Discovered in a field in southern Staffordshire, England, in July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. It comprises more than 1,500 individual items, most gold and some decorated with precious stones. Items include sword fittings, a helmet fragment and three Christian crosses.

Eighteen objects are now on display at the British Museum (free) in London. Visit www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk or www.britishmuseum.org.

The Venezuelan government devalued its currency on Jan. 8, setting the bolívar at 4.3 to the dollar for nonessential items and 2.6 to the dollar for food, medical supplies and other essential products. Venezuelans swarmed stores to buy imported goods before prices essentially doubled.

Ordering the first devaluation since 2005, Chávez hopes the measures will boost the competitiveness of Venezuela’s exports and discourage locals from buying all but “strictly necessary” imports.

The people in the region of Viengxay in northeastern Laos survived the US bombing campaigns of 1964-1973 by living in a network of large caves, each of which functioned as a hospital, bakery, school, shop, theater, government offices, etc. In an area of limestone mountains and rice paddies, some of the caves are now open to the public.

They can be visited only with a guide. English-speaking tours start at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily from the Viengxay Caves Visitor Centre, a 15-minute walk...