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☆ 6,000-year-old symbols linked to the world’s oldest writing system
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Researchers have uncovered links between the precursor to the world’s oldest writing system and the mysterious, intricate designs left behind by engraved cylindrical seals that were rolled across clay tablets about 6,000 years ago. Scholars consider cuneiform the first writing system, and humans used its wedge-shaped characters to inscribe ancient languages such as Sumerian on clay tablets beginning around 3400 BC. The writing system is thought to have originated from Mesopotamia, the region where the world’s earliest known civilization developed that’s now modern-day Iraq. “This gap in the origin story — where do the nonnumerical proto-cuneiform signs come from — was left unresolved,” Johnson said. Correlating seal motifs (left) with proto-cuneiform pictographs could help researchers decipher hundreds of the symbols whose meaning is still unknown.

Persons: ”, Silvia Ferrara, “, ” Ferrara, Ferrara, Kathryn Kelley et, Kathryn Kelley, Kelley, Mattia Cartolano, Eckart Frahm, John M, Musser, Frahm, ” Frahm, J, Cale Johnson, Johnson, —, ” Johnson Organizations: CNN —, University of Bologna, Civilizations, Yale University, Freie Universität Locations: Mesopotamia, Iraq, Uruk, Iran, Turkey, Asia, Eastern, Freie Universität Berlin

☆ Hundreds of workers strike at major Samsung factory in India
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Production at a key Samsung Electronics plant in southern India was disrupted by hundreds of employees striking for higher wages on Tuesday, as top executives sought to resolve a rare episode of labor unrest. Posters saying “Indefinite Strike” went up outside the factory near the city of Chennai, where hundreds of workers in company uniforms set up tents to shade themselves from the heat. People shop inside a store selling Samsung mobile phones and electronics at Mumbai, India on March 6, 2023. A spokesperson for Samsung India said on Monday that it actively engaged with workers “to address any grievances they may have and comply with all laws and regulations.”Around 800 workers signed a register outside the factory to record their protest. One poster outside the factory exhorted state labor officials not to support management, advising instead: “Discuss and solve demands from the labor union with union officials.”

Persons: E, Muthukumar, Francis Mascarenhas, Veera Raghava Rao, “, ”, Prabhu Ram Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Samsung, India’s, LG Electronics, Reuters, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Samsung’s Southwest, JB, India, Samsung India, Cybermedia Research Locations: India, South Korea, Sriperumbudur, Chennai, Seoul, Samsung’s, Samsung’s Southwest Asia, Gurugram, New Delhi, Mumbai

☆ Army National Guard hasn't paid out enlistment bonuses to thousands of soldiers, alarming House lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

House lawmakers criticized the National Guard over enlistment bonuses owed to more than 13,000 soldiers. AdvertisementA bipartisan group of House lawmakers is demanding answers from the Army National Guard on its plans to pay delinquent enlistment bonuses to the thousands of soldiers who are owed. A US soldier with the Oklahoma National Guard stands watch along a perimeter fence near the US Capitol in Washington, DC. US Army National Guard photo by Sgt. AdvertisementThe backlog was particularly inflamed by two 10-month outages of the Army National Guard Incentive Management System, or GIMS, which manages bonuses.

Persons: —, Daniel Hokanson, Ruben Gallego, Mike Waltz, Trent Kelly, they're, Thomas Alvarez, It's, isn't, Anthony Jones, Kelly, Hanna Smith Organizations: National Guard, Service, Army National Guard, Guard's, Democrat, Florida Republican, Republican, Guard, Idaho National Guard, Operation Spartan, US, Oklahoma National Guard, US Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, US Army, Air National Guardsmen, Civil Disturbance Unit, Capitol Police, US Air National Guard, Staff, Army National Guard Incentive Management Locations: Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Asia, Washington , DC

☆ Opinion: Despite ISIS threat, Putin’s only concern is the politics of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Opinion Douglas London | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia knows it has a terrorist problem, despite its deflection and spin to preserve Putin’s image, but his priorities are elsewhere. Russian intelligence also suffers from systemic failings in recognizing, penetrating and dismantling terrorist cells, failings that stem from doctrine and a deliberately stovepiped structure that obstructs information sharing and agility. FSB officers will coerce, threaten and intimidate potential sources with diminishing returns that will only fuel ISIS-K recruitment and fundraising, which is no doubt seeing a surge from its Moscow attack. Russian intelligence will be left to depend on the unwilling, ill-informed or duplicitous. At the Islamic State’s height, Tajik Gulmurod Khalimov commanded its Iraqi capital of Mosul.

