Variety

Archaeologists in northern Iraq have uncovered some extraordinary Assyrian rock carvings dating back around 2,700 years. The discovery was made in Nineveh, east of Mosul, by a joint US-Iraqi excavation team completing reconstruction work on the Mashki Gate, which ISIS terrorists destroyed in 2016. Iraq was home to some of …

Egypt unveiled Monday a sarcophagus of a senior royal official from over 3,200 years ago at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo, the latest in a series of spectacular discoveries in the area. A team of Egyptian archaeologists from Cairo University found the red granite sarcophagus of Ptah-em-uya, “a …

Amid soaring electricity prices, Paris is seeking to catch up with the goal of reducing energy consumption by 10% through an “energy sobriety” plan. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Tuesday announced that the French capital would start switching off the lights of its monuments hours earlier than usual. The potential …

The summer of 2022 was the hottest in Europe’s recorded history, with the continent suffering blistering heatwaves and the worst drought in centuries, the European Commission’s satellite monitor said on Thursday. The five hottest years on record have all come since 2016 as climate change drives ever longer and stronger …

Shoji Morimoto has what some would see as a dream job: he gets paid to do pretty much nothing. Shoji Morimoto was often chided for ‘doing nothing’ at work. The Tokyo resident says he started wondering ‘what would happen if I provided my ability to 'do nothing' as a service …

New evidence about the Nile bolsters a long-standing theory of how ancient Egyptians managed to build the massive pyramids of Giza thousands of years ago. Researchers led by geographer Hader Sheisha at Aix-Marseille University in France used paleoecological clues to help reconstruct what Egypt’s Nile river might have looked like …

47 percent of Europe is under warning conditions with a clear deficit of soil moisture, European Drought Observatory says. Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production, and the yields …

A transparent protective coating material that can heal itself in 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight might just be the solution to car scratches, scientists say.

United Nations warns dwindling funds are affecting much-needed assistance and adding to children’s struggles.

Schools offering activity-based learning over textbook-based education are emerging across India.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, going to the station to meet people displaced by the war with Russia before later leaving after air-raid sirens sounded. Jolie, 46, is a special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, which says more than 12.7 million …

Greece lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday for foreign and domestic flights, its civil aviation authority said, ahead of the summer tourism season that officials hope will see revenues bouncing back from the pandemic slump. To fly in or out of the country, travelers were previously required to show either a …

A Japanese woman recognized as the world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka, has died at age 119, just months short of her goal of reaching 120. Born on Jan. 2, 1903, Tanaka loved playing the board game Othello and had a penchant for chocolate and fizzy drinks. She was certified by …

A Palestinian farmer found a rare 4,500-year-old stone sculpture while working his land in the southern Gaza Strip, ruling Hamas authorities announced Monday. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the 22-centimeter (6.7-inch) tall limestone head is believed to represent the Canaanite goddess Anat and is estimated to be dated …

Fierce clashes have broken out between police and protesters in central Sweden’s Muslim-dominated area during demonstrations against a far-right group’s intention to burn the Holy Qur’an. The clashes erupted on the sidelines of a rally in Orebro city by the anti-immigration and anti-Muslim Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party led by …

Spain’s Civil Guard says it is investigating a businessman in the eastern Valencia region who owned a private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 stuffed animals, including just over 400 from protected species and at least one specimen of a North African oryx, already extinct. The collection would fetch 29 …

A cargo plane carrying mail and packages skidded off the runway and broke in two during an emergency landing in Costa Rica on Thursday, causing the temporary closure of the international airport in San Jose. Smoke was billowing from the bright yellow plane of German logistics giant DHL as it …

Famed Japanese manga artist Fujiko Fujio A, known for beloved children’s cartoons including “Ninja Hattori” and “Little Ghost Q-Taro,” has died aged 88, local media reported on Thursday. The artist, whose real name was Motoo Abiko, was found outside his home near Tokyo on Thursday, private broadcaster TBS and others …

The first text message ever sent, reading “Merry Christmas,” was sold on Tuesday for 107,000 euros ($121,000) as a ‘Non-Fungible Token’ at a Paris auction house. The text, which was sent on Dec. 3, 1992, was put up for auction by the British telecoms company Vodafone. Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth …

Never underestimate your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, even with a mutating virus afoot. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only shattered pandemic-era box office records; it became the third-best opening of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame” ($357.1 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257.7 million). The …