Opera houses the world over are scrambling to pay tribute to Richard Wagner, the controversial German composer often referred to as Hitler’s favourite, who would have turned 200 this year.

Art lovers, collectors and gallerists will gather on Thursday for Hong Kong’s inaugural edition of Art Basel, sealing the city’s status as an international art hub and Asia’s leading art destination.

A construction company owned by a local politician demolished a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple in northern Belize to use the rubble as gravel for road repair work, authorities charged.

In a few bright rooms near the Vienna Opera, an army of workers wield needle and thread, transform black felt almost magically into golden armour, and gleefully create blood splatter on fresh white shirts.