Some Russian activists have sued Madonna for millions of dollars, claiming they were offended by her support for gay rights during a recent concert in St. Petersburg.

Anti-gay sentiment is strong in Russia, particularly in St. Petersburg, where a law passed in February makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. The author of that law has pointed to the presence of children as young as 12 at Madonna's concert on Aug. 9.

Miss China won the coveted title of Miss World on Saturday, triumphing on home soil during a glitzy final held in a mining city on the edge of the Gobi desert.

The mostly Chinese audience erupted in cheers and fireworks lit up the sky when it was announced that the home candidate, Yu Wenxia, had been awarded the title.

Former Playboy Playmate and actress Jenny McCarthy says she is no longer romantically involved with Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

McCarthy, who is from suburban Chicago, released a statement Friday that said: "Brian and I have decided to turn our romance into an amazing friendship. I will continue to be the biggest cheerleader for him."

Belgian photographer Martine Franck, a member of the Magnum Photos cooperative and the second wife of Henri Cartier-Bresson, has died aged 74, a source close to Franck said Friday.

Born in Anvers in 1938, the elegant Franck spent her childhood in the U.S. and in England before studying art history in Madrid and at Paris's Ecole du Louvre.

Gerard Depardieu is in hot water again after an alleged road rage incident in the middle of Paris in which the French film star admitted he may have gone "a bit over the top."

A Parisian driver has accused Depardieu of punching him in the face after he swerved his car into the path of the actor's scooter in the chic left-bank quarter of the French capital earlier this week.

Beauty queens from all over the planet made final preparations to compete for the Miss World title Saturday in a Chinese mining city on the edge of the Gobi desert.

A total of 116 contestants -- the highest number ever -- were scheduled to don their finest evening gowns and swimwear for the evening contest, which is watched annually by around a billion people around the globe.

A Moscow court on Friday found guilty three young members of a feminist punk band who captured global attention by defying the Russian authorities and ridiculing President Vladimir Putin in a church.

Judge Marina Syrova said the three Pussy Riot protest band members had displayed a "clear disrespect toward society" by staging their February 21 "Punk Prayer" performance inside Russia's most important church.

The Santa Fe Opera has announced its 2014 season will feature the American premiere of a work by Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo.

His opera, "Dr. Sun Yat-Sen," is about the leader of China's revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1911 and established a republic.

Production on "Iron Man 3" is on hold after star Robert Downey Jr. hurt his foot during filming.

Marvel Studios said Thursday that Downey was injured while performing a stunt and "there will be a short delay in production while he recuperates." The 47-year-old actor is shooting the third installment in the superhero franchise in North Carolina.

British alternative rock bank Placebo left fans severely short-changed after performing just one song at a summer music festival in Austria that they were headlining before leaving the stage.

Bassist Stefan Olsdal briefly returned in tears at the Frequency Festival at Sankt Poelten near Vienna on Thursday night to apologize and to announce that singer Brian Molko "is not well and cannot play the show."