City of the dead with 300 tombs found in Aswan, a city of ancient Egypt. Credit: Dunechaser, CC BY 2.0/flickr
A terrifying site dubbed “City of the Dead” with more than 300 mummy tombs has been discovered in the ancient city of Aswan, Egypt.
The ancient archaeological site, named by the research team working on its excavation, contains 36 tombs. Each has 30 to 40 mummies.
The huge burial site covers an area of nearly 270,000 feet, with the city housing it being an important trade, quarry, and military region established more than 4,500 years ago. Until now, information about its citizens and the lives they lived has remained largely a mystery.
What's the race of these people??? ‘City of the Dead’ archeologists have now uncovered more than 300 tombs packed with mummies #Egypt#Archaeologyhttps://t.co/uHhbvE2ypC
A great number of the tombs, which are thought to have been reused for roughly 900 years, are packed with families who archaeologists believe died of infectious diseases.
The site houses up to 10 terraces of tombs, arranged in layers near the modern Mausoleum of Aga Khan III. He was the former president of the Assembly of the League of Nations. His remains have been housed at the site since 1959.
“This was a really spectacular find, very unique in Egypt,” Patrizia Piacentini, an archaeologist at the University of Milan who is part of the team who made the mind-blowing discovery, told Daily Mail Online.
Piacentini said that people of Aswan had once “covered the hill with tombs. It is kind of a City of the Dead.”
Layout of the tombs in ancient Egypt
The excavation work also uncovered the fact that elites were buried on top of the hill in this city of ancient Egypt. Experts found the mummified remains of the general in chief of Aswan. The remains of middle class individuals were placed in tombs underneath those of the elite.
The burial site dates from between the 6th century BC and 9th century AD. A few of the tombs have a casket entrance with an open courtyard flanked by walls of milk brick. Others are simply carved into mountain rock.
Ayman Ashmawy, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities’ Egyptian Antiquities Division, said studies suggested 30 to 40 percent of those buried died quite young as “newborns or as adolescents,” according to DailyMail.com.
A woman and one-year-old child were uncovered among the mummies, as well, with their bodies apparently glued to each other inside a stone coffin. Some remains were wrapped in cartonnage, a paper mache material.
Studies of the remains showed “some suffered from infectious diseases, while others had bone disorders,” Piacentini told Daily Mail Online. It was added that some of the children are believed to have suffered from anemia and malnutrition.
The ancient city of Aswan can be found on the east bank of the Nile River. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Additionally, it was home to quarries that supplied granite for several ancient Egyptian monuments and served as a military post for the Romans, Turks, and British.
The first tomb on the site was uncovered in 2019, and it housed four mummies, including two children.
The Mykonos Fishermen celebration on the Greek Orthodox Feast of the Holy Apostles was a heart-warming, fun event. This is the other side of the island of Mykonos in Greece one must see. Credit: Mykonos Live TV
When one hears the island name Mykonos, images of beautiful beaches, vacationing international celebrities, wild VIP parties, and fashionistas walking the narrow streets come to mind.
Yet, there is another side of Mykonos most people don’t often hear about. It is one that is often overlooked. That is the island in the 1960s. In the 1960s, it was still a rather traditional island of the Cyclades with life revolving around the fishermen.
The truth is that that side of the island is still there, alive and vibrant, even though it is overshadowed by the flashlights of the paparazzi, glittering smiles of Hollywood stars, and the gold of super-wealthy visitors.
The Mykonos Fishermen Feast was fun for all, locals, Greeks, and foreign visitors alike. Credit: Mykonos Live TV.
Once a year, on the Greek Orthodox Feast of the Holy Apostles, the Fishermen Feast takes place. It is a celebration of the people who had been the backbone of the island for centuries. Those would be the fishermen.
The Fishermen Feast is keeping the old traditions of the island alive. It is the other side of Mykonos, namely what it could have been if the island hadn’t been discovered by some 1960s visitors who felt its charms and the mystical aura that soon made it a cherished destination. It is the Mykonos one can go back to time and time again.
The Fishermen Feast
The Fishermen Feast is an integral part of the Mykonians. It is indeed a portrayal of their real life. They adhere to the traditions and customs inherited from their ancestors and pass these on to the next generations.
With camera in hand for Mykonos Live TV, journalist Petros Nazos attended the small fishermen’s celebration taking place under the eternal landmark of the island: the much-photographed windmills.
