years old -- is determined to walk the final few steps, as she passes the torch to the next runner.
CNN spoke exclusively with Tanaka, who has a new pair of sneakers for the event -- a gift from her family on her birthday in January.-It's great she reached that age and she can still keep up an active lifestyle -- we want other people to see that and feel inspired, and not to think age is a barrier- said her grandson Eiji Tanaka, who is in his 60s.
Previous record holders for the oldest Olympic torchbearers include Aida Gemanque of Brazil, who lit the torch at the 2016 Rio Summer Games age 106, and table tennis player Alexander Kaptarenko, who ran with the torch at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games at 101 years old.

Tanaka was born in 1903 -- the year aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright made history by completing the world's first powered flight.
She went on to have four children with the rice shop owner she married at 19 years old, and worked in the family store until she was 103. She has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
She lived through two world wars and the 1918 Spanish flu, although her grandson Eiji said: "I don't remember her talking much about the past ... She's very forward thinking -- she really enjoys living in the present."
And she is almost as old as the modern Olympic Games, which began in 1896.
When the Olympics were last held in Tokyo in 1964, Tanaka was 61 years old. When counting both the summer and winter editions of the games, this year's Olympics will be the 49th of her lifetime.
Tanaka now lives in a nursing home, where she usually wakes at 6 a.m. and enjoys playing the strategic board game, Othello. Tanaka's family, who have not been able to visit her for 18 months during the Covid-19 pandemic, said staying curious and doing math are her secrets to keeping the mind sharp and body healthy.

Tanaka is by no means Japan's only centenarian.
For the first time last year, Japan recorded more than 80,000 centenarians, according to the country's Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry -- marking the 50th consecutive annual increase.
In 2020, one in every 1,565 people in Japan was over 100 years old -- more than 88% of them women.
In Japan, women have a life expectancy of 87.45 years compared to 81.4 for men, government figures released in July 2020 showed.
In 2019, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Tanaka as the world's oldest living person, and now she has her sights on another milestone -- the record for the oldest person to ever live is held by a French woman, who died age 122.
"(Kane) said she wants to break that record," said Eiji Tanaka, her grandson.

Tanaka's family said she hasn't been doing any training for the torch relay, but is excited to be a part of the Olympics.
-She has always loved festivals- Eiji Tanaka said.
But he warned her participation in May -- which is sponsored by a Japanese life insurance company -- will depend on her health and weather conditions.
The pandemic-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay starts in Fukushima prefecture on March 25, with several Covid-19 countermeasures in place, officials announced last month.
The torch will first go through regions affected by the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, marking the disaster's 10th anniversary, before traveling "around every corner of Japan," officials said.
The coronavirus restrictions include avoiding "the 3 Cs" -- closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings.
Those who wish to view the relay from the roadside must wear masks, stay home if they feel unwell, and refrain from traveling outside the prefecture they live in.
Spectators have also been told to "support with applause ... rather than by shouting or cheering." The relay will be streamed live online.
Torchbearers will be required to fill out a daily health checklist two weeks before the relay and refrain from activities that may involve a risk of infection, such as eating out or going to crowded places, officials advised.
Tanaka's great-granddaughter Junko Tanaka set up a Twitter account in January 2020 to celebrate the supercentenarian's life.
She tweets photos of her great-grandmother enjoying treats such as cake and soda pop, and shares her achievements and the exchanges she has with her relatives.
"I started a Twitter feed on her because it's quite amazing that at 118 she drinks Coca-Cola herself and plays Othello," Junko Tanaka said. "I might be biased because I'm related to her but I think it's kind of amazing -- I wanted to share that with the world and for people to feel inspired and to feel her joy."

Kane Tanaka  twice survived cancer, lived through two global pandemics and she loves fizzy drinks

Kane Tanaka loves fizzy drinks and plays maths games every day

Aged 118, the world's oldest living person will carry the Olympic flame in Japan

Queen Elizabeth II has acquired two new corgi puppies after the last of her succession of the dogs died several years ago, The Sun reported on Friday.

