It was an unlikely — and coveted — find: a thick United States government file discovered on the backseat of a New York City taxi, its pages containing mug shots, criminal associates and favorite hangouts of over 800 Mafia members during the 1950s and early 1960s. Such notorious figures as Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino, Meyer Lansky and Salvatore "Lucky Luciano" Lucania each had their own entries.

Nearly 20 years after it was found inside the yellow cab by a passenger, the 3-inch thick, three-ring binder stamped "Mafia" and "United States Treasury Department Bureau of Narcotics" is being offered for sale at Bonhams New York on Wednesday. Its pre-sale estimate is $10,000 to $15,000.

Colombian pop singer of Lebanese origin Shakira promoted her global education campaign with a stop at a joint Israeli-Arab school in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Kicking off Israel's third annual Presidential Conference with a plea for children's education worldwide, Shakira, a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, said the Holy Land was the "perfect place to talk about how urgent it is to invest in education."

Swedish cheap'n'chic fashion giant H&M announced on Tuesday that Italian fashion house Versace would be its next guest designer.

"H&M is proud to announce that its autumn 2011 designer collaboration will be with one of the world's most legendary fashion brands, Versace," the Swedish company said in a statement.

A rare Stradivarius violin smashed the world record on Monday after selling for over £9 million at a London auction with all proceeds going to help victims of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

An anonymous bidder at the Tarisio auction house paid £9,808,000 ($15,894,000, 11,076,000 Euros) for the 1721 "Lady Blunt" Stradivarius, over four times the previous auction record for a Stradivari violin.

The tattoo artist who sued over Ed Helms' tattoo in "The Hangover Part II" has settled his lawsuit over the design, which resembles the facial ink the artist created for Mike Tyson.

Warner Bros. spokesman Paul McGuire said Monday that the movie studio and S. Victor Whitmill amicably resolved their dispute. McGuire declined to discuss the case further.

US comedy stunt television show "Jackass" lost one of its stars when Ryan Dunn, known for his death-defying and often car-related pranks, died in a car accident early Monday, MTV said.

Police said the accident took place around 2:30 am (0630 GMT) in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, and that Dunn was probably speeding at the time. An unidentified passenger was also killed.

A 21-year-old auburn-haired California model won the Miss USA crown and will represent the United States in this year's Miss Universe pageant.

Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens on Sunday to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise Sherri Hill evening gown with beading on its top.

The legendary white dress seen billowing under Marilyn Monroe in an iconic image of 1950s Hollywood has sold at auction for more than $5 million, shattering estimates.

The dress, worn by the star in the 1955 film "The Seven Year Itch," had been expected to fetch between one and two million dollars.

The Gebran Tueni Foundation held its first annual evening at The Congressional Palace in Dbayeh Friday, honoring a number of great artists and young talents like Wadih Safi, Sami Khayyat, and Raymond Gebara.

A number of Lebanese MPs and other officials attended the event.

From his old teddy bear decked out in a paper bosom to Madonna's corsets and a parrot feather bolero, French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier reveals an enchanting universe at Montreal's Fine Arts Museum exhibition which opened Friday.

The 59-year-old, who views haute couture as an art form, welcomes guests to a preview from the top of a grand staircase, sporting a simple knit sea sweater and surrounded by a handful of young women in splendid clothes and hairdos.