Along with him were the people who keep the tradition alive every year: Yiannis Kousathanas (Giannaras), Giorgos Nikou (Kokkinos) and Dimitris Veronis.
Lefteris Sikiniotis (Kadenasos) roused the audience with his violin, playing the island’s traditional music. The menu included lots of meat broth in preparation for the copious amounts of wine and food that would follow. At the table were boiled meat, cuttlefish giouvetsi, shrimp, prawns and yachni. All the dishes were humble, but they rivaled in taste those of the best chefs because they were cooked with love.
Τhe Mykonos Fishermen Feast had lots of delicious local food. Credit: Mykonos Live TV
However, the element that made this celebration truly one of fun and joy was none other than the feeling of hospitality that was pervasive throughout the day. Everyone involved, including locals, Greeks, and international tourists, were welcome, as is the case at every Mykonian feast.
The Fishermen Feast was attended by well-known Mykonians and friends of the island. Cyclades MP Katerina Monogyiou was present as were Mykonos Deputy Mayor Dimitris Koutsoukos and the founder of the ecological group All For Blue Katerina Topouzoglou among many others.
Coldplay releases a music video in Greece with Athens center stage and at its best. Credit: Thomas Hawk. CC BY 2.0/flickr
Coldplay has released a music video filmed in the Greek capital of Athens, and it truly shows the city at its best. If you haven’t been to Athens, you’ll want to pack your bags and leave tomorrow after watching the rock band’s new video.
At the heart of the music video is one of the most impressive landmarks of the city, the Herodion Theater (Odeion of Herodes) at the Acropolis of Athens. Some are saying this is Coldplay’s very own—and best—advertisement for Greece.
The band has been delighting crowds in Greece with their summer concerts. Their first appearances were sold out performances at the Olympic Stadium of Athens (OAKA). Their third appearance was for only 2,000 people, and it was staged for the video clip at the Herodion under the Acropolis.
The Coldplay Video in Greece
The music video Coldplay was working on was for the song “Feels Like I’m Falling in Love,” and it has just been released.
The video was filmed in June with Coldplay writing in TikTok at the time: “When you finished your video but the incredible crowd keeps singing your latest song.”
Several celebrities went to enjoy the Coldplay performances in Greece and took videos themselves. On Saturday, June 8th, Luke Evans posted a video of himself with Joe Jonas, Kylie Minogue, Liam Hemsworth, and others, as they rocked out to the band’s Live in Athens show at the OAKA.
“Hot temp, Coldplay,” Evans, 45, wrote in the caption.
“Thanks Joe xx,” he added, tagging the group.
In the footage shared to Instagram, Jonas, who was the one filming, turned the camera on himself, Evans, his boyfriend Fran Tomas, and Minogue, as they threw their arms in the air while watching Coldplay perform their song “Yellow” at the stadium.
One of the band’s shows was brought to an abrupt halt when a man holding an Israeli flag rushed to the stage. Frontman Chris Martin can be heard in a TikTok video of the incident repeatedly shouting “stop” into his microphone to signal his band mates to stop playing after the man fell over stage lights and hit the ground.
Martin, 47, seemed concerned as he crouched down at the edge of the stage to see if the man was okay. The “Viva La Vida” singer even extended his arm to allow the person to grab it.
Another noteworthy occurrence of Coldplay’s concert season in Greece was that audiences there became the first to witness a live performance of the band’s unreleased record “All My Love.”
During one of the OAKA concerts, Martin told the crowd: “We have a new song which you weren’t supposed to hear until September, but I’m going to play it for you now one time.”
The Coldplay frontman also asked the audience in Greece not to video the song and post it on the internet. “I know that that’s difficult to ask,” he said, “but if we could just treat it like a rehearsal between us,” as per Rolling Stone.
“This is called ‘All My Love,’ [and] this is how we feel about all of you,” the musician said to introduce the track. He performed the record solo on the piano as the final song of the concert.
“We’ve been through low/And through sunshine, been through snow/All the colors of the weather/We’ve been through high/Every corner of the sky/Still we’re holding on together,” Martin sings on the opening verse, leading into the tender chorus: “You’ve got all my love/Whether it rains or pours/I’m all yours/You’ve got all my love/Whether it rains/It remains/You’ve got all my love,” as per Rolling Stone.
