French actress Julie Gayet, whose affair with President Francois Hollande made headlines worldwide, opened the Beirut International Film Festival on Wednesday and criticised “fundamentalism” in neighbouring Syria.

While the Chinese forces are busy claiming Indian territory in the northern sector, the First Lady Peng Liyuan was busy practicing soft power in the national capital. Peng left no stone unurned to charm the school kids teaching them a lesson on how they can contribute to the progress of India.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, by his side will be his glamorous folk singer celebrity wife, Peng Liyuan.  For the Xis, this will be a first visit to India together. For an Indian audience, this will be a first experience of a new - and, some would say, softer - side to China's diplomacy.

Leonardo DiCaprio's movie roles have made him an international star, but his long and little-known commitment to preserving the global environment has led to his new role — as a U.N. Messenger of Peace.  Ban told a news conference that the Dicaprio "is not just one of the world's leading actors" but he has "a longstanding commitment to environmental causes."

As a shy, nervous 22-year-old NBA rookie, Yao Ming confronted the concentrated power of Shaquille O’Neal for the first time — and came out a winner.  The metaphors are perhaps too easy: basketball’s gentle giant aiming to save Africa’s gentle giants; the man who built a bridge between China and the United States now trying to bridge another vast cultural divide, between his nation’s nouveau riche and the people and animals of Africa.

actress and comedian Rose Nyabhate is championing the rights of the girl child via an anti-female genital mutilation campaign dubbed 'We Are Watching'. According to her, having grown up in a rural area where FGM is rampant, gave her and fellow partners the basis to start the initiative which aims at sensitizing community members against the risky practice.

It's been the social media hit of the summer — some of the world's biggest celebrities dousing themselves with buckets of ice water to raise money for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.