7 tombs unearthed near Cairo
Cairo: Egyptian authorities have announced the discovery of seven pharaonic tombs near the capital city of Cairo. The discovery was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission during excavation works at the area located on the stony edge of King Userkaf pyramid complex in Saqqara necropolis, Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany told Xinhua news agency on Saturday. The mission has uncovered three plain New Kingdom tombs that had been used during the Late Period as necropolis for cats along with four other Old Kingdom tombs, the most important of which belongs to Khufu-Imhat, the overseer of the royal buildings in the royal palace. al-Anany said that the Egyptian mission selected such a site to excavate because “there was a high probability that a collection of Old Kingdom tombs for individual could be uncovered around the ramp of King Userkaf pyramid complex”. A French mission previously excavated the eastern section of the site and uncovered a collection of Old and New Kingdoms tombs that were used during the Late Period as cats’ graves, he said. The French mission has stopped all excavations on site since 2008 and devoted all its work to study document and restore some of the discovered tombs. However, all the works have completely stopped since 2013. “This is the first of three upcoming new discoveries in other governorates in Upper Egypt to be announced before the end of 2018,” al-Anany said. Egypt, the country to one of the most ancient civilizations, has been working hard to preserve its archaeological heritage and discover the secrets of its ancient antiquities in a bid to revive the country’s ailing tourism sector. Tourism sector has suffered an acute recession over the past few years due to political turmoil and relevant security issues. (IANS)
‘Jurassic Park’ art show to mark its 25th anniversary
Los Angeles: An art show on the “Jurassic Park” theme will mark the 25th year anniversary of the iconic Steven Spielberg film. It will be a part of DesignerCon, the Anaheim, California convention focusing on art and design. “Most surprising was how much beauty could be found in some of the movie’s most terrifying scenes. We also realised there are no small moments in ‘Jurassic Park’,” DesignCon curator Carmen Acosta told The Hollywood Reporter of the show. “Our artists know this movie line for line, and many of their depictions come from small scenes that only fans who’ve watched the movie dozens of times would recognize. “Our show covers the big moments everyone knows, but it will truly be an experience that speaks to those die-hard ‘Jurassic Park’ fans out there,” Acosta added. The event will be held November 16-18. (IANS)
Woman arrested for Australia strawberry contamination
Canberra: A woman was arrested on Sunday in Australia in connection with the “strawberry scare” after sewing needles were found hidden inside the fruit, police said. The police said the 50-year-old was arrested in Queensland “following a complex… and extensive investigation”, the BBC reported. The woman is expected to face unspecified charges on Sunday evening. She will appear in a Brisbane court on Monday. A nationwide investigation was launched after shocked shoppers first reported the contamination in September. There were over 100 reports of needles being found in strawberries, though many were suspected to be copycat cases or social media stunts. Farmers were forced to dump tonnes of berries and supermarkets pulled the fruit off shelves. The first cases emerged in Queensland, where a man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after eating strawberries. The scare spread to every Australian state and later to New Zealand, raising public alarm. (IANS)