Washington, United States |President Donald Trump  honored Oscar winner -- and one of his rare public supporters in Hollywood -- Jon Voight, recounting fighting tears while watching one of the actor's films.

Voight, 80, was among eight people given the National Medal of the Arts and the National Humanities Medal in a White House ceremony, the highest state honor for artists.

Later in the day, Voight accompanied Trump to Dover, Delaware where the president receive the bodies of two servicemen who were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Voight said he was invited by Trump during the medal ceremony, and added that he did not meet the service members' families.

The actor won a 1979 best actor Academy Award for "Coming Home," in which he played a paraplegic Vietnam War veteran alongside Jane Fonda.

He made a star turn in "Midnight Cowboy" with Dustin Hoffman and also played in "Deliverance" and the "Odessa File," among other hits.

Trump said another Voight film, "The Champ," was the "greatest boxing movie of all time."

"Everyone was crying at that movie. I tried not to, Jon, but it wasn't easy," Trump said.

Voight stands out as a highly public supporter for the Republican Trump in Hollywood, breaking ranks with the bulk of his acting colleagues who have long leaned to the Democrats.

His daughter, the actress Angelina Jolie, is a fierce Trump critic. She was not seen at the medal ceremony in the White House's East Room.

sms/bfm/cs

Baghdad, Iraq | 

Taking vibrant spray paint to Baghdad's grimy concrete walls, Iraqi artists protesting against the government -- many of them young and female -- are sketching out their vision for a brighter future.

In plastic gloves covered in paint smudges, 20-year-old Fatima Hussam commands a team of artists-cum-activists producing today's fresco.

Their murals have transformed a monochrome tunnel leading into the main protest camp in Tahrir (Liberation) Square into a revolutionary art gallery. 

"We have plenty of artists in this country but nowhere they can express their art, so we decided to use Tahrir for an art revolution in addition to a national revolution," says Hussam, her white veil covered in pink flowers.

Among her works is a version of World War II-era feminist icon "Rosie the Riveter," now with an Iraqi flag painted on her cheek and announcing in speech bubble: "This is what our women are like!"

Iraq, where around 60 percent of its 40 million people are below 25, remains a largely conservative country.

Baghdad is more open-minded than the tribal south, where it is rare to see women interact with men who are not their relatives or spouses.

But protests in the capital and Shiite-majority southern provinces have seen women break the taboo, joining thousands of demonstrators en masse to demand regime change.

Hussam has joined them this week, with her older brother cautiously but proudly looking on as she paints.

Her latest is an ode to fellow women taking part: a veiled woman holding a sign bearing one of the popular uprising's many slogans: "I want my country."

- 'Joy and colours' -

Such slogans are 23-year-old Mohammad Abdelwahab's inspiration. 

The young artist takes a brush daubed in white paint to a large black background in the tunnel, inscribing popular protest chants into the shape of a map of Iraq.

"We are the generation of change -- change for the better!" says Abdelwahab.

Dozens of other young artists are working on their own pieces.

One mural shows the three-wheeled rickshaw known as a tuk-tuk, now a beloved symbol of the protest movement for its role in ferrying wounded demonstrators to safety.

Another displays the word "LOVE" spelled out by bloodstained hands -- a testimony, the artist says, to those who have died facing off against security forces. 

Nearly 300 people have died since the protests first erupted on October 1, according to an AFP tally.

Half of them lost their lives in an initial six-day wave of protests in early October, and the rest in deadly clashes with security forces or in fires set to party offices since rallies resumed on October 24.

Authorities have acknowledged the protests but say that "infiltrators" embedded in them are looking to plunge the country back into instability.

Iraq has only recently emerged from decades of back-to-back conflict, including a 1980s war with Iran, the US-led invasion in 2003 and a battle against the Islamic State group that ended in late 2017. 

Abdelwahab says the protest movement is about the next phase of Iraq's future.  

"We're not here to attack the state. We want to bring it joy and colours," he insists.

- A growing underground -

Mission accomplished, says 38-year-old Mohammad Abbas.

"In 16 years, I've never seen this place so beautiful. Our country really needed this," marvels Abbas, who has driven down the same tunnel to get to work for years.

"Usually, the walls are dirty and black," he says.

Baghdad, a sprawling city of nearly 10 million inhabitants, is usually choked off by traffic, smog and checkpoints.

"Young people were able to achieve what the state hasn't been able to do while spending billions on Baghdad," says Abbas, on his way to more swelling protests above ground.

