It began as a heart-warming photograph of a New York school boy that went viral. Now an online fund has raised $1.2 million to send him and his classmates to Harvard.

When Vidal Chastanet, 13, bumped into photographer Brandon Stanton in one of the most troubled neighborhoods in New York, neither had no idea what would happen next.

The Islamic State group has learned from the mistakes of past jihadist movements and established a near-impregnable base of support within Iraq and Syria with spectacular appeal to many of the world's Sunni Muslims, a new book has warned.

The authors of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror", published this month in the U.S., spoke to dozens of fighters and members of the group to understand its allure and how it justifies its brutal tactics.

Pope Francis on Thursday warned Catholic clergy they must never try to cover up sexual abuse, as a new Church child protection panel prepares to meet for the first time. 

In a strongly-worded letter to the heads of national bishops' conferences and religious orders, the pope demanded "close and complete" cooperation with the watchdog he has established at the Vatican.

Depicted roasting in hell or as a spider spinning a web around Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte is the subject of a colorful exhibition of historical satire opening at London's British Museum on Thursday.

Published in 1808, "The Corsican spider in his web" by Thomas Rowlandson is one of dozens of drawings, posters and other prints on display until August 16.

A Paul Cezanne painting of a southern French town sold for $20.5 million (18 million euros) in a London auction on Wednesday, the first time the artwork had been sold since 1936.

"Vue sur L'Estaque et Le Château d'If", rare among Cezanne works as a vertical-format landscape was painted during a visit to the town of L'Estaque.

A treasure trove of extremely rare classic cars, discovered on a farm in western France last year after lying forgotten for almost 50 years, is expected to fetch 16 million euros ($18 million) at auction on Friday.

The cars, described as "sleeping beauties" by the Artcurial auction house, will be sold in the state they were found, some rusted and weather-beaten, having been kept in makeshift shelters exposed to the elements.

Five paintings by French impressionist Claude Monet, including his famous 1908 "Le Grand Canal" view of Venice, sold for a total of $84 million (73 million euros) in a London auction on Tuesday.

"Le Grand Canal", a hazy blue-and-green view of the banks of the Italian city painted at the peak of Monet's career, sold for $35.6 million (31.4 million euros).

The autobiography of "Little House on the Prairie" author Laura Ingalls Wilder has become a surprise publishing hit in America, with buyers rushing to snap up the candid account of pioneer life.

First published in November by the tiny South Dakota Historical Society Press, "Pioneer Girl" depicts an unglossed view of the 19th century Midwest, a marked departure from the bucolic imagery of the "Little House" series.

On a freezing night three years ago, 13-year-old Susmita Kami sneaked out of her husband's house and didn't stop running until she reached her parent's doorstep in Nepal's remote northwest.

Her escape from a forced marriage -- a tradition many teenage girls from the Himalayan nation's Dalit community are expected to uphold -- was soon under threat.

Pope Francis on Tuesday approved a decree declaring slain Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero a martyr for the church.

The cleric, a defender of the poor and vocal critic of the military in El Salvador, was shot dead in 1980 while celebrating mass.