Venture capitalists from Silicon Valley to New York all have the same question about Indonesia's come-from-nowhere tech frenzy: Are the young entrepreneurs that have piqued their interest smart bets or just surfing a hype that will soon burn out.

A few years ago, Internet connections were so slow in Indonesia that trying to download a clip off YouTube could take 20 minutes on a good day.

Framed posters and department-store paintings have long been staples of home decorating. But a growing number of shoppers are seeking original art for their homes, says interior designer Robert Novogratz.

"Art is about to explode to the masses," he says, because technology is giving us unprecedented access to artists. Homeowners are finding that distinctive, original works of art don't have to break their budgets.

The sun unleashed a powerful solar flare early Tuesday, the largest in nearly five years.

Scientists say the eruption took place on the side of the sun that was not facing Earth, so there'll be little impact to satellites and communication systems.

Scientists have identified an orange-colored gunk that appeared along the shore of a remote Alaska village as millions of microscopic eggs filled with fatty droplets.

But the mystery is not quite solved. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday they don't know for sure what species the eggs are, although they believe they are some kind of crustacean eggs or embryos. They also don't know if the eggs are toxic, and that worries many of the 374 residents of Kivalina, an Inupiat Eskimo community located at the tip of an 8-mile barrier reef on Alaska's northwest coast.

China's first aircraft carrier swept through fog-shrouded waters Wednesday to open sea trials that underscore concerns about the country's growing military strength and its increasingly assertive claims over disputed territory.

The mission by the refurbished former Soviet carrier marks a first step in readying the craft for full deployment. China says the ship is intended for research and training, pointing to longer-term plans to build up to three additional clones of the carrier in China's own shipyards.

As Syria's crackdown on protesters gets bloodier, it is having repercussions for one of Damascus' most crucial allies, eroding the reputation of Hizbullah.

At recent protests, Syrians demonstrating against President Bashar Assad have also unleashed their anger at Hizbullah over its blunt support for the regime. Some protesters have set fire to the yellow flag of Hizbullah and pictures of the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Syrian troops launched a vast operation on Wednesday in Idlib province bordering Turkey and killed at least one person, activists said, amid growing outrage over the regime's crackdown on dissent.

A defiant President Bashar al-Assad pledged to pursue a relentless battle against "terrorist groups," seemingly oblivious to the mounting international pressure to stop the use of deadly force against pro-democracy protesters.

The Obama administration is preparing to explicitly demand the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad and hit his regime with tough new sanctions, U.S. officials said Tuesday as the State Department signaled for the first time that American efforts to engage the government are finally over.

The White House is expected to lay out the tougher line by the end of this week, possibly on Thursday, according to officials who said the move will be a direct response to Assad's decision to step up the ruthlessness of the crackdown against pro-reform demonstrators by sending tanks into opposition hotbeds.

"Dirty Dancing" is coming back to the big screen.

Lionsgate says it is remaking the 1987 film that starred Jennifer Grey as a naïve dance student and Patrick Swayze as her teacher and lover.

Paintings, sculptures and other collectibles that once belonged to Tony Curtis are hitting the auction block.

Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auctions, says original artwork by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Henry Miller and Curtis himself will be sold at an auction of property from the actor's estate on Sept. 17.