Oil-rich Iraq is OPEC's second biggest producer, but one in five people live in poverty and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank.

Public services including electricity, water provision and street maintenance are poor, and the country is ranked the 12th most corrupt worldwide by Transparency International.

But the art developing underneath Tahrir is not just visual.

Every afternoon, musicians bring their clarinets and flutes for impromptu concerts, as woodworkers sell key chains and other statuettes immortalising the tuk-tuk.

"With few means, these artists send a peaceful message to the world," says Ibrahim, 39, a bypasser.

Through them, he says, "we're telling the world that the Iraqi people are alive and well."

str/sbh/mjg/hc

Los Angeles, United States | 

It was the one they all wanted -- the black leather jacket and high-waisted skin-tight pants worn by Olivia Newton-John in the finale of "Grease" electrified a Beverly Hills auction, selling for $405,700.

Now part of Hollywood history, the iconic musical comedy starring Newton-John and John Travolta still arouses passions more than 40 years after it first appeared in movie theaters.

Newton-John donned the outfit to sing "You're the One that I Want" with Travolta, her transformation into a sexy greaser girl complete.

The final price paid Saturday night was twice the pre-sale estimate, according to Julien's Auctions.

Released in 1978, the most successful movie musical ever tells the high school love story of Sandy (Newton-John) and Danny (Travolta), set in the 1950s.  

A poster signed by Travolta, Newton-John and other members of the cast that had carried a $1,000 pre-auction estimate sold for $64,000.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of items from the actress' collection will go to fund the Olivia Newton-John center for cancer research. 

The actress was diagnosed with cancer for a third time in 2018.

HBO recently announced plans for a series inspired by "Grease," which will revisit certain songs and characters from the film.

cjc/jm/sst

Madrid, Spain 

Shepherds guided a flock of around 2,000 sheep through the streets of Madrid  in defence of ancient grazing and migration rights increasingly threatened by urban sprawl.

Tourists and local residents lined the streets to watch as the bleating, bell-clanking parade passed the Spanish capital's most emblematic locations, cutting traffic.

The herd was accompanied by musicians and dancers dressed in regional costumes that have been worn by rural workers for centuries.

Shepherds halted at the town hall so the chief herdsman could hand local authorities 50 "maravedies" -- copper coins first minted in the 11th century -- as payment for the crossing.

The parade started in the Casa de Campo, a former royal hunting ground that is now Madrid's largest park, then made its way through the Puerta del Sol -- the main square -- and past the Bank of Spain's headquarters before ending up at the town hall.

Every year since 1994 sheep farmers have paraded their livestock through the city along a route that once cut through undeveloped countryside on their way to winter grazing pastures in southern Spain.

Since medieval times, shepherds have had the right to use herding paths crisscrossing a landscape that was once woodland and grazing space.

pho-ds/pvh

Doha, Qatar | 

The organisers of the inaugural World Beach Games that kicked off this week have heaped praise on Qatar for stepping in to host the event at short notice after San Diego pulled out.

More than 1,500 athletes competing in sports from beach volleyball to skateboarding have descended on the tiny peninsula emirate for the event, which organisers hope will raise the profile of smaller sports.

"It's a great choice because Qatar is used to organising big sports competitions," said Gunilla Lindberg, secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees.

"I'm absolutely sure (Qatar) was the right choice."

ANOC was left to scout out alternatives to San Diego when the California coastal city pulled out in May after four years of planning, citing financial constraints.

While several other cities put in a bid to host, Doha won out because of its experience staging major events and ready-made infrastructure, Lindberg told AFP.

The event, partially held at Doha's beachside Katara cultural village, has avoided the thin crowds that dogged the early days of the recent World Athletics Championships.

The World Beach Games were created by the world's Olympic committees and announced in 2015, with 97 countries sending competitors to the Doha event that started Friday and ends Wednesday. 

A beach tennis qualifier between Chile and Portugal on Saturday saw the temporary sea-view stands filled by small but noisy contingents from each country, alongside hundreds of curious expat workers.

- 'It's amazing' -

"It's a new event, so the stands are not so big -- but we have opened up for everyone to come," said Lindberg.

Qatar has invested heavily in infrastructure for big-ticket events like the 2022 World Cup and the World Athletics Championships. 

But Doha has also hosted smaller competitions, including the 2015 World Handball Championship and the 2016 cycling Road World Championships.

Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at Britain's Salford University, said ahead of the athletics championships that Qatar sees sporting events as part of its national security effort.

