What are the root causes of World War I? What led Europe at the height of its power to plunge into such a self-destructive conflict? Two historians, Gerd Krumeich of Duesseldorf University and John Horne of Trinity College, Dublin, offer their explanations.

GERD KRUMEICH: "Without a doubt, the roots of the conflict lie with the rivalries born of European nations' imperial ambitions. At the turn of the century, all believed that having an empire was vital for their development, even their survival in a world faced with rapid industrialisation and international competition.

No public memorial marks the former Shanghai internment camp made famous by JG Ballard's novel "Empire of the Sun", where more than 1,800 foreigners were held by the Japanese during World War II.

Ballard's fictionalised version of his experiences in the Lunghwa camp was published 30 years ago, followed in 1987 by the Steven Spielberg film starring a young Christian Bale as Jim Graham, a boy who comes of age on his own in the facility.

A Portuguese court on Tuesday cleared the controversial sale of 85 paintings by Spanish master Joan Miro valued at over 36 million euros, just hours before they are due to go up for auction.

The decision came in spite of demands from Portugal's opposition Socialist party for a suspension of the sale, according to the Lusa news agency.

A virtually unknown novel by Charlie Chaplin -- the only book the silent film comic ever wrote -- is being made public for the first time.

"Footlights", which will be unveiled in London later Tuesday, was written by Chaplin in 1948 and later transformed into his film "Limelight", in which a washed-out clown saves a dancer from suicide.

European lawmakers on Tuesday backed a call for the EU to fight homophobia and protect the rights of sexual minorities as fears rise of growing intolerance in many countries in the bloc.

"Homophobia must not be tolerated in Europe any more," said Greens MEP Ulrike Lunacek, who steered the resolution through the assembly.

An international rights group said Tuesday that Afghan President Hamid Karzai should refuse to sign a law passed by parliament that would deny women protection from domestic violence and forced marriage.

Afghanistan's parliament, a two-chamber house dominated by conservative clerics and former Islamist warlords, passed a "criminal procedure law" last year which experts say contains articles that deny women legal protections.

Portugal is hoping a master of surrealism can help taxpayers recoup some of the millions they lost rescuing a failed bank.

The government is selling 85 works by Spanish artist Joan Miro that became public property when Banco Portugues de Negocios was nationalized in 2008.

Hooves clash in mid-air, a stallion bites his opponent while delighted spectators cheer wildly -- in southern China some saw in the Year of the Horse by watching the animals fight.

For the residents of Tiantou, a remote village in the Guangxi region, the 500-year-old tradition which pits male horses against each other in a fight over a female was the only way to kick off the Lunar New Year.

The striking, skeletal forms of Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti are juxtaposed with corpulent neo-classical and baroque Italian masterpieces in a new exhibition in Rome exploring the evocative power of the human body.

Forty Giacometti gems, including his famous spindly "Walking Man" in bronze, have been scattered around the permanent collection at the Villa Borghese Gallery in the Italian capital, dotted in among classics such as Bernini's "David" or Canova's "Pauline Borghese".

Spike Jonze's "Her" and Billy Ray's "Captain Phillips" have earned top screenplay honors from the Writers Guild of America.

Winning the prize for original screenplay on Saturday was "Her," Jonze's futuristic exploration of a man's relationship with his computer, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson as the voice of an operating system.