UNESCO adds reggae music to global cultural heritage list

Reggae emerged in the late 1960s out of Jamaica and was often championed as a music of the oppressed, with lyrics addressing sociopolitical issues, imprisonment and inequality.

Renoir stolen from Vienna auction house, three suspects sought

“Golfe, mer, falaises vertes”, a lesser-known landscape by the prolific French impressionist, was taken from its frame on Monday evening while it was on display ahead of a planned sale at the Dorotheum auction house.

Stairs from Eiffel Tower sell for 169,000 euros

A piece of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower, Paris's most famous attraction, was sold for 169,000 euros ($190,885) on Tuesday, a spokesman for auction house Artcurial said, three times the initial estimate.

'SpongeBob' creator Stephen Hillenburg dies at 57

Stephen Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series that began in 1999 and bloomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and a Broadway show.

After rescue, Gaza's only grand piano makes public comeback

International restoration efforts have brought back Gaza’s only grand piano after it was nearly destroyed in an Israeli air strike. It was played in public for the first time in a decade.

Egypt unveils previously unopened ancient female sarcophagus

Two Egyptian discoveries were unveiled by a French-led mission in the northern area of Al Asasef.

Political row threatens plan to loan Leonardo da Vinci's works to Louvre

The Louvre museum in Paris wants to show all of Da Vinci’s paintings loaned from Italian museums in an exhibition to mark the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance artist's death but the nationalist government in Italy is livid about the plans.

Dolce & Gabbana cancels China show after racial row

The Italian fashion house cancelled a fashion show in Shanghai, after a series of advertisements in which a Chinese woman struggles to eat pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks drew condemnation from Chinese celebrities and on social media.

Africans cheer call for France to return treasures

French law strictly forbids the government from ceding state property, even in well-documented cases of pillaging, despite growing calls in Africa for restitution.

Twitter CEO trolled for 'smash Brahmanical patriarchy' poster

Jack Dorsey stirs anger as picture of him holding a poster, referring to highest Hindu caste, goes viral. In India, centuries-old hierarchy splits Hindus into classes starting with Brahmins and ending with Dalits, formerly called "untouchables."

Snoop Dogg has only one person to thank for his success...himself

The musician was awarded the honour of the Hollywood Walk of Fame star on the 25th anniversary of his debut album "Doggystyle."

Missing St Mark mosaic finally returns to Cyprus

The mosaic depicting a youthful St Mark was one of several pieces of Byzantine artefacts looted from the Church of Panayia Kanakaria after Cyprus split into ethnic Greek and Turkish sides in 1974.