A miraculous tale of human ingenuity and bravery lies behind an exhibition of treasures from Afghanistan that opens at the British Museum this week.
In 17 a long time of war after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal, and five a long time of Taliban rule, the majority of the Afghan countrywide museum's riches were looted and a few were deliberately destroyed.
However the most valuable items survived, in a very vault deep beneath the presidential palace, thanks to five males - amongst them museum director Omar Khan Massoudi.
"He held his nerve through the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan and shown tremendous courage in not submitting to their demands and threats to reveal its area," says British Afghan expert and member of parliament Rory Stewart.
"It was an act of extraordinary courage and he performed a fantastic company to his region."
The Kabul countrywide museum is found a couple of kilometres south from the cash, in a location that repeatedly altered palms as mujahideen militias vied for affect from the early 1990s.
Each time it absolutely was used, the museum was looted again. With the approximated a hundred,000 object on display in 1979, some 70% had gone through the mid-1990s.
A rocket destroyed a 4th Century wall painting in 1993. Priceless goods, some looted to purchase, altered palms about the international artwork market place. Other people were buried in rubble or burned as firewood.
However the legendary Bactrian gold - which specialists feared had been stolen and melted down - had the truth is been packed up, together with numerous key objects from the assortment, and moved to a Central Financial institution vault from the Presidential Palace in 1989.
Mr Massoudi was one of five males who had keys for the vault. All five keys were needed to open it - and each and every from the males risked their lives to not hand them above for the militants.
The holders from the keys held their areas top secret - if a key holder died, it absolutely was agreed, the main element would be passed on for the keeper's eldest kid.
In that way, the priceless artefacts were preserved.
"Mr Massoudi and his employees are without doubt unsung heroes," says exhibition task curator Constance Wyndham.
"Without his initiative its very not likely this great assortment would be around nowadays."
Ms Wyndham says the Soviet-backed President Mohammad Najibullah, whose government fell in 1992, also played a position, even though it remains unclear precisely how closely he was involved.
"All that we do know is the choice was produced by a committee and President Najibullah ordered the objects to be moved for the presidential palace," she stated.
Right after the ingenuity from the rescue arrived the bravery that was required to maintain the hoard risk-free.
Mr Massoudi and his employees have from the intervening a long time remained modest - and relatively reticent - about their achievement.
But his feedback from the museum's guidebook give some idea from the hazards of keeping the treasure risk-free from "terror, violence, civil war and the Taliban".
Despite being subjected to several threats through the Taliban - usually at gunpoint - people who knew from the top secret area gave nothing at all absent.
It absolutely was not until eventually 2003 that the shop of 22,000 gold and glass objects were uncovered.
"Today together with the grace of Allah Almighty, we've succeeded in seeing the central treasure of Afghanistan," President Hamid Karzai declared.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Saturday, 15 January 2011
US President Barack Obama has stated he'll ease polices on US citizens going to Cuba.
The president stated he had instructed the pertinent federal government departments to allow religious groups and college students to travel to the communist-run island.
President Obama stated he believed the brand new, much more relaxed, guidelines which also ensure it is less complicated to send remittances to Cuba will help civil society there.
The changes won't finish the decades-old US trade embargo.
The guidelines will be modified to, among other things:
* Enable religious organisation to sponsor religious travel to Cuba underneath a basic licence
* Enable accredited institutions of higher schooling to sponsor travel to Cuba
* Enable any US person to send remittances (as much as $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to help personal economic activity
* Enable remittances to be sent to religious institutions in Cuba in help of religious pursuits
* Enable US airports to apply to supply companies to licensed charters
'Improved contact'
In a assertion, President Obama stated the changes had been aimed at developing "people-to-people" contacts through much more academic, cultural and religious exchanges.
The moves follows an easing of the trade embargo in April 2009, when the president ordered curbs on remittances and travel by Cuban-Americans going to home members around the island to be relaxed.
But Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen stated the changes would not support enhance the scenario in Cuba.
"They won't make the Castro regime present respect for human rights, and they undoubtedly will not support the Cuban men and women free on their own from your despotic tyranny which oppresses them," she stated. see also
The changes are anticipated to come into force in approximately 3 weeks.
President Obama stated he believed the brand new, much more relaxed, guidelines which also ensure it is less complicated to send remittances to Cuba will help civil society there.
The changes won't finish the decades-old US trade embargo.
