Kuldhara, India is a cursed ‘village of death’

Two hundred years ago, an entire community vanished overnight.
               

Nobody saw them leave, or figured out where they went. But as the 1500 villagers abandoned the town of Kuldhara, India, it’s believed they left behind a curse bringing death to anyone who tried to inhabit it.

So to this day, few dare to tread here, and even fewer dare to stay the night. Just why the residents left remains a mystery. Legend has it that Salim Singh, the minister of the state of Jaisalmer, fell in love with a beautiful girl upon visiting the village and wanted to marry her, threatening the locals if this was denied.

So the girl’s father, the chief of the village, abandoned the town along with people from 84 adjoining villages. Another theory has it that a war erupted, forcing the evacuation. Either way, what remains is a fascinating glimpse of the past, with crumbling homes and underground structures remaining. Last year Delhi’s Paranormal Society sent a team of 30 people to stay the night in the eerie abandoned village. They claim (somewhat unsurprisingly) that they detected mysterious moving shadows, haunting voices, hand imprints of children on cars and one even claims he felt someone touching his shoulder from behind, but nobody was there.

 

They also claim they detected a sudden rise and drop in temperature. So would you dare to visit?

Egyptian city found under water after 1200 years

1.200 years ago the ancient Egyptian city of Heraklion has disappeared in the waters of the Mediterranean. Founded around 8-7th century BC, long before the founding of Alexandria in 331 BC, the City served as the main port for smuggling in Egypt all supplies coming from the Greek world. Prior to its opening in 2000 the archaeologist Frank Goddio and IEASM (European Institute of underwater archaeology), no mention of Tonise-Heraklion were found (the city was known to the Greeks as the Tonys). His name was erased from the memory of mankind, saved only in the ancient classical texts and inscriptions found by archaeologists.

 

 

With unique isledovatel′skim approach, using sophisticated technical equipment, Franck Goddio and his team from IEASM were able to determine the location, display and dig out of Tonys-Gerklion, which is 4 km from today’s coastline, approximately 50 metres under water. The city covers an area of 11 to 15 kilometers in the western part of the Bay of Abukir.

 The finds so far include the remains of 64 ships on the sea bottom, gold coins and scales, made of bronze and stone, 5-meter giant statues along with hundreds of smaller statues of minor gods, slabs of stone with inscriptions in ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian, dozens of small sarcophagi, which most likely contained the mummified animals, as well as more than 700 ancient ship anchors.

 

 

Study suggests that the town was flooded as a result of geological and natural disasters. Slow movement of soil affect this part of the South-Eastern Mediterranean basin. Rising sea levels also led to significant flooding. IEASM conducted geological observations, detecting the seismic effects of underground layers.

 Analysis of various factors in these places also offers soil liquefaction. These localized phenomena can be initiated by a large pressure on soil with a high content of clay and water. Pressure from large buildings, combined with overloading due to unusually high tidal wave can substantially compress the soil and cause the popping of water contained in the structure of the clay. Clay quickly loses volume, which creates a sudden demotion. Another version of the causes of the flooding could also become an earthquake. These factors, together or independently, possibly caused withdrawal of Heraklion in the depths of the sea.

 

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India protests over 'tribal' Virgin Mary and baby Jesus

A new statue which shows Virgin Mary and baby Jesus as tribals has been installed in a church in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, sparking off protests from non-Christian tribal groups. Amarnath Tewary reports on the controversy.

The 'tribal' statue of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus was installed on 26 May

Wearing a red-bordered white sari, red blouse, necklace and bangles and holding baby Jesus in a cloth sling, the statue has invited both anger and astonishment. Unveiled by Cardinal Telesphor P Toppo on 26 May, the statue stands tall in the local church in Singhpur village, 15km (nine miles) from the state capital, Ranchi. But ever since its installation, the statue has attracted the ire of some non-Christian tribal groups who are demanding its immediate removal. Some of them even took out a protest march on 17 June in Ranchi in support of their demand.

"It is for the first time in the state that Mother Mary and baby Jesus have been portrayed as tribals. What was the need for it?" asks Bandhan Tigga, head priest of Sarna Society, which represents non-Christian tribal population of the state. In Jharkhand, 27% of the population or 8.6 million people are tribals and only 3% of the tribal population is Christian.

"Showing Mother Mary as a tribal is a part of the larger design to make the tribal population believe that she was from their community and confuse them," says Mr Tigga.

