Ancient Handholding Skeletons Are Men but Italy Won’t Say GayArcheo ModenaROME—In 2009, the straight world swooned when archaeologists discovered two ancient skeletons from between the fourth and sixth centuries A.D. holding hands in a grave in Modena, Italy. They were dubbed the “Lovers of Modena” and have become synonymous with heterosexual romance, their image now often used in Italy to symbolize undying love.When they were discovered, archeologists said the bones were in such a state of decay that the usual genetic-based methods used in confirming the biological sex of ancient remains was of no use. Still, one of the figures was slightly smaller than the other, so it was …

Afghan Taliban Stronger Than Ever After U.S. Spends $900 Billion(Bloomberg) — For many Afghans like Zohra Atifi, whose husband was killed under Taliban rule, the American invasion in 2001 marked a chance to start over after living under an oppressive regime.Yet 18 years later, after the U.S. spent nearly $900 billion and more than 147,000 people died, the Taliban are growing more confident of returning to power. The militant group controls or contests half of the country, more territory than any time since they were toppled in 2001. And they’ve come close to a deal with the U.S. that could give them even more power, even after President Donald …

New US ambassador takes up post at United NationsUS Ambassador Kelly Craft took up her post at the United Nations on Thursday, vowing to defend America’s values and interests nine months after the departure of her high-profile predecessor Nikki Haley. Craft, 57, served previously as US ambassador to Canada where she was involved in negotiations on a new US Mexico Canada free trade agreement.

Former Dem Gov Labels Warren ‘Hypocrite’ for Shunning Big Donors after Taking Their MoneyEd Rendell, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, slammed Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) in the pages of the Washington Post on Thursday for touting her commitment to grassroots fundraising after pocketing millions in donations from the wealthiest people in the country.“I like Elizabeth Warren. I like her a lot. Too bad she’s a hypocrite,” Rendell begins the op-ed.After praising Warren's ideological commitments and her efforts to increase consumer protections in the financial sector, Rendell takes his fellow Democrat to task for “trying to have it both ways” by claiming independence from high-dollar donors while surreptitiously relying on them.He cites …

Former Dem Gov of Pennsylvania Accuses Warren of Hypocrisy for Shunning Big Donors While Relying on Their MoneyEd Rendell, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, slammed Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) in the pages of the Washington Post on Thursday for touting her commitment to grassroots fundraising after pocketing millions in donations from the wealthiest people in the country.“I like Elizabeth Warren. I like her a lot. Too bad she’s a hypocrite,” Rendell begins the op-ed.After praising Warren's ideological commitments and her efforts to increase consumer protections in the financial sector, Rendell takes his fellow Democrat to task for “trying to have it both ways” by claiming independence from high-dollar donors while surreptitiously relying on them.He cites …

Taliban want US deal, but some in bigger hurry than othersAfghanistan’s Taliban leaders agreed they wanted a deal with the United States, but some were in more of a hurry than others. Taliban negotiators were at odds with their Council of Leaders, or shura, about whether to travel to Camp David even before President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the high-stakes meeting planned for last weekend . According to Taliban officials familiar with the discussions, the shura opposed the trip to Camp David and chastised the negotiators who were eager to attend.