Charles Manson, the psychopathic guru who masterminded a savage killing spree in the United States in the late 1960s that shocked the world, has died aged 83, California prison officials said.

Manson "died of natural causes at 8:13 pm (0213 GMT Monday) on Sunday" at a hospital in Kern County, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a brief statement.

A proposal to ban smoking in French films has been met with splutters of indignation in a land raised on images of puffing, pouting silver-screen stars.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and Tunisia's president led mourners in a final tribute Monday to French-Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaia, who died this month aged 77 after winning a worldwide following.

Spray-painted in murals, wielded on anti-war banners, and even once hung as a tapestry at the United Nations, Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" might be the world's most famous political artwork.

"We don't carry out euthanasia as often as it is asked for," says Dutch GP Carin Littooji, advocating for assisted dying on a bench usually reserved for bishops in the Vatican.

The World Medical Association (WMA)has gathered at the heart of the Catholic Church to debate its policy on end-of-life care.

From the White House to Congress to the Supreme Court, Washington has had its share of sexual scandals.

But the #MeToo wave exposing sexual misconduct which began in Hollywood crashed ashore in the U.S. capital this week, triggering an unprecedented slew of allegations, apologies and resignations.

The symbol of solidarity brought a harsh backlash. As Lebanese rockers Mashrou' Leila played in Cairo, fans hoisted in the air rainbow flags, the global emblem of gay equality.

A 500-year-old painting believed to be by Leonardo da Vinci sold for $450.3 million in New York on Wednesday, blazing a new world record for the most expensive work of art sold at auction, Christie's said.

Egyptian pop diva Sherine Abdel Wahab has been referred to trial for suggesting at a concert that drinking from the Nile River could lead to illness, judicial officials said Wednesday.

Celebrations swept across Australia Wednesday as voters emphatically endorsed same-sex marriage after more than a decade of divisive debate, and political leaders immediately began moves to enshrine the historic shift in law by Christmas.