Persons: Douglas London, ”, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, Douglas, Mike Pompeo, Russia’s, Sergey Naryshkin, Igor Korobov, Donald Trump, Pompeo, Russia Michael McFaul, Barack Obama, Trump, Putin, Gulmurod Khalimov, Khalimov, “ Omar al, “ Omar, ” Batirashvili, Washington, Sergei Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CIA, of American Intelligence, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Global National Security Institutes, CNN, Federal Security Service, CBC, Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Military Intelligence, Trump, White, ISIS, Central, Former, Terrorism, Embassy, K’s, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, Islamic Locations: South, Southwest Asia, London, Khorasan, United States, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Great Britain, Russia, Washington, State, Moscow, Syria, Iraq, Russian, US, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Central Asia, Central Asian, Central, East, Turkey, Turkish, Istanbul, Mosul, Chechen, Georgian, Georgia, Iran, Kerman, Salisbury, England

☆ First direct evidence of prehistoric facial piercing in southwest Asia found in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered groundbreaking evidence connecting prehistoric facial piercings to the bodies of the people who wore them. People of all ages were buried at Boncuklu Tarla, but the newly described ornaments were found only near the remains of adults. Shown here is one of the skulls from Boncuklu Tarla as it was found in the grave, with artifacts nearby. Emma L. Baysal‘Unbelievable’ quantityHunter-gatherers occupied Boncuklu Tarla from around 10,300 BC to 7100 BC, as people began to shift away from a nomadic lifestyle and form settlements. Archaeologists at Boncuklu Tarla in southeastern Turkey unearthed artifacts that were used as body piercings.

Persons: ”, Dusan Boric, Boric, Emma L, ” Baysal, “, Baysal, labrets, ” Dusan, “ It’s, Dusan, You’re, ’ ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN — Archaeologists, Sapienza Università, Roma, Tarla, Ankara University, CNN, Scientific Locations: Turkey, Asia, Boncuklu, Italy, Amazonia, Africa

☆ War in Ukraine is showing US Army soldiers what they'll need to worry about in future fights, generals say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But amid the horrors are lessons, two US Army generals recently told Business Insider during an interview at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. Drones continue to be a dominant element of the war in Ukraine as both Ukraine and Russia ramp up production and development. Before drone warfare became as widespread and prevalent as it is in Ukraine today, troops had smaller ranges to worry about. And the range at which troops need to be able to suppress munitions and long-range capabilities has changed as well. Joshua KleinholzThe use of electronic warfare and sophisticated air defenses in Ukraine, too, has the Army rethinking what future wars could look like.

Persons: Charles Flynn, Cpl, Donte Mathews, Michael Virtue, Brian S, Flynn, they're, Matthew Coutts, Joshua Kleinholz, Eifler, we've, Maj, Demetrius Johnson, it's, haven't Organizations: Business, Army, US Army Pacific, Marine, 11th Airborne Division, Air Force Tech, Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, US Army Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Wainwright, Fairbanks , Alaska, Russia, Russian, Camp Lejeune, N.C, Southwest Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Alaska

So The New York Times asked more than 5,300 people in the U.S. with this heritage how they describe themselves …No Box to Check: When the Census Doesn’t Reflect YouEgyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Amazigh, Arab, American. In the 2020 census, “Lebanese” and “Egyptian” were offered as examples for the “white” box on the race question. The other categories were “Black or African American,” “American Indian or Alaska Native,” “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander” and a variety of Asian ancestries. After all, there’s no agreed-upon set of countries or ethnicities that would fall under a Middle Eastern and North African category. The chart shows these responses after the MENA category was added: 69% chose “MENA,” 15% chose “MENA, White,” 3% chose “Another Race,” 5% chose “White” and 8% chose other combinations.

