New York's opera community on Friday paid tribute to the legendary soprano Jessye Norman, with Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison calling her voice almost singular in its beauty.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild, which raises money to support the Met as well as music education programs, honored the 69-year-old Norman with an annual end-of-the-year luncheon that features performances by opera singers Latonia Moore, Dolora Zajick and Susan Platts.

A lawyer for embattled U.S. comic Bill Cosby lashed out Friday at new claims of rape and sexual abuse dating back several decades, saying they have "escalated far past the point of absurdity."

The comments came as Cosby suffered a new setback when a live performance in Las Vegas was canceled, just days after the plug was pulled on two TV projects. 

Chinese-language cinema A-listers and stars from Japan and Hollywood gathered in Taiwan on Saturday for this year's Golden Horse Film Awards, with movies from mainland China dominating the nominations.

Touted as the Chinese-language equivalent to the Oscars, the ceremony will see Chinese star Gong Li, Hollywood actress Lily Collins and Japanese actor Masatoshi Nagase among the famous names on the red carpet ahead of a glamorous ceremony in the capital Taipei.

With U.S. gas prices at historic lows and ever-more economical engines, sport utility vehicles (SUV) increasingly rule the road -- and not only in the United States.

At least that’s the message from the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened to the public Friday.

Queen Elizabeth II sent on Friday her best wishes to the Lebanese people on the occasion of the 71st Independence Day.

On the eve of Lebanon’s Independence Day, she sent a message to the Lebanese people, saying: “It gives me great pleasure to send the People of Lebanon my congratulations and warmest greetings on the celebration of your National Day, together with best wishes for good fortune, stability and happiness in the coming year. Elizabeth R.”

Enrique Iglesias picked up his first Latin Grammy in more than a decade Thursday, winning three trophies including song of the year for his platinum hit, "Bailando," while Calle 13 set a record for most Latin Grammy wins with 21.

Iglesias accepted his awards from Paris, where he was tour. "Bailando" also won best urban song and performance, beating out Latin Grammy favorites Calle 13. Iglesias won his first Latin Grammy — and only one before Thursday — in 2003 for best male pop vocal album for "Quizás."

A new feminist comic book, the Jewelry Box, has emerged in Egypt, the latest addition in a blossoming scene of alternative comics, as artists seek freer outlets of expression in a country where independent voices are finding it harder to speak.

Cartoons and political satire go back over a hundred years in Egypt, and are a staple in newspapers that have often lampooned social mores and officials in public office. But a new generation of young comic artists is finding space to express what is often a hard sell in mainstream media. Building on the region's spirit of rebellion over the past four years, they are experimenting with new and more subversive style to look at Egypt's realities.

British star Robbie Williams is to launch a 30-piece clothing collection with retailer Primark, the singer announced on Thursday.

Williams, who rose to fame as a member of pop band Take That, has his own fashion label, Farrell.

U.S. reality TV queen Kim Kardashian announced she had cancelled plans Friday to travel to India where she was to have made a guest appearance in the local version of Big Brother.

"To all my wonderful fans in India, I'm so disappointed I wasn't able to come to India as planned," she wrote on Twitter.

Spain's eccentric Duchess of Alba, one of the nation's richest women who has more titles than any other aristocrat on earth, died on Thursday at the age of 88, a spokesman for her family said.

Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart passed away at her Duenas Palace in the southern city of Seville on Thursday morning, a family spokesman told AFP.