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.

The gunman behind a double shooting in Copenhagen last year had intended to kill controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks when he attacked a cultural center, a man accused of helping him told a court Thursday.

The Vatican's controversial trial of journalists and others was adjourned Thursday until next month as a new account emerged of an alleged night of sex and secrets between two of the accused.

A Congolese author and one of the world's best known writers in French accused the government of Congo-Brazzaville of being "torturers" on Thursday as the country prepares for a presidential election this weekend.