A new bird species of Nightjars was discovered. Credit: IBIS
Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night and eat insects. They belong to the family Caprimulgidae and the order Caprimulgiformes.
You can find these birds all over the world excluding Antarctica and certain islands such as the Seychelles.
Nightjars have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They catch insects while in flight, typically at night. During the day, they rest on the ground or perch lengthwise on branches.
Dr. George Sangster and his colleagues, who are leading experts, explained that studying nightjars is challenging because they are secretive, active at night, and have camouflaged feathers.
“Nightjars are among the most difficult bird species to study due to their unobtrusive and nocturnal behavior and cryptic plumage,” said lead author Sangster and his colleagues.
New species found in areas from Pakistan to Australia
The authors focused their research on a group of nightjars known as the Caprimulgus macrurus complex. These birds are found in regions ranging from Pakistan to Australia and include six species that look alike but have distinct calls.
During their fieldwork on Timor and Wetar in the Lesser Sunda Islands, researchers discovered a seventh species within this complex.
New Species of Bird Discovered on Lesser Sunda Islands: A team of scientists from the Swedish Museum of Natural History and elsewhere has described a new species of nightjar living in the tropical forests of Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda… nagendra bandi via @hinagendrabandipic.twitter.com/bz4KGLNjq3
They have identified this new species, which was previously mistaken for the large-tailed nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus), Sulawesi nightjar (Caprimulgus celebensis), and Philippine nightjar (Caprimulgus manillensis). Nonetheless, it differs from these and all other species in the complex by at least 13 vocal characteristics, according to the researchers.
New bird species is called “Timor nightjar”
The newly named Caprimulgus ritae, also known as the Timor nightjar, is unique to the region and not found elsewhere in the range of the Caprimulgus macrurus complex.
This bird prefers forested habitats and has been observed in a variety of environments, ranging from tall evergreen to deciduous dry forests, mostly in lowland areas below 1,000 meters. There is one record of the bird at an elevation of 1,500 meters.
Researchers said that Caprimulgus ritae is only the fourth bird species known to be native to both Timor and Wetar. Other species include the Timor imperial pigeon (Ducula cineracea), the Wetar ground dove (Pampusana gallicolumba hoedtii), and the iris lorikeet (Saudareos iris).
Researchers observed that six additional bird species found on Timor and Wetar are not found on Alor but can be found on Atauro, Roti, and Semau islands. This distribution pattern of the Timor nightjar is similar to several other bird species.
Furthermore, the genetic similarity between those of Timor and Wetar suggests that the colonization or exchange of bird species between these islands has occurred recently. This indicates a recent connection or migration between the avian populations of Timor and Wetar.
Scene from film XOFTEX, directed by Noaz Deshe, about a Greek refugee camp. Credit: Filmfest München
Filmmaker Noaz Deshe has recently been interviewed about the creation of his new film Xoftex on asylum seekers and Europe’s right wing shift. Xoftex premiered in the 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Xoftex is the name of a Greek refugee camp which houses Syrian and Palestinian asylum seekers. This is the world director Noaz Deshe selected as the setting for his second feature film, which premiered at the 58th edition of the film festival on Monday night.
“To pass the time between interviews with the immigration office, Nasser and his friends film satirical sketches and make preparations for a zombie horror flick,” states a plot description shared by the festival, which has also put a film clip online. “Except that the reality of the camp could be taken for a horror scenario itself. The tension between its inhabitants gains momentum and every conflict removes one more brick from the wall which divides reality from dream—or, indeed, nightmare.”
Another scene from the Greek refugee camp film XOFTEX. Credit: Filmfest München
The tale reveals the experiences and ambitions of the people in the camp, which the director first visited years ago, laced with his own thoughts. Noaz Deshe, also acclaimed for his work as a director of photography, stepped into the spotlight with his feature debut White Shadow, which is about a young Albino who is being hunted. Deshe won the Lion of the Future Award at the Venice Film Festival 2013. He penned the screenplay for Xoftex with Babak Jalali, the director of the film Fremont, which won KVIFF’s 2023 best director award.
Noaz Deshe interviewed about Greek refugee camp film
In speaking about his inspiration for writing Xoftex, Noaz Deshe told ScreenDaily:
“I was a contributor for Fairplanet.org and volunteering with CADUS, an NGO that provides medical aid in conflict zones. I documented their mission to rescue refugees from drowning off the coast of Libya.”
