South African retired Anglican archbishop and anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu celebrated his 85th birthday on Friday saying he would like to be allowed the option of dignified assisted death.

An Indian village had to cancel a performance of a traditional Hindu play moments before it was due to start after far-right activists opposed the participation of a Muslim Bollywood star, reports said Friday. 

A vintage carnival in Australia provided the inspiration for Emirati designer Lamya Abedin's show at Arab Fashion Week in Dubai that combined frills and sequins with Muslim modesty.

The accused in Pakistan's most infamous blasphemy case has been granted a fresh chance to escape the gallows after the Supreme Court confirmed Friday that next week it will hear Asia Bibi's appeal against her execution.

An Indian teacher beheaded a Dalit man after an argument over his use of a flour mill, a senior police officer said Friday, the latest in a spate of attacks on members of the country's lowest caste.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to end the half-century war with FARC rebels, sparking a new pledge to salvage a peace deal rejected by the people.

The award was a surprise, coming just five days after Colombian voters shot down the historic accord Santos signed last month with FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez.

Pakistan passed long-awaited legislation Thursday closing a loophole that allowed people who killed for "honor" to walk free, three months after the murder of a social media star by her brother sparked international revulsion.

Exact replicas of three architectural treasures damaged or destroyed by the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria and Iraq went on show Thursday at the Colosseum  in Rome.

In a traditional cafe in the heart of Damascus, young Syrians linger at an art exhibition evoking the despair and loss of their country's war. The only thing missing? The artists themselves.

Scaffolding will cover the Taj Mahal's main dome next year while a "mud pack" is applied to its yellowing marble, authorities said Thursday as they battle the effects of smog on the country's top tourist attraction.