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Mexican novelist and poet Jose Emilio Pacheco was awarded Monday the Cervantes prize for 2009, the top literary prize in the Spanish-speaking world. "He is an exceptional poet who deals with daily life, with depth and a liberty in his thinking, and a great capacity to create his own world and an impeccable use of language," said jury president Jose Antonio Pascual. The prize, named after 16th century writer Miguel de Cervantes, Spain's greatest literary figure and the author of "Don Quixote", carries a cash award of 125,000 euros (187,000 dollars). Pacheco, 70, will formally receive the award at a ceremony held on April ... Read Full Story

London's Victoria and Albert Museum unveils a new glimpse into the Middle Ages and the Renaissance on Wednesday with 10 large new galleries of treasures from the past. The free-to-enter 30-million-pound (50-million-dollar) Medieval and Renaissance Galleries occupy an entire wing of the museum after seven years of work. "The new galleries present some of the world's greatest treasures in beautifully designed galleries that we hope will inspire all our visitors," said V and A director Mark Jones. Highlights of more than 1,800 objects include Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, with an interactive display planned so that visitors can turn the pages on a nearby screen. ... Read Full Story

French maestro Georges Pretre is to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic's legendary New Year's Concert on January 1, the orchestra announced Monday. It will be the second time that the 84-year-old conductor has been invited to take the podium of the world's best-known and most sought-after classical concert, which is televised and broadcast live in more than 70 countries. Pretre was first asked to swing the baton at the annual extravaganza of Strauss waltzes and polkas in 2008 and that concert was so successful that the orchestra decided to invite him back, orchestra chairman Clemens Hellsberg said. The maestro is no stranger to the world-famous ... Read Full Story

Filmmaker Michael Moore urged President Barack Obama on Monday not to expand the war in Afghanistan, as Washington prepares to announce a surge of US troops in the conflict-torn nation. Moore, visiting Japan this week to promote his latest documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story," told reporters that he had sent Obama a message from his father, a World War II veteran. "I passed on to him a personal request from my father and his Japanese friend: 'Mr. Obama, you do not know war. We both know war and want it no more'," he told reporters. The activist director, whose latest movie targets corporate greed, ... Read Full Story

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who put his desert emirate onto the world map with a rapid development drive, now faces a debt crisis that could wreck his dream. Just two weeks after he vowed that Dubai will go ahead with its ambitious development projects, its main state-owned firm announced on Wednesday that it wants to halt debt repayments for six months. Sheikh Mohammad, 60, is the British-educated architect of the globalisation of the Dubai brand. An avid horse-racing fan, his vision has been the driving force that has ranked little Dubai as a business, IT, leisure and tourism hub. Although he ... Read Full Story