He added:
“The missions at sea shook me to the core. I sent some of the footage to a friend who introduced me to Amed Khan, a prolific humanitarian operator. He urged me to spend time in a refugee camp in Greece. The conditions of the camps in Greece, during that period, were plagued by rampant corruption and abuse. I asked my colleagues which camp they found most challenging. The unanimous response was Xoftex, situated in a former burnt-out toilet paper factory within a toxic wasteland.”
A third scene from film XOFTEX, by Noaz Deshe. Credit: Filmfest München
Noaz Deshe also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his time in the camp, saying:
“Eventually, I felt I had earned some kind of approval to approach people in camps. And I was invited by a person that built a camp in the north of Greece, an example camp that was safe. People there had rooms, which was exactly the opposite of everything that was happening elsewhere.”
He added:
“I went there to see what happens if there is proper planning and funding and used that as a launchpad with the people from that camp to go to other camps and see what the situation was there. And it was horrific. There were camps on Mount Olympus with people freezing to death in UNHCR tents in the winter that needed to be evacuated. There were camps in small villages where the local mayor let his 18-year-old daughter run the camp surrounded by the military in order to steal half of the money for food and pocket it. It was such chaos.”
Syntrichia caninervis, a desert moss that can survive on Mars. Credit: Sheri Hagwood / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Researchers now believe a simple desert moss might be key to establishing life on Mars. Chinese scientists have discovered that Syntrichia caninervis, a moss found in places like Antarctica and the Mojave Desert, can survive in Mars-like conditions. This includes dry environments, high radiation, and extreme cold.
The team claims their study is the first to examine how whole plants can survive in such harsh environments. They are also exploring the possibility of growing plants directly on Mars’ surface instead of in controlled environments like greenhouses.
“The unique insights obtained in our study lay the foundation for outer space [colonization] using naturally selected plants adapted to extreme stress conditions,” the team writes.
Desert moss not edible
Professor Stuart McDaniel, a moss expert from the University of Florida who was not part of the study, expressed support for the idea.
“Cultivating terrestrial plants is an important part of any long-term space mission because plants efficiently turn carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates—essentially the air and food that humans need to survive. Desert moss is not edible, but it could provide other important services in space,” he said.
Dr. Agata Zupanska from the SETI Institute also supported the idea, highlighting moss’s potential in enriching and altering the rocky surface of Mars to support the growth of other plants.
“Otherwise, moss is not tasty and does not make a great addition to the salad,” Zupanska said.
Desert moss can rapidly recover from dehydration
In a study published in the journal The Innovation, researchers from China detail how the desert moss not only survived but quickly bounced back from nearly complete dehydration.
They found that it could also regenerate under normal growth conditions after enduring temperatures as low as -80°C for up to five years and as cold as -196°C for up to 30 days. Additionally, exposure to gamma rays, including doses of around 500Gy, even stimulated new growth in the moss.
The researchers replicated Mars-like conditions in their setup, matching pressures, temperatures, gases, and UV radiation. They observed that the moss not only survived but also regrew under normal growth conditions after exposure for seven days. Interestingly, they found that moss that had been dried before exposure fared better.
The researchers are optimistic about the moss’s potential, suggesting it could be transported to Mars or the moon for further testing on its ability to thrive and grow in outer space environments.
McDaniel pointed out that most plants are unable to endure the challenges of space travel.
“This paper is exciting because it shows that desert moss survives short exposures to some of the stresses that are likely to be found on a trip to Mars, including very high levels of radiation, very cold temperatures, and very low oxygen levels,” he said.
Ancient Greek Girl Buried With A Crown of Ceramic Flowers, Patras, 300-400 BC, from Museum of Patras, September 5, 2013//Credit: Wikimedia Commons-Fred Martin Kaaby-CC-BY-SA-3.0
The skull of an Ancient Greek girl with a ceramic flower wreath has been discovered. These remains have been dated circa 400 to 300 B.C. This skull currently resides in The New Archaeological Museum of Patras in Greece.
This fossilized cranium is among a featured collection of the pates of women and girls found in the North Cemetery in Patras in the Hellenistic period. Patras is presently Greece’s third-largest city, the regional capital of Western Greece in the northern Peloponnese.