The tabloid said the lively pups -- the latest in a long line of dogs to keep the 94-year-old company -- were bringing joy as the royal family battles a series of crises.
Her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, has just had a heart operation, while her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have given a tell-all interview to US television after moving to California.
The dogs have reportedly been living with the queen for several weeks at Windsor Castle, west of London, where she has been self-isolating from the coronavirus pandemic for nearly a year.
-The Queen is delighted- The Sun quoted an unnamed palace "insider" as saying. 
-Both are said to be bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle while Philip is in hospital.-Buckingham Palace declined to comment officially. 
Royal biographer Penny Junor told the newspaper the dogs "are intensely loyal and loving and they have never let her down".
-And of course corgis also seldom rush off to LA to give interviews- she added, in a clear reference to Harry and Meghan's much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast Sunday.
The queen has had a lifetime love of corgis -- a small Welsh dog bred for herding -- and they have become closely associated with the royals.
Famously, they featured in her "James Bond" scene with the actor Daniel Craig, filmed for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in London.
The Netflix series "The Crown," showing the young queen surrounded by the short-legged dogs, prompted a surge of interest in the breed.
The queen has had corgis since she was first given one -- Susan -- as a present for her 18th birthday in 1944.
The new puppies are reported to be a gift and her first corgis not descended from Susan.
In 2015, British media reported that the queen had stopped breeding corgis, fearful of leaving them orphaned after her death.
Willow, Susan's last descendant, died in 2018, leaving the monarch with just two dorgis -- a crossbreed from a corgi and a dachshund. 
One, Vulcan, has since died.
The names of the new puppies have not been released, the Sun reported.

The dogs have reportedly been living with the queen for several weeks at Windsor Castle

The names of the new puppies have not been released

During tough times, dogs save the Queen

Daft Punk, the iconic Parisian electronica duo whose pop-infused funk and futurist aesthetics brought nearly three decades of hits to international audiences, have split, they announced Monday.

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo made the announcement in a highly stylized video titled "Epilogue" in which the musicians are seen walking through a desert landscape. Donning their iconic robotic helmets they come to a halt, and face each other as one removes his leather jacket to expose a detonation button on his back.
The button is pressed, starting a one-minute timer that culminates in the "robot's" explosion, sending shrapnel flying into the air.
The scene cuts to a graphic of two robot hands with the years 1993-2021 laid underneath, confirming the group's end.
Daft Punk's latest LP came in 2013 when they released their highly-praised Random Access Memories, which won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. The star-studded album included contributions from the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, hit-maker Pharrell Williams and Italian composer Giorgio Moroder.
Three years prior Daft Punk scored Disney's 2010 remake of Tron, the 1980's film about a computer hacker that goes into the digital realm to compete in gladiatorial competitions. The score was light on hits, but Derezzed brought the group's high-energy club-thumping sound to the big screen while the bulk of the album combined often ominous electronica with instrumentals.
Daft Punk made a name for themselves with their early hits, including 1997's Around the World, Da Funk, and One More Time. All of those songs came from their debut LP Homework, which is regarded as definitive in the house music genre, and rocketed them to international super-stardom.
It is unclear why the duo chose to part ways.

French electronica duo announces split in 8-minute video, ending nearly 3 decades of hit-making

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo made the announcement in a highly stylized video titled "Epilogue"

Iconic French DJ duo Daft Punk breaks up after 28 years

Sweden’s Spotify said on Monday it would launch in new markets in the next few days which will make the music streaming service available to more than a billion people around the world.

The company, which launched its service over a decade ago, is currently available in 93 countries and has 345 million monthly active users.
Spotify also launched a new subscription service, Spotify HiFi, for which premium subscribers in select markets will be able to upgrade their sound quality of the songs to lossless CD-quality music.

The company is currently available in 93 countries

A smartphone is seen in front of a screen projection of Spotify logo, in this picture illustration taken April 1, 2018.

Spotify to launch in more markets, reach over a billion listeners

Pandemic or not, it's a theatre space that very rarely sees an audience: Marie-Antoinette's personal playhouse in the grounds of Versailles is a fragile historical gem in need of delicate care.

