ENTERTAINMENT

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Lawsuits filed against an Egyptian actress for wearing a see-through dress have been withdrawn after she made a public apology, two lawyers who brought cases against her said Wednesday. Rania Youssef was accused of “inciting debauchery” last week after appearing at the closing session of …

New York, United States | AFP |  Pop star Ariana Grande’s sugary new music video for the hit “Thank U, Next” is now the fastest to rack up 100 million views on YouTube, the platform told AFP Wednesday. After dropping Friday, the clip needed little more than three days to …

Paris, France | AFP | French DJ Martin Solveig apologised and said he was taken aback by the stormy reaction online after he asked the inaugural women’s Ballon D’Or winner Ada Hegerberg whether she could “twerk” live on stage. The awards co-host in Paris provoked a torrent of complaints about …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce will lead an all-star line-up that includes Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg on Sunday when she performs at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert is the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  An Egyptian actress is set to face trial in January for wearing a see-through dress at the Cairo film festival this week that showed her legs, a judicial source said Saturday. Rania Youssef appeared at the closing session Thursday of the Cairo International Film Festival …

Port Louis, Mauritius | AFP | Jamaican reggae, the music of the oppressed which Bob Marley catapulted onto the global stage, won a coveted spot on the United Nations’ list of global cultural treasures Thursday. UNESCO, the world body’s cultural and scientific agency, added reggae to its collection of “intangible …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria’s Davido took home the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) trophy for artist of the year, leading a strong showing for the West African powerhouse famous for its roster of Afrobeats stars. Musicians from across the continent came to the Accra International Conference Centre in …

Beijing, China | AFP | In China, where children are often saddled with a packed schedule of extracurricular activities before they even enter grade school, some parents are making room for a surprising pursuit: hip-hop dance classes. Inside a dance studio in central Beijing, a group of kids bopped up …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | East African Records (EAR), a fresh recording and music distribution label operating across East Africa and based in Uganda, hosted UK reggae and dancehall unit Mungo’s Hi Fi and their lead artist Eva Lazarus, who are on an East African tour to Uganda and later …