British Columbia

Four Roman-era swords, their wooden and leather hilts and scabbards and steel blades exquisitely preserved after 1,900 years in a desert cave, surfaced in a recent excavation by Israeli archaeologists near the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sept. 6.

Around 2,000 artefacts including gold jewellery and gems had been stolen from the British Museum over a long period of time, but recovery efforts were already under way, the museum's chair George Osborne said on Saturday.

Fires ravaging western Canada gained more ground on Sunday as two blazes merged and residents continued to evacuate.

Rapidly evolving wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna, British Columbia.

Officials in western Canada's British Columbia implored tens of thousands of residents to heed warnings and evacuate Saturday as "rapidly evolving" wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna.

Wildfires bore down on two Canadian cities Friday, with firefighters in the west bracing for another "scary" night as stunned refugees from the far north began arriving at shelters after their entire city was evacuated.

The British Museum said on Aug. 16 that a member of its staff has been dismissed after items dating back as far as the 15th century B.C. were found to be missing, stolen or damaged.

The museum said it has also ordered an independent review of security and a "vigorous program to recover the missing items.″

Archaeological excavations that have been carried out in the ancient city of Assos in the Ayvacık district of the southern province of Çanakkale bring new finds. Works in the Roman-era Nymphaeum (Monumental Fountain) in the east of the Agora, a third century B.C. weight unit, which was made of lead, has been unearthed.

Madonna 's rescheduled Celebration Tour will kick off in Brooklyn, New York, in a matter of months.

The British Museum said Wednesday that a member of its staff has been dismissed after items dating back as far as the 15th century B.C. were found to be missing, stolen or damaged.

The museum said it has also ordered an independent review of security and a "vigorous program to recover the missing items.″

Beneath the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, the "Pearl of the Balkans", scientists have uncovered what may be one of Europe's earliest sedentary communities, and are trying to solve the mystery of why it sheltered behind a fortress of defensive spikes.