Dave Chappelle pays tribute to Eddie Murphy

Plus: Qatar showcases painter Tuymans in major exhibition, Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run home’ for sale and acclaimed Egyptian writer Gamal el-Ghitani dies.

Dave Chappelle arrives at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the 18th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented to Eddie Murphy on Sunday, October 18, 2015, in Washington. Owen Show more

US Comedian Dave Chappelle – who will perform in the UAE on October 22 and 23 – joined a star-studded line-up including Chris Rock, George Lopez, Kathy Griffin and Arsenio Hall to honour Eddie Murphy as an “American icon”. The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts presented the comedian with the Mark Twain Prize, the nation’s top prize for humour, on October 18. Murphy called the day a “tremendous honour,” but jokingly asked the centre to clear up any confusion over the prize for future recipients. “Actually, it’s an award but they call it a prize,” he said. “Usually when there’s a prize, there’s money.” – AP

Qatar showcases painter Tuymans in major exhibition

A retrospective of the works of acclaimed Belgian artist Luc Tuymans opened in Doha on October 18 as Qatar reinforces its position as a global art centre with one of its largest-ever exhibitions. Featuring about 100 paintings and 80 drawings, Intolerance showcases Tuymans's work dating back to the 1970s. It also includes a new work, The Arena. The show, two years in the planning, is Tuymans's first in the Gulf and he described it as "very, very big enterprise". Tuymans, who hails from Antwerp, said he was attracted to exhibit in Qatar because of "its clear interest" in his work and its commitment to art. "The fact that it is a Gulf state that puts its money into culture and intelligence, they don't have to do that," he said. The Doha exhibition came after a personal invitation to Tuymans from Sheikha Al-Mayassa al-Thani, chair of Qatar Museums, who was named as "Queen of the Art World" by Forbes magazine earlier this year. - AFP

Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run home’ for sale

The New Jersey-shore home where Bruce Springsteen wrote the classic album Born to Run is up for sale. The two-bedroom cottage – at 7 West End Court in Long Branch – is owned by three fans of the singer. They bought it in 2009 with the idea of turning it into a tribute to the global rock legend, but those plans were derailed. Springsteen has said that he wrote every song on the Born to Run album – including the title track and other classic songs, including Thunder Road and Jungleland – while living in the house in 1974 and 1975. The list price is $299,000. – AP

Acclaimed Egyptian writer Gamal el-Ghitani dies

Gamal el-Ghitani, one of the nation's most acclaimed novelists, has died at the age of 70. Egypt's state-run news agency says MENA says he died on October 18 of respiratory complications at a military hospital in Cairo. El-Ghitani was the author of the celebrated novel Zayni Barakat, a scathing critique of totalitarianism set in the Mamluk era, among many other works. He founded Akhbar el-Adab, Egypt's most prominent literary publication, in 1993 and ran it as editor in chief until 2011. Under his leadership, the publication was viewed as an independent voice, often critical of the state. Egypt's government and armed forces issued statements praising el-Ghitani. El-Ghitani won the Nile Award, Egypt's highest state honour, in 2015. He is survived by his wife Mervat el-Gindi and his son Mohammed. – AP