LEADIN: Mini has unveiled a new electric SUV with a round touchscreen ahead of the Munich motor show. The brand also presented a new Mini Cooper with a simplified design, keeping the essential features of its iconic look. STORYLINE: The Mini is getting yet another facelift in its 64-year history. The carmaker, owned by BMW Group, unveiled a new Mini Cooper, and a new Mini Countryman on Friday (1 September 2023), three days before the start of the Munich motor show, called IAA Mobility. Both models wheeled onto the stage are electric, but they'll soon also be available in combustion engine versions. "We are witnessing, today, our first and our biggest mini transformation ever," says Stefanie Wurst, head of Mini, BMW Group. "Mini has been creating cars that inspire pure joy for over 60 years. Hundreds of innovations and millions of cars later, we have the same passion to forever change what it means to drive." The three-door Cooper is not the first electric vehicle of the brand, but it still marks a milestone, according to James Attwood, acting magazine editor of Autocar. "I think it's a really important day in Mini's history. They have had an electric car before, but it was kind of a conversion of the existing combustion engine car. Like a lot of car brands, Mini's Future is fully electric and they're really committed to getting there quite quickly. So I think the launch of the proper electric Mini Cooper hatch is a really key moment in terms of sort of pushing the brand forward," he says. Bigger and higher, the Countryman gets its first electric version. And inside, both cars keep the essential Mini design features. "Step by step, we are reducing the amount of elements, whatever wasn't necessary we took out and what remained are iconic elements. The steering wheel, obviously, the round centre icon - centre display and the toggle bar. The toggle bar is for us the connection - we are human beings who want to have this kind of tactile experience and therefore we decided to keep those three main elements," says Oliver Haile, head of Mini design at BMW Group. One of the key new features of the new Minis is the round OLED touchscreen, which can be used to select "experience modes" to change the screen colours and the ambient lighting. "It's really interesting, it's a round OLED touchscreen and it seems what Mini have really made for is the round screen is a very key element," says Attwood. "It dates back to the 1960s, cars always had round dials. So there's a real historical feature they want to keep. In the previous Minis that have had touchscreens in, it's been a rectangular touchscreen mounted inside a kind of circular area. So there's always been this got a little bit of dead area. So what they've done this time is you've actually got a fully round OLED screen, which means that the whole thing works and goes right to the edges." Over-the-air updates of the cars' software will come as standard, a feature numerous carmakers have already introduced. Mini confirmed its range will be fully electric by 2030, and insisted on the new models' sustainable design. "We worked very hard on reducing the ecological footprint of our new Minis as much as possible while increasing the use of reclaimed material. Take the alloy wheels. They are depending on the size of the car and the size of the rims. They are made out of between 30% to 70% of secondary aluminium. And the new and super nice interior materials don't only look great, they consist of up to 92% of recycled fabric," says Stefan Fleck, head of Mini product line at BMW Group. Mini fans will notice how the design of both cars has been simplified. The plastic around the Mini Cooper's wheels is gone, the door handles are now flush and the body indicators were moved up to the wing mirrors. "You're actually beginning now to see this kind of design, particularly in electric cars, where they're really being stripped back of some of the exterior features and really simplified and design is kind of refocusing on a handful of key areas. So with the Mini, it's just focusing on those rounded headlights and a lot of the real traditional Mini features," says Attwood. In terms of range, the new Mini Cooper can be driven for up to 402 kilometres (250 miles) in its SE, higher-end version, according to the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure) test cycle. The Mini Countryman SE ALL4, the premium version seen on stage, has a range of up to 433 kilometres (270 miles), according to preliminary data. Batteries are compatible with fast-charging stations, allowing them to go from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes, Mini says. In Germany, the new Mini Cooper will retail from 32,900 euros ($35,000), and the new Mini Countryman will start at 43,500 euros ($47,000). Both will go on sale in early 2024. AP video by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Smart has presented its #3 SUV for the first time in Europe ahead of the Munich motor show. The German brand is going through a complete overhaul of its lineup, ditching the two-seater car it was known for. STORYLINE: Smart cars are no longer what they used to be. This is the #3 (pronounced 'hashtag three'), a fairly bulky five-seater car - the polar opposite of the tiny Smart car people know the brand for. That's because Smart is now a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz, which used to fully own the brand, and Geely, a Chinese automotive company. "It's a real change in philosophy," says James Attwood, acting magazine editor, Autocar. "The Smart everyone knows and remembers is that little tiny two-seater. They did experiment with other cars, but we struggled a bit. But this really is a very different company and an entirely new project. It's just kind of using that brand name and the heritage. And I think what they're trying to say is less about the size and more about just trying to figure out smart solutions and ways of doing things." The #3 was first unveiled at the Shanghai motor show in April, and is now presented in Europe for the first time ahead of the Munich motor show, called IAA Mobility. The SUV coupé is the second model released by the joint venture after #1, and is based on a Geely electric vehicle platform. Smart calls its design "sporty and exquisite" with curvy lines. It's 4.4 metres long (14 ft) and 1.8 metres large (6 ft). "Carmakers will tell you they are making more SUVs because that's what people are buying. And the sales figures will back up that's what people are buying. But on the other hand, when you walk into a car showroom and most of the cars are SUVs, it's no wonder that's what people are buying. It is a challenge and a conundrum. And a lot of car firms do talk about this kind of slight contradiction of then moving towards more sustainable cars," says Attwood. The SUV will be available in three versions - Pro+, Premium and Brabus - with ranges between 415 kilometres (260 miles) and 455 kilometres (285 miles), according to the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) test cycle. "It's going to be made in China and bought over here, But it's going to be a really key segment of the SUV market to take in the likes of the Volkswagen ID4, which is a kind of big family electric car. It's the sort of machine that people really want," says Attwood. The #3 will go on sale in Germany by the end of 2023, and will hit the rest of European roads in early 2024. The brand hasn't disclosed retail prices but is expected to sell the EV from 45,000 euros ($48,600) in Germany. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: American carmaker Fisker is presenting three prototypes at the Munich car show expected to be sold on the European market in 2025. The brand's philosophy is to cut costs with up to 35% less parts, leaving the glovebox and door speakers on the side of the road. STORYLINE: Three new cars for the price of one. American carmaker Fisker is presenting its three new electric car models for the first time in Europe ahead of Munich's motor show, IAA Mobility. Fisker is a relatively unknown brand aiming to compete against Tesla. Founded in 2016, Fisker Inc. started delivering its first cars in May. In Munich, the company is presenting the rest of its lineup to the European market. From a convertible sports car, the Ronin, to an SUV called Pear and a pickup truck named Alaska, Fisker wants to satisfy all drivers' needs, and quickly. All three cars, which are still prototypes, will go on sale in 2025, says Fisker. So will the young carmaker be able to deliver on time? "Our business model is a little different. We are a little more like Apple that don't make their own products," says Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Inc. "We get other people to do it or other people's contract manufacturing. So, at this point, we have a very close relationship with Magna Steyr (Austrian carmaker) and they are making our vehicles and they already make vehicles for other automakers. So they know what they're doing. They're good at ramping up products or ramping up production. We are very confident that we can get our products to market." Fisker's Alaska is probably the most conventional prototype in the lineup. It's a pickup truck that Fisker bets will be a best-seller in the US, and more specifically, in California. "What's really interesting about Fisker is it's a new American car brand that has sort of come in, but it's Henrik Fisker who's set it up, has experience in the industry," says James Attwood, acting magazine editor at Autocar. "He has previously designed for Aston Martin. I mean, he's brought lots of bold ideas and he's got some really interesting concepts about sustainability and car design." The Alaska will retail from 49,900 euros ($54,000) Second is the Pear, which will be marketed as the most accessible with a starting price of 32,900 euros ($35,500). Fisker says it focuses a lot of its attention on sustainability and aims to make the Pear with "35% fewer parts than other EVs in class". You won't find glove boxes on Fisker cars, for example, because the brand believes they're not used anymore. No surround sound system either -- only one speaker per car to reduce the amount of wires going through the body of the car. That's why the car's interior design - which isn't final - looks a lot simpler than competitors. The Pear also features a boot lid that slides under the car, Fisker calls it a "Houdini Trunk." However, the prototype shown on stage could not demonstrate this feature. "The Pear is a very small compact urban SUV for families, and that sort of thing. The Ronin is this big luxury electric, sort of GT, sort of grand tourer car. And then the Alaska, which is the pickup which will probably go down very well in America, but are also increasingly popular here. And they're really interesting segments to get into," says Attwood. The Ronin is a five-seater convertible featuring butterfly doors and a foldable carbon fibre roof. The prototype presented is the least advanced of the three, since the interior of the car isn't complete, the exterior doesn't reflect the final design, and the butterfly doors nor the convertible mechanism could be demonstrated. Fisker is aiming to ship the Ronin with an ambitious range target of 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). This sports car is intended for the luxury market with a whopping retail price of 425,500 euros ($460,000). It'll be produced in a limited series of 999 vehicles. "A new firm can come in with really good cars. But if it can't get people to look at them and try them, then it's probably not going to succeed. But I think what's happened with electric cars, with things like Tesla, which was sort of really unknown 50 years ago, people seem more willing to try new brands," says Attwood. "And if a company can come in with the right cars at the right prices featuring the right technology, then people do seem more willing to give them a go." According to the carmaker, all three models should hit European roads by 2025. AP video by: Tristan Werkmeister/Cassandra Allwood

