Terror in Egypt: 26 dead as gunmen fire on bus carrying Christians

There's a new report of a terror attack in Egypt. According to Egypt's Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mugahed in a chat with TV al-Masriya, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of the Egyptian capital this morning killing 26 people and wounding 25.

The attack happened while the bus was traveling on the road to the St. Samuel Monastery in the Minya governorate, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) south of Cairo.

The ministry said there were between eight and 10 attackers dressed in military uniforms, according to witnesses. At the moment, no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. 

Egypt has been fighting Islamic State group-linked militants who have waged an insurgency, mainly focused in the volatile north of the Sinai Peninsula. Coptic Christians have faced persecution and discrimination in Egypt, which has spiked since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011. 

Dozens have been killed in sectarian violence. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population of 91 million. They base their theology on the teachings of the apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt.

Egyptian archaeologists discover 8 mummies in 3,500-year-old tomb near ancient city of Luxor [Photos]

Egyptian archaeologists have made a surprising discovery, having found eight mummies in a tomb near the ancient southern city of Luxor. The tomb believed to be 3,500-years-old also contained colourful wooden coffins and over 1,000 funerary statues.

The tomb, discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, dated roughly from 1,500 to 1,000 B.C and is believed to have belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge, the Antiquities Ministry said in a statement. The death vault has not been fully excavated yet but so far, a lot of discoveries have been made. The mysterious tomb was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, to protect them during a period when tomb-robbing was common. Ushabti figurines were often placed with the deceased in ancient Egyptian tombs to help with responsibilities in the afterlife. Hundreds of these figurines were also discovered in the tomb.

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany said: "It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside. We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them.  This is an important discovery."

Head of the archaeological mission, Mostafa el-Waziri, said: "There are 10 coffins and eight mummies. The excavation is ongoing."

The tomb is T-shaped and comprised an open courtyard leading to two halls, one containing four ancient coffins and the other including a chamber that houses six. Journalists and Egyptian archaeological teams thronged the tomb to see the newly discovered artefacts. Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the coffins. They were covered with intricate drawings in red, blue, black, green, and yellow, and featured the carved faces of the dead.

A mummy wrapped in linen which was inside one of the coffins was also examined by the archaeologists. A nine-metre shaft inside the tomb held the Ushabti figurines, as well as “wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid,” the Antiquities Ministry said in a statement. Another room in the tomb was also discovered but it has not yet been completely excavated. Nevine el-Aref, the spokeswoman for the antiquities ministry, said there is evidence and traces that new mummies could be discovered in the future.

 

 

 

Egypt announces 3months State Of Emergency following church bombings

Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has announced a three-month state of emergency following the bomb explosion that rocked two Coptic Christian churches, leaving at least 48 people dead Sunday.
'A series of steps will be taken, most importantly, the announcement of a state of emergency for three months after legal and constitution steps are taken,' Sisi said in a speech aired on state television. ' 

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Alexandria and Tanta, which killed the people who were celebrating Palm Sunday.

Giant statues of Egyptian Pharaoh found in mud pit [Photos]

Archaeologists have discovered two statues of Egyptian Pharaoh dating back more than 3,000 years in a Cairo muddy pit, Egypt's antiquities ministry announced on Thursday. According to the Ministry, the relics were found in Mattarya district, site of the ancient Pharaonic capital of Heliopolis and today a sprawl of working and middle-class districts in northeastern Cairo.

The statues are thought to represent Pharaohs from the 19th dynasty, which ruled from 1314 to 1200 BC. One statue stands eight meters (26 feet) tall and is carved out of quartzite, a tough stone composed mostly of quartz grains. It could not be identified from its engravings but it was found at the entrance to the temple of King Ramses II -- also known as Ramses the Great, suggesting it represents him.

The other relic is a limestone statue of 12th century BC ruler King Seti II. They were discovered by a joint German-Egyptian archaeological mission

Rio Olympics: Egyptian Female Beach volleyball team wear Hijab while playing against Germany

Pictures have emerged showing the cultural differences among some of the nations taking part in the Rio Olympics after the Egyptian women's beach volleyball team took to the sandy arena wearing long sleeves, leggings and Hijab which was a deep contrast to the outfit worn by the German team who stuck to the sport's traditional two-piece outfit for the clash on Sunday night.

Although the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) used to have standards regulating the size of uniforms, those were loosened heading into the London 2012 Olympics to allow full sleeves and leggings.

There are now 169 different countries involved in the Continental Cup qualifying process for the 2016 Olympic, compared to 143 for London after rules on clothing were relaxed and FIVB say the regulations were loosened to open up the sport culturally.

 

Bomb threat forces EgyptAir flight to make emergency landing today

 

An EgyptAir passenger plane on its way from Cairo to Beijing made an emergency landing in Uzbekistan today after receiving a anonymous call from someone alleging that a bomb was on board the aircraft. The Plane made a quick but safe landing and all 118 passengers, 17 crew members on flight MS955 were evacuated.
Security officers checked out the plane and found no explosives. it was revealed that it was a false bomb threat and the plane was allowed to resume its journey when fully cleared.
Source: ALJAZEERA