The Smithsonian American Art Museum, beating its New York archrival to the punch, announced Monday what it called the first retrospective of Irving Penn's photography in nearly two decades.

"Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty," opening October 23, will feature 146 photographic prints, many of them never exhibited or even seen before, it said in a statement.

An international human rights group has accused Myanmar's parliament of playing with fire by passing a bill regulating the right of women from the country's Buddhist majority to marry men from outside their religion.

Phil Robertson of New York-based Human Rights Watch said Wednesday the bill was related to a campaign by extremist Buddhist groups that have incited anti-Muslim hatred. Religious tensions have led to deadly violence, especially against Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar, who have felt compelled to flee abroad.

As a possible Greek exit from the eurozone looms ever larger, threatening to change the face of the euro forever, the currency's home city of Frankfurt is giving its famous Euro sculpture a much-needed facelift.

While the eurozone's leaders buckle down for what could be the most decisive talks in the relatively short history of the single currency so far, few will fail to see a certain symbolism in the dismantling and renovation of the 14-metre (45-feet), 50-tonne sculpture that has become one of Frankfurt's most photographed landmarks. 

A Buddhist monastery in Bangladesh is serving food to hundreds of poor Muslims during Ramadan, in a rare example of social harmony between the religions in the South Asian nation.

Dharmarajika, in the capital Dhaka, has become a hit on social media since it started distributing daily food packs for Muslims who break their fast during the Islamic month at sunset, known as Iftar.

Almost eight decades since Yan Guiru was gripped by terror as shells rained on her Beijing neighborhood in the opening salvos of war between China and Japan, she recalls with horror a conflict Communist leaders still use to legitimize their rule.

It was the night of July 7, 1937 when a barrage of unrelenting gun and cannon-fire erupted.

The idea was to conjure up a slice of Middle Eastern splendor, in Florida. Up went minarets and pastel-colored domes, and streets got names like Ali Baba and Aladdin.

The result -- the town of Opa-locka -- came to house the largest concentration of Moorish revival architecture in the United States.

Buoyed by a landmark US Supreme Court ruling, a prominent South Korean gay rights campaigner and movie director is suing officials for refusing to recognise his 2013 same-sex marriage.

Kim Jho Gwang-Soo -- a rare openly gay celebrity in conservative South Korea -- and his partner Kim Seung-Hwan took their fight for legitimacy to a district court in western Seoul on Monday.

In Liverpool's Granby neighborhood, proud residents and a group of architects have brought back to life the area's four remaining Victorian streets, earning them a nomination for Britain's prestigious Turner Prize for contemporary art.

Once the vibrant heart of the city's black community, "after the (1981) riots, the area was closed down," explained Erika Rushton, Chair of Granby Four Streets Community Land Trust (CLT).

Fellow Nobel Peace laureates joined thousands of followers of the Dalai Lama Sunday to celebrate the Tibetan spiritual leader's 80th birthday, kicking off a three-day honorary bash in California.

A string of minor celebrities also paid tribute to the crimson-robed 14th Dalai Lama ahead of his birthday Monday, although protesters also gathered outside the event south of Los Angeles.

Flashing a toothless smile, 96-year-old Gaew breaks into the jaunty, staccato verses of "Mo Lam", a style of folk music that reaches deep into the heritage of northeastern Thailand.

For generations, the humour-laden lyrics have covered tales of unrequited love, rural hardship and changing political winds, with the travelling Mo Lam -- the name also refers to the music's expert singers -- commissioned to spread campaign messages across the remote villages of the Isaan region.