Four actors taking part in a satirical play about two gay police officers were arrested and accused of ridiculing and usurping the functions of Venezuela's authorities, sources said on Monday.

A Dutch band said Sunday it had cancelled its gig at a top Lebanon festival in solidarity with Mashrou’ Leila pulled from the event after threats over alleged offence to Christians.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the first new church in Turkey since it became a modern republic in 1923. 

Wine connoisseurs talk about needing "a nose" to assess the quality of a vintage. President Donald Trump just uses his eyes.

Saudi Arabia's easing of travel restrictions on women was hailed in the kingdom Friday as a historic leap for gender equality, but it also drew anger from hardliners backing contentious male "guardianship" rules.

Saudi Arabia will allow women to travel abroad without approval from a male "guardian", the government said Thursday, ending a restriction that drew international censure and prompted extreme attempts to flee the kingdom.

The Netherlands banned the wearing of a face-covering veil, such as a burqa or niqab, in public buildings and on transport from Thursday as a contentious law on the garment worn by some Muslim women came into force.

Then-California governor Ronald Reagan made racist remarks about Africans, calling them "monkeys" in a newly-discovered taped conversation with U.S. president Richard Nixon.

World famous Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila has condemned what it called "a deliberate campaign" against it, after the organizers of the Byblos International Festival called off its August 9 performance over “bloodshed” fears.

In a statement, the band said the campaign was built on false accusations and a distortion of their lyrics.

The organizers of the Byblos International Festival on Tuesday said they have called off the performance of world famous Lebanese rock band Mashrou' Leila to avert any "bloodshed."

The gig had been scheduled for Friday, August 9.