This period of history under consideration is one of Greek expansion and conquest. The collection is dated roughly from the time of the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE) to the rise of Augustus in Rome (31 BCE).
How can this ancient Greek girl wearing a ceramic wreath be characterized? Some scholars of archaeology are dynamic storytellers, or they may ask so many conflicting questions we may get bored. Their presentation may be about little more than nothing. A sense of humor helps reveal more than dry bones and broken pottery.
It is a good question to ask on International Archaeology Day (or any day of the year). What is this excavatable field of inquiry all about? Anytime an archaeologist examines ancient remains, they have certain goals in mind. They wish to document and explain the origins of human cultures. Desiring to understand cultural histories and record evolution, archaeologists thus study behavior and ecology.
Is archaeology useful?
A focus on prehistoric and historical times is usually measured by the search for objectivity in asking many questions. Nevertheless, contemporary society finds all this useful when it contributes not simply to education but identity and community formation. These cannot be separated from politics or how power and society’s institutions are arranged, challenged, and justified. Has humanity evolved for the better because of archaeology and its contributions?
As the world becomes more ecologically aware, the overlap between archaeology and paleontology increases in importance. The difference between the former and the latter is that paleontology focuses on all life forms. Whether with social or deep ecological views, we begin to comprehend that human development cannot be separated from other species and dynamics of the planet.
Before digging, archaeologists research the historical background of the area to be considered. They survey the land for features and challenges. Preliminarily, and at regular intervals, subsurface testing is followed by written reports. Scholars hope that something profound can be discovered for historical and social interpretation.
Why buried with the wreath of ceramic flowers?
Focusing on the remains of this girl, who obviously did not live to become an adult, allows us to speculate on biological evolution, the meanings of Greek youth in her epoch, and the path girls take in going from childhood to womanhood.
We can consider marriage rituals, religion, gender roles, sexuality, and children’s rites of passage. How did her community value nature and the arts? These are only beginnings. And these instincts become more specific as a product of the historical research one does before digging for bones or the remnants of art or tools.
How to evaluate child brides?
Child brides were a feature of Greek antiquity in the era under consideration, which might indicate that young girl with the wreath was one as well.
Ancient child brides cannot only be meditated on from a modern human rights lens. First of all, such frameworks are not always sensitive to peripheral cultures in the world. Still, empathy is valid.
A girl in her middle or teenage years that has gone through puberty is not the same biologically as a preteen, and, if modern science suggests the brain doesn’t mature biologically until the mid to late twenties, then a preteen bride or even a late teen bride would be at a disadvantage with an older husband in terms of social equality.
The Ancient and modern problem of social equality
The story of this ancient Greek girl can have thrust upon it patriarchy, sexuality, childbearing, and the meanings of marriage. Is marriage about love? If middle-aged men and women have a difficult time successfully navigating relationships today, what does maturity really mean?
In societies distinguished by artisans and peasant farmers, we might think of social responsibility and the age of awareness differently. Further, in ancient and modern times, the families of young girls, especially when poor, are concerned about their economic future. Most loving families take pride and feel joyful when their children get ready to start their own families.
Often, this means children will eventually have children of their own. New grandparents tend to be euphoric. They all of a sudden look at their gray hairs contemptuously. Still, in ancient times, there were very few nuclear families. This child was part of an extended community, and a village had probably raised her.
Perhaps, when she was buried, a crown was placed on her head, lamenting she died before she was married. Maybe the crown suggested a royal status—whether in fact or aspirationally. How humans are buried can say more about those who organize their funerals than the actual personality who is deceased. Clearly, someone cared about this girl, and, if she did die on the day of her marriage, it was a heartbreaking farewell.
Wreaths for the ancients were made of flowers, natural olive leaves, laurel leaves and even gold. Fragrant myrtle is associated with both love and death in the ancient Greek world. This could suggest the young girl was not a child bride but had simply died before her time. The myrtle tree was originally a tree on which the ancient Greek tragic hero, Hippolytus, in flight from Athens caught the chariot reins and was dragged to death by his horses. Perhaps in popular memory, this wreath signified tragedy just as much as love and marriage.
