Archaeologists unearthing a biblical ruin inside a Palestinian city in the West Bank are writing the latest chapter in a 100-year-old excavation that has been interrupted by two world wars and numerous rounds of Mideast upheaval.
Working on an urban lot that long served residents of Nablus as an unofficial dump for garbage and old car parts, Dutch and Palestinian archaeologists are learning more about the ancient city of Shekhem, and are preparing to open the site to the public as an archaeological park next year.
Full StoryGreece's finance minister expressed "great relief" Friday in the wake of a second European bailout for the country's crisis-hit economy, and markets rallied on the news.
But Evangelos Venizelos also promised to press ahead with unpopular cost-cutting measures aimed at generating a primary budget surplus, starting next year.
Full StoryAn unsteady forklift dropped a container full of fine Australian wine worth more than $1 million, smashing most of the bottles. The winemaker says he's "gut-wrenched, shocked and numb" after the loss of his flagship shiraz.
Sparky Marquis of Mollydooker Wines lost a third of his Velvet Glove Shiraz production after the accident that destroyed all but one of the 462 cases bound for the United States.
Full StoryHe Chong successfully defended his 3-meter title at the world championships, giving China its eighth gold medal although Qin Kai badly missed a dive that cost the Chinese another likely medal on Friday.
He totaled 554.30 points in the six-dive final, taking the lead in the fifth round when Qin dropped from first to fifth. Qin, the 2007 champion, finished fourth.
Full StoryRobert Rodriguez waited until Comic-Con to announce that he's planning sequels to "Sin City" and "Machete."
He says a script for "Sin City 2" is being refined, and he hopes for two sequels to last year's "Machete" — at least one of which will bring the blade-slinging star into space.
Full StoryIt's been a banner year for New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The museum on Thursday announced its highest attendance in 40 years, saying over 5.6 million people visited during the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Full StoryOil prices rose toward $100 a barrel Friday in Asia after European leaders reached an aid deal aimed at stanching Greece's financial crisis.
Benchmark oil for September delivery was up 53 cents to $99.66 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude rose 73 cents to settle at $99.13 on Thursday.
Full StoryScientists have found a new contributor to male infertility, a protein that is supposed to coat sperm to help them swim to an egg, unless that coating goes missing.
About 20 percent of men may harbor gene mutations that leave their sperm coat-free and thus lower their fertility, an international research team reported.
Full StoryThe space shuttle passed into history Thursday, the words "wheels stop" crackling over the cockpit radio for the very last time.
In an almost anticlimactic end to the 30-year-old program, Atlantis and its four astronauts glided to a ghostly landing in near-darkness after one last visit to the International Space Station, completing the 135th and final shuttle flight.
Full StoryNearly two decades after their heyday, Beavis and Butthead are coming back.
Creator Mike Judge says the ever adolescent, trash-talking duo will return to MTV in the fall.
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