From Palestinian hip-hop to Egyptian electro to Lebanese blues-rock, artists from the Middle East are making inroads into Europe as witnessed at the latest Printemps de Bourges festival in France.

The latest edition of the annual music event in central France features artists from the Middle East as diverse as hard-edged Palestinian rappers DAM to Asaf Avidan, the Israeli folk singer who has won growing acclaim with his unique, high-pitched, androgynous voice.

Italy is having a party, the whole world is invited and, yes, there will be food; lots of it.

Expo Milan 2015, the first world fair since Shanghai's groundbreaking event five years ago, opens its doors on Friday amid optimism that the six-month nutrition and gastronomy-themed fest will help lift the host country out of the economic doldrums.

Several hundred movie theaters in Germany have refused to screen the new "Avengers" film in a dispute over rental fees with Disney.

News agency dpa reported that 686 theaters in 193 mostly small towns refused to show "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which opened on Thursday. It said the dispute was over a decision to raise the rental fee for the movie to 53 percent of ticket sales rather than the 47.7 percent usually charged to small-town theaters.

The family of British singer Amy Winehouse, who died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning, condemned a forthcoming documentary about her life as "misleading" on Monday.

Due to premiere at the Cannes film festival next month, "Amy" traces Winehouse's story from her early career to the fame she won with hits such as "Rehab", until her death aged 27 in 2011.

Syrian rock bands fleeing war are finding safety and new fans in neighbouring Lebanon, where they are revitalising a Westernised scene with their focus on Arabic musical heritage.

Dozens of Syrian bands and independent artists have now become mainstays of the Beirut music scene, performing emotive and often bleak songs in front of concert-goers eager for fresh faces.

Rap mogul Jay Z has defended his Tidal streaming service as viable and a boon to artists after a much-criticized start to the revamped company.

"We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow and get better," Jay Z wrote in one of a volley of messages Sunday on Twitter.

As she embarks on the last tour of a more than six-decade career that began in post-war Paris, iconic French singer Juliette Greco had some parting advice for young performers: "Learn to say no."

The 88-year-old star of "la chanson francaise", famed for her performances of texts penned by the likes of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and poet Jacques Prevert, began her farewell tour Friday at the Printemps de Bourges music festival.

Electronic music has enjoyed soaring growth in recent years, but to detractors the genre consists of little beyond crowd-pleasing DJs clicking play on their computers.

But several leading artists are seeking to combat perceptions with a renewed effort to emphasize the human element behind the music.

Justin Bieber has resolved a lawsuit with a photographer who said he was assaulted by a bodyguard of the pop star, an attorney for the Canadian heartthrob said Friday.

Bieber's attorney Jeremiah Reynolds refused to give details, saying only: "The case has settled."

The two sequels to racy bondage flick "Fifty Shades of Grey" will be released just in time for Valentine's Day in 2017 and 2018, like this year's first movie, filmmakers announced Thursday.

"Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" will be released on February 10, 2017, and February 9, 2018, respectively, according to the announcement at the CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas.