A few years after the Taliban were ousted in 2001, and with Afghanistan still in ruins, Ahmad Sarmast left his home in Melbourne, Australia, on a mission: to revive music in the country of his birth.

The school he founded was a unique experiment in inclusiveness for the war-ravaged nation — with orphans and street kids in the student body, it sought to bring a measure of joy back to Kabul. The Taliban had notoriously banned music.

Hong Kong's granting of a quarantine exemption to Hollywood star Nicole Kidman is drawing criticism from lawmakers as the city tightens entry restrictions for international travelers to control the coronavirus.

Kidman, who reportedly flew to Hong Kong last week from coronavirus-hit Sydney, was exempted from a weeklong quarantine and was spotted in the city this week filming a new Amazon Prime Video series titled Expats, according to local media reports.

Bob Dylan has been sued in a New York court by a woman who says the US rock and folk legend sexually abused her almost 60 years ago when she was 12.

The lawsuit filed Friday alleges that Dylan abused the plaintiff, referred to in court documents as J.C., over a six-week period between April and May 1965.

U.S. entertainment giant Disney said Thursday its online streaming services have boomed while it grapples with how to release films as the Delta coronavirus variant drives viewers from movie theaters.

Disney+ subscriptions in the recently ended quarter more than doubled from the same period a year earlier to 116 million, while its Hulu and ESPN offerings also attracted more members, the company said.

Britney Spears' father is to step down as conservator of her estate, U.S. media reported Thursday, seemingly ending a bitter legal battle with his daughter.

Britney, 39, last month launched a bid to remove him from the controversial 13-year guardianship that she said amounted to "abuse."

Coldplay, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran are among the stars announced Tuesday for a day of concerts across multiple cities on September 25 to raise awareness about climate change, poverty and vaccine distribution. 

New York, Paris and Lagos are the first cities to be announced for Global Citizen Live, which will run for 24 hours and be screened around the world via TV stations and social media. 

Shares of Tencent and other major Chinese gaming companies plummeted Tuesday after a state-run media article described online games as "spiritual opium", prompting the tech giant to consider a playing ban on children under 12 altogether.

Films by Jane Campion, Pedro Almodovar and Paolo Sorrentino will compete among other international entries for the Venice Film Festival's top Golden Lion prize next month, organizers said. 

Twenty-one films will compete during the 78th edition of the high-profile competition to be held September 1-11, with Almodovar's "Madres Paralelas" (Parallel Mothers) starring Penelope Cruz opening the festival. 

Tourists and residents remembered British singer Amy Winehouse on Friday, paying tribute on the tenth anniversary of her death at a statue in her memory in the London borough of Camden.

A red rose had been placed on the bronze statue in the soul singer's trademark beehive hair style to mark the anniversary of Winehouse's death at her home in the north London neighborhood in 2011. 

Lebanon's annual Baalbek Festival was held Friday in virtual form with the famed Roman ruins a part of its backdrop, as an expression of hope in the crisis-hit country.