LEADIN: Asian brands have come in large numbers to the Munich motor show -- more than twice as many as the previous edition. China is the world's biggest market for electric vehicles, boosting the growth of Chinese brands, which are hoping to gain market shares overseas as well. STORYLINE: Numerous Asian cars are making their European debut at the Munich motor show, called IAA Mobility. Chinese carmaker Dongfeng chose Germany to launch its new M6 PHEV - a move that says a lot about Asian carmakers' intentions in Europe. "China has a huge electric car market, the biggest in the world," says James Attwood, acting magazine editor, Autocar. "The technologies they're developing there, when Europe is going increasingly electric, is no wonder they kind of think there's a good market to grow into. I think what's fascinating is just that balance and that tension. They are coming over and sort of pushing the European firms. But this is - a motor show is a chance for them to come and say 'we should be taken seriously.' So you can see their cars next to the established brands." Chinese competitor BYD is also present at IAA. It's showcasing its 'Seal' and 'Seal U' vehicles, the European debuts of two of the all-electric car maker's best-selling models. The SUV version of its predecessor, Seal, the Seal U model will be available in Europe after being released some time ago in China, where it is also available in hybrid form. The firm has famously outsold Tesla in its home country - where it's the largest manufacturer of EVs. The Seal U is being launched in Europe in 2024, and BYD is marketing it as a rival to Tesla's 'Model Y' and Volkswagen's 'ID.4.' "I think BYD, out of all the Chinese firms, if one is going to succeed in Europe, it is probably BYD. They are huge in China, they started out as a battery firm, but they've fast become one of the biggest producers of 'new electric vehicles' they're called in China, so fully electric and plug-in hybrid," says Attwood. The 2023 edition of the Munich Motor Show has more than twice the number of Asian exhibitors compared to the last edition in 2021. British marque MG, now owned by SAIC Motor, a Chinese state-owned automaker, also occupies a large stand at the show. It's showing a roadster called Cyberster for the first time in Europe. It's expected to hit the roads in 2024 to mark MG's 100-year anniversary. No technical details have been released about this model yet. "We think that the IAA in Munich is a very significant auto show in Europe, globally, actually. And obviously, for us, it's very important to be present here and show what we have to offer to our consumers and specifically in times when we see the transformation of e-mobility towards electric mobility. For us, it's very important to show what we have and to show that we are a part of this transformation," says Jan Oehmicke, Vice-President of DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), MG Motor Europe. On the lower end of the price scale is the latest generation of a two-seater made by Italian-Chinese company XEV. The YOYO starts from 16,990 euros ($18,200) and has a range of up to 150 kilometres (90 miles) Its batteries can be charged as usual or swapped at partner petrol stations in Italy. The car was designed and passed safety tests in Italy. It's is made in China. "They (small cars) are really developing that market fast in China. And I think the interesting thing is there's still this push in Europe to try and find ways of lowering the cost of electric cars. And small cars are sort of way of doing that. I think it's a bit more of a challenge to bring them over with the crash safety regulations. And there's always that kind of balance: we have quadricycles, and then we have these small electric cars. There's definitely sort of potential in that market because there really aren't that much available at the moment in Europe," says Attwood. Automotive technology companies also made the trip to Munich. Deeproute.ai, for example, develops self-driving solutions for carmakers. Its vice-president Xuan Liu says the technology has evolved a lot over the last couple of years. Some cars with self-driving capabilities used to rely heavily on high-definition maps to function properly. "The lanes, the traffic signals and a lot more information, but right now, we don't use those pre-selected or pre-computed anymore. We just use our sensors," he says. Deeproute.ai sells its high-end solution with seven cameras and one lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) for approximately $2,000. The Xinjiang-based company has yet to test its technology outside of China, but it plans to begin trials in Germany in 2024. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister/Cassandra Allwood

Motor shows have traditionally been the hotspot for petrol car fans -- but these days are long gone. At the Munich motor show, most cars are electric, and two or three-wheel electric mobility is playing a bigger part. STORYLINE: Munich's cycle paths are busier than usual in the city centre. During the motor show, called IAA Mobility, people can test ride all kinds of bikes from the companies who make them. Motor shows are evolving and now include more means of transport, such as electric bikes, cargo bikes, scooters, and pretty much anything that's not a car. And there's a name for it: urban mobility, or electromobility. "The e-bike market has grown really dramatically and is changing so fast. One of the really interesting things is just how fast the pace of technology development is," says James Attwood, acting magazine editor, Autocar. "Originally, what we saw was a lot of Chinese firms coming over with relatively simple things, lots of common motors and parts. But what's happened in recent years is that a lot more big tech firms started getting involved. And Bosch is huge in the e-bike motor world. And so you're seeing this mix of smaller firms using off-the-shelf electric parts and battery parts, but now there's a real push to think about how you can do this better and integrate them." Bosch didn't miss the opportunity to present its latest tech at IAA. On its stand is the Performance Line SX, the lightest electric bike motor the German brand has ever made, around 20% smaller than its bigger sibling CX. At 2.05 kilograms (4.5 pounds), Bosch had to make it less powerful however, with a torque of 55 Nm, as opposed to 85 Nm and 2.9 kilograms (6.4 pounds) for the CX. The motor is designed for 'sporty riders,' Bosch says, which is a good compromise in terms of size, weight and performance for gravel bikes, for example. Munich's motor show is not only in the city centre but also in a more traditional convention centre, where urban mobility exhibitors include Gaius Automotive, a Taiwan-based company which pivoted from electric cars to cargo scooters. Its Rapide 3 vehicle has a range of 180 kilometres (110 miles) and a payload of 200 kilograms (440 pounds). It retails from 11,000 euros ($11,800). "As we know, three-wheel vehicles, their rear wheels can easily flip if you turn at a higher speed or fully loaded. But with our tilting device, it helps stabilise this vehicle and also it makes the manoeuvre and turning more smooth and easily," says YenLeng Chang, marketing director, Gaius Automotive Inc. The brand says the cargo is highly customisable depending on the needs of delivery fleets. It even made a version for police forces, although a German police officer patrolling nearby said the cargo wouldn't be big enough to carry a suspect. For those who prefer pedals, Fulpra Motors makes cargo bikes with a higher payload of 350 kilograms (770 pounds). It's available in three versions, from pick-up to 3.3 cubic metres (115 cubic feet). "Cargo e-bikes is a really, really fast growing market because it just means you can put these huge loads on and you can cart around loads of stuff. And previously you would have had to do that all just using your legs. But when you've got an electric motor just offering some assistance, it really transforms the way you can design bikes and how much you can carry with them," says Attwood. Another player in the urban mobility segment is Stilride, a Swedish company making a lightweight electric motorcycle. Its body is made of a single folded sheet of stainless steel, making it 40% lighter. IAA Mobility runs until 10 September in Munich. AP video by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Princess Diana's black sheep jumper has sold for $1.14m at Sotheby's in New York. It was found earlier this year, lying forgotten in a box in an attic by one of the co-founders of the clothing brand that created it. STORYLINE: Earlier this year, Joanna Osbourne made an astonishing discovery in her attic. In an unassuming wine box, she found a sweater once worn by none other than the late Princess Diana. "I just obviously hadn't looked in that box. And there it was. And I looked at the cuff and I thought 'that's the one. That is Diana's jumper, the real one,'" says Osbourne, co-founder of Warm & Wonderful knitwear, the brand that made the sweater. The red jumper, famously worn by Diana at a polo match in June 1981 was put up for auction by Sotheby's with an estimated value of between $50,000 and $80,000. Online bidding opened on August 31, on the 26th anniversary of Diana's death in a Paris car crash. In New York Thursday, the jumper exceeded its estimate, fetching $1.14m (£920,000) to an undisclosed bidder. The playfully patterned wool jumper features a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones. It comes with letters from Buckingham Palace to the manufacturer requesting a repair or replacement after it was damaged. The rumour is that Diana accidentally ripped the edge of the sleeve on her engagement ring. Osborne and her friend Sally Muir co-founded their brand in 1979, in an attempt to make a living out of their knitting hobby. They made six initial sweater samples, and the sheep sweater was born. Warm & Wonderful isn't a high-end designer brand, but it's believed the sweater was a much-treasured item in the princess’s glamorous wardrobe. The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne. The cover page photos shot the brand to fame within a month. On a Sunday morning of June 1981, Osbourne remembers seeing photos of Diana wearing their creation. "Amazement. Excitement. And I immediately got on the phone to Sal (Sally Muir) 'Diana's wearing our jumper.' Our parents got excited. Everybody was really excited. But it was sort of excitement that we didn't quite know where to channel it towards because it wasn't like now where you put on social media and it would be everywhere in seconds. It was kind of 'wow, this is incredible,'" she says. After this unexpected publicity, the young brand was struggling to keep up with demand. More than 50 orders came in each week. People would first ask for a catalogue and then place an order by mail, accompanied by a cheque. The sweater made headlines at the time because of its pattern: with people speculating that Diana might have been feeling like an outsider in the royal family. "I just don't believe it," says Muir. "I think it's all hindsight. I think we're all thinking back now. Many, many years later with the entire story. And I think we're thinking 'aha, that's what she was saying.' But I don't think so." When Muir and Osbourne heard that Diana's sweater might be damaged, they sent a letter to Buckingham Palace to offer to repair it or replace it. To their surprise, the palace replied and enclosed the sweater. "It seemed a bit shoddy to just repair it and send it back again. So that's why we made a whole new one," says Muir. The company made a new sweater to replace it, and every employee knitted some of it. The original was put away and forgotten until Osbourne discovered it, years later. The sheep sweater was first designed in green, and other colours, like red, were added to the collection later on. Because all sweaters were hand-knitted, it made the identification process of the sweater a lot easier. Since 2020, the sheep sweater has been made available again. American brand Rowing Blazers is licensing the original design from Warm & Wonderful and industrially makes them in Portugal. When asked why they didn't want to keep the original sweater, Muir and Osborne say it would have been too much responsibility to hold onto a piece of history. They hope it'll be part of a collection in a museum where it can be looked after and admired by many more people. "It's 45 years old or something now. You want it to last a lot longer," says Muir. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Performance artist Marina Abramović is being honoured with a retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The Serbian performance artist is known to push her physical and mental boundaries in the pursuit of art. STORYLINE: "The Artist is Present." In 2010, Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović made headlines by sitting eight hours a day for nearly three months at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Visitors were invited to sit in front of her for as long as they wanted. More than 1,500 people participated in the performance. Many were moved to tears. Video recordings of this performance are now part of an exhibition dedicated to Abramović's work. At the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where the retrospective is held, Abramović explains her vision. "The artists don't think linear, artists think in circles, artists think in eclipses. Sometimes you have some ideas when you are in the early 1960s, when you're very, very young and this same idea appears 30 years later in a completely different context with a different lens and with a different kind of knowledge, and then you address this idea and that's what we are doing here. We are missing the works, they're missing the dates they were made, and this brings the exhibition to life," she says. The artist is known to push her physical and mental boundaries. The Royal Academy of Arts exhibition displays objects used during performances as well as photos and videos of them. In "Balkan Baroque," Abramović washed a pile of bones covered in blood. The work, originally performed at the Venice Biennale in 1997, is a reflection of the artists' heritage. It won a Golden Lion award. The exhibition marks the first dedicated to a woman artist at the Royal Academy of Arts, and it's also the first performance art exhibition. "It's true, we have not really had, at the Royal Academy, done much with performance art in the past, so it is a whole new chapter also for us to do this. And of course, it's a great honour to be able to do this with Marina Abramović, who is one of the great pioneers of performance art. Now what's new about this is that, of course, Marina will not be performing those extremely demanding performances herself anymore, but is passing the baton over, as it were, to the next generation of young performance artists, who are reperforming her performances," says Axel Rüger, secretary and chief executive, Royal Academy of Arts. For Tabish Khan, art critic at The Londonist, the Royal Academy exhibition conveys the visceral power that makes Abramović so celebrated. "It's very hard to capture the viscerality and the rawness of her work. But you still manage to come through. There are elements here that make you wince, even though it's not happening in front of your eyes when you see that she's like stabbed her hand or is screaming as loud as she can, which makes you think it would've been even more powerful when you saw it in person. So they're trying to capture that sense of performance by only having limited performances in the space. But it still manages to convey the power of her work," he says. In "Rest Energy" by Abramović and former partner Ulay, the couple is using a bow to balance each other out. The Royal Academy exhibition also includes artworks visitors can get close to, like "The Portal," a gate made up of dozens of very bright lights. It symbolises a "changed state of consciousness," according to the artist. The Royal Academy exhibition also features four live performances, which neither media nor visitors can record, undertaken by other artists on behalf of Abramović. In "The House with the Ocean View," performers will stay in the room for 12 consecutive days, 24 hours a day. The original performance was undertaken without food, no talking, writing or reading was allowed. It is not known if the performers will adhere to the strict conditions of the original performance at the Royal Academy. Visitors are also invited to sit, stand and lie on a series of artworks Abramović used for her own performances. "Marina Abramović" runs at the Royal Academy of Arts from 23 September until 1 January 2024. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: London's Regent's Park is now an open-air museum filled with 21 sculptures for the public to see. From a spaceship to cloud structures and cacti, this year's edition is putting the spotlight on younger and lesser-known artists. STORYLINE: Among the trees and bushes of Regent's Park in London, sculptures are now greeting visitors. The British capital's royal park has been transformed into an outdoor gallery, thanks to the return of the Frieze Sculpture, the annual sculpture exhibition which anticipates the start of the Frieze Art Fair. "We have actually acquired a big roster of younger or lesser-known artists or at the same time like mostly female sculptors who are realising their largest piece to date or the most kind of ambitious pieces or the first time experiences in showcasing their work in the public realm," says Fatoş Üstek, curator of Frieze Sculpture. The tallest installation is "The Mothership Connection" by British Trinidadian artist Zak Ové. "This is the first time ever it's been aired. The work was actually commissioned to be in Haiti, and it's an architectural spaceship, if you could say that. And each strand and each layer has a specific reference to Haiti in masks or at the top is the Mende mask of the female spirit of healing. And in the internal layers, you will see references to Masonic architecture or the kind of, let's say, the high-brow Western architecture," says Üstek. On the other side of Regent's Park's English Gardens, a sculpture draws inspiration from the cubism of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. "Model for Celebration II" was made by Louise Nevelson, an American sculptor known for her monochromatic artworks. Behind it is a splash of colour: orange, yellow and red. Artist Tomás Saraceno picked these tones to represent autumn and the cycle of decomposition of leaves. Called "Silent Autumn (WISE 0359-54/M+M)," it replicates the structure of soap bubbles using metal. Visitors can wander beneath the trees and gaze at Holly Stevenson's "The Debate," made of two ceramic ducks and an egg. From the front, it appears whole, but visitors will notice it's a half-boiled egg as they walk around the structure. "The symbol of the egg has been so prominent in art history, always represented fertility or transience of life. And for her, it was literally the kind of focus, the locus of subject matter of what she wanted to focus on. And funnily enough, there are two ducks that also live in Regent's Park. So there's kind of like a conversation going on, I believe, after the closing hours," says Üstek. Frieze London is one of the most influential contemporary art fairs in the world and will open its doors on 11 October. While that is a ticketed event aimed at art collectors and investors with money to spend, the sculpture park is a different proposition. It's free and open to everyone. "That's actually what really excites me about Frieze Sculpture. You know, Frieze Sculpture is the only public-facing activity of Frieze Art Fair, and every year, it receives 800,000 to 1 million guests that are not only art enthusiasts or arts specialists but also people who locally live here or take the park as a jogging ground or take their babies for a nice autumn day they walk," says Üstek. Frieze Sculpture is open until 29 October. Frieze London and its sister art fair Frieze Masters will run 11 to 15 October. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Nearly half of known flowering plants are estimated to be threatened with extinction, according to a new report published on Tuesday (10 October) by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. And scientists estimate that more than three-quarters of undescribed plants are also under severe threat. STORYLINE: More than three-quarters of undescribed plant species are already threatened with extinction, according to a new report by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. And for known flowering plants, the picture is also bleak - 45% of them are estimated to be threatened with extinction. Kew's report gives a global snapshot of plant species. Since 2020, more than 18,800 new species of plants and fungi have been named. All were added to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, an international database of scientifically described plant species. It currently includes over 350,000 species. Dr Matilda Brown, conservation science analyst at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explains how Kew was able to give such estimations. "How do we pull this number for things that we don't even know are out there? And the way we do that is we looked at things that have been described and we looked at when they were described," she says. "So we collected the information from the world checklist and we looked at the year that something was described versus the probability of it being threatened. And we found this really clean relationship, this statistically really well-supported relationship that basically says things described in the 1800s, probably not threatened. But if we look at things described in 2019, 2020, things are much more likely to be threatened." One way Kew is helping to preserve as many species as possible is by storing seeds and looking after some of the last specimens of plants and fungi in its nursery. "The main threats to plants are habitat loss, land use change. We know that that's coming up as the immediate, that's the short-term threat that most threatened species are facing. That's not to say we're not worried about climate change. It's definitely on the horizon. And there's increasing evidence to suggest that climate change is going to contribute to those threats. But reducing that habitat loss, keeping systems intact and keeping that vegetation intact is really what's going to do the best for our threatened species," Brown says. The report also highlights "dark spots of diversity," meaning areas where even fewer species are described. They include regions like tropical Asia and South America. Such shortfalls are the consequence of the "uneven distribution of wealth and expertise," access issues, and the "legacies of how plant science developed over time". But discovering undescribed species and cataloguing them takes time. According to Kew's report, out of the estimated 2.5 million species of fungi in the world, only 155,000 have been described. It would take between 750 and 1,000 years to describe them all at the current naming rate, Kew says. "If we don't get on and do what we can to explore those areas of the planet where we haven't worked out what species of plants and fungi are, then these species will become extinct without us even knowing that they ever existed," says Dr Martin Cheek, senior research leader at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Even if the report is sounding the alarm, Cheek says there's reason for hope. "I think it's not all bleak because it's so exciting that we are still discovering amazing new species to science. Even now, it's so easy to think, even as scientists, that we kind of know all the species on the planet. So when we find things unexpectedly, it's really exciting. So it's a great time to be alive now and doing this sort of work." Threatened species include plants like the dwarf ebony. It's endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. First thought to be completely extinct, scientists found that there were actually two subspecies of this plant. One has gone extinct, the other is classed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN's Red List. According to the last available IUCN assessment from 2015, two wild individuals remained at the time. Another example is the king sundew, a carnivorous plant whose conservation status hasn't been assessed by the IUCN. It's endemic to a single valley in South Africa and considered rare by the scientific community. Its leaves have hundreds, if not thousands, of tentacles, which produce a sticky substance to trap prey. The data was published in Kew's State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2023. AP video by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Planets, pendulums and AI-generated words are all part of new art installations by art collective United Visual Artists. Marking their 20 years of existence, a new exhibition attempts to challenge visitors' perception of reality through immersive physical and digital works. STORYLINE: Almost like a planetarium, this art installation mesmerises visitors. "Musica Universalis," as it's called, is a work by United Visual Artists (UVA), a London-based art collective. It's made of spheres and rotating lights, casting shadows in an underground car park turned art gallery. It's just one of eight installations part of an exhibition marking the 20 years of the UVA. Taking place at 180 Studios, most works were specifically commissioned for this space. "There's many different themes to the exhibition. It starts with a confrontation of information overload and how the information age is becoming more difficult to navigate to find truth and meaning. And it ends up in the cosmos a study of celestial activity. And it takes you on a journey everywhere in between," says Matt Clark, founder of UVA. 180 Studios promises a show that challenges visitors' perception of reality in low-light, immersive sound settings. In "Edge of Chaos," UVA experimented with the inertia of a double pendulum. Only its speed is controlled by software, but not its movement - a first for UVA. At random, the pendulum scans the space and lights up the faces of visitors, who are left trying to find a pattern of its movements. "Even though our work is kind of technological to some degree. We've never really been driven by a technological process. It's just a reflection of, you know, how we live today and the human experience and in this age of digital transformation. I guess the technologies we use, you know, they tend to be existing technologies that are used in unusual ways," says Clark. Visitors can also walk into installations like "Polyphony," a circle of vertical lights synchronised to a spatial soundtrack inspired by recordings from the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve in the Central African Republic. Sounds of birds and frogs can be heard echoing and reverberating through the room, at times overshadowed by noises of human activity, like planes taking off. Walking down to the car park is "Our Time," a 14-minute sequence of lights mounted on motorised pendulums. "There is a work where pendulums swing in front of you that are lit up in the darkness and they swing so wildly and sometimes slowly and fast, and it makes you feel almost dizzy and seasick as you walk under them. And it's very unsettling to walk through them. But it has such an amazing effect," says Tabish Khan, art critic at The Londonist. The installation explores the "enigmatic nature of time," according to the artists. The tallest work is "Present Shock II," a wall of algorithmically generated statistics and headlines. "I think it does challenge some of our perceptions. It may not fully deliver on challenging concepts of space and time, but it does look at things such as algorithmically generated news headlines which are surprisingly sometimes quite comedic, but other times feel like they could be true even though they're being generated by an algorithm. So these things really make us challenge how technology is shaping our lives today," says Khan. One of the statistics reads: "Average amount of hours parents have spend (sic) on homework with their child this week." Also text-based is "Etymologies," which displays some of the most used words from psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. An AI then generates words most likely to precede or follow them, generating new compositions. "UVA — Synchronicity" runs from 12 October until 17 December at 180 Studios in London. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

In this office, most people don't know each other. That's because they all work for different companies, and some are self-employed. This is a shared workspace, also called flexible office or co-working space. People here pay a monthly fee or by the hour for a seat at a table, a power socket to plug their laptop, and Wi-Fi. They can also use private booths, meeting rooms, share a bathroom and kitchen. WeWork, once valued close to $50 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US on 7 November. It's a stunning fall for the office-sharing company that once promised to upend the way people went to work around the world. It's an aggressive expansion in WeWork's early years that led to the bulk of its current troubles. Its former CEO was ousted because of claimed erratic behaviour, exorbitant spending, and a failed attempt to go public. But the company has struggled in a commercial real estate market that has been rocked by the rising cost of borrowing money, as well as a shifting dynamic for millions of office workers now checking into work remotely. So is the shared office market doomed? London-based WeWork competitor Work.Life says they're here to stay. "(The) main lesson that we've learned from WeWork and they've done lots of good for the market is it's about quality, not quantity. And so for us, as we look to expand, it's about doing it with the right deals, with the right landlords, and in the right locations. And I think being - you look at these hotel businesses, they're taking decades to build, and I think it is it's a marathon, not a race," says David Kosky, co-founder of Work.Life. Work.Life currently operates 15 shared office locations in the UK, mostly in London, and aims to reach 18 by the end of the year. In a statement from 6 November, WeWork said its locations outside of the US and Canada “are not part” of the bankruptcy process. Mordor Intelligence calls London the "flex capital of the world," with more than 17.1 million square feet (1.6 million square meters) of flexible office space in early 2020. According to commercial real estate information company CoStar, WeWork is London's biggest office tenant, renting 0.8% of the stock with 3.2 million square feet (300,000 square metres). All shared offices occupy about 9% of London space, according to investment banker Jefferies. "I think there's always been some suspicions that the speed of expansion of WeWork means that it's quite easy to see how it could stumble when we get to a situation where the economies generally around the world are a little bit more difficult than they were," says Peter Murray, co-founder of New London Architecture (NLA), a think tank dedicated to London's built environment. "And I think one of the problems with flexible office space is that tenancies are very short. So when the markets takes a dive, a lot of people will just move out and with very little warning." More and more, bigger, more established companies are looking to downsize. In June, banking group HSBC announced it would move out of its 45-floor global headquarters in London's Canary Wharf. It will instead rent a building half its size in the City of London. Although shared office spaces can't accommodate organisations of HSBC's size, Kosky says more small and medium-sized companies are opting for his shared space. "We're seeing that from the big banks going for millions of square feet to 150,000 square feet. We're also seeing it for businesses of 50 or 100 (people) that used to have a desk for everyone, and now that is becoming less. And businesses like ours can offer a really good solution for them, which is far more cost-efficient and gives greater flexibility," he says. Co-working caters mostly to solo workers or small teams since they offer the flexibility to get more or less subscriptions without commitment. Startup founder Joe Binder has been using co-workspaces for the last six years. "What was really special was that when it was no longer just me, when there were three of us, we were able to work in the co-working area. And it was really easy for me to set my team up. And then what became even more special was that when we became a full-time team of six people working under one roof, I was able to go from the co-working area to the private room office area," he says. Jefferies estimates office vacancies are at a "30-year high," reaching 10% in the City and over 20% in Canary Wharf, the British capital's two most famous business districts. Murray doesn't think WeWork's collapse in the US will spread to London's shared office market. "Actually, the future is quite bright because if you look back, it used to be the case that people would have to take minimum 10-year leases, 25-year leases were quite common. Business doesn't work like that anymore," he says. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: From 19th-century jewellery to custom watches, auction house Sotheby's is gearing up for Geneva's Luxury Week. One necklace features a 93.94-carat gemstone and could fetch up to $2.5 million. STORYLINE: For 80 years, this bag was home to a collection of court jewels. It was found in the vault of a German bank and is now going under the hammer at Sotheby's. "What's amazing is when you can follow the history of these jewels through their provenance. And in this very case, it's five different European ruling houses who got married to each other during the 19th and 20th centuries," says Andres White Correal, deputy chairman of jewellery in EMEA at Sotheby's. One of these jewels is a devant-de-corsage or stomacher, which is meant to be worn on top of the centre panel of a dress. It's estimated at between 270,000 Swiss Francs ($300,000) and 450,000 Swiss Francs ($500,000). "As you see it now, it looks like a wreath, but it can be opened so that it would decorate the bodies in different ways. You can also take out all the elements of the wreath and use them as separate brooches or use the pearls to hang in earrings or in different necklaces." The auction is part of Geneva's Luxury Week, a biannual auction event. Sotheby's is also presenting "Magnificent Jewels," which includes 'The Blue Lagoon,' a paraíba tourmaline necklace from Adler. Paraíba tourmalines are a very prized type of gemstone characterised by their intense blue colour. This one is 93.94 carat. "This gemstone is called the Blue Lagoon for obvious reasons," says Catharine Becket, head of magnificent jewels at Sotheby's. "And the Swiss jeweller Adler created this gorgeous necklace mount designed to mimic a waterfall flowing into the blue lagoon and then pouring out. So the quality is exceptional. As far as we're aware, this is the largest top-quality Paraíba-type tourmaline ever offered at auction." It's estimated between 1.4 million Swiss Francs ($1.5 million) and 2.3 million Swiss Francs ($2.5 million). Another personal favourite of Becket's is an emerald and diamond necklace, with a minimum estimate of 1.6 million Swiss Francs ($1.8 million). "You have about 60 carats, all top, top quality, very clean, which is very rare for emeralds. They're not naturally clean. They often have what I call the 'jardins' or gardens inside of them. And they are coupled with these fantastic step-cut diamonds going up to almost 10 carats. It's not by a particular designer, but I think the design speaks for itself," she says. Becket says Sotheby's Magnificent Jewellery department isn't affected by the economic downturn. If anything, it's in times of financial uncertainty that people diversify their portfolios. "One of the things I've noticed in my many years in this industry is that jewellery tends to be quite steady. You don't have the big peaks and valleys as you do in some other collecting categories. I think there is a reason why some people look to jewellery as an asset class for that reason. Of course, it's a beautiful wearable asset," she says. Sotheby's has all buyers' needs covered by offering nearly 100 watches. One of the most sought-after items might be a Philippe Patek pink gold chronograph wristwatch with moon phases. It's estimated between 2 million Swiss Francs ($2.2 million) and 4 million Swiss Francs ($4.4 million). It's a custom version of a rare model called 1518. All three auctions will take place in Geneva from 5 November until 8 November. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: A Canadian-Chinese artist is using artificial intelligence to train robotic arms to help them draw on canvas. Together, they make what the artist calls "elaborate doodles." STORYLINE: Sougwen Chung started coding at 9. They're now painting with AI-powered robotic arms. The Canadian-Chinese artist, who uses the pronoun they, is a former researcher at MIT's Media Lab. They taught software how to interpret their artworks to draw inspiration from its creator. "I draw in a really improvisational - you could maybe call them the most elaborate doodles ever," they say. "So much about what drawing is for me is allowing the line to be free on the page. What that creates is positional data and a form and gradients. So it's all really quite structural. So no colours and no specific shapes, mostly sort of the position of the line on canvas and where those areas are darker becomes almost like a heat map of the position that the model is trained on." Their mother is a computer programmer and their father is a musician and singer. Growing up in this environment, Chung fully embraced the intersection of creativity and technology. "I felt a lot of times there was this distance between the process of coding and working with technology in that way on a flat surface. And what I really grew up with, which was violin and drawing and sort of thinking more like hand-mind connection. So I thought about ways to embody my own mark, learn how to draw differently through working with AI and robotics," they say. Chung's light bulb moment happened in 2016, when one of the best professional Go players in the world, South Korean Lee Sedol, faced AlphaGo, a computer program. Out of five games, AlphaGo won four. Since then, Chung has been coding five iterations of their drawing system called DOUG 1-5, for Drawing Operations Unit Generation 1-5. At first, the robotic arms were replicating Chung's drawing patterns, following them. It's now a lot more sophisticated. "I've been thinking about it a little bit like improvisation and jazz, maybe. I put in the first gesture and then it responds to my gesture based on the weights of the system and how I classify the neural network. So that's one of the approaches to working with the robotic unit. I like to think that in the system, the robotic unit is aware of my position, of the position of my pen, sometimes my biofeedback, whatever that input is, it's inherently linked to me and my drawing presence. And that becomes the kind of the bedrock for the robotic system to make its marks," they say. Chung trained a positional model on more than 20 years of nearly all their drawings. The robotic arms are custom-made by a Shenzen-based company, powered by Chung's lines of code. Combined, they are almost an extension of Chung's artistic mind. The artist says they sometimes use a brain sensor picking up their electroencephalogram - their brain's electric activity - to work with DOUG. "I think I'm fully led by intuition when I'm engaging with the robotic unit in this way. So I think in the very beginning, it's just making sure it didn't break, but sometimes being OK with the fragility of it and allowing for the error of the system or my own error to really inform the development of the piece on canvas," says Chung. "I think there's a nice sense of randomness and an uncertainty and tension that comes through in the artefacts, that's really a key to it." Chung's artworks have been shown at New York’s The New Museum and Geneva's Museum of Contemporary Art. A new solo exhibition of the artist, "Relational Gestures," runs at The House of Fine Arts in London until 25 October. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: From crochet to photos and life-sized installations, feminist art from the 1970s and 1980s is taking over Tate Britain in London. The exhibition, called "Women in Revolt," explores women's rights, fights and representation in the UK. STORYLINE: For her crochet figures, artist Rita McGurn often used whatever she could find, including her daughter's jumpers. Some of her works are now at Tate Britain in London for "Women in Revolt." The exhibition is dedicated to feminist art in the UK from 1970 to 1990. In a 1988 series of photos, English artist Rosy Martin denounces Section 28, pieces of legislation which prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality." "It's an image of her and she's wrapped in a bandage. And the bandage has all of the things that her mum said to her when she came out. And they're not particularly nice. And then there's another image next to it, and it's her breaking free of those bounds," says Linsey Young, curator of British contemporary art at Tate. More than 100 women artists are featured in the show. In "Greenham Common (Common reflections)," Margaret Harrison recreates a portion of a military base where women held protests against nuclear weapons. They eventually established "Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp" in 1981, which lasted until 2000. It's that kind of artwork, symbols of women's fights in the 1970s and 1980s, that Eleonore Dresch, editor in chief of Culture Whisper, appreciates. "It's a very good reminder of how much women fought for their rights, their freedom, and to say something to express who they are and what they were saying there feels extremely relevant today, and I think that's quite extraordinary," she says. In 1984, the miners' strike in the north of England was violently repressed by police forces in Ogreave. More than 100 people were injured in what became known as the Battle of Orgreave. Thalia Campbell was inspired by this event to create "Thatcher's Thugs," since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister at the time. Another artwork by Marlene Smith, "Good Housekeeping III," addresses police violence. The work is a portrait of Dorothy "Cherry" Groce, who was shot by police on her home on London in 1985, leaving her with life-changing injuries. The sentence painted on the wall can echo to all women, Dresch says: "Any mother can relate to that. Your mother opened the door at 7:00 in the morning and she's not bullet-proof. And that I think that's for me, it almost brings tears in my eyes, you know? Yes. There's this expectation of women to be holding the world. And of course, we can't." Susan Hiller documented her pregnancy in "Ten Months," through daily photos of her belly and entries from her journal. After giving birth, mothers often experience increased mental load. "Bear it in Mind", by Su Richardson is a representation of the tasks mothers are expected to take on. "I was really interested in the work of Su Richardson and the way she just uses what she has at home to create this sculpture, which is actually a tapestry. It's moving work, it's like dungarees falling into pieces, addressing what it means to be a woman," says Dresch. The exhibition also highlights how contemporary these issues still are. "It's not a depressing show. I think it's a very joyful show. But one of the depressing things is that so many of the fights are still being fought. So in terms of pay equality, health quality, childcare equality, in terms of the position of people of colour in our society and the way that they are treated still by organisations and broader society more generally. And ecological things as well. These struggles are very current and I hope that maybe when people come to see the show, they find strategies or ways to push against those struggles that we face," says Young. To see the biggest artwork, visitors need to sneak outside. "An Edible Family in a Mobile Home" is a replica of a 1976 prefabricated unit. The inside is covered in newspapers decorated with icing. But it also contains five edible family member figures. Artist Bobby Baker originally set up this installation in 1976 in East London, playing the polite woman host. Visitors will be invited to have a bite and sip tea inside the installation. "Women in Revolt" runs from 8 November until 7 April 2024. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: A rare whisky bottle is expected to fetch up to £1.2 million ($1.4 million) at Sotheby's. Only 10 full bottles of this liquor from 1926 remain. STORYLINE: A custom-made box for a bottle with a hefty price tag: up to £1.2 million ($1.4 million). This is a bottle of The Macallan Adami 1926, one of 40 bottles of whisky released in 1986. Matured for 60 years in sherry casks, the bottles were not sold to the public, but to The Macallan's top clients, according to auction house Sotheby's. "This is the Macallan 1926, specifically the Valerio Adami edition, with the label designed by the Italian artist Valerio Adami," says Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky at Sotheby's. "This is one of the oldest vintages ever released from Macallan. At the time, it was the oldest whisky they'd ever released. And the liquid inside is the most valuable whisky in the world." In 2019, one of the 40 bottles sold for $1.9 million, breaking the auction record for "any bottle of wine or spirits." But what makes this whisky liquid gold? "It's something to do with the mixture between the quality, the darkness of the liquid, the old vintage, which is pre-World War II and the age of it, 60 years old. So six decades of maturation in 1986, when this was released, was pretty much unheard of. So it really is a trailblazer in the world of whisky," says Fowle. It's the first bottle to be reconditioned by The Macallan Distillery before an auction. It also has a new cork and tin capsule. Fowle says only 12 bottles with this label were made, but one was drunk, and another lost in an earthquake. "This is the ultimate collector's piece," says Fowle. The whisky underwent clinical tests to check its ABV (Alcohol By Volume) and age. The Macallan is well-known among whisky amateurs. "It's a big, bold name," says Joel Luumi, retail and tasting manager at Milroy's of Soho, a whisky shop and bar. He says it's impossible to know what the whisky in The Macallan Adami 1926 tastes like, but buyers can expect the brand's signature. "Usually, it is that sort of dark stewed fruits. I pick up a little bit caramel-ly tones in there, prunes, raisins, sultanas. It's very elegant. So a bit of a classical Speyside (different brand of whisky) in a sherry cask. Once again, after all those 60 years of maturation, I'd imagine there's quite a lot of woodiness to it as well, that kind of hopefully softwood, maybe a bit more of citric fruits as well." Whether or not the buyer will drink the rare bottle or keep it like a prized painting remains to be seen, but Luumi has a piece of advice: "I think whisky is meant to be drunk. It's enjoyed. We are not here too long. Enjoy your life. Enjoy the product. Something like that (The Macallan Adami 1926) is history in a bottle. So please, please drink, if you're watching this, please, drink it. Tell us what it tastes like." The Macallan Adami 1926 will go under the hammer in London on Saturday (18 November). It's estimated to be worth between £750,000 ($900,000) and £1.2 million ($1.4 million). AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Fancy a trip to the moon? A new immersive documentary produced by actor Tom Hanks retraces the Apollo missions which landed 12 people on the moon. STORYLINE: More than 54 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. The journey that took them there and their mission is now part of an immersive documentary. It's screened at The Lightroom in London, a venue specialising in interactive art and film experiences. In the 12-metre (40-foot) high room equipped with a surround sound system, visitors get to see the moon - almost - as if they were there. The executive producer of the show is no other than Tom Hanks. The Academy Award-winning actor is a lifelong space buff, and he has channelled his passion for things extraterrestrial into “The Moonwalkers.” "A lot of this stuff has just become boilerplate. Neil and Buzz walked on the moon, and one small step of that," says Hanks. "But the delight for all of us here is to go even farther to see what happened because the fidelity of all, you don't see any computer-generated images here. Everything here was either drawn by, I mean - there's plants or whatnot. But every photograph, every image was a photograph taken by a human of the subject matter. So there's nothing fake. This is all empirically true. And it's presented in a way that I think is quite wondrous." Visitors sit in a big room surrounded with all four walls as screens as the 50-minute film brings NASA’s Apollo space missions to life. It focuses on the 12 men who walked on the moon between 1969 and 1972, the thousands who helped them get there and a new generation of astronauts set to return to the moon as part of the Artemis program. Hanks narrates in his warm, avuncular style, and co-wrote the script with documentary filmmaker Christopher Riley. In their hands, the space race is a deeply humanist endeavour that represents humanity’s unquenchable curiosity and desire to do things. Hanks says the first time he was entranced by space was at Christmas 1968, seeing an image on his TV of the Earth, beamed live from the Apollo 8 spacecraft orbiting the moon. "Tom was 13 when we first went to the moon, which is a perfect age, I think, to be really fired up by this. And I was a little bit younger. I was just three. My parents got me up, I watched it. And by the time I was five, we were living on the moon, driving cars there and you couldn't fail. But we are just excited by that as a backdrop to your childhood," says Riley. “The Moonwalkers” includes interviews with the four astronauts due to join the Artemis II mission, humanity’s first foray moonwards for half a century. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are due to fly NASA's Orion capsule on the first crewed Artemis mission, launching from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land, but will fly around the moon and head back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later. "He's character-driven," says Koch, first woman on a lunar mission, about Hanks. "He has played so many people and had to go to the core of what makes them tick that I think his way of perceiving the world is all about that. What makes people tick? What makes us love certain endeavours and expeditions. And that's why he's honed in on this. He knows that there's something about exploring space that brings everyone on board and makes everyone excited, and it's really neat to share that with him." Glover, who will be the first African-American lunar astronaut, hopes Artemis II will pave the way for even more human missions. "We are 25 years from putting a person at least in orbit around Mars," he says. "But we've been there for maybe 25 years. And Artemis is an earnest effort to start tracking that down. So we're now one step closer with a successful Artemis I in the bag now and hopefully Artemis II successful here soon. We get to pass the baton to the next mission and eventually Artemis, who knows which one will be sending humans to Mars." “The Moonwalkers" runs from December 6 2023 until 21 April 2024. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister Production: Jill Lawless and Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Lapland is expected to break all tourism records this winter season with 13 new direct flights to its capital, Rovaniemi. The tourism board expects visitor numbers to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with tourists looking for more premium experiences, like luxury accommodation. STORYLINE: Landing in Lapland is in itself a beautiful experience - provided passengers have a window seat. With 13 new direct flights to the regional capital Rovaniemi, Finland, this winter season is on track to break records. "December has been very, very busy here in Rovaniemi airport (for the) last 20 years. But this year, I think that we are making all sorts of new records for the passenger amount and December is our busiest month of the year," says Johan Juujärvi, manager of Rovaniemi Airport. He's had to hire 20 seasonal workers to help with luggage handling and security. That's on top of the 30 regular staffers. In December 2022, British people made up the largest group of foreign tourists visiting Rovaniemi. This year, British airline easyJet is hopping on the trend with new routes and more flights. In a statement to The Associated Press, the airline says it's "operating its biggest ever schedule to Lapland this year" with "over 200 flights between the UK and Lapland." Last December, the airport welcomed 160,000 passengers, and there's no doubt there will be many more this year. Tourism board Visit Rovaniemi estimates the new flights will bring 40,000-50,000 extra people this winter season. "There is a huge increase in our fly-through. Compared to previous years, it's over 100%, meaning that we have about 24 direct flight connections so far. It's going to bring, of course, a big amount of independent travellers and also the ones that are taking part in the group tours," says Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi, said to be the home of Santa Claus, is the busiest in December, when up to 80,000 people come to the city for the day or extended stays. Tourism generates over 400 million Euros ($437 million) in income here, and that's expected to increase to 600 million Euros ($655 million) in the next five years. Even Santa is noticing the increased flow of visitors to his office. "Just before Christmas, we have lots of people coming, coming from all over the world, lots of lovely people, and I want to meet them all. And it's quite busy. But I'm not busy with the gifts because the elves are doing that job," he says. Santa Claus Village, a theme park dedicated to Santa, is one of the top attractions in the region. People also come to see the Northern lights and the snowy landscapes. "We don't have snow in our country, just beaches and heat, so it's a great experience for her (daughter)," says Francisco, who's visiting with his three-year-old daughter from Portugal. Tourists are also willing to spend more money to make their holiday a little bit more special. Arctic TreeHouse Hotel says it's fully booked until April. Its rooms, which are individual suites surrounded by trees, cater to travellers looking for luxury. In the ArticScene Executive Suite, which costs around 1,900 Euros ($2,073) per night, customers can enjoy the comfort of a 55 square-metre (592 square-foot) room which includes a sauna. "Customers can expect an authentic, Lappish experience. We really bring and welcome all travellers from all over the globe to introduce to them the beautiful nature of Finland, the beautiful minimalistic design of Finland, as well as the warmth of our tourism, our culture, and just the absolute fun of living in a winter wonderland," says hotel manager Michelle Creus. And guests are enjoying their stay. "Because I have some friends who have stayed here on another occasion and they recommended it to me and I love it. I love the place, I love the dishes, the drinks. I'm fascinated by the place and the connection it has with ice, it fascinates me," says Lilo Romero Osores, a Peruvian tourist visiting from California, US. Visit Rovaniemi estimates Christmas 2024 will see a 20% growth in tourism compared to 2023. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Lapland, where Santa's office is said to be located. Elves and reindeer are preparing for their journey to every home in the world to deliver countless presents. Santa is - almost - on his way. With just over a week to go before Christmas, he's busy preparing for the big day. Lapland's capital Rovaniemi, in Finland, is said to be the official home of Santa Claus and his little helpers. It's located near the Arctic Circle, where snow covers all trees in the winter months. Visitors can meet the man in person in Santa Claus Village, a theme park dedicated to Santa. Annabelle and Alexandra, aged 5 and 9, who live in the UK, were spending a few days in Lapland ahead of Christmas. Annabelle was hoping to be on the nice list, so she asked for a puppy, just like she did last year. Rovaniemi expects to break pre-pandemic tourism records this Christmas season, with visitor numbers up by 20% compared to 2022. Most visitors to the Village are families with children. Alice, who was visiting from Dublin in Ireland, was excited to spend time in Lapland. "I also really enjoy the magic of Christmas and I love snow and things like that," she says. The theme park caters to adults too, with a bar and a restaurant featuring tables and stools carved out of ice. Gisela Gonzales, who travelled from California, US, had a mushroom soup. This trip was an emotional one for her. "I cried when I got here," Gonzales said. "It's an amazing feeling to be here, where Santa Claus is actually from," she says. According to Visit Rovaniemi, Santa Claus Village welcomes about 500,000 visitors per year, making it one of the top attractions in the region.