The guidelines will be modified to, among other things:
* Enable religious organisation to sponsor religious travel to Cuba underneath a basic licence
* Enable accredited institutions of higher schooling to sponsor travel to Cuba
* Enable any US person to send remittances (as much as $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to help personal economic activity
* Enable remittances to be sent to religious institutions in Cuba in help of religious pursuits
* Enable US airports to apply to supply companies to licensed charters
'Improved contact'
In a assertion, President Obama stated the changes had been aimed at developing "people-to-people" contacts through much more academic, cultural and religious exchanges.
The moves follows an easing of the trade embargo in April 2009, when the president ordered curbs on remittances and travel by Cuban-Americans going to home members around the island to be relaxed.
But Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen stated the changes would not support enhance the scenario in Cuba.
"They won't make the Castro regime present respect for human rights, and they undoubtedly will not support the Cuban men and women free on their own from your despotic tyranny which oppresses them," she stated. see also
The changes are anticipated to come into force in approximately 3 weeks.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Room tourism jet operate carries on
The European venture to create a area jet for fare-paying passengers continues to be quite a lot alive, says EADS Astrium.
caffelipstic hnontambal
The airplane, which would make quick hops over the ambiance, was announced in 2007 after which virtually immediately place on maintain due to the worldwide downturn.
But Astrium, Europe's biggest area firm, says internal advancement work continues and it's going to spend a more 10m euros (£9m) on the notion in 2011.
"We keep the investment heading," stated Astrium CEO François Auque.
"We carry on to mature the notion, keeping the minimal team, in purchase that when we discover the pertinent partnership we're ready and have progressed sufficiently," he advised reporters on Wednesday with the company's rocket manufacturing facility at Les Mureaux just north of Paris.
The Astrium vehicle can be about the dimension of a business jet and would take off from a common runway, utilizing typical aircraft engines to climb to about 12km. It would then ignite a liquid oxygen-methane rocket to push the vehicle to about 100km.
At this altitude, the 5 passengers onboard could experience a couple of minutes of weightlessness ahead of strapping themselves back again within their seats for the return flight to your floor.
Astrium has carried out substantial work by now on the Romeo rocket engine that will energy the climb to area, and wind tunnel screening has proven the aerodynamic form.
What exactly is at present missing will be the investment of a companion that will move the venture from notion to manufacturing.
"As you recognize, we had discussions in the Gulf ahead of there was a modify in the economic circumstance. Now we have other discussions in other parts with the planet and I'm really optimistic," stated Mr Auque.
Far more innovative is British billionaire Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture. This will likely use an American rocket airplane formulated by California's Scaled Composites firm to deliver fare-paying passengers on sub-orbital trips.
Enterprise, as this rocket airplane is recognized, is by now created and conducting glide tests. It is expected Enterprise will fire its rocket motor and make demonstration flights over the ambiance later this yr.
Mr Auque was talking with the annual New Year press conference with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) group. Also to possessing the Astrium satellite and rocket worry, EADS also owns the airline manufacturer Airbus.
caffelipstic hnontambal
The airplane, which would make quick hops over the ambiance, was announced in 2007 after which virtually immediately place on maintain due to the worldwide downturn.
But Astrium, Europe's biggest area firm, says internal advancement work continues and it's going to spend a more 10m euros (£9m) on the notion in 2011.
"We keep the investment heading," stated Astrium CEO François Auque.
"We carry on to mature the notion, keeping the minimal team, in purchase that when we discover the pertinent partnership we're ready and have progressed sufficiently," he advised reporters on Wednesday with the company's rocket manufacturing facility at Les Mureaux just north of Paris.
The Astrium vehicle can be about the dimension of a business jet and would take off from a common runway, utilizing typical aircraft engines to climb to about 12km. It would then ignite a liquid oxygen-methane rocket to push the vehicle to about 100km.
At this altitude, the 5 passengers onboard could experience a couple of minutes of weightlessness ahead of strapping themselves back again within their seats for the return flight to your floor.
Astrium has carried out substantial work by now on the Romeo rocket engine that will energy the climb to area, and wind tunnel screening has proven the aerodynamic form.
What exactly is at present missing will be the investment of a companion that will move the venture from notion to manufacturing.
"As you recognize, we had discussions in the Gulf ahead of there was a modify in the economic circumstance. Now we have other discussions in other parts with the planet and I'm really optimistic," stated Mr Auque.
Far more innovative is British billionaire Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture. This will likely use an American rocket airplane formulated by California's Scaled Composites firm to deliver fare-paying passengers on sub-orbital trips.
Enterprise, as this rocket airplane is recognized, is by now created and conducting glide tests. It is expected Enterprise will fire its rocket motor and make demonstration flights over the ambiance later this yr.
