Satellite survey unearths lost Egyptian pyramids

A new satellite survey of Egypt has identified 17 lost pyramids and more than 1,000 un-excavated tombs.

The team from the University of Alabama analysed images from satellites orbiting the earth that have infrared cameras which can highlight different materials under the ground.

Satellite archaeologists were able to identify ancient Egyptian houses, temples and tombs made of mud-brick, which is much denser than the surrounding soil.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements have been revealed so far.

Preliminary excavations have already confirmed some of the findings, including the existence of two buried pyramids at Sakkara raising the possibility that it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.

Dr Sarah Parcak from the university's archaeological team told the BBC she was amazed at how much she and her team found.

"We were very intensely doing this research for over a year. I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the aha moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we'd found and I couldn't believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt," she said.

"It just shows us how easy it is to underestimate both the size and scale of past human settlements."

Dr Parcak told the BBC there may be more antiquities yet to be discovered.

"These are just the sites [close to] the surface," she said.

"There are many thousands of additional sites that the Nile has covered over with silt. This is just the beginning of this kind of work."

Dr Parcak said the new satellite technology will be a boon for archaeologists.

"It's an important tool to focus