PRESERVING ANCIENT RUINS From left, Massimo Osanna, Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni visit the archeological excavations of Pompeii on occasion of the reopening of part of the House of the Vettii and the securing of the entire Regio VI area, carried out as part of the Great Pompeii Project, in Pompei, Italy, Saturday. The Great Pompeii Project funded by the European Commission is aimed at safeguarding the unique UNESCO World Heritage site. (EPA-Yonh

NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Many precious stones have a blood-soaked history, but a new book reveals the world‘s most famous diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, surpasses them all, with a litany of horrors that rivals “Game of Thrones.”The Koh-i-Noor (“Mountain of Light”), now part of the British Crown Jewels, has witnessed the birth and fall of empires across the Indian subcontinent, and remains the subject of a bitter ownership battle between Britain and India.“It is an unbelievably violent story. ... Almost ever

LEPTIS MAGNA, Libye (AFP) -- Ali Hribish stands by the Arch of Septimius Severus which dominates Libya’s ancient city of Leptis Magna, brandishing letters of thanks for his efforts to protect the site. The former electricity company employee in his 50s has become the Roman city’s unlikely savior, protecting it from looting and vandalism as chaos rocks the country following the 2011 downfall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Despite having no background in archaeology, Hribish gathered a band of fighte

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A historical group on Friday began preserving thousands of sticky notes placed on the walls of a busy New York subway station over the past month to lament the election of Donald Trump as the next US president.Distraught and defiant residents and visitors to the United States’ largest city -- long a Democratic and liberal stronghold -- have stuck anonymous messages on the walls of Manhattan’s Union Square station since Trump’s Nov. 8 victory. Many of the notes express grief

PARIS (AP) -- Days after the Islamic State group seized back control of the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, a prescient exhibit was inaugurated in Paris on Tuesday that aims to educate the public on the wounded wonder that Syrians affectionately call the ``Bride of the Desert.‘’ 　Its organizers said the display opening Wednesday is designed to be an ``emotional‘’ experience that takes visitors to Palmyra and other endangered world heritage sites in the Middle East. It‘s also meant to show how mu

The Corea Image Communication Institute will honor South Korean golfer Pak Se-ri, AlphaGo artificial intelligence and KwangJuYo Chairman Cho Tae-Kwon at its upcoming 13th annual awards ceremony CICI Korea Image Awards 2017. 　The Korea Image Awards are given by CICI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a positive image of Korea. It recognizes people and entities that best represent the country and its culture. South Korean golfer Pak Se-ri (CICI)　Former professional golfer Pak, who an

MUMBAI (AFP) – India’s only surviving opera house has been restored to its colonial-era glory, reopening to the public more than two decades after it closed in disrepair. Once the place to be seen for Mumbai’s great and good it was forced to close in the 1990s after years of financial struggles. But a painstaking seven-year project has transformed the century-old building in Mumbai from a crumbling wreck in danger of collapse to an ornate replica of its 1916 glory days, albeit with some importan

MONTIGNAC, France (AFP) -- A new replica of the stunning Lascaux cave paintings was unveiled Saturday in the Dordogne region of southwest France, more than seven decades after the prehistoric art was first discovered.“This is more than a copy, it’s a work of art!” said French President Francois Hollande as he visited the center in Montignac, the village at the foot of the hills where the original cave complex is located.The new project dubbed “Lascaux 4,” which opens to the public on Thursday, a

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Bob Dylan has expressed awe at receiving the Nobel Prize in literature and thanked the Swedish Academy for including him among the “giants” of writing.Dylan was absent from Saturday’s award ceremony and banquet in Stockholm. But in remarks read by the US ambassador, he alluded to the debate about whether the award should go to a songwriter.Dylan said when Shakespeare wrote “Hamlet,” he probably was thinking about which actors to pick and where to find a skull.In his words: “I’m

Everland Romantic IlluminationsEverland’s Romantic Illumination festival is continuing its celebrations until March 1 with beautiful and enchanting illuminations for a romantic and memorable holiday season.The festival will feature an extravagant 26-meter-high Romantic Tower Tree, which will be displayed at the fountain area between Four Seasons Garden and Rose Garden. The hollowed out Christmas tree tower can accommodate up to 50 people.The tree’s interior showers the visitors with enchanting l

Artist group Blast Theory has won the 2016 Nam June Paik Art Center Prize, the art institution announced Wednesday.The UK-based group, formed in 1991 by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, uses new forms of performance and technology that engage audiences both online and offline through digital broadcasts and live performances. 　The group is known for its experimental and interdisciplinary works such as “Operation Black Antler,” a 2016 live performance inviting audiences to participate