Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt

In this undated photo distributed Monday, March 6, 2023, by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, a sphinx statue believed to be made in the likeness of a Roman emperor is uncovered from an archaeological site in Qena, Egypt.  (AP)
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In this undated photo distributed Monday, March 6, 2023, by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, a sphinx statue believed to be made in the likeness of a Roman emperor is uncovered from an archaeological site in Qena, Egypt. (AP)
Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt
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An undated handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on March 6, 2023, shows the unearthed statue of the Sphynx near the Dendera Temple in the Qina (Qena) governorate. (AFP)
Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt
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This handout picture taken on January 24, 2023 and released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on March 2, 2023 shows a hidden passage inside Egypt's Great Pyramid, at the ancient site in Giza also known as the Khufu. (AFP)
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Updated 07 March 2023

Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt

Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt
  • Once fully deciphered, the stele may shed light on the identity of the sculpted ruler, who the Egyptian research team said could be Emperor Claudius

CAIRO, Egypt: Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a sphinx statue “with a smiley face and two dimples” near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites, the tourism and antiquities ministry announced Monday.
It is the latest in a series of discoveries revealed over the past few months.
The limestone artefact, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt, the ministry said in a statement.
Next to the “beautifully and accurately carved” sphinx, researchers had found “a Roman stele written in demotic and hieroglyphic” scripts, the ministry’s statement said.




This undated photo distributed Monday, March 6, 2023, by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shows a tablet dating to Ancient Roman times, written in Hieroglyphics and Demotic, uncovered from an archaeological site where a sphinx statue was discovered, in Qena, Egypt. (AP)

Once fully deciphered, the stele may shed light on the identity of the sculpted ruler, who the Egyptian research team said could be Emperor Claudius.
Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a celestial map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris since 1922, more than a century after Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier had blasted it out of the temple.
Egypt wants it back.
The country has unveiled major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo but also in Giza, home of the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
On Thursday, the antiquities ministry announced the discovery of a hidden nine-meter passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which archaeologist Zahi Hawass said may lead to “the actual burial chamber” of pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops.
Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered an 1,800-year-old “complete residential city from the Roman era,” authorities announced in January.
Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight, than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry amid a severe economic crisis.
The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028, up from 13 million before the pandemic.

 


Four Colombian children lost in Amazon jungle for 40 days after plane crash found alive

Four Colombian children lost in Amazon jungle for 40 days after plane crash found alive
Updated 10 June 2023

Four Colombian children lost in Amazon jungle for 40 days after plane crash found alive

Four Colombian children lost in Amazon jungle for 40 days after plane crash found alive
  • The pilot and 2 adult passengers of the Cessna single-engine propeller plane did not survive the May 1st plane crash
  • Colombia’s army employed 150 soldiers with dogs into the jungle to track the four siblings, who were missing from the crash site

BOGOTA, Colombia: Four Indigenous children who disappeared 40 days ago after surviving a small plane crash in the Amazon jungle were found alive Friday, Colombian authorities announced, ending an intense search that gripped the nation.

The children were alone when searchers found them and are now receiving medical attention, President Gustavo Petro told reporters upon his return to Bogota from Cuba, where he signed a cease-fire agreement with representatives of the National Liberation Army rebel group.
The president said the youngsters are an “example of survival” and predicted their saga “will remain in history.”
No details were immediately released on how the youngsters managed to survive on their own for so many days.
The crash happened in the early hours of May 1, when the Cessna single-engine propeller plane with six passengers and a pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure.
The small aircraft fell off radar a short time later and a frantic search for survivors began. Two weeks after the crash, on May 16, a search team found the plane in a thick patch of the rainforest and recovered the bodies of the three adults on board, but the small children were nowhere to be found.
Sensing that they could be alive, Colombia’s army stepped up the hunt for the children and flew 150 soldiers with dogs into the area to track the group of four siblings, ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months. Dozens of volunteers from Indigenous tribes also helped search.
On Friday, the military tweeted pictures showing a group of soldiers and volunteers posing with the children, who were wrapped in thermal blankets. One of the soldiers held a bottle to the smallest child’s lips.
“The union of our efforts made this possible” Colombia’s military command wrote on its Twitter account.
During the search, in an area where visibility is greatly limited by mist and thick folliage, soldiers on helicopters dropped boxes of food into the jungle, hoping that it would help sustain the children. Planes flying over the jungle fired flares to help search crews on the ground at night, and rescuers used megaphones that blasted a message recorded by the siblings’ grandmother, telling them to stay in one place.
Rumors also emerged about the childrens’ wheareabouts and on May 18, President Petro tweeted that the children had been found. He then deleted the message, claiming he had been misinformed by a government agency.
The group of four children had been traveling with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare, a small city on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.
They are members of the Huitoto people, and officials said the oldest children in the group had some knowledge of how to survive in the rainforest.
On Friday, after confirming the children had been rescued, the president said that for a while he had believed the children were rescued by one of the nomadic tribes that still roam the remote swath of the jungle where the plane fell and have little contact with authorities.
But Petro added that the children were first found by one of the rescue dogs that soldiers took into the jungle. He said that he hoped to meet with the children Saturday.
“The jungle saved them” Petro said. “They are children of the jungle, and now they are also children of Colombia.”


Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured

Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured
Updated 09 June 2023

Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured

Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured
  • Pictures of the bear and its capture touched off a frenzy on social media
  • The bear was discovered roaming the Brookland neighborhood, less than 5 miles from the Capitol and White House

WASHINGTON: A young black bear gave residents of a quiet northeast Washington neighborhood a start Friday morning when they woke to find a furry interloper wandering backyards and sniffing around garbage cans.
Pictures of the bear and its capture touched off a frenzy on social media. It also spurred a healthy online debate as to whether to name it Franklin, for the street where he was captured, or Smokey — for both the iconic cartoon bear and as a testament to this particularly smoky week in Washington weather.
The bear was discovered roaming the Brookland neighborhood, less than 5 miles from the Capitol and White House. It prompted formation of a sort of ursine emergency task force including the Metropolitan Police Department, the local Humane Rescue Alliance, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the National Zoo.
Authorities formed a perimeter near the 1300 block of Franklin Street NE to keep curious onlookers away. When the young male bear climbed a tree, police used their sirens to discourage him from climbing down until capture crews were ready.
Undeterred by the noise, the bear came down around 10 a.m. and started wandering area yards. Humane Rescue Alliance staffers were able to tranquilize the approximately 200- pound animal and load it into a huge metal crate. The young male will now receive a medical check and be released back into the wild, “somewhere in Maryland,” said Chris Schindler, vice president of field services for the Humane Rescue Alliance.
Wildlife authorities had actually been tracking this particular bear for several weeks, spotting him most recently around nearby Hyattsville, Maryland. But the last bear-related mobilization like this in D.C. was at least five years ago.
“At this age, it’s natural for them to explore other areas,” said Schindler, who estimated the animal was a little more than a year old, “especially as wildlife continues to be pushed out of their natural areas by human construction.”
The bear would mostly likely not have been aggressive unless it was startled by humans or challenged by an particularly brave dog.
“Bears often do not want to engage with people,” Schindler said. “As long as people keep their distance and give them their space, it will be fine.”


‘Double duck, double luck’: Hong Kong pop-art project returns after 10 years

‘Double duck, double luck’: Hong Kong pop-art project returns after 10 years
Updated 09 June 2023

‘Double duck, double luck’: Hong Kong pop-art project returns after 10 years

‘Double duck, double luck’: Hong Kong pop-art project returns after 10 years
  • Many Hong Kongers recall the happiness Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s work brought to the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui in 2013

HONG KONG: Two giant inflatable ducks made a splash in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor on Friday, marking the return of a pop-art project that sparked a frenzy in the city a decade ago.
The two 18-meter-tall yellow ducks by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman resemble the bath toys many played with in their childhood. Shortly after their launch, dozens of residents and tourists flocked to the promenade near the government headquarters in Admiralty to snap photos of the ducks.
Hofman said he hopes the art exhibition brings joy to the city and connects people as they make memories together.
“Double duck, double luck,” he said. “In a world where we suffered from a pandemic, wars and political situations, I think it is the right moment to bring back the double luck.”
The inflatable ducks will stay in Hong Kong for about two weeks.
Many Hong Kongers at the promenade recalled the happiness his work brought to the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui in 2013. Some were excited to see a pair of ducks on Friday instead of just one duck like the earlier exhibition.
Among the visitors was artist Laurence Lai, who brought paint brushes to make watercolors of the ducks. Lai said the city was full of negative vibes in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic and that it’s time for the city to move on.
“With life returning to normal, the ducks can bring back some positivity,” the 50-year-old said.
Shenzhen resident Eva Yang and her young daughters were also happy to see the ducks, saying they made their sightseeing in Hong Kong more memorable.
“They’re spectacular,” Yang said.
In 2013, residents and tourists packed streets near the Tsim Sha Tsui pier to catch a glimpse of Hofman’s duck.
That duck’s stint in Hong Kong unintentionally turned political on the social media platform Weibo around the anniversary of Beijing’s Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. Chinese censors blocked searches for the term “big yellow duck” after netizens shared an image in which the tanks in the iconic ” Tank man” image were replaced with a line of oversized giant rubber ducks.
Hofman’s rubber ducks have been on a world tour since 2007.


