Topic: World Heritage Sites

Workers to pump oil from Costa Concordia on Saturday

Actual pumping of the oil isn't expected to begin until Saturday, but teams from the Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit were working on the bow of the Concordia on Tuesday and divers were to make underwater inspections to identify the precise locations of the fuel tanks.

Israel, Palestinians, and UNESCO culture wars

UNESCO, a cultural heritage group at the United Nations, today gave Palestinians membership. Why is Israel angry about this symbolic step?

Palestinian UNESCO membership: What it means for 4 key players

UNESCO members overwhelmingly approved Palestinian membership in a 107-14 vote on Monday, although there were 52 abstentions. What are the ramifications for the parties involved?

Africa Rising: Economic progress vs. cultural preservation in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's state project to make it into one of the world's top sugar producers requires the resettling of semi-nomadic herders in permanent villages. Which priority wins out: cultural preservation or economic progress?

Saving monarch butterflies stirs the 'poetical soul' of Homero Aridjis

Homero Aridjis, one of Mexico's top environmentalists and poets, has led the battle to save the habitat of monarch butterflies, Pacific gray whales, and sea turtles.

Thai-Cambodia border clashes raise diplomatic stakes

Regional diplomats stepped up efforts Monday to end the clashes along a disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia.

Zombie ants: How a fungus takes control of carpenter ants

Zombie ants: Identified from samples collected at two sites in Brazil's tropical rain forest, each of the four fungus species specializes in controlling a different species of carpenter ant, creating Zombie ants.

Caught in the Thailand-Cambodia crossfire: Preah Vihear temple

In the two years since Preah Vihear temple was designated a World Heritage Site, repeated firefights across the Thailand-Cambodia border have taken a heavy toll on the ancient spiritual site.

Thailand-Cambodia clashes continue, but Bangkok insists mediation 'not necessary'

Calls for intervention have met firm rejections from Bangkok, even as Thailand-Cambodia clashes that have already killed 10 people continued into their fourth day.

Thai-Cambodian clashes, nationalist passions, and a neglected temple

Today's deadly Thai-Cambodian clash near the disputed Preah Vihear temple comes days after a Cambodian court convicted two Thai nationals of espionage.

Tensions erupt as Thailand, Cambodia exchange gunfire at disputed border temple

Clashes near a temple on the Thailand-Cambodia border wounded at least two Thai troops today. Each nation claims land around the World Heritage Site.

An ancient echo of NYC mosque debate in Córdoba, Spain

Córdoba, Spain, was a center of art and culture under medieval Islamic rule and an inspiration for the original name of the planned New York City mosque.

Solar eclipse Sunday can be seen only on Easter Island

Solar eclipse on Sunday will be visible only on Easter Island in the South Pacific.

Fossils found in South Africa point to early human ancestors

The fossil, nearly 2 million years old, 'may make a very good candidate' to be a new species of early human. Found in South Africa, it has a unique combination of ape-like and human features.

Why are Galapagos sea lions moving to Peru?

A colony of sea lions from the Galapagos Islands recently migrated 1,000 miles southeast to Peru, say a Lima-based ocean group. Was this migration – and others like it – caused by climate change?

Beijing boasts of 'leapfrog development' in Tibet

Despite $45.4 billion in investments since 2001 and more than a decade of double-digit economic growth, some observers question whether Tibetans have benefited as much as Han Chinese.

Butterflies versus beetles

Monarch butterflies will find fewer roosts in their winter home because of hungry bark beetles.

On China's 60th anniversary, Tibet wants quiet

Thousands are expected at a government-led rally in Lhasa as Chinese soldiers with tear gas patrol the streets in a bid to prevent a riot similar to the one in March.

Hit by typhoon, Vietnam rivers swell to historic levels

Typhoon Ketsana, which devastated the Philippines, killed 38 people and displaced 375,000 in Vietnam before hitting Cambodia en route to Thailand and Laos.

Typhoon hits Vietnam, Cambodia with some of worst floods in decades

Typhoon Ketsana, which devastated the Philippines, killed 38 people and displaced 375,000 in Vietnam before hitting Cambodia en route to Thailand and Laos.

Sweden: Once the "king of copper," now a tourist destination

Germany: Dresden's World Heritage status falls to modern development

Spain: Underground revival