"A 100 years from now, people here would start believing that Mother Mary was actually our tribal goddess. It's an attempt to convert Sarna tribals to Christianity."

 Some tribal groups have protested demanding the removal of the statue

"It happens everywhere as part of enculturation of the local tradition." Cardinal Telesphor P Toppo is away in Rome and in his absence, Father Augustine has been nominated to negotiate with the non-Christian tribals over the controversial statue. Father Augustine downplays the protests saying only a section of the non-Christian tribal population took part in them. He says the charges levelled by the Sarna Society are "without any substance" and accuses some politicians of being behind the protests.

"General elections are due early next year and some people may wish to divide the Christian and non-Christian tribal populations for political gains," he says. Nevertheless, he hopes to resolve the issue at their next meeting scheduled for 14 July. But leaders of the Sarna Society say they do not expect much to come out of the meeting unless the statue is removed.

UK military picks Glock as replacement pistol for armed forces

LONDON –  Britain's army is bidding goodbye to the Browning pistol it's used for more than 40 years, opting for faster and lighter Glock 17 pistols for its secondary sidearm. The defense ministry said Friday it has signed an 8.5 million pound ($13.6 million) contract for more than 25,000 of the Austrian-made pistols. It joins a host of law enforcement agencies and other militaries, including the Dutch, Norwegian and Austrian armies, opting for a Glock 17, which has a larger magazine than the Browning currently in use by the U.K. armed forces. Britain's defense ministry said the decision to abandon the Browning came after it became increasingly expensive to maintain the steel-framed pistol as its parts — from barrels and slides to trigger mechanisms and springs — wore out.

"When it came out in the 1960s, it was a fantastic pistol, but technology advances," said Warrant Officer 1 Mark Anderson, who tested the sidearms competing for the U.K. contract after the defense ministry put out a tender for a replacement pistol two years ago. The faster and more accurate Glocks are considered a boon for troops increasingly facing threats in close quarters, like in Afghanistan where soldiers are clearing compounds and also dealing with the risks of insider attacks. Anderson said the Glock earned the confidence of the troops and passed tests of extreme temperatures and climates "with flying colors." In addition to their durability and extra firepower — the Glock magazine capacity is 17 rounds, compared with the Browning's 13 — the new pistols are quicker on the draw.

While the Browning had a manual safety catch that needed to be switched off, with the Glock "you just draw it and engage," Col. Peter Walden told reporters gathered at a London military barracks to see the new weapons. That's because the Glock has three internal safeties and can be kept loaded in a holster, unlike the Browning, Walden said. Saving those vital one or two seconds could be the difference between life and death, according to Walden. "If you're in a panic situation and it's the last thing you're going to do to save your life, you don't want to have to start thinking about too many steps," he explained. The faster system "does improve the ability of the guys to fire back" in potential insider attacks, he added. The defense ministry said the Glocks should be deployed in Afghanistan by the latter part of 2013.

The Glocks are being issued as secondary weapons mostly for personal protection in case the primary firearm fails or soldiers are in close environments, like compound-clearing operations, where short-barreled weapons are considered a smarter choice. Beyond Afghanistan, Walden expects the Glocks will be used more than Brownings were because the need for a fast-reaction capability — or even a pistol at all in addition to a standard rifle — has increased as warfare has changed over the years. While soldiers in the Cold War were engaging enemy troops from 400 yards away, U.K. servicemen now are seeing threats in much closer quarters.

"Since Iraq and Afghanistan, we're not in a position where we're going to have to look at having a secondary weapon as an alternative," Walden said. "If you're in a close quarter area in a certain area and your rifle fails, you need to have some other way of defending yourself." The Glock's polymer frame also lends itself to customizations that weren't available with the Browning, like three different grip sizes. That's of increasing importance given the variety of shapes and sizes of soldiers in the modern armed forces. Plus, flashlights and laser sights can be added to its rail. Soldiers have already taken note.

"The easiest way to say it is we've been driving around in a Fiesta and now we've got a Ferrari," Sgt. Steve Lord, a weapons inspector, shouted over the sound of bullets at the London media event. While the Browning "got the job done," he explained, "now we're going to work in style."

Subway work unearths ancient road in Greece

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists in Greece's second-largest city have uncovered a 70-meter (230-foot) section of an ancient road built by the Romans that was the city's main travel artery nearly 2,000 years ago. The marble-paved road was unearthed during excavations for Thessaloniki's new subway system, which is due to be completed in four years. The road in the northern port city will be raised to be put on permanent display when the metro opens in 2016.

