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Who are the Middle East's Druze religious community?
The Druze are a prominent religious community of more than a million people spread mainly across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, who for centuries have sought to preserve a distinct identity.
Traditional culture, fancy dress meet at Hong Kong's raucous bun festival
Kids dressed as real and fantasy heroes, drummers pounding a beat and sweet treats offered to powerful gods -- thousands of visitors poured onto a small island in Hong Kong for its annual Bun Festival on Monday.
Jury selection to begin in Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex crimes trial
Jury selection begins Monday in New York in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.
Rufus Wainwright's 'Dream Requiem' explores catastrophe and redemption
The historic Mount Tambora volcanic eruption spewed so much ash and debris that it triggered a "year without summer" and the apocalypse seemed nigh -- an apt parallel to our own chaotic existence, says the eclectic musician Rufus Wainwright.
'Thunderbolts' strikes big, topping N.America box office
New Marvel superhero film "Thunderbolts" triumphed over the North American box office this weekend, raking in an estimated $76 million in a promising start to the summer movie season, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
'We don't care': weddings go on in Pakistan's Kashmir border
Rabia Bibi, a glittering red dupatta pulled over her eyes, wasn't about to let the threat of war with India stop her wedding in a remote valley in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
'Two million' throng Lady Gaga concert at Rio's Copacabana
Lady Gaga rocked Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Saturday with a free mega-concert that the Brazilian city said drew about two million fans.
Maldives president holds record 15-hour press conference
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu addressed a press conference for nearly 15 hours, his office said on Sunday, claiming it broke a previous record held by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media
New Delhi widened tit-for-tat measures against Islamabad on Saturday, blocking access to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers, as well as extending trade blocks and stopping postal services.
Berlin culture official quits after funding cut backlash
Berlin's top culture official resigned Friday amid controversy over arts funding cuts that critics had warned would do massive damage to the capital city's famed clubs, theatres and orchestras.
In show stretched over 50 years, Slovenian director shoots for space
In an innovative show directed by Slovenian artist and space enthusiast Dragan Zivadinov, a crew of actors is putting on the same play once a decade over 50 years.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs: the rap mogul facing life in prison
Once hip-hop's flashy impresario, Sean "Diddy" Combs now sports unruly, gray hair and only appears publicly in court, where he will be a regular starting Monday as his federal sex crimes trial gets underway in New York.
Apple expects $900 mn tariff hit, US iPhone supply shifts to India
Apple on Thursday reported first-quarter profit above expectations but warned that US tariffs could cost the company and was disrupting its supply chain.
Pope Francis saw clergy's lack of humility as a 'cancer': author
Pope Francis saw priests' embrace of the trappings of power as a "cancer" corroding the Roman Catholic Church, according to a best-selling Spanish author who travelled to Mongolia with the pontiff.
Weinstein accuser recounts alleged rape at assault retrial in NY
One of Harvey Weinstein's accusers on Wednesday again told a New York court that he had raped her, five years after she testified in the first sexual assault trial of the disgraced Hollywood producer.
Swedish reporter gets suspended term over Erdogan insult
A Turkish court on Wednesday handed a Swedish journalist an 11-month suspended sentence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on a second more serious charge.
Bunker-cafe on Korean border paints image of peace
Reclining on sofas at a South Korean cafe, customers sip iced americanos as they gaze past barbed wire fences and watchtowers at the mountains of North Korea.
Swedish journalist's trial opens in Turkey
A Swedish journalist arrested on arrival in Istanbul to cover last month's massive street protests goes on trial Wednesday on charges of insulting Turkey's president, his lawyer said.
Candles and radios in demand in Spain as blackout lessons sink in
Madrid residents returned to work Tuesday a day after a crippling nationwide blackout in Spain with a renewed sense of the necessity of candles, cash and battery-powered radios for emergencies.
French right-wing TV host fans talk of presidential bid
Provocative French radio and television host Cyril Hanouna has the country guessing Tuesday over whether he will run to be president in 2027.
Spotify posts record profit in first quarter
Music streaming giant Spotify on Tuesday reported a 12-percent rise in paying subscribers in the first quarter to 268 million, along with a record operating profit.
Cardinals run the media gauntlet ahead of conclave
Catholic cardinals will be locked up for the papal conclave but for preparatory meetings this week they must run the gauntlet of journalists desperate for insights into who will be the next pope.
ChatGPT adds shopping help, intensifying Google rivalry
OpenAI announced Monday that ChatGPT is now helping users find products online, enhancing its challenge to Google amid regulatory pressure on the search giant's market dominance.
Lost to history: Myanmar heritage falls victim to quake
When a massive earthquake hit Myanmar last month, centuries of sacred history tumbled down -- towering Buddha idols, sky-scraping stupas and the pure-white pagoda where 83-year-old Khin Sein has prayed for most of her life.
'Godfather' director Coppola bags lifetime achievement award
Multiple Oscar-winner Francis Ford Coppola picked up a lifetime achievement award on Saturday at a star-studded ceremony which praised his "fearless" attitude to filmmaking.
Wikileaks founder Assange joins crowds for pope funeral
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange joined the crowds in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday, the whistle-blowing website said on X, quoting his wife Stella Assange.
Remains of 5,000-year-old noblewoman found in Peru dig
Archaeologists in Peru said Thursday they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas.
Sri Lanka Buddhists overwhelm city in bid to see sacred tooth
Buddhist devotees flocking to see a sacred tooth in Sri Lanka were urged to stay clear by police on Thursday after hundreds of people queuing fell sick and a woman died.
Cannes film festival says to 'honour' slain Gaza photojournalist
The Cannes film festival said Wednesday that the screening of a documentary about Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna at the event next month would honour her work after the "horror" of her death in an Israeli air strike last week.
Set of Shakespeare folios to be sold in rare London auction
A set of four Shakespeare folios estimated to be worth more than £3.5 million ($4.7 million) will go on sale in London next month, auction house Sotheby's said Wednesday.
Pianist to perform London musical marathon
Classical Russian-German pianist Igor Levit takes to a London stage this week for an epic musical endurance test directed by the world-famous Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic.
Zurab Tsereteli, whose monumental works won over Russian elites, dies aged 91
Georgian-Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, a politically connected artist known for his monumental yet sometimes divisive works, has died aged 91, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.