Prince was famous worldwide for his music and extravagant outfits, but he was also a secret philanthropist in war-torn Afghanistan, quietly donating thousands to Scout masters caring for young orphans, a charity told AFP Thursday.

The pop icon, who died suddenly last month at the age of 57, gave tens of thousands of dollars to Physiotherapy and Rehabilitative Support for Afghanistan (PARSA), an NGO supporting vulnerable women and children, according to its executive director.

One of China's top folk singers is rocking her away across disputed territory in the South China Sea, serenading hundreds of troops and construction workers stationed there, Chinese media reported Thursday.

Song Zuying, who has performed with the likes of Canadian superstar Celine Dion, is part of an all-singing, all-dancing People's Liberation Army (PLA) entertainment tour of the Spratly Islands, reports said.

Australian rock band Midnight Oil, known for their intense live performances and political activism, announced Thursday they are reforming for gigs at home and overseas.

The Oils had worldwide hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s with "Beds are Burning" and "Blue Sky Mine" before disbanding in 2002 when frontman Peter Garrett entered politics.

Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster was awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame on Wednesday -- and revealed she was banned from the glitzy thoroughfare as a child.

The veteran actress was presented with the 2,580th star on the walk by longtime friend Kristen Stewart outside the iconic TCL Chinese Theater in the heart of Tinseltown.

Leading U.S. radio stations Wednesday simultaneously played Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U" in a memorial over the airwaves to the late pop legend.

The Current, a Minnesota public radio station that has long been a leading news source on the music star and hometown hero, spearheaded the simulcast at 5:07 pm local time (2207 GMT).

Pop superstar Janet Jackson is expecting her first child at age 49, reports said Wednesday.

The younger sister of Michael Jackson stunned fans last month by halting a global tour and saying that she and her husband Wissam Al Mana were "planning our family."

The superhero film "Deadpool" provided a lift for 21st Century Fox revenues in the past quarter, but profits fell for the media-entertainment conglomerate.

The group created by mogul Rupert Murdoch reported a 14 percent drop in net profit in the quarter ending in March to $841 million.

The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who -- the most celebrated acts in rock'n roll -- will perform at a mega festival in October, organizers said Tuesday.

The iconic artists have been confirmed for the October 7-9 concert at the Empire Polo field in Indio, in the California desert, an event being billed by music lovers as one of the greatest concerts ever.

French fashion house Chanel staged its first Latin American catwalk show in newly trendy Havana Tuesday, but ordinary Cubans were left watching the glitz from afar.

International celebrities and Cuban bigwigs graced the red carpet as Karl Lagerfeld showed his latest collection, which the German designer infused with the styles and colors of the Caribbean island.

The star of Netflix hit "Jessica Jones" said Tuesday she knew she had found her dream job even before she read for the role of the titular superhero sleuth.

Krysten Ritter, 34, has won plaudits for her performance as a private investigator with superpowers in the hard-hitting Marvel television adaptation, hotly tipped to win big at the Emmy Awards in September.