The late 18th century was a time of "theatre-mania" in which many wealthy princes and financiers built their own stages on their estates, said Raphael Masson, lead conservator at Versailles.
The last queen of France before the revolution was a passionate fan of music and theatre, and had hers built deep in the grounds of the chateau where she could escape with her retinue. 
It was here, in 1785, that she gave her own last performance on stage, as Rosine in "The Barber of Seville" in front of its author, Beaumarchais.
Today, it is the only 18th century theatre in France to still have its original working machinery -- "a miracle of conservation", said Masson. 
It has three sets -- a rustic interior, a forest and a temple of Minerva -- the latter being the oldest intact decor in the world, dating to 1754: "Our own Mona Lisa," said Masson.
The sets were highly innovative at the time, riding on rails from both sides of the stage to create moving backdrops -- the "special effects of the 18th century," said Masson. "A testimony to the virtuosity of the 18th century decorators." 
The theatre was deemed worthless at the time of the revolution, and so never sold off. Yet restoring its former glory has been a job of painstaking conservation. 
With visitors kept away by the pandemic, the team has been working on a new curtain, stitching the dazzling cobalt-blue linen together by hand using the original techniques. 
They are also using the chateau's original inventory to rebuild other parts that have been lost over the years, including machinery that allows a tree to rise from a trapdoor. 
But even when visitors are able to return, the 250-seat theatre will not be giving regular performances. 
Despite being brought back to functioning life with a major restoration in 2001, its fragility has meant it only gives concerts once every two years.
That makes those moments particularly special, said Masson: "We are always very moved to hear the notes rise from the pit."

The late 18th century was a time of "theatre-mania" in which many wealthy princes and financiers built their own stages on their estates

A general view of the Queen's theatre of the Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles, France

Marie-Antoinette's personal theatre gets a lockdown makeover

Feeling frustrated and stressed out? Brazilians now have a place to vent their anger and fury in the newly opened “Rage Room.”Inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, people are able to swing giant hammers at old televisions, computers and printers, demolishing the machines, and shattering the glass into tiny pieces.
Forty-two-year-old Vanderlei Rodrigues, who opened the business a month ago in Cidade Tiradentes, said he has received a fair number of customers wanting to vent, especially during the pandemic.
-I think it was the best moment to be able to set this up here in Cidade Tiradentes, related to everything that people are going through, a lot of anxiety, stress.-The “Rage Room” experience costs $4.64.

Wearing protective suits and helmets, participants write issues that bother them on the walls - “ex-girlfriends”, “ex-husbands,” “corruption” and “work.” These words become the targets of their anger.

Alexandre de Carvalho, 40, who works in advertising and drives two hours back and forth to work, said with worries about health due to the pandemic, “it’s great to come here and release some adrenaline and pent-up feelings.”
For Luciana Holanda, 35, who is an unemployed mother of two daughters, she said she prefers to vent her frustration inside the “Rage Room.”
-With all this accumulated stress, being a mother, having children and not being able to work ... it is very good to be able to release some stress and vent.-
-I am not going to vent my frustrations on my daughters or on anyone, so I really prefer to break things, I love it.-

Inside a warehouse people are able to swing giant hammers at old televisions, computers and printers, demolishing the machines, and shattering the glass into tiny pieces

Luciana Holanda smashes a computer monitor at the Rage Room, a place where people can destroy everyday objects to vent their anger, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, February 19, 2021.

Feeling angry? The 'Rage Room' opens in Sao Paulo

Kim Kardashian West has filed for divorce from Kanye West, a court clerk for Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed to CNN on Friday.