Russian citizen killed in shark attack in Egypt’s Hurghada

A Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack near a beach at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada. (Screenshot/Twitter)
A Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack near a beach at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada. (Screenshot/Twitter)
Updated 08 June 2023

Russian citizen killed in shark attack in Egypt’s Hurghada

A Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack near a beach at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada. (Screenshot/Twitter)
  • Egypt’s Environment Ministry said in a statement posted on Facebook that a tiger shark was responsible
  • A team from the ministry and other authorities was able to capture the shark

HURGHADA: A Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack near a beach at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, Russia’s Consulate General in the city and two Egyptian security sources said on Thursday.
Egypt’s Environment Ministry said in a statement posted on Facebook that a tiger shark was responsible for the death of a beachgoer, without giving details of the victim.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW

A team from the ministry and other authorities was able to capture the shark, the statement said, adding that local authorities had issued a ban on swimming, snorkelling and other water sports activities on several beaches near the attack site.
A diver who arrived on the scene just after the attack said people had rushed to help the victim after a lifeguard from a nearby hotel raised the alarm, but were not able to reach him in time.
Russia’s TASS news agency said the person killed was a Russian man born in 1999 who lived in Egypt full-time and was not a tourist.
In a statement posted on its official channel on the Telegram messaging application, the consulate urged Russian tourists to be vigilant when in the water and to strictly adhere to any swimming bans imposed by local authorities.


Egypt bans Dutch archaeologists after museum casts Beyonce as Queen Nefertiti

Egypt bans Dutch archaeologists after museum casts Beyonce as Queen Nefertiti
Updated 07 June 2023

Egypt bans Dutch archaeologists after museum casts Beyonce as Queen Nefertiti

Egypt bans Dutch archaeologists after museum casts Beyonce as Queen Nefertiti
  • An exhibition by the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden depicts Black American singers and other performers as Egyptian pharaohs and queens
  • Egypt’s Al-Fagr newspaper described the exhibition as ‘highly provocative’ and said it ‘requires an explanation’

DUBAI: An exhibition at a museum in the Netherlands that depicts Black American singers and other performers, including Beyonce and Rihanna, as the rulers of ancient Egypt has sparked a culture war.

In response to the display at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Egyptian officials have banned Dutch archaeologists from the country, The Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Organizers said the exhibition “Kemet,” which translates as “Black Land,” explores the “significance of ancient Egypt and Nubia in the work of musicians from the African diaspora.” In addition to depicting Beyonce and Rihanna as Queen Nefertiti, it casts American rapper Nas as Tutankhamun and actor Eddie Murphy as Ramesses.

The Times quoted the museum as saying: “In Egyptology, the science that deals with ancient Egypt, Egypt has long been studied primarily as part of the Mediterranean region … but many musicians with African roots emphasize that ancient Egypt is an African culture.”

Hossam Zidan, the archaeology correspondent for Egyptian newspaper Al-Fagr, wrote: “Should they have made it clear that the exhibition is about non-Egyptian, African musicians? This is consistent with history, reality and logic, as they were not and will not be Egyptians.”

The newspaper described the exhibition as “highly provocative” and said it “requires an explanation” in the face of charges that it supports “Afrocentric ideas that try to rob the ancient Egyptian civilization of its people.”

According to The Times, the accusations of “falsifying history” and adopting an “Afrocentric” approach prompted Egypt’s antiquities authorities to ban Dutch archaeologists from the important Saqqara burial ground near Cairo, site of the earliest pyramids.

However, the museum’s director, Wim Weijland, said that no Egyptian official has even visited the exhibition.

“The accusation of falsifying history is inappropriate,” he told the NRC Handelsblad newspaper. “This exhibition has been made with great care. As scientists, you don’t accuse each other like this. I want that qualification to be withdrawn.”

The museum has played an active role in excavations in Sakkara, near Cairo, since 1975 and the ban could affect a major dig there.

Egyptian authorities previously criticized a musician who dressed as Nefertiti at the Coachella Festival in 2018 and sold merchandise inspired by the ancient queen.