A German art historian was named Tuesday as the next director of the British Museum, becoming the first foreigner to head the prestigious London institution in 150 years.

Hartwig Fischer, 53, who is currently director general of the Dresden State Art Collections in eastern Germany, will take up the post in the first half of 2016.

A comic saga of a creative writing professor and his letters of recommendation has won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Author Julie Schumacher received $5,000 and a crystal plaque for winning with "Dear Committee Members." She was honored Monday at the New York comedy club Carolines on Broadway.

Standing before the majestic gold, ochre and white frescos of Tutankhamun's tomb, British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves on Monday passionately defended his daring theory that Nefertiti is buried in a secret chamber.

With the help of a sophisticated radar, Reeves aims to prove Nefertiti is buried there in a hidden chamber of the young pharaoh's underground tomb that long hid the most fabulous treasure ever discovered in Egypt.

Alleged al-Qaida-linked Islamist leader Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi will make an initial appearance before the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, facing charges of ordering the destruction of monuments in Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu.

Faqi was handed over by Niger early Saturday to the ICC, where he is wanted for war crimes relating to the destruction of religious buildings and historical monuments in the ancient landmark.

British street artist Banksy's dystopian theme park Dismaland was being dismantled Monday before being shipped to a migrant camp near Calais to make shelters, organizers said.

Featuring a ruined fairy-tale castle, a crashed Cinderella coach and miserable stewards wearing Mickey Mouse ears, the "bemusement park" was designed to satirize commercialized tourist attractions.

Four years after a joyous celebration of the end of censorship with the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libyan artists have had to put their creativity back on hold.

"We have lost all source of inspiration," said Marii Tillissi, an artist in his 50s known for his hyperrealist paintings. "The times are not conducive to creation."

Pope Francis celebrated a giant outdoor mass in Philadelphia on Sunday, bringing to a close an electrifying U.S. tour with an appeal for unity and family love, having met victims of church sex abuse.

He arrived at the open-air service after an extended tour by popemobile, greeting the up to 1.5 million people expected to throng the streets of Philadelphia to catch a glimpse of the popular pontiff.

The last of nearly 4,500 metal stars was placed Sunday on the outer layer of the dome on Abu Dhabi's Louvre museum, expected to open by the end of 2016.

The final star was added in the presence of prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel, said Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

This story accompanies photos by Hoang Dinh Nam and video by Cat Barton

Vu Thi Thoan's family has been making papier mache masks, part of traditional Vietnamese celebrations for the mid-autumn festival, for over four decades. But cheap Chinese toys are threatening her business.

Four years after a joyous celebration of the end of censorship with the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libyan artists have had to put their creativity back on hold.

"We have lost all source of inspiration," said Marii Tillissi, an artist in his 50s known for his hyper-realist paintings. "The times are not conducive to creation."