Christy Welder, a representative for Kardashian West, confirmed the divorce filing but said Kardashian West had no additional comment. CNN has reached out to West for comment.
The filing cites irreconcilable differences and Kardashian West seeks joint custody of the couple's four children. It also cites a prenuptial agreement regarding their assets.
The two, who married in a lavish wedding in Italy in 2014, have been living apart for some time.
West has reportedly been living at their home in Wyoming, while Kardashian West has stayed in California with their children.The couple met in the early 2000s, but it would be years before they became romantically involved.
West interviewed his wife for Vogue Arabia and asked her about the first time they met.
-This was before you released your first album and you were known as a music producer. I was really shy. You thought I was (singer) Brandy's assistant, which I wasn't," Kardashian West recalled. "Ever since you said that, it's everywhere ... like 'Kim is Brandy's assistant.' I was her friend and stylist. (laughs). I thought you were attractive, nice, very charming, really funny, powerful -- I was in awe of you, but I was really shy, quiet, and a little nervous, to be honest.-Both had high-profile relationships before they went public with their love in 2012.
West famously proposed to Kardashian by renting out a sports stadium and hiring an orchestra, as her family watched from nearby -- all of which was documented and shared on the family's popular E! reality series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."The couple have four children together. Daughter North was born in 2013, followed by a son, Saint, in 2015, daughter, Chicago, in 2018, and son, Psalm, in 2019.
The couple supported each other through tough times, including Kardashian West being robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016 during a home invasion.
In 2018, West tweeted his admiration for his wife.
-Gratitude and happiness best describe what my wife means to me," he wrote. "I'm deeply grateful and purely happy.-Kardashian West, for her part, has also often spoken out in defense of her husband, who has been open about his struggles with bipolar disorder and stirred controversy with his provocative tweets and political views.Last summer, Kardashian West sought understanding from the public in a social media post.
-I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions- she wrote in a statement shared on social media.
-He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions.-

Christy Welder, a representative for Kardashian West, confirmed the divorce filing but said Kardashian West had no additional comment

The two, who married in a lavish wedding in Italy in 2014, have been living apart for some time

Kim Kardashian West files for divorce from Kanye West

Most homes are built block by block, or brick by brick. But a demo house in Calverton, New York, was constructed scan by scan - its walls made using a giant three-dimensional printer.&nbsp;The demo house was built by construction firm SQ4D, to show the public and industry what was possible. Now the company is putting one up for sale - a still to-be-built house in the nearby town of Riverhead, which has been listed on property site Zillow at $299,000.
With a detached garage, the house will cover some 1,400 square feet (130 square meters). The footings, foundation and slab, along with the walls, will be entirely made with the 3D printer.
-We instruct the machine to go around and follow your floor plan each pass as we go by. We’re constantly building up- said Kirk Andersen, the director of operations for SQ4D.
Andersen and his colleagues had to design and build their own printer to fulfill their house-sized dream.
-We took the idea of a plastic 3D desktop printer and wanted to make it much larger and spit out concrete- said Andersen.
-We set tracks on each side of the structure where we plan to print. We set up our giant gantry, our large scale printer goes back and forth, extruding these layers one by one, stacking, building all your walls.-

Andersen said the actual printing time for the walls took about 48 hours, part of an overall eight-day process to build the entire home.

That is significantly faster and around 30% cheaper overall than a home built using standard construction methods, he said, where laborers need to tow in and stack blocks manually.
-We show up with a printer. We can replace the labor-intensiveness of those guys and extrude concrete much faster than they can lay the bricks- he said.
Not everyone in the construction industry is thrilled at that prospect, and the process has received mixed feedback, he said, with some skepticism in particular from older tradesmen.
-I think people are just unprepared for how this is going to change construction- said Andersen. -This is the beginning. This is just scratching the surface right here.-

The demo house was built by construction firm SQ4D, to show the public and industry what was possible

The outside of a proof of concept 3D printed house is pictured in Long Island, New York, U.S., February 11, 2021.

Printed in days, a house: New York firm takes 3D printing to the next level

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are expecting their second child, the couple revealed in a Valentine's Day announcement, the first senior royal due to be born outside Britain in 100 years.

The couple released a black and white image of themselves under a tree, all smiles, with Markle holding her baby bump.
-We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother- the spokesman said, referring to the couple's son. -The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.-Meghan and Harry, who is Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, quit frontline royal duties in March last year and now live in California.
The baby will be "something of a first" for the immediate royal family because it will have US and British citizenship and is likely to be the first to be born outside of Britain since Prince Philip 100 years ago.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: -Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.-The photograph was taken by friend of the couple Misan Harriman. In a tweet addressed to Meghan, she said: -Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow. Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!-

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Royal commentator Victoria Murphy told AFP that the baby's dual nationality would be "something of a first" for a senior royal, although the new arrival is not destined to become a member of the inner circle given the parents' controversial decision to step back from frontline duties. 

-I think this royal baby might not see some of his or her royal relatives for several months- she added. 
Robert Jobson, the royal editor at London's Evening Standard, said he hoped the pregnancy would allow Meghan and Harry to "build bridges" after "a lot of negativity". 
Their departure last year -- dubbed "Megxit" by the British press -- was a far cry from 2018, when they married in a fairytale wedding at Windsor Castle watched around the world.
They left amid acrimony and a reported rift with Harry's brother Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.
Since leaving, they have launched several legal cases against news outlets alleging invasion of privacy -- including one that ended on Thursday with a victory against Associated Newspapers in the UK.
Pressure from tabloids has dogged Harry throughout his life, and he blames them for the death of his mother Princess Diana.
Despite the strained relationship, the tabloid press mostly welcomed the news on Monday with the Daily Mail carrying the headline "MEGnificent" and The Sun celebrating "Sussexes' Valentine's Day joy" on its front page.
But the Daily Star splashed "Publicity-shy woman tells 7.67bn people: 'I'm pregnant'" on its cover, taking aim at the couple's demands for privacy despite launching a range of commercial ventures.

Last year the pair launched a wide-ranging non-profit organisation, Archewell, after giving up their "Sussex Royal" brand as part of the terms of their departure from frontline monarchy duties.

They have started other creative ventures, including signing a deal with Spotify to produce podcasts that tell "uplifting and entertaining stories".
The couple also signed a multi-year contract, reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars, with streaming giant Netflix to produce "impactful" films and series.
As well complaining about invasion of her privacy, Markle, a former television actress, has also described past trolling of her as "almost unsurvivable".

The baby will be the first senior royal due to be born outside Britain in 100 years

Meghan and Harry, who is Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, quit frontline royal duties in March last year and now live in California

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle expecting second child

Remains of an ancient monument in west Wales indicate stones that stood at the site may have been dismantled and used to build the Neolithic standing circle Stonehenge, a new study suggested Friday.

Researchers believe some stones used at Stonehenge, near Salisbury in southwest England, were used in an earlier monument 175 miles (280 kilometres) away in southwest Wales.
The team behind the discovery from University College London (UCL) said there were key elements linking Stonehenge, built in 3000 BC, with the earlier stone circle named Waun Mawn.
They suggest bluestones -- distinct blue and grey stones that originated in Wales -- may have been moved by the ancient builders of Stonehenge as their society migrated. 
The findings, due to be published in the journal Antiquity, would explain why the monoliths were moved so far when most similar standing circles from the time were built close to their quarries.
Waun Mawn is one of the oldest stone circles in Britain and the country's third largest. 
Its surrounding region was an important and densely settled area until 3000 BC when activity seems to have abruptly ended.
-It's as if they just vanished. Maybe most of the people migrated, taking their stones -- their ancestral identities -- with them- archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson, from UCL, said.
With an estimated 80 bluestones erected on Salisbury Plain, it is likely that Waun Mawn, in the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, was not the only monument recycled at Stonehenge, he added.
-Maybe there are more in Preseli waiting to be found. Who knows? Someone will be lucky enough to find them- he said.
Scientific dating of charcoal and sediment from the holes where stones stood at the Welsh site, reveal it was erected roughly 400 years before Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are also indications the builders of Stonehenge copied the monument in Wales. 
Waun Mawn has a diameter of 360 feet (110 metres) -- the same as the ditch that encloses Stonehenge -- and both are aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise.

Researchers believe some stones used at Stonehenge were used in an earlier monument 175 miles away in southwest Wales

There are also indications the builders of Stonehenge copied the monument in Wales

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Entertainment

Louvre puts entire collection online

Twitter seeks public input on approach to world leaders

Amazon to make first Bollywood film

Star Wars fans build Mandalorian spaceship in Siberia

Facebook to let content creators earn money from short-form videos

Meghan Markle says 'liberating' to speak out in Oprah interview

Aged 118, the world's oldest living person will carry the Olympic flame in Japan

During tough times, dogs save the Queen

Iconic French DJ duo Daft Punk breaks up after 28 years

Spotify to launch in more markets, reach over a billion listeners

Marie-Antoinette's personal theatre gets a lockdown makeover

Feeling angry? The 'Rage Room' opens in Sao Paulo

Kim Kardashian West files for divorce from Kanye West

Printed in days, a house: New York firm takes 3D printing to the next level

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle expecting second child

Stonehenge likely made with stones from older monument