Teens arrested for skull scare stunt

PANAJI, India: Police have arrested three teenagers in the Indian state of Goa for allegedly digging up a graveyard in an island village and lining up skulls along a main road to scare away “drunkards.” The incident was discovered when stunned residents came across the bizarre scene on Friday morning, and police then found that the graveyard of a local church had been vandalized. They have since arrested three local males aged 14, 18 and 19. “They have said that they did it to scare away the drunkards who are usually creating nuisance on the island every night,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Prabhudesai told reporters on Saturday. The former Portuguese colony of Goa is a haven for tourists, with its long sandy beaches and laid-back atmosphere. It attracts around 400,000 foreign visitors a year. The island of Divar, where the crime occurred, is reached by a state-run boat service that runs until late at night.

Korean Air apologizes to Kenya over ad

NAIROBI: Korean Air yesterday apologized for having vaunted the “primitive energy” of the Kenyan people in an advert for the soon to be opened Seoul-Nairobi route and withdrew the ad from its website. “Fly Korean Air and enjoy the grand African Savanna, the safari tour, and the indigenous people full of primitive energy,” the airline said. The advert provoked a barrage of reactions from Kenyans, most of them amused rather than furious. “Thinking of lion hunting today and maybe some elephant baiting to deal with my #PrimitiveEnergy,” tweeted one Kenyan. “I use #PrimitiveEnergy every morning to rise from my bed,” another Kenyan said. Another Kenyan, more cynical, wondered if the advert was really an error on the part of Korean Air or a marketing strategy destined to get people talking about the new route which the airline will fly three times a week starting June 21. After hundreds of tweets were addressed to them, the airline apologized. “Regarding our recent promotional notice of Nairobi, we are checking on this issue accordingly. We sincerely apologize for this situation,” it posted on its website.

Greek students seek funds for excavation works

ATHENS: Greek archaeology students hit by state funding cuts are making an online appeal for donations to join excavations in Iraqi Kurdistan, the state-run Athens News Agency said yesterday. In a posting on donation site www.indiegogo.com, the group of Athens University students ask for help to cover the 500-euro ($632) plane fare. “Without wishing to sound like a cliché, everyone knows that times are tough right now,” the students said in their posting. “The university cannot cover the cost of our airplane tickets,” they said. “So please donate and send us there.” The university of Athens has three ongoing projects in what was once ancient Mesopotamia, including a topographical survey for the location of the battle of Gaugamela between Alexander the Great and Darius III in 331 BC. An excavation will also be held in September at the prehistoric settlement of Tell Nader near Arbil, where last year archaeologists found a mysterious burial rite. A woman was found buried face-down, her skull marked by bindings worn in her childhood, raising the assumption that she might have been an outcast.

— Compiled from agencies