Free Republic

But the black rectangle, which measures about 7 inches (18 centimeters) long and around 4 inches (9 cm) wide, is no electronics accessory; it's an ancient belt buckle made of jet — a gemstone made from pressurized wood — inlaid with small beads of mother-of-pearl, carnelian and turquoise, The Siberian Times reported. Scientists with the Institute for the History of Material Culture at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) found the object in a woman's grave, where it lay upon the skeleton's pelvis. The researchers nicknamed the woman "Natasha" and dubbed the artifact "Natasha's iPhone," according to The Siberian Times....

Taiwan revises map to exclude Mongolia as its territory Taipei, Oct 3 (dpa) Taiwan's Interior Ministry has revised the official map to formally exclude Outer Mongolia as part of the island's territory, ending the decades-old dispute over the sovereignty claim of Ulan Bator. Under Taiwan's map, Outer Mongolia, which became independent in 1921, remains a part of China, of which, Taiwan still nominally claims sovereignty. ''It has come to the time for us to recognize the fact that Mongolia is an independent country, and we are just being practical in redrawing the map,'' said Interior Minister Yu Chen-hsien, referring to...