Fresh from being interviewed by French President Francois Hollande himself, Jean-Luc Martinez, an expert in Greek sculpture, was named Wednesday as the new boss of the famed Louvre museum.

The 49-year-old takes charge of one of the world's biggest museums and will oversee a number of projects including the controversial opening of a Louvre outpost in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, slated for 2016.

France's Louvre museum is getting a new director — the man who is leading the restoration of its most famous Greek sculpture and has his hands in some of the institutions latest efforts to expand its reach.

Jean-Luc Martinez, a French specialist in Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities who has worked at the Louvre since 2007, was appointed by President Francois Hollande for a three-year term.

Could a Roman gold ring linked to a curse have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to create The One Ring?

Britain's National Trust and the Tolkien Society are putting the artifact on display Tuesday for fans of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" to decide for themselves whether this was Tolkien's precious ring of power.

A growing band of European filmmakers are realizing their cinematic ambitions in the East, lured by a healthy box-office, investment prospects and the potential for more eye-catching stories.

Leading the pack is Welsh-director Gareth Evans, whose Indonesia-shot action flick "The Raid" picked up $15 million in global takings last year on a budget of around $1 million. Evans is now filming a sequel.

Singapore, one of the world's most densely populated countries, is campaigning to get its 154-year-old Botanic Gardens declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

If selected by the U.N. cultural body, the lush and serene 74-hectare (182-acre) park on the edge of downtown Singapore will join the Royal Botanic Gardens in London and the Orto Botanico in Italy on the prestigious list.

British author Terry Deary is bringing an end to his much-loved "Horrible Histories" series for children after 20 years of the gruesome volumes, he said on Tuesday.

"It has naturally come to an end, the way things do," the 67-year-old told The Times newspaper. "It has had a good run, it's had a better run than most children's series."

A Sri Lankan court Tuesday freed three Buddhist monks and 14 others suspected of torching a Muslim-owned clothing store in an attack that scaled up the country's religious tensions.

In the latest in a wave of attacks targeting minority Muslims, an angry mob of hardline Buddhists vandalized and set fire to the store in a suburb of Colombo, leading police to boost security for Muslim businesses nationwide.

The curtain went up once more at one of Japan's most important theaters on Tuesday after the famous playhouse, dedicated to the centuries-old kabuki performing art, was rebuilt for the fourth time.

An elaborate ceremony involving incantations and large "taiko" drums was held as a big digital countdown clock, installed six months ago, ticked away the last few minutes ahead of the official opening.

Bestselling author Haruki Murakami is to appear at a Q and A session in Japan in May, in a rare public appearance for the publicity-shy but wildly popular writer, its organizer said Tuesday.

Murakami, one of the world's foremost novelists, will be part of a seminar titled "Observe soul, write soul" on May 6 in the ancient city of Kyoto.

A law banning same sex schooling in the Gaza Strip has entered into force, education minister for Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory, said on Monday.

The law, which was issued on February 10, was approved by the Islamist movement's legislative council and went into effect on Sunday, Osama Mazini told a news conference.