JERUSALEM - A 14-year-old volunteer found a precious silver half-shekel coin used to pay taxes in ancient Temple times, and a coin minted during the Jewish rebellion against the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes IV of the Chanukah story was also discovered in the rubble rescued from illegal construction carried out by the Muslim Wakf.
USA - Understanding what is happening in the economy — let alone how to fix it — is an incredibly difficult task, even for people who have built their entire careers around doing just that.
CHINA - For a while, it seemed China might be different. Maybe the unique factors that have allowed its economy to grow at an unprecedented rate for nearly 30 years would keep it afloat when the rest of the world was succumbing to the impact of the growing global financial crisis.
USA - While demand for Christmas Eve celebrations is so high that some churches hold as many as five or six different services on the 24th of December, most Protestant churches are closed on the actual religious holiday. For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not faith.
USA - Wall Street entered the Christmas holiday in subdued mood on Wednesday, posting a modest Santa Claus rally, as investors digested more gloomy data on the economy and, with just four trading days left in 2008, began to take stock of a torrid year.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has used his traditional Christmas Midnight Mass to call for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East. Addressing a huge congregation at the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica, he appealed for a new understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.
USA - In September, more than 31.5 million Americans received food stamps - up more than 2 million from the month before. That's one out of every 10 U.S. citizens. A family of four must take home less than $1,767 net per month to qualify for food stamps.
RUSSIA - Russian gas provider Gazprom has warned western Europe that it could be hit by gas shortages this winter due to a dispute with Ukraine. Russia is threatening Ukraine over an alleged 2bn dollars of arrears.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is to make his first visit to the Holy Land in May, Jerusalem's Latin patriarch has said. The Pope wanted to "acquire first-hand knowledge of the hard conditions in our region", AFP news agency quoted Fuad Twal as saying.
WASHINGTON - It's something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where's the money going?
EUROPE - The development of a major blocking high pressure system over the north atlantic and its subsequent backing west is about to throw most of Europe into the coldest winter weather pattern in many a year.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction. He explained that defending God's creation is not limited to saving the environment, but also protecting man from self-destruction.
WORLD - Leap/E2020 anticipates than the unfolding global systemic crisis will experience in March 2009 a new tipping point of similar magnitude to the September 2008 one.
USA - Leap/E2020 estimates that recession hit the US economy at the beginning of 2007. And we confirm this analysis despite the official statistics published by the US authorities.
IRAN - Russia has begun delivering S-300 air defence systems to Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. The systems are among the most advanced in the world and could enable Iran to prevent a strike on its nuclear sites.