Jennifer Weiner had so much to share with her readers.

The author of such best-sellers as "Goodnight Nobody" and "In Her Shoes" spoke before about 100 fans Tuesday at a Barnes & Noble on Manhattan's Upper West Side. They came out on a humid evening for the chance to learn more about her new novel, "All Fall Down," and to hear the latest from a woman they think of as a friend, whose stories are in some ways their stories.

Former Norwegian premier Gro Harlem Brundtland was named Wednesday as the first recipient of the Tang Prize, touted as Asia's version of the Nobels, for her work as the "godmother" of sustainable development.

Brundtland was awarded the debut prize, created by one of Taiwan's richest men with a $100 million donation, with winners in three other categories to be announced this week.

The United Nations' cultural body on Tuesday put Bolivia's Potosi, one of the highest cities in the world, on its list of endangered World Heritage sites due to "uncontrolled mining operations".

UNESCO's annual World Heritage Committee gathering, which takes place this year in Doha, ruled that the colonial city once considered the world's largest industrial complex was at risk of being degraded by mining activity in the Cerro Rico mountain that looms over Potosi.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay on Tuesday urged India to ensure that perpetrators of caste-based sexual attacks do not escape justice.

"Women from stigmatized castes suffer the double assault of caste-based and gender-based discrimination," Pillay said on the sidelines of a session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The U.N.'s cultural organisation on Tuesday urged Iraqis to protect the country's heritage amid heavy fighting, warning that destroying religious sites would amount to war crimes.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova expressed concern at "renewed human suffering and loss of life in Iraq" and fears that the country's cultural heritage will be looted or destroyed.

Curators and scientists are revealing they've found a hidden painting beneath the surface of one of Pablo Picasso's earliest masterpieces from 1901, "The Blue Room," at The Phillips Collection in Washington.

Over the past five years, conservators and scientists from the museum, the National Gallery of Art, Cornell University and Delaware's Winterthur Museum have developed a clearer image of the mystery picture under the surface. It's a portrait of an unknown man painted in a vertical composition by one of the 20th century's great artists.

On June 12, 2014, the Pierre Sadek Foundation was launched in Beirut, Lebanon, to a grand crowd of guests, officials and media, in a special ceremony, commemorating the life of the renowned caricaturist. The event showcased the early works of the late Pierre Sadek, compiled into a special book. Caricatures from the 1960’s and 1970’s were chosen to be part of reviving his legacy in the Lebanese community, a press release said on Monday.

“We are proud to stand here today and give people a glimpse of the great works of Sadek, and how each of his caricatures tackled a timely issue; Pierre Sadek left an entire archive conveying the truth and the heritage of Lebanon,” said Ghada Sadek Abela, President of the Pierre Sadek Foundation, and daughter of the late artist.

An ambitious Chinese plan to build a replica of 15th century explorer Zheng He's "treasure ship" has run aground, reports said Monday, with some questioning whether the vessel will ever sail.

According to the state-run China Daily newspaper, work began in 2005 on the replica, which, if completed, would be the world's largest handmade wooden ship.

San Francisco politicians and property groups are rolling out the welcome mat for George Lucas' collection of American art and movie memorabilia in an effort to keep the "Star Wars" creator from building his proposed museum in Chicago or Los Angeles.

Mayor Ed Lee had banners reading "George Lucas, please build your museum in San Francisco for the world to enjoy" hung Friday at both City Hall and the waterfront parcel known as Seawall Lot 330 that the city hopes will be the future home of the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Inca trails spanning six countries and a French cave with some of the earliest known paintings are among the sites expected to get World Heritage status at a UNESCO meeting that started Sunday in Doha.

Altogether at least 30 natural and cultural sites, including the Arbil Citadel in Iraq's Kurdistan, are vying to get the United Nations cultural body's prestigious distinction and add their names to an already 981-strong list.