The excavation site was shown to the public on Monday, when details of the permanent display project were also announced. Several of the large marble paving stones were etched with children's board games, while others were marked by horse-drawn cart wheels. Also discovered at the site were remains of tools and lamps, as well as the bases of marble columns.

Viki Tzanakouli, an archaeologist working on the project, told The Associated Press the Roman road was about 1,800 years old, while remains of an older road built by the ancient Greeks 500 years earlier were found underneath it. "We have found roads on top of each other, revealing the city's history over the centuries," Tzanakouli said. "The ancient road, and side roads perpendicular to it appear to closely follow modern roads in the city today."
About 7 meters (23 feet) below ground in the center of the city, the ancient road follows in roughly the same direction as the city's modern Egnatia Avenue.

The subway works, started in 2006, present a rare opportunity for archaeologists to explore under the densely populated city — but have also caused years of delays for the project. In 2008, workers on the Thessaloniki metro discovered more than 1,000 graves, some filled with treasure. The graves were of different shapes and sizes, and some contained jewelry, coins or other pieces of art. A massive excavation project also took place during the 1990s in the capital, Athens, before the city's new metro system opened in 2000. Thessaloniki's new subway is already four years behind schedule, due to the excavation work as well as Greece's financial crisis. Thirteen stations will operate initially, before a 10-station extension is added later.
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Beautiful girls of the Israeli Army

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Plane crashes in Nigeria, all 153 aboard dead

LAGOS, Nigeria - An aviation official says that all passengers on board the plane that crashed in Nigeria's largest city have been killed. 

 

Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority Harold Denuren confirmed that all the passengers on Sunday's Dana Air flight died. He did not say how many were on the flight. However, the Lagos state government said in a statement that 153 people were on the flight going from Abuja to Lagos.

 

The plane crashed in a densely-populated neighborhood near the airport.

Mohammed Sani Sidi, director general of the West African nation's National Emergency Management Agency, said early Monday that at least 10 individuals in the Lagos neighborhood where the jet hit also had died, CNN reports.

Military Moms Breastfeeding in Uniform Stir Controversy

At a time when breastfeeding in public is already controversial, pictures of two military moms doing so while wearing their uniforms is sparking outrage. The photo is part of a local breastfeeding awareness campaign by Mom2Mom of Fairchild Air Force Base, a support group launched in January by Crystal Scott, a military spouse and mother of three. Among the intimate close-ups of smiling young mothers cuddling their adorable babies, the images of the two airmen stand out. Related: Moms react to the "Time" magazine's "Are You Mom enough?" breastfeeding cover  "People are comparing breastfeeding in uniform to urinating and defecating in uniform. They're comparing it to the woman who posed in "Playboy" in uniform [in 2007]" Scott told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "We never expected it to be like this."  "I'm an X-ray tech and I breastfeed in my uniform all the time," Scott says. "Granted they're scrubs. But people do it all the time in their uniforms. If you have a hungry baby, why would you take the time to change completely.

Suu Kyi to visit Britain, address parliament

Yangon: In a historic first trip outside the country in 24 years, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will visit Britain and address both the houses of parliament next month. British Prime Minister David Cameron invited the Nobel Peace Prize winner to come to Britain when he visited her in Myanmar in April, mizzima.com reported. Suu Kyi has been given the rare honour of addressing parliament, even though she is not a head of state.

She is scheduled to begin her week-long trip to Britain June 18. She is also expected to visit Norway too. Suu Kyi lived for many years in Britain with her now deceased husband and their two sons, until returning to her homeland in 1988, when she was required to turn in her passport. She has not travelled outside Myanmar since then, fearing the military junta that held on to power until 2011 would not permit her to return. Her trip to Europe follows months of dramatic change in Myanmar, including a historic election in April that won her a seat in parliament.

Shilpa delivers baby boy

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty gave birth to a baby boy at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical Hospital in suburban Khar this morning. Husband Raj Kundra said on Twitter: 'God has blessed us with a beautiful baby boy. 

Both mother and baby are fine. I am thrilled to bits.' Shilpa and Raj have been married for three years, and this is the couple's first baby. 'A big thank you to my wife @TheShilpaShetty for the bestest gift ever, DR Kiran Cohelo and all the staff at Hinduja Hospital,' Raj added.