Italian and Swiss police have recovered priceless archaeological artifacts stolen from Italy and stored by a notorious British antiquities dealer, the culture ministry said Tuesday.

The haul, worth nine million euros ($10 million), was discovered in 2014 in a storage unit at the Geneva Freeport rented by Britain's disgraced Robin Symes, a giant in the illegal antiquities trade with ties to Italian tomb raiders.

Giant gold cubes designed to be defaced and a large-scale tribute to Hong Kong's lowly cardboard sellers took center stage as Art Basel opened its doors in the city Tuesday.

VIP guests flooded into the sprawling two-floor exhibition at the harbourfront convention center, with more than 200 galleries from around the world hoping collectors will bite, despite China's economic downturn. 

Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama paid homage Monday to Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, a figure who draws rare bipartisan reverence.

Honoring a man whose writing is still read by young Cubans, Obama touched a wreath and signed a memorial book at the foot of a statue in the heart of Havana's government district.

Monkfish in scallop sauce, pigeon stuffed with chestnuts and fondant au chocolat... French chefs were making mouths water Monday in a global celebration of the country's cuisine.

It is nothing short of an existential crisis, as crippling as the ones that had Left Bank intellectuals like Albert Camus or Jean-Paul Sartre staring gloomily into their coffee.

French writers have never felt more badly paid, undervalued or under pressure, with a new survey showing more than half of established authors earn less than the minimum wage.

An Indian entrepreneur has set up what is claimed to be the country's first gay marriage bureau, seeking to arrange matches for homosexual couples.

A ring thought to belong to France's most famous historical martyr, Joan of Arc, was unveiled on Sunday at a theme park, even as historians remained sceptical about its authenticity.

The Philippines looks likely to remain one of the few countries where divorce is illegal, based on a survey of the four leading presidential candidates on Sunday.

A huge golden dome was hoisted into place Saturday atop a Russian Orthodox cathedral being built in Paris, as Russian and French dignitaries looked on.

The cathedral, due to open in October, is part of a Russian Orthodox cultural and spiritual center under construction on the banks of the Seine that will share the Paris skyline with the Eiffel Tower.

From Keith Haring and Basquiat to Banksy and Invader, Sotheby's new exhibition of street art legends in Hong Kong, launched Friday, taps into a growing appetite among young Asian collectors.

Although auction houses have taken a knock as the China economy slows, the demand for street art in Asia has grown, with Hong Kong hosting an increasing number of exhibitions, sales and events.