Such events help make Qatar "visible, relevant and important" as well as deterring potential aggressors, he said.

Qatar is embroiled in a bitter two-year-long dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which accuse Doha of backing Saudi regional rival Iran and radical Islamists.

They have cut direct transport links, closed airspace to Qatari aircraft and restricted their citizens from visiting over the claims, which Doha denies.

French three-on-three basketball coach Yann Julien praised Qatar for preparing the games in "record time". 

"It's really well organised," he said, applauding the transportation and provision of air conditioned tents for athletes to cool down in.

The beach games' first edition was due to take place in San Diego .

Reports said organisers were struggling to raise funds to put on the event.

Qatar has "done a good job with the transportation and the setup of the venues," said Lindberg, adding that organisers had just six days to shift from the athletics championships to the beach games.

"It's amazing."

gw/sw/dr

Paris, France |FIFA is hoping to renegotiate contracts already signed for the next women's World Cup in 2023 as it looks to increase the amount of money going to players, sources have told AFP.

"FIFA plan to renegotiate contracts for the women's World Cup in order to offer much greater bonuses to players," a source said ahead of a FIFA Council meeting in Shanghai on Thursday.

Women's football will feature heavily on the agenda at the meeting as world football's governing body plans to increase the number of competing teams at the World Cup to 32, up from 24 at this year's tournament in France.

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has already promised to double the prize fund for the next tournament having initially raised overall contributions from $15 million to $50 million in time for this year's competition.

On Thursday, FIFA are also expected to rubberstamp plans already announced by Infantino to double funding for the women's game to $1 billion over the next four years.

The money will come from the organisation's vast cash reserves of more than $2.7 billion. "We don't need all this money in the Swiss banks, they have enough money," said Infantino in July.

In addition, FIFA are also exploring the possibility of creating a women's World League -- along the lines of UEFA's Nations League -- as well as a Club World Cup for women.

A decision on the creation of these tournaments will be made in March next year.

Thursday's meeting will also see FIFA appoint a host for the 2021 men's Club World Cup, which will feature 24 teams for the first time.

ebe-vg/fbr/as/iwd

Bangkok, Thailand | Tributes have poured in to the unstoppable Marc Marquez with the Spaniard hailed as "incredible" and "unbelievable" after he clinched his sixth MotoGP crown and eighth world title overall on Sunday.

MotoGP rivals, Marquez's own brother and Formula One greats joined a chorus of congratulations for the daring 26-year-old who dived under Fabio Quartararo on the final bend to win the Thailand MotoGP and seal the title in a pulsating last-lap duel.

The win gave him an insurmountable lead over closest rival Andrea Dovizioso, who was gracious despite another season in Marquez's shadow.

"We can speak and analyse all the things but at the end if you check his score it's something unbelievable," the Ducati rider told MotoGP.com.

Marquez has dominated the sport. Since 2013 he has only failed to win the world championship once -- in 2015. 

The 2019 title is his fourth straight and Marquez described this year as his "best" season ever. No one is disputing his assessment.

British rider Cal Crutchlow pointed out that Marquez has finished first or second in every race apart from one -- the Grand Prix of The Americas when a mechanical problem caused him to crash when leading on the ninth lap in Austin.

"He's an incredible talent," said Crutchlow, who is ninth in the standings. "I think he should just retire and give everyone else a chance," he joked.

Marquez is from a racing family and his younger brother Alex finished fifth in the Moto2 race in Buriram and is leading the class standings.

If there is a sibling rivalry it was hard to see in Alex's endearing tweet about his brother's achievement.

"Once again you leave us all speechless!" he said on his official account which showed a photo of the two brothers smiling after the win.

"In spite of your eight championships, you'll still be the 'little twerp' brother that you are."

With six premier-class titles, Marquez surpasses Australian legend Mick Doohan.

He trails only Italian great Valentino Rossi, who won the last of his seven championships in 2009, and Giacomo Agostini, whose record eighth came in 1975.

Rossi predicted he will break both.

"I don't think he'll struggle to reach nine," he told GPOne.com.

Spanish Formula One double world champion Fernando Alonso tweeted his congratulations, calling Marquez a "phenomenon."

Formula One driver Pierre Gasly, who attended the race before heading to Suzuka for next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, tweeted: "What a race, what a battle in the last lap."

French rookie Quartararo, 20, led most of the way but was left in awe of Marquez.

"It's just incredible what he achieved, what he does with the bike," Quartararo told MotoGP.com. 

"He will be there for a long time."

joe/dh