An international human rights watchdog lambasted an Oscar-winning actress and other Western celebrities on Wednesday for attending a concert held on the birthday of Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader, who has been accused of grave rights abuses and spending taxpayers' money on his eccentric hobbies.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said that American actress Hilary Swank, Belgian actor Jean Claude Van Damme and British violinist Vanessa Mae attended the concert in the Chechen capital, Grozny. The Oct. 5 show was held at a police-cordoned stage on Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's 35th birthday.

Under the joint patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon and the Embassy of Greece in Beirut, the 4th Greek Film Festival will be launched on Thursday, announced the embassy in a statement.

Organized by the League of Lebanese Graduates from Greek Universities (LLGGU), in collaboration with the Greek Film Center (GFC), it will last until October 16 at “Cinema Metropolis Empire, Sofil”.

The head of a private Tunisian TV channel apologized Tuesday for airing part of a film judged blasphemous by Muslims, after Islamists launched an attack on the network's offices in protest.

"I apologize," Nessma TV president Nebil Karoui said on Monastir radio about Friday's broadcast of "Persepolis", a globally-acclaimed film on Iran's 1979 revolution.

As make-up artists and hairdressers circle her, Huda Naccache calmly discusses the media frenzy sparked by her appearance, clad in a skimpy bikini, on the cover of an Arab-Israeli magazine.

The long-limbed 22-year-old, who comes from the mixed Israeli and Arab port city of Haifa, doesn't see the cover shoot for Lilac magazine as anything out of the ordinary.

Icelandic star Bjork says her new album fuses the natural world and iPad apps to invent a music genre she calls an "appbox."

"Biophilia" — and a host of applications representing specific tracks on the album — are out Monday, and are meant to immerse listeners in a complete audio-visual experience.

Natalie Dessay was rapturous over the Vienna State Opera's new production of "La Traviata," declaring, "it was tailor-made for me, like a dress!"

If so, the tailor missed a stitch or two.

President Michel Suleiman and First Lady Wafaa attended Nadine Labaki’s "Where Do We Go Now?" movie at the Sofil Center cinemas in Ashrafiyeh on Sunday night.

The crowds were surprised when they saw Suleiman entering the movie theater a few minutes before the start of the film.

Laurent Detoc beamed as he pictured the flood of guitarists that Ubisoft will unleash on the world after its innovative Rocksmith videogame hits the market this month.

For the first time, people will be able to plug real guitars into videogame consoles, pretend to be rock stars and actually walk away knowing how to play the instruments.

Michael Jackson's three children helped 40,000 fans honor the late pop legend Saturday as the "Michael Forever" show in Wales overcame a troubled build up to end on a high note.

There had been doubts over whether the tribute show would go ahead after months of controversy, but the presence of Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Blanket along with star line-up ensured a celebratory atmosphere.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney married for the third time on Sunday, tying the knot with New York heiress Nancy Shevell at the same London venue where he married his first wife.

McCartney and Shevell, who wore a long-sleeved, knee-length white dress and a white flower in her hair, were showered with flower confetti by a small group of friends and family after the civil ceremony at Westminster Register Office.