Egypt: New artifacts from time of Cleopatra exhibited
In mid-April, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo opened a temporary exhibit displaying newly discovered artifacts dating back to Cleopatra VII’s rule. Prior to the exhibit, the 300 artifacts had never been seen by the public. Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany was present for the opening, describing it as “unprecedented and distinguished.” Elham Salah, head of the Egyptian Museums Sector, described the artifacts — which included paintings, coins, and mummies encased in gold — as a means to understand day-to-day life near the end of the Ptolemaic period.
With files from Egypt’s State Information Service and Egypt Independent.
Tanzania: President Magufuli investigates construction spending at Mkwawa University
Tanzanian President John Magufuli has implicated a university faculty member with “unethical” spending on a construction project at Mkwawa University. Magufuli mentioned that, while the University of Dar es Salaam spent 10 billion Tanzanian shillings to build its dormitories, Mkwawa University spent 8 billion shillings only to build a hall, and he deemed the construction of the hall a misuse of government funds. Magufuli has ordered the investigation of a figure he named as “Prof Mushi,” going on to say, “I wonder why no action has been taken against the professor. They are also liable for punishment if [they] mismanage government funds.” Magufuli insisted that legal action will be pursued.
With files from The Citizen.
Mars: Nasa’s Mars InSight mission
On Saturday, May 5, NASA launched Mars InSight. The unprecedented mission will involve delving into and investigating Mars’ interior, gauging both its seismic activity and its magnetic field, as well as the use of small satellites in deep space. Catherine Johnson, a co-investigator on the team measuring seismic activity and a professor at UBC, called the mission exciting. “We’ve waited a long time to put a geophysical mission on Mars,” she said to CBC News. She went on to say, “We’d like to know something about where quakes happen and how big they are and how often, if we’re going to send astronauts to Mars in the future.”
With files from CBC News.
Hawaii: Volcanic eruption forces evacuation
After the recent eruption of the Kilauea volcano, nearby rural areas are facing sulphur gas, lava, and smoke. On Friday, May 4, over 1,700 residents of the surrounding area had to evacuate due to the dangers posed by the volcano. “We knew we were building on an active volcano,” said a resident of an evacuated street. Most people in the area did not believe that volcanic activity was a significant concern. The National Guard were activated to assist in evacuations and to prevent looting in abandoned areas. No one was hurt as an immediate result of the eruption; however, 26 homes have been destroyed at the time of this writing.
