A Ukrainian court on Thursday banned gay rights activists from holding their first gay pride march through central Kiev, citing fears of violence. Kiev's district administrative court ruled that no events could be staged in the capital on Saturday because of City Day celebrations, the Interfax ...

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France's lower house on Thursday approved a plan to introduce more courses in English at universities despite critics alleging it will undermine efforts to promote French. A majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly approved the second article of a bill on higher education in a show-of-hands ...

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Spain honoured the US photographer Annie Leibovitz, known for her iconic portraits of a naked John Lennon and a pregnant Demi Moore, with its top humanities prize on Thursday. The Prince of Asturias prize jury hailed Leibovitz, 63, as "one of the driving forces of world photojournalism", in a ...

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Hard pressed to justify a proposition slammed by critics, the European Commission withdrew on Thursday a planned ban on restaurants serving olive oil in jugs on diners' tables pending consultations with the industry and consumers. European Union Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos performed a ...

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An 80-year-old Japanese man who underwent heart surgery in January reached the summit of Mount Everest on Thursday, becoming the oldest person to scale the world's highest mountain. Yuichiro Miura and his party, including his second son Gouta, arrived at the summit at around 9 am local time (0315 ...

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The Philippines vowed Thursday to fight China "to the last man standing", as a Chinese warship patrolled around a remote reef occupied by a handful of Filipino marines in disputed waters. In the latest flare-up over competing claims to parts of the South China Sea, the Philippines this week ...

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Indonesian event organiser Risti Rahmadi wears an Islamic headscarf, uses halal lipstick and knows that it's time to pray when an app on her BlackBerry emits Koranic verses five times a day. The 37-year-old, who in her 20s would save up for the latest Guess clothes and Revlon make-up, now strictly ...

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From seasoned investors to recent graduates armed with little more than hastily-made business cards and dreams of striking it rich, foreigners are pouring into Myanmar to stake a claim as it opens up. It is an expat "goldrush" driven by the promise of an economic boom after the rollback of many ...

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Despite earning a civil servant's salary for three decades, Taib Mahmud, the powerful chief minister of Malaysia's Sarawak state, is reputed by critics to be one of Asia's richest men. Taib, 77, and his family are accused of massive corruption and running Malaysia's largest state like a family ...

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Nothing like a good hairdo to fight deeply entrenched racism in one of the world's emerging economic giants. The tools of battle, such as scissors and conditioners, are being wielded on the outskirts of Rio in a chain of beauty parlors that cater to black and mulata women of limited means. Rather ...

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Blockbuster features that cost $100 million or more may grab the headlines, but the area of filmmaking that is growing fastest is documentaries, say industry sources at the Cannes Film Festival. Driving the trend, they say, is a widening demand for films that go beyond fiction and instead touch on ...

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Muslim leaders from across the globe knelt in prayer for the Holocaust dead at the Auschwitz's notorious Wall of Death on Wednesday, in an emotional visit to the Nazi German death camp in southern Poland. Imams from Bosnia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United ...

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From ancient Greek statues with futuristic helmets to gladiator shields decorated with shoes, a series of Italian contemporary art works are going on show among the ruins of Rome's Forum. Many of the creations by 17 artists -- spread throughout the vast complex which was once the teeming heart of ...

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A record 923, 000 foreigners travelled to Japan in April, up 18. 1 percent from a year earlier, taking advantage of a weaker yen and an increase in chartered flights, a government agency said Wednesday. The previous monthly high was 879, 000 in July 2010, the Japan National Tourism Organisation ...

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Spain's oldest flamenco festival will visit India in 2014, retracing the origins of the classic Spanish musical form, organisers said Wednesday. The Cante de las Minas festival plans its first overseas event in March in Jodhpur, in Rajasthan state -- considered the home of the migrant gypsies from ...

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France's lower house began debating a proposal Wednesday to introduce more courses in English at universities, amid a storm of controversy in a nation fiercely protective of its identity. The measure, which would also introduce lessons in other languages as part of a wider bill on higher education ...

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The first Art Basel fair to be hosted by Hong Kong boasts a prestigious array of international art, highlighting the city's new role as a global arts hub amid an explosion of personal wealth in mainland China. The four-day annual show is the world's premier art fair and has until now only been held

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American teenagers are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites, but taking steps to protect their privacy online, a study showed. Tuesday's new survey showed 91 percent of those surveyed posted a photo of themselves, up from 79 percent in 2006; 71 percent post the city or ...

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An Indian woman who lost her leg after she was thrown from a moving train two years ago has become the first female amputee to climb Everest, expedition organisers said Wednesday. Arunima Sinha, 26, from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, reached the peak on Tuesday morning after a slow climb ...

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For 75-year-old pensioner Sova Sengupta the collapse of Indian property-to-media empire Saradha Group, to which she had entrusted her life's savings with the promise of a handsome return, spelt financial ruin. "I'd deposited 100, 000 rupees ($1, 800). I lost all my savings, " the widow wept after ...

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Trying to fight back against the persistent economic crisis in the Balkans, food producers here have turned towards halal food, targeting rising demand from markets in Western and Muslim countries. At a recent three-day halal food fair in the Bosnian capital, the first of its kind in the Balkans, ...

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A 1997 first edition of "Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone" annotated by J. K. Rowling sold for £150, 000 ($227, 000, 176, 000 euros) at a London auction Tuesday, a new record for a printed book by the writer. Two bidders battled it out for the work before the hammer finally came down, ...

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A bill to legalise gay marriage in Britain passed a crucial hurdle in parliament on Tuesday, despite efforts by lawmakers from Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party to wreck the plans. Members of the House of Commons voted by 366 to 161 in favour of the same sex marriage bill, a ...

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One of the oldest salt mines in Europe, Poland's Wieliczka, on Tuesday called for photos of salt from across the globe for a contest and show at its underground museum. "We thought it would be good to learn about the rest of the world's salt and compile a portrait of it, " museum spokeswoman ...

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Muslim religious leaders from across the globe met with Holocaust survivors and their saviours in an emotional encounter Tuesday at Warsaw's synagogue, as part of an anti-genocide programme that includes a visit to Auschwitz. "Today, we've met real people who suffered the Holocaust and the heroes ...