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Egypt unearths tomb of pharaonic army chief
11:17 AM | Posted by
schueib' |
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Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a vast tomb belonging to a pharaonic army commander who oversaw the ancient kingdom's treasury, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said on Sunday.
The tomb of Betah Mes, who was also a royal scribe and in charge of the state granaries, dates back to the 19th dynasty, which ruled Egypt between 1320 and 1200 BC.
Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told AFP that the 70-metre-long (yard) tomb, discovered in the Saqarra necropolis, south of Cairo, branched off into passages and prayer rooms.
Workers unearthed reliefs depicting offerings to deities and the deceased and his family worshipping a trinity of gods, Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, said Ola el-Ugaizi, who headed the expedition.
The tomb also contains reliefs of Mes and his family hunting and fishing in the Nile river, and Ushtabi figurines which ancient Egyptians believed would serve the deceased in the afterlife.
But the expedition's spokeswoman Heba Mostapha said the tomb had been looted and its pillars used to build churches.
"Part of the destruction we found in the grave was because its pillars were used to build churches in the Christian period and it was looted in the 19th century in the period of Mohammed Ali Pasha," she said.
The team was continuing its search for the tomb's main chamber, where they believed they would find Mes's mummy and perhaps that of his wife.
Singapore oil slick reaches Malaysian waters
11:16 AM | Posted by
schueib' |
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An oil slick that closed public beaches on Singapore's eastern coastline has been mostly contained but patches have drifted into Malaysian waters, officials said.
"Efforts to contain and clean up the oil spill have been positive," the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in its latest press release, issued Sunday evening.
"As of this afternoon, no oil slick was reported in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off Changi East or within the anchorages of Singapore's port waters," the MPA added.
However, oil from the slick had been spotted in Malaysian waters, it said, without giving details about the size of the slick.
"Further patches of oil slick were observed today in Malaysian waters and in the TSS to the east of Singapore by passing ships and aircraft," the MPA said.
"MPA has informed our Malaysian counterparts of the observations and have offered our assistance," MPA said.
On Saturday, the MPA said that oil had been sighted off Tanjong Pengelih, in southern Malaysia, and east of Singapore's Changi Beach.
No "significant patches" have been observed off Changi itself or within Singapore's port waters, the MPA said.
The spill came from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3, which was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided off Singapore Tuesday with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash in the double-hulled tanker but most of it was contained at sea, according to the MPA.
Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said in its latest update that emergency crews had cleaned up oil at two beaches on the city state's eastern coastline.
"East Coast Beach and Changi Beach have been cleared of oil stains. No oil patches are visible at sea from the two beaches," it said in a press statement issued Sunday evening.
The beaches, closed since Thursday, would remain off-limits to the public, pending checks on the water quality, the NEA said.
The agency added that cleaning efforts at the vulnerable natural reserve at Chek Jawa was also almost complete.
"At Chek Jawa, 98 percent of cleaning is complete. Only small patches of oil film are visible on the water surface," the agency said.
this is paradise on earth..!!!!
11:03 AM | Posted by
schueib' |
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Maldives president takes on US in Hay call for direct action on climate
10:33 AM | Posted by
schueib' |
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Young, dynamic, radical, good looking. Forget the Milibands, Balls and Abbott - President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives would have got the audience vote for leader of the Labour party after his tour de force at the Hay festival this afternoon.
Appearing by live video link, Nasheed showed more life and animation in 2-D than any of the politicians currently wandering around the site (there's a lot of former Labour ministers with time on their hands these days) usually manage in the flesh. Where our MPs duck and dive and try to say as little as possible that might upset anyone, Nasheed went in with all guns blazing.
Asked about educating people about climate change, he said it was too late for that. "Direct affirmative action 1960s style is what we need," he said. When Ed Miliband suggested he might not be able to answer a question on the US and China for diplomatic reasons, he interrupted to say "Yes I can. The Chinese believe in climate change. Not all Americans do."
Here was a man with honesty and humour. Was the underwater cabinet a publicity stunt? "Of course it was," he says. "The Maldives are a small country and we cannot bomb a city to get people's attention." Here also was a politician with lyricism. "If the Maldives were to disappear, where would the butterflies and the sounds go?"
Nor was there any of the usual love-in stuff in which politicians from different countries ritually indulge in public. Just as Miliband was signing off the event with protestations of undying love and respect, Nasheed reminded him that it was the Tories who had campaigned hardest for his party's right to contest the election in the Maldives two years ago. Miliband took it all in good grace. But he should also have been making notes.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
World Cup 2010: complete provisional squad lists, Every team's 30-man preliminary squad for the World Cup
6:26 AM | Posted by
schueib' |
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Not all teams have named 30 in their provisional squads. Germany have a squad of 27, Mexico and Uruguay have named 26, and Slovakia 29 while North Korea have already formalised their 23-man squad for the tournament.
The youngest players named are the 18-year-olds Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon, Christian Eriksen of Denmark and Nassim Ben Khalifa of Switzerland. At the other end of the scale, the oldest players are the 39-year-old Holland goalkeeper, Sander Boschker, and England's David James, also 39 and the oldest player at the tournament.
Of all the players, 139 are based in England, 93 in Italy, 94 in Germany, 74 in Spain and 12 in Scotland.
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