The speaker of Tibet's parliament-in-exile Tuesday accused China of turning the Himalayan region into a giant prison camp as he opened the biggest meeting of the Tibetan leadership in four years.

"A state of undeclared martial law continues to remain in force in Tibet," Penpa Tsering said in an opening address at the conclave held in northern India.

Glittering jewels and the echoes of a 17-gun salute marked the climax of wedding celebrations for the daughter of one of the world's wealthiest men, the Sultan of Brunei.

Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29, were presented to the royal court in a lavish traditional ceremony at the sultan's 1,700-room palace on Sunday.

Go hiking in the Alps around Salzburg these days and you won't be surprised to hear a resounding "Hol-la ra-e ho-e he!"

Amid the green pastures and snowy peaks that famously inspired Julie Andrews to launch into song in "The Sound of Music," a new Yodel hiking trail -- the first in the world -- hopes to teach tourists and locals this unique art of singing.

While devout Hindus wait for up to 90 hours to see their favourite deity at Ganesh Chaturthi, one of India's major festivals, others are opting to dodge the queues this year and say a virtual prayer instead.

The 11-day celebration of the birth of elephant-headed Lord Ganesha draws millions to worship at decorated idols of the god, but the statues are increasingly available to followers via live Internet streams.

Expat Lebanese sculptor and painter Nicole Mouracade has unveiled a first public art installation for the Trianon-MASP in Sao Paulo, news reports said Monday.

Mouracade has been selected by the “City of the Future” and 2014 World Cup host São Paulo, to adorn the Trianon-MASP metro station serving the Museu de Arte de São Paulo which contains since 1947 the most comprehensive art collection in the Southern Hemisphere.

As Iran's academic year kicked off on Saturday, a U.S.-based rights group raised concern about new restrictions putting scores of university degree courses off-limits to women.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the restrictions extended a creeping "Islamicisation" of Iran's universities that have been imposed under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iraq is seeking to replace its national anthem and flag in a move aimed at unifying national symbols and putting decades of conflict and hardship in the country behind it.

"We are determined to finish the new flag and anthem this year, in this legislative session," MP Ali Shlah, the chairman of parliament's culture and media commission, told Agence France Presse.

Sotheby's is set to become the first international fine art auction house in China after signing a joint venture with a state-owned company, it said Friday.

The deal with Beijing GeHua Art Company, which is subject to government approval, will give Sotheby's a foothold in China where foreign auction houses are normally prevented from operating by law.

In the remote town of Kannauj, the perfume capital of India, traditional workers are struggling to keep their craft alive in the face of fierce competition from modern fragrance makers.

This fight, between small businesses such as the Pragati Aroma Oil distillery and global groups such as Armani and Chanel, mirrors thousands of other battles across India between ancient practices and the forces of modernity.

Capitalizing on low water levels in Warsaw's Vistula River, police are teaming up with archaeologists to recover gigantic marble and alabaster treasures that apparently were stolen from royals in Poland by Swedish invaders in the mid-17th century.

A police Mi-8 helicopter hovered over a riverbed on Thursday, lifting ornaments such as the centerpiece of a fountain with water outlets decorated with Satyr-like faces.