Persons: Brown, New York Times callout, Biden, ”, —, “, ” Martin Zebari, ” Samera Hadi, ” Imene Said Kouidri, ’ ” Faisal Ali, ” Joseph Hallock, Maya Berry, there’s, Margo J, Anderson, “ You’re, Tiffany Kindratt, ” Khelil, ‘, Dusty Haddad, “ White, Jeffrey S, ” Nadine Naber, Naber, I’m, ” Ceylan Swenson, ” Blake Bachara, ” Amin Younes, We’re, ” Rita Obeid, Barack Obama, It’s, ” Thomas Simsarian Dolan, ” Gabrielle Barbara Guliana, Christina Boufarah, I’ve, ” Michele Magar, ” Soufiane, ” Azita, Moustafa, ” Nawar Organizations: U.S ., New York Times, Arab, Israel, American Community, Management, Federal, Arab American Institute, University of Wisconsin, Census Bureau, Survey, North, Cornell University, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, University of Texas, The Times, Times, Pew Research, University of Illinois, Bureau, West Virginian Locations: Eastern, Sudanese, Southwest, U.S, East, North Africa, United States, Michigan, Gaza, Europe, Lebanese, Alaska, American, MENA, Milwaukee, —, Arlington, America, White, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Lebanon, Iran, N.Y.C, Israel, Turkey, Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, Armenia, West, I’m

☆ Putin looms over a third successive US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —“Russia, Russia, Russia.”Ex-President Donald Trump’s scathing catch phrase for a torrent of investigations during his administration also serves as an apt catch-all for the current meltdown over Moscow roiling US politics. But Russia and its leader, whom President Joe Biden described as a “crazy S.O.B.” at a Wednesday fundraiser, won’t go away. All the ways Putin is playing in US politicsPutin is advancing Russian interests against the US on multiple fronts. Putin recently formalized his warming ties with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un by presenting him with a new limousine. The Russian leader was particularly incensed by the US-led operation to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, won’t, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine –, –, Alexander Smirnov, “, Trump, Smirnov, Biden, it’s, Putin can’t, ” Douglas, Alexey Navalny, Biden lambasts Trump, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, he’s, he’d, Mike Turner, Ksenia, Paul Whelan –, Evan Gershkovich, Geopolitically, Kim Jong Un, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Moammar Gadhafi, Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, “ We’ll, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, United States, European NATO, ”, Moscow, House Republicans, GOP, CIA, NATO, Republican Party, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Marine, Wall Street, Putin, Biden, US, Democratic Locations: Russia, Moscow, United States, China, Soviet, East Germany, United, Ukraine, Russian, European, Washington, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Berlin –, Europe, Ukrainian, California, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, Helsinki, Geneva

☆ An 11,000-year-old statue of a man holding his penis could reveal secrets about a mysterious Neolithic culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A 7.5-foot-tall statue of a man clutching his penis with both hands was uncovered in an ancient site. AdvertisementAdvertisementArchaeologists have uncovered an 11,000-year-old statue of a man clutching his penis — a discovery that could shed new light on a mysterious Neolithic culture. The Urfa man, a 6.2-foot-tall statue of a man seeming to protect his erect penis with both hands, was notably found nearby. Urfa man, also known as the Balikligol statue, is shown in at Archeology Museum in Sanliurfa on February 22, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe statue guards its mysterious meaningIt's not clear what the statue was meant to represent and how it fits within this mysterious Neolithic culture.

Persons: —, OZAN KOSE, Necmi Karul, Karahan, Gobekli, Esber, Sean Thomas, Thomas, Karul, Benjamin Arbuckle, Klaus Schmidt, Schmidt, Lee Clare, Clare, Ted Banning, Banning, Arbuckle Organizations: Service, Getty, Istanbul University, Agence France Presse, UNESCO, Archeology Museum, Anadolu Agency, The Spectator, AFP, University of North, Chapel, Smithsonian Magazine, Archaeological Institute, BBC, University of Toronto Locations: Karahan Tepe, Turkey, Karahantepe, Sanliurfa, AFP, Syria, Turkiye, Asia, University of North Carolina, Gobekli Tepe, Karahan, Gobekli

☆ In Ancient Egypt, Severed Hands Were Spoils of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aristotle called the hand the “tool of tools”; Kant, “the visible part of the brain.” The earliest works of art were handprints on the walls of caves. Throughout history hand gestures have symbolized the range of human experience: power, tenderness, creativity, conflict, even (bravo, Michelangelo) the touch of the divine. The hands, along with numerous disarticulated fingers, were most likely buried during Egypt’s 15th dynasty, from 1640 B.C. Eventually, a few rose to power as the Hyksos, basing their power in Avaris. A recent study published in the journal Nature proposes that the Hyksos had a custom known as the Gold of Valor, which involved taking the hands of enemy combatants as war trophies.

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