Mr Auque was talking with the annual New Year press conference with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) group. Also to possessing the Astrium satellite and rocket worry, EADS also owns the airline manufacturer Airbus.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Arizona firing suspect arrested
US authorities have charged a 22-year-old man more than Saturday's Arizona shooting by which a congresswoman was seriously wounded and six folks died.
Federal prosecutors charged Jared Loughner with attempting to assassinate Gabrielle Giffords, 40, and killing two other government officials.
Mr Loughner, who's resulting from appear in court, could encounter the death penalty.
Ms Giffords is within a important situation right after becoming shot in the head at a public meeting in Tucson.
She had been holding an open-invitation meeting with constituents outdoors a supermarket when a man holding a gun approached and opened fire.
She was shot from close vary by the gunman, who then started shooting in to the crowd.
Amongst the dead have been a nine-year-old girl as well as a federal judge. A complete of 14 folks have been injured, in addition for the six who have been killed.
Local Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stated a woman tackled the gunman as he tried to reload, snatching a magazine of bullets.
Patricia Maisch, who was waiting to have her photograph taken with all the congresswoman, grabbed the bottom of your suspect's weapon to stop him from reloading.
He managed to reload with yet another magazine, but the gun malfunctioned and two males then restrained him.
"Somebody stated 'Get the magazine!' so I acquired the magazine, and I was ready to safe that," Ms Maisch stated. "That's what wanted to become carried out."
The sheriff stated they had prevented a considerably larger tragedy.
Police seeking Mr Loughner's Tucson property stated they had discovered an envelope with messages stating "I planned ahead", "my assassination", along with the title Giffords.
Up to now, Mr Loughner has become charged only with offences relating for the attack on government staff, which is the responsibility of federal prosecutors.
They charged him with two counts of first-degree murder for that killings of Federal Judge John Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, an aide of Ms Giffords.
He was also charged with tried assassination more than the shooting of Ms Giffords, and two counts of attempting to murder two other aides.
The justice department stated he would appear in court in Phoenix on Monday.
State authorities are anticipated to provide fees against him later for attacking non-government staff.
An unidentified man, whose picture was captured on the safety digital camera shortly earlier than the attack and who had been suspected of acting as an accomplice, was cleared on Sunday of any involvement in the attack, Mr Dupnik stated.
The man was a cab driver who walked in to the supermarket with Mr Loughner because he didn't have modify for any $20 note. The shooting occurred just right after the two exchanged cash, Mr Dupnik added.
Federal prosecutors charged Jared Loughner with attempting to assassinate Gabrielle Giffords, 40, and killing two other government officials.
Mr Loughner, who's resulting from appear in court, could encounter the death penalty.
Ms Giffords is within a important situation right after becoming shot in the head at a public meeting in Tucson.
She had been holding an open-invitation meeting with constituents outdoors a supermarket when a man holding a gun approached and opened fire.
She was shot from close vary by the gunman, who then started shooting in to the crowd.
Amongst the dead have been a nine-year-old girl as well as a federal judge. A complete of 14 folks have been injured, in addition for the six who have been killed.
Local Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stated a woman tackled the gunman as he tried to reload, snatching a magazine of bullets.
Patricia Maisch, who was waiting to have her photograph taken with all the congresswoman, grabbed the bottom of your suspect's weapon to stop him from reloading.
He managed to reload with yet another magazine, but the gun malfunctioned and two males then restrained him.
"Somebody stated 'Get the magazine!' so I acquired the magazine, and I was ready to safe that," Ms Maisch stated. "That's what wanted to become carried out."
The sheriff stated they had prevented a considerably larger tragedy.
Police seeking Mr Loughner's Tucson property stated they had discovered an envelope with messages stating "I planned ahead", "my assassination", along with the title Giffords.
Up to now, Mr Loughner has become charged only with offences relating for the attack on government staff, which is the responsibility of federal prosecutors.
They charged him with two counts of first-degree murder for that killings of Federal Judge John Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, an aide of Ms Giffords.
He was also charged with tried assassination more than the shooting of Ms Giffords, and two counts of attempting to murder two other aides.
The justice department stated he would appear in court in Phoenix on Monday.
State authorities are anticipated to provide fees against him later for attacking non-government staff.
An unidentified man, whose picture was captured on the safety digital camera shortly earlier than the attack and who had been suspected of acting as an accomplice, was cleared on Sunday of any involvement in the attack, Mr Dupnik stated.
The man was a cab driver who walked in to the supermarket with Mr Loughner because he didn't have modify for any $20 note. The shooting occurred just right after the two exchanged cash, Mr Dupnik added.