Myrtle-nymphs were prophetesses who taught the god Aristaeus, son of Apollo and Gyrene, the useful arts of making cheese, building beehives, and cultivating olives. Aphrodite, a very early Greek goddess of love and spring, seems to have initially been called Murcia, a deity that was later interpreted as Myrtea, goddess of myrtles. Could the wreath convey the young girl was an emerging gifted artisan?
Sacred myrtle grew in the groves at Eleusis when the initiates to the religious mysteries trolled there, wearing the leaves as wreaths. Myrtle, along with mint and rosemary, was burned from very early times at funerals. Then again, the myrtle wreath may just be a common rite of the dead.
A hidden or complex fate
Greek philosopher Theophrastus, however, in his On Moral Characters, written in the later fourth century B.C., chides those superstitious Greeks who on the fourth and seventh days of each month buy myrtle boughs to garland their household gods. The myrtle wreath could, therefore, be part of an offering to the gods on the fated young girl’s behalf.
In the first century A.D., Pliny reports a belief that, on an extended journey, a foot traveler who carries a myrtle stick or rod will never feel weariness or tedium. Hence, myrtle symbolized strength for a journey—perhaps, in this ancient Greek child’s case, to the afterworld.
Tears for 19-year-old Ronaldo after Greece beats Portugal in the final of Euro 2004. Credit: Goal.com
Greece and Slovenia were the teams that brought tears to Christiano Ronaldo in his first and last Euro finals.
Portugal’s superstar was caught crying after his national team lost to Greece in the 2004 Euro final, in one of the greatest shocks in the history of football.
July 4, 2004, was one of the saddest days for Portugal, as the national team faced Greece in an unprecedented Euro Cup final. The Greeks, known then as the “Giant Killers,” reached the final after defeating Zidane’s France and Nedved’s Czech Republic.
Tears for Ronaldo in his first Euro against Greece
Portugal’s defeat against Greece in the opening match was a prelude to what would happen in the final. Players like Figo and a young Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t overcome the Greeks, who seemed destined to make history from the start of the tournament.
In the title match, Portugal had the responsibility of winning at home. However, as the match progressed, Greece grew stronger. Ten minutes into the second half, during a corner kick, Charisteas headed the ball to score a historic goal in front of 62,865 spectators.
Under the pressure of losing as the favorites, Cristiano Ronaldo and Figo tried to turn the situation around, but the Greek miracle had come to pass, and Greece was crowned Euro champion in Portugal.
This event marked one of the saddest days for Cristiano Ronaldo, an emotional burden he carried until the 2016 Euro Cup in France, where he finally became a champion.
Tears again for Ronaldo in his last Euro
Twenty years later the Portuguese star was in tears again when he missed a penalty against Slovenia in the 2024 Euro finals on Monday, the last Euro in his illustrious soccer career.
Although Portugal eventually progressed to the last eight of the competition where they will face France, Ronaldo was inconsolable.
Ronaldo was cast in the role of villain after missing a series of chances and having his extra-time penalty saved by Slovenia’s goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, in the scoreless encounter.
The 39-year-old was in tears during the extra-time break and consoled by teammates, but he converted a spot-kick in the shootout as Diogo Costa saved all three Slovenia penalties and Portugal won 3-0.
Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 at the age of 18 and has earned more than 200 caps, making him history’s most-capped male player.
With 130 international goals, he is also the all-time top goal scorer. Ronaldo has played in and scored at eleven major tournaments; he scored his first international goal at Euro 2004, where he helped Portugal reach the final.
On 30 December 2022, Saudi club Al Nassr reached an agreement for Ronaldo to join the club, signing a contract until 2025. Ronaldo received the highest football salary ever, at €200 million per year, including a guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals bringing his total annual salary to €200 million.
One of a series of images from the Illustrated London News for October 13, 1888, carrying the overall caption, “With the Vigilance Committee in the East End”. This specific image is entitled “A Suspicious Character”. Public Domain
A former police volunteer has unearthed new medical evidence she believes identifies Jack the Ripper, the 19th-century serial killer responsible for some of the UK’s most infamous and unsolved murders.
Sarah Bax Horton recently named Hyam Hyams as the man she claims is responsible for the murders of at least six women in or near Whitechapel, east London between August and November 1888.
Martha Tabram, Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elisabeth Stride, Kate Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were either destitute or prostitutes who had their throats cut and bodies butchered in horrific attacks that shocked the nation.