LEADIN: With Christmas Day fast approaching, children are sending their last-minute wish lists to Lapland, where Santa is said to live. Santa Claus Village's post office, in Rovaniemi, Finland, receives about 6,000 visitors a day in December. STORYLINE: December is the busiest month of the year for elf Riitta. She works at the post office in Santa Claus Village, a theme park dedicated to Santa, in Lapland's capital, Rovaniemi. In December, around 6,000 people a day come to buy stamps and mail their wishlists. It also receives 30,000 letters a day, which elves are tasked with opening and reading on Santa's behalf. "At the moment, we are very busy," confirms Riitta. So busy that letters sent too close to Christmas sometimes don't get the chance to arrive on time. But children shouldn't worry, even if they miss the cut-off date, they'll still be read. "Later on, in the springtime, then we open every letter," says Riitta. On that day, Riitta received a letter from a Ukrainian child. She reads it out loud: "Hello, Santa Claus. I am Diana. I'm 10 years old, and I would like to have a bag made of beads. And even more, I wanted the war to end." The letter comes with a drawing of the bag made of beads and is written both in Ukrainian and English. Riitta says although Santa and elves aren't political, they all wish for wars to end and advocate for world peace. In a corner of the crowded post office, a table is full of children and parents writing their letters. Emmy and Isabelle, 9 and 4 years old, respectively, are visiting with their parents from Sydney, Australia. "I've asked for just a couple of things: a new hairbrush and some new earrings," says Emmy, who also specified 'unicorn brush' and 'dangly clip-ons' in her wishlist. Her sister Isabelle hopes to get a surprise egg toy and no less than a horse. There's a queue forming in front of Santa's mailbox at times, and children are also mailing letters to family and friends. Adults are taking part too. Martin Williams, who flew with his wife and children from Wales in the U.K., is taken aback by the popularity of the post office. "We haven't actually done any lists yet. So we've just actually got here and it's just a bit overwhelming. So we're just trying to figure out where everything is. We're just going to wait for the crowds to die down a bit and I think we'll come back a bit later and write our letters to Santa give them (his children) a chance to put something on their lists," he says. And while Riitta continues her endless letter-reading task, Santa is getting ready for his worldwide gift-giving tour with Rudolf and the other reindeer. People say he can sometimes be spotted in Lapland's snowy forests. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

Santa is - almost - on his way. With just a few days to go before Christmas, he's busy preparing for the big day. Lapland's capital Rovaniemi, in Finland, is said to be the official home of Santa Claus and his little helpers. It's located near the Arctic Circle, where snow covers all trees in the winter months. Visitors can meet the man in person in Santa Claus Village, a theme park dedicated to Santa. "There's lots to do before Christmas, but we have very clever and hardworking elves here doing their job. And I just meet people here and (I'm) having fun before Christmas," says Santa from his office. Annabelle and Alexandra, aged 5 and 9, who live in the UK, are spending a few days in Lapland ahead of Christmas. Annabelle is hoping to be on the nice list, so she asked for a puppy, just like she did last year. "It's a little bit tricky to bring a live puppy, packaging for 12 hours and travelling around the world," says Santa. But Annabelle won't let logistical issues get in the way of her present. "You can just take it out and not put it in this sack, you just put it on the sleigh," she says. Rovaniemi expects to break pre-pandemic tourism records this Christmas season, with visitor numbers up by 20% compared to 2022. "Because we are here at the Arctic Circle, you need to meet the man himself, Santa Claus, as he's present here every single day. Not only for the Christmas season, of course. So people want to see, meet and greet Santa," says Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi. "They want to have extraordinary activities, like going on a sleigh ride on the reindeer or doing the husky sleigh rides, or then try the other winter activities." Most visitors to the Village are families with children. Alice, who is visiting from Dublin in Ireland, is excited to spend time in Lapland. "I also really enjoy the magic of Christmas and I love snow and things like that," she says. It's said it's from his office that Santa starts his worldwide delivery of presents. But his visit is only guaranteed if you're on the 'nice' list. "I think children always know if they're on the nice list or the naughty list. They always know themselves. And I'm often asking them, and they are pretty honest with that. And that's the best way you can be honest with that thing. But it's good to remember, nobody can be good all the time. But if you try your best, that makes me happy," says Santa. Regardless of which list they're on, children and their parents can also go for reindeer rides. The longest ride loops around snow-covered trees on a track reserved for Rudolf and his companions. The theme park caters to adults too, with a bar and a restaurant featuring tables and stools carved out of ice. Gisela Gonzales, who travelled from California, US, had a mushroom soup. This trip is an emotional one for her. "I cried when I got here. I got to meet him, I got to take pictures, I posted everything on my IG (Instagram) just trying to show my family, my friends the activities that I've ended up doing. It's an amazing feeling to be here, where Santa Claus is actually from," she says. According to Visit Rovaniemi, Santa Claus Village welcomes about 500,000 visitors per year, making it one of the top attractions in the region. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Polar bears, Arctic foxes, wolves and snowy owls are used to cold temperatures. All are residents of a zoo in Lapland, where visitors can see species that master the art of blending in with the snow. STORYLINE: In Lapland's snowy landscapes, it's sometimes difficult to spot animals. These snowy owls blend in and sometimes spook visitors as they turn their heads. They're perfectly adapted to the cold climate with their thick winter plumage. Although the species is not endangered, it's still classed as 'vulnerable' on IUCN's Red List, because its population is decreasing. It's estimated that 14,000-28,000 mature individuals live in the world. But in this zoo, called Ranua Wildlife Park, the star of the show is elsewhere. It's Venus, a polar bear, who's mostly hiding in December. "Venus is now about 19 years old, female, and she has been here most of her life. She is very popular here. But in this time of the year, she needs a lot of rest because in the wild, they would be having cubs around this time of the year and they would be going inside the den and have the cubs there. So even though we know she is not having cubs at the moment, she likes to spend a lot of time resting," says Heini Niinimäki, zoological director of Ranua Resort. Here's what she looks like in warmer temperatures. Numerous people travel specifically to see her. Polar bears mostly live in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, but not in Finland. Today, Venus prefers to stay inside and avoid the brisk -18 degrees Celsius (-0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) outside. But that means some visitors are a bit disappointed. "I came to the zoo today in Lapland because I wanted to see the polar bear because we obviously don't have those in South Africa," says Tsungi Chokuda, an exchange student living in Finland who's from Pretoria. Ranua's zoo is located an hour's drive south of Rovaniemi, Lapland's capital. It houses about 150 animals from 50 species, drawing in 150,000-200,000 visitors per year. Another animal visitors don't miss is the wolf. The zoo currently has a family made up of a breeding pair and two cubs, aged one and one and a half. "The wolves are really extra social animals. They are like a family. So the social network between them is extremely important to their welfare. And the most important thing for them is that they have possibilities to be socially active and maintain the social relationships in the group. They are not so social with the keepers or with the people," says Niinimäki. Ranua Wildlife Park says it's the only park with Arctic animals in Scandinavia. It also has two Arctic foxes, which have thick fur and are known for burying their food in tunnels. According to Ranua Wildlife Park, only 10 wild Arctic foxes are left in Finland. The population is decreasing because they are losing nesting grounds to the bigger red fox. "The conditions here are very different. If you think about other zoos, people usually visit, the temperature can be up to -40 degrees (Celsius, -40 degrees Fahrenheit) and the day is very short during the wintertime. We can have one metre or 1.5 metres (3.3-4.9 ft) of snow in the wintertime. So these are all things we need to consider when we think about enclosure design, how to manage animals, how to manage visitors," says Niinimäki. For example, fences are slightly higher because the zoo has to account for snowfall in the winter. "It was really cool the wolverine, he's a little easier to spot because he stands out against the snow. I'm really happy that you pointed out the Arctic fox. We checked a couple times on the polar bear, we wish he would come out from his nap. But it's been a wonderful experience, there's lots of great owls, loved the snowy owl," says Mary Romano, visiting from Miami, Florida, US, who recently moved to Lapland with her family. The park also hosts multiple species of reindeer. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Cold showers are meant to be good for your health, but some people are taking it a step further: swimming in the frozen waters near the Arctic Circle. That experience, along with walking on the ice, is part of a mini cruise growing in popularity among tourists looking for something fun on their holiday. STORYLINE: Between Sweden and Finland lies the Baltic Sea. In its northernmost part, it's mostly frozen from the end of November until the end of April. To get a taste of a polar expedition, tourists can book a day cruise onboard an icebreaker boat. It departs from the Swedish side of the border with Finland. Named Polar Explorer, the boat is co-driven by captain Frank Hammerø, who used to work in the coast guard and then the oil industry. "This one (boat) has a special shape of the hull, especially the bow, has a special icebreaker bow on it. And compared to a similar vessel not designed for icebreaking, then they have more horsepower," he says. Originally built as an industrial icebreaker, the boat has been repurposed for the tourism industry. Crew cabins were ripped out to create more seating for guests. And the captain is now spearheading mini expeditions with a lot more people on board. "It's a big responsibility, but that's part of the game here. That's why we are doing this. It's to take out people and show them how we make ice roads," says Hammerø. During the few hours of the cruise, people can brave the cold temperatures to admire the views from the main deck. Today it's a brisk -22 degrees Celsius (-7.6 degrees Fahrenheit). And if that's not cold enough, guests are invited to get in the water. "Normally, everyone swims," says Olga Robacha, the managing director of Polar Explorer Icebreaker. "Normally, everyone swims. Even people who are not considering it in the beginning. They think, 'No, that's not for me. It's too scary, too dangerous, too cold.' When they understand that it's not scary at all and you don't have to have swimming skills, you cannot drown in these suits, and they are very warm, we're dressing them over the normal clothes, it's not the bikini." Staff help passengers get into the suits. They're made of double-layered, six-millimetre thick neoprene and designed for people to starfish in the water easily. And even those who were a bit anxious about the experience don't regret doing it. "I loved it, it was everything I hoped it would be and more," says a passenger. Guests can then have lunch inside if they want to and go for a stroll on the ice. Finland's province of Lapland is expecting a record tourism season, with more visitors willing to spend more money to make their trip unforgettable. The three-hour Polar Explorer cruise is priced at 285 Euros ($313) without lunch nor shuttle service to and from the main closest cities. "This season is what we call 'boom after Corona.' So we get the people who missed travelling for the last few years, and after Asia got closed for a few years, now it's open, and it's like the effect of the cut pipe when it starts just splashing," says Robacha. The company expects to see between 15,000 and 18,000 people on board the Polar Explorer this winter season. AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

LEADIN: Wintertime is huskies' favourite time of the year in Lapland. They run up to 50 kilometres (31 miles) a day, taking tourists through the snowy forests of Finland. STORYLINE: In the snowy forests of Lapland, it's not just Santa riding a sleigh. One of the most popular tourist attractions is husky sledding. In Rovaniemi, the capital of Finland's province of Lapland, a few companies offer tours to visitors. With only three hours of daylight a day in the winter months, huskies are doing their runs back to back. And the landscapes can't be missed. "Most of the tours we take on our own private land, on the lake in the area. So we have very, very beautiful scenery here. We're a bit outside of town of Rovaniemi, so it gets a little bit more remote wilderness feeling as well," says Valentijn Beets the co-owner of Bearhill Husky. The kennel currently houses 107 dogs in total, including 60 who are working. The dogs aren't Alaskan huskies pure breed, but descendants, says Beets. Dogs are expected to work from age 2 to 8 or 9. They do up to three tours per day, in groups of three to six. They can run up to 50 kilometres (31 miles) a day. Remy's family is visiting from England, UK. They've opted for a 45-minute tour. And as soon as they're back to the kennel, the review is in: "We just sat in the sleigh and the huskies were pulling us. They're like really cute," says Remy. This winter season is expected to break all records and exceed pre-pandemic levels, according to tourism board Visit Rovaniemi. With double the amount of direct flights to the city this December, the tourism industry is booming - almost too much. It has led to concern about the huskies' welfare with operators coming forward to fill the ever growing demand for sled rides. Bearhill Husky prides itself on its approach to "responsible tourism", including spacious kennels, careful breeding and a "no kill" policy for older dogs, who they attempt to re-home once their running days are behind them. On its website the company says it gives all dogs a comfortable retirement when possible. Some retired dogs are kept as pets and some kept for training new recruits. The company has a rehoming site on social media. "It's not that we are struggling to cope, but it is hard work. We have not only changed up certain routines in our kennels for the benefit of the dogs, but we are also experiencing then the extra demand and the supply - the tours that we are doing. So these two combinations makes it a rather rough December for us," says Beets. Beets' kennel has up to 14 puppies a year, but he was only able to breed 10 this year. He's had to subcontract dogs from other kennels to continue accepting bookings, which are up by 30-40% compared to previous years. "The experience was incredible," says Chris, who was guiding the sleigh on his tour. He's visiting from New Jersey, US. "When we first got here, obviously, you're looking at the sled, trying to decide how it's going to be - definitely that intimidating feeling, but once you see the dogs, get on the sled, and everybody pretty much gels together. There's little mistakes that you make, but as long as you do everything as they say, it comes out perfect." AP video shot by Tristan Werkmeister

Welcome to Hatchards, London's oldest bookshop. For the past 10 years, manager Francis Cleverdon has opened the doors at 09:30 a.m., restocked the shelves and kept an eye on sales figures every day. But this summer, something changed. "One always sells quite a lot of Dickens, but all of a sudden, the Tale of Two Cities went completely wild and we sold 15 copies in a week and all that sort of thing. And you try and discover why it is that everybody's buying it and they're saying, 'Oh, it's because it's in the book. And he does it,' and all that, which is lovely," says Cleverdon. Published in 1859, "A Tale of Two Cities" is Charles Dickens most renown historical novel. Set in Paris and London it tells the story of a family against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Hatchards usually sells a single copy of this book a week. So Cleverdon turned to TikTok to find answers, and was surprised to find dozens of videos on social media where people film themselves buying "A Tale of Two Cities." "The original, what are they called - Tiks, Toks, messages - came out during July. And ever since then it's been on the go and it feels like if you're coming to London, this is one of the things you want to do, which is great," he says. One of the original TikToks featuring Hatchards and the Dickens book racked up more than 800,000 views, and appears to have set a trend, mostly among young American tourists. "You don't usually get a lot of 16-year-olds desperate to come here, and now we do. So it's marvellous," says Cleverdon, who's more used to his older, loyal clientele. But there's another explanation: the Dickens book, bought at Hatchards, is a central part of another book, "The Infernal Devices" trilogy by Cassandra Clare. And it's fans of Clare's best-seller who are visiting Hatchards to reenact the characters' story. Vritti Chopra is a college student and TikTokker living in North Carolina. When she visited London in July, she pressed the record button as soon as she arrived at Hatchards. "Being able to be in that place where some of my favourite fictional characters have been was - it was interesting to see how would have the story - how Will would have bought the book here like this. This is the same exact place. So it was exciting to be there," she says. "It was also really beautiful. The bookshop, I remember the stairs are just so pretty and all the books and it's such a warm and comfy feeling and it was really fun being there." Another TikToker is Dania Mahdawi, who lives in California and studied in London for the first half of the year. She hopped on the trend to introduce the bookshop to her followers. "When I did show up there, I was like, 'I'm just going to like record the TikTok.' I wasn't there for the TikTok, but I kind of was because I just wanted to record it and show off the bookstore. I honestly did not expect it to blow up as it did, which is like absolutely insane," she says. "The Infernal Devices" trilogy is a teenage fiction centring on a group of "shadow hunters," who are half-human, half-angel, set in Victorian-era London. Clare, who isn't on TikTok, wasn't aware of her fans' videos. She says she picked Hatchards as a bookshop because her grandfather, who lived in London, took her there numerous times. "You climb these lovely winding steps and you have this real sense of being surrounded by the history of books. And one of the things I wanted to do when writing historical fiction, especially for young people, is to situate them in a place where I can say: 'Will went out and bought this book at Hatchards, this is something you could do too. It doesn't matter that it happened 150 years ago. You can still go to Hatchards. You can still buy a book there. History is with us. It's present," she says. Clare's books are not that recent: they were published between 2010 and 2013. So why is it going viral now? Kristen McLean, a book sales analyst and executive director of Circana Books and Entertainement, attributes this phenomenon to the power of #BookTok, the book community on TikTok, and its younger audience. According to Circana, 80% of #BookTok readers in the US are under 34. One in 10 is under 18. This viewership is an emerging market, says McLean. Influencers reviewing or featuring older books are directly boosting their sales. ... Circana tracks sales of more than 100 #BookTok authors identified as such by American book retailer Barnes & Noble. In the US, #BookTok author sales have nearly quadrupled between 2020 and 2022, going up from 13 million to 47 million books sold. But #BookTok sales growth is starting to show signs of slowing. July 2023 was the "first month where #BookTok author sales fell below prior-year levels" in the US, according to Circana. AP video shot by: Tristan Werkmeister