The Vienna Philharmonic did its best to give a troubled world a soothing start to 2018 on Monday with its traditional New Year's Concert, broadcast live in over 90 countries.

Hardy thrillseekers plunged into Italy's Tiber river on Monday, continuing a decades-old New Year's tradition. 

Australia rang in the New Year Sunday with a spectacular display of rainbow-colored fireworks cascading from Sydney Harbor Bridge, as revellers marked the nation's legalisation of gay marriage amid tight security.

French public television has put a controversial film about the Bataclan massacre on ice "until all of the victims' groups are consulted".

Cable channel FX said on Wednesday it had green-lit "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy's "Pose," a dance-musical series featuring the largest transgender regular cast in U.S. television history.

Colombian pop star Shakira on Wednesday cancelled the remainder of her world tour because of a problem with her vocal cords and said she hoped to be back on stage in June of next year.

She started the year leading the chorus of opprobrium against President Donald Trump but 12 months on Meryl Streep, multiple Oscar-winner and doyenne of the liberal Hollywood elite, has become a target herself.

To overcome their reputation as high-cost destinations and woo back an ever dwindling number of skiers, Swiss Alpine resorts have this year launched "low-cost" season passes that have already begun working their magic.

Disney on Tuesday revealed its animatronic Donald Trump figure in Orlando, Florida, and the robo-Trump quickly stoked almost as much social media buzz as the man it is based upon.

The new season of the hit Netflix series Narcos will move to Mexico after the demise of Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar and the Cali cartel, a trailer released on Tuesday showed.

The fourth season of the show will feature Michael Pena, who recently starred in the film Ant Man, and Diego Luna, who featured in the Star Wars movie Rogue One and who cut his teeth in the Mexican cult hit movie Y Tu Mama Tambien.