Japan on Tuesday rebuffed neighbouring countries' protests over newly-approved textbooks after complaints about references to disputed territory and their bitter shared history.

The education ministry announced on Monday that all 18 new social studies textbooks for use in junior high schools assert Japanese ownership of two separate island groups at the centre of disputes with China and South Korea.

Replicas of a sculpture of a knotted pistol that was designed in honor of the late musician John Lennon are being displayed this month in Monterrey, a northern industrial city that knows about gun violence.

The 13 pieces in a variety of colors and designs were made by individuals and organizations. They include a soccer ball motif by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, as well as a 1960s-style pop art design by Lennon's fellow Beatle Paul McCartney.

During Holy Week in Mexico there are always processions and prayers, traditionally observed by worshipers across the country. But lesser-known traditions also persist, such as burning Judas figures as a means of overcoming evil.

Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, gets what's coming to him in this bit of faith-inspired Easter street theater: giant papier mache Judas figures -- they can cost as much as $4,000 to make -- are hung over crowds who light giant sparklers that hiss and crackle as the bad guy goes down in flames.

Mixing traditional theatre with modern technology, a new Syrian version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is offering a unique twist on the classic love story.

Romeo is a young Syrian refugee in Jordan, and his beloved is trapped in the region of Homs -- their only means of communication through Skype and other online tools.

Berlin's world-class theater scene, known for its audacity and innovation, is facing a tempestuous season as the cash-strapped German capital debates how much high culture it can bankroll.

The surprise announcement that the veteran artistic director of east Berlin's legendary Volksbuehne (People's Stage), Frank Castorf, would be bowing out in 2017 after a quarter century at the helm sent a jolt through the once-divided city.

The Islamic State group has released a video in which militants can be seen using rifles and sledgehammers to destroy artifacts at the ancient city of Hatra in Iraq.

Destruction at the UNESCO world heritage site had already been confirmed by the U.N.'s cultural agency a month ago.

Six paintings by French impressionist painter Claude Monet are among the stars heading for New York City's spring art auctions that could realize between $78 million and $110 million, Sotheby's announced Friday.

The works, which span five decades of the artist's career and represent his most indelible scenes, will appear at the auction house's impressionist and modern art sale on May 5. All have long been in private collections.

Once a source of national pride, Syria's national tipple arak has fallen victim to the country's conflict, with a shrinking customer base, supply routes severed and cheap counterfeits aplenty.

The colorless liquor, made from fermented grapes flavored with aniseed, is consumed throughout the Levant, mixed with water that turns it a milky white.

It looks like just another stately mansion on the street leading up to the White House. But the Cuban Interests Section in the U.S. capital is a rich symbol of decades of snarled ties.

Its destiny is to become Cuba's embassy, now that the countries have announced they will bury half a century of Cold War enmity and restore full ties.

Books on Islam are selling out in France after deadly extremist attacks in the capital raised uncomfortable questions about Europe's fastest-growing religion.

A special magazine supplement focused on the Koran has flown off the shelves, and shops are selling more books on Islam than ever after the Paris attacks in January that left 17 dead.