A senior Palestinian official Saturday demanded an apology from Eurovision song contest organizers after the Palestinian flag was among a list of banned banners at next month's event in Sweden.

Palestine Liberation Organisation second in command Saeb Erakat made the demand in a letter addressed to the president of the European Broadcasting Union, Jean-Paul Philippot.

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf celebrated his 70th birthday Saturday joined by royals from Europe and beyond, as Swedes lined the streets to wish him many happy returns.

Neighbouring Norway's royals did not however attend, staying at home as their nation reels from a deadly helicopter crash which killed 13 oil workers the day before.

Spain reacted with fury Friday at the Eurovision's inclusion of the Basque regional flag on a list of banned banners during the song contest, alongside the Islamic State group flag.

"It is a constitutional, legal and legitimate flag and the Spanish government will defend it whenever needed," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander is to follow Angelina Jolie's footsteps into the action-filled role of British archeologist and adventurer Lara Croft in the "Tomb Raider" reboot, reports said on Thursday.

The latest in the franchise will be an origin story following the young Lara as she sets off on her first adventure, according to the Los Angeles Times, with Norwegian director Roar Uthaug at the helm.

Prince had prescription opioid medication on him and in his home when he died last week, U.S. media reported, although autopsy results have yet to indicate why the pop icon died.

A Tibetan male character from the "Doctor Strange" comic books presented such a political minefield to Marvel that in the film version they cast a Caucasian woman in the role, reflecting the pressures Hollywood movie makers perceive when trying to appeal to the Chinese market.

One of the film's screenwriters has suggested that the casting of British actress Tilda Swinton as sorcerer the Ancient One was partly done to avoid potentially offending China's government and moviegoers, who now represent the world's second-largest annual box office after North America.

Disney confirmed Monday it is planning sequels for box office smashes "The Jungle Book" and "Maleficent" and announced nine new live-action movies mostly inspired by its animated back catalogue.

Never-before-seen footage of The Beatles "mucking around" in a make-up studio ahead of a television performance, shot more than half a century ago, was released by Australia's national film and sound archive Tuesday.

From exploding hoverboards to cancer-causing children's pyjamas, the EU on Monday warned of a tide of dangerous products for sale with most still coming from China.

Brussels said it had issued 2,072 alerts on unsafe products ranging from toys to clothing and appliances last year, down slightly on the figure for 2014 but still a cause for concern.

Critics on Monday accused London's iconic Victoria & Albert Museum of compromising its role as a source of inspiration for artists after forbidding visitors from sketching exhibits from its new underwear show.