Lebanese activists have launched a special day to raise awareness about Beirut's cultural and natural heritage, hoping to save it from neglect and frenzied development. 

When they grabbed the microphone in Beirut this week, Lea boldly declared she preferred women to men, but Joseph recounted his terrifying ordeal being detained by security forces.

An unmarried couple were stoned to death in public in northeast Mali by Islamists, local officials told AFP on Wednesday, the first such incident since jihadist groups overran the region five years ago.

Abu Haidar tries to keep a low profile and there is no sign on his shop, the first liquor store to reopen in Mosul since the jihadists were beaten back.

But it's hard not to notice the steady stream of customers walking out with black plastic bags filled with Turkish beer, Iraqi arak liquor and cheap whisky.

A weekend seminar in Beirut to promote LGBT rights has been cancelled after "threats" from religious figures, its organizers said on Monday.

"Three, two, one, action!" shouts Syrian refugee Mostafa Abdallah, 11, energetically directing his fellow child actors in a musical being filmed in a Palestinian camp in the Lebanese capital.

Thousands of police on alert, border controls tightened, anti-drone measures: Portugal is taking no chances with security ahead of a pilgrimage by Pope Francis to the famous shrine of Fatima.

Yemen's war has claimed thousands of lives and pushed millions to the brink of famine. Now the conflict threatens to erase a unique part of the country's ancient history.

A United Nations rights official ended a groundbreaking visit to North Korea Monday and urged officials to try to combat the stigma and pejorative language surrounding the disabled.

British street artist Banksy has created his first mural inspired by Brexit, showing a workman chipping away at one of the stars on the European Union flag.