WASHINGTON (REUTERS).- An American soldier stands alone amid the long grass of a Vietnamese field accompanied by the helicopter that brought him there while a few other soldiers are seen in the background. “Landing Zone,” a somber depiction of the Viet…
Archeologists in Guatemala Discover King’s Well-Sealed Tomb that Yields Mayan Secrets
GUATEMALA CITY (REUTERS).- Archeologists in Guatemala have discovered a Mayan king’s tomb packed with a well-preserved hoard of carvings, ceramics and children’s bones that cast fresh light on the vanished civilization. Researchers uncovered the burial…
Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen Pledges Fortune to Philanthropy
NEW YORK (REUTERS).- Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen, who has been treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, said on Thursday he is committing most of his estimated $13.5 billion fortune to philanthropy after his death. Allen follows in the footsteps of…
Two Russian Curators Plan Appeal Against Art Conviction
MOSCOW (REUTERS).- Two leading Russian art curators found guilty of extremism for an exhibition that angered Orthodox Christians said on Tuesday they would take their case to the European Court of Human Rights. Moscow’s Tagansky court on Monday imposed…
Fossil of Mega-Toothed Killer "Leviathan" Whale Found in Peru
LIMA (REUTERS).- The fossil of a giant whale called Leviathan for having teeth bigger than a grown man’s forearms has been found in Peru by paleontologists who on Thursday said it may have been the largest predator to ever roam the seas. Leviathan Melv…
Lock of Napoleon’s Hair Sells at Auction for $13,000
AUCKLAND (REUTERS).- A lock of hair cut from Napoleon Bonaparte’s head after he died has sold for US$13,000 at an auction in New Zealand. Extra phone lines were installed for the sale to cope with an expected rush of international buyers seeking to sni…
Gaddafi’s Artist Son Shows Off Paintings in Moscow
MOSCOW (REUTERS).- Artist and reformer Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s son credited with brokering Tripoli’s stand-off with the West, kept Russian relations warm on Monday when he showed off his paintings. “It is good here, we are friends,” …
Marilyn Monroe X-Rays Snapped Up for $45,000
LOS ANGELES, CA (REUTERS).- Three X-rays of Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe’s chest and pelvis taken during a hospital visit have sold for more than 10 times their pre-sale estimates, earning $45,000. Auction house Julien’s said in a statement that th…
Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin Statue Removed in Georgian Home Town
GORI, GEORGIA (REUTERS).- Authorities removed a towering statue of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin from the central square of his native city in the dead of the night on Friday, carting away the monument to Georgia’s most famous native. The 6-meter-high b…
Leading Tibetan Art Collector Gets 15 Years in Jail
BEIJING (REUTERS).- A Chinese court in the far western region of Xinjiang has sentenced a leading Tibetan collector of antiquities and environmentalist to 15 years in jail for robbing graves, his lawyer said on Friday. Karma Samdup was sentenced on Thu…