Baxton Horton, whose grandfather worked on the Ripper investigation, examined medical records and witness descriptions of the man seen with female victims before they were stabbed to death, leading her to Hyams.
Hyam Hyams, photographed at Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum in 1899, has been named as a key suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders. Credit: London Metropolitan Archives
Hyams, a cigar maker who lived in the area where the murderers were committed, was an epileptic and alcoholic who was in and out of mental asylums. His job meant he was likely skilled in using a knife.
He repeatedly assaulted his wife, fearing she was cheating on him, and was eventually arrested after attacking her and his mother with a “chopper”.
Witnesses described Hyams as a man in his mid-thirties with a stiff arm and an irregular gait with bent knees.
Bax Horton discovered that the medical notes of Hyams, who was 35 in 1888, recorded an injury that left him unable to “bend or extend” his left arm.
He also had an irregular gait and an inability to straighten his knees, with asymmetric foot-dragging, the medical records showed. Hyams also had the most severe form of epilepsy, with regular seizures.
The medical notes, taken from various infirmaries and asylums, revealed that his mental and physical decline coincided with the Ripper’s killing period, escalating between his breaking his left arm in February 1888 and his permanent committal in September 1889.
Jack the Ripper identified
“For the first time in history, Jack the Ripper can be identified as Hyam Hyams using distinctive physical characteristics,” Bax Horton told The Telegraph.
In the files, eyewitnesses’ statements said that the man they had seen had a peculiar gait. He was weak at the knees and wasn’t fully extending his legs. When he walked, he had a kind of shuffling gait, which was probably a side-effect of some brain damage as a result of his epilepsy.”
Three of the Ripper’s victims had internal organs removed, leading to previous police theories that the culprit had a background in human anatomy.
Letters taunting investigators and claiming to be from the “killer” first used the term “Jack the Ripper”. Most were thought to be hoaxes but the moniker remained.
Police never established for certain how many victims there were in total and investigators examining 11 murders in Whitechapel and Spitalfields between 1888 and 1891 could not link them to the five in 1888.
Pinning down the identity of Britain’s most notorious serial killer has occupied the minds of historians and conspiracy theorists alike for decades.
Over the years, enthusiasts have pored over the evidence to draw up a list of potential killers that range from the plausible to the preposterous.
A Russian con artist, a Polish barber, an Irish-American quack and even the eldest son of Edward VII have all been accused of being the man who, for one summer in 1888, brought terror to the heart of London’s East End before disappearing without a trace.
Donald Trump given immunity from criminal prosecution in some acts while President, US Supreme Court rules. Credit: Gage Skidmore. CC BY 2.0/flickr
The US Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took as President in a decision that will probably further delay a trial on the presidential election subversion charges against him.
The decision came in at 6-3, with the liberals in disagreement. The ruling rejects a decision taken by a federal appeals court in February that found Trump had no immunity for alleged crimes—with the aim of reversing the 2020 election results—he committed during his presidency.
The decision states that presidents have immunity for official acts, but not all acts are official, and lower courts must decide which acts qualify for each. Trump reportedly called the decision “a big win.”
The former President and businessman is currently the subject of four criminal cases, while attempting to take on Joe Biden to reclaim his position in the White House. He faces a sentencing hearing next week in his hush money case after being found guilty.
Chief Justice John Roberts justified the semi-granting of immunity to Trump with an explanation similar to that of former President Richard Nixon’s most infamous quotes from the Watergate era, as per CNN.
Roberts wrote that, “The ‘justifying purposes’ of the immunity…we recognize today, are not that the President must be immune because he is the President; rather, they are to ensure that the President can undertake his constitutionally designated functions effectively, free from undue pressures or distortions.”
Other court cases against Trump
It has also been noted that the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity could reshape the criminal case against Trump in Georgia, which is centered on his efforts of overturning the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
The Georgia case has been put on hold while an appeals court determines whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified. Of course, this is an unrelated decision that is not expected to come until after the November presidential election.
If Willis is permitted to stay on the case, proceedings would be able to resume. This means Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee would have to go through the same analysis on presidential immunity that the US Supreme Court is requiring in the federal election subversion case. Under that test, Trump is allowed some immunity for official acts as president and none for unofficial acts, as per CNN.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in the Georgia case, claimed in January that the state-level charges ought to be dismissed on immunity grounds. Prosecutors had been waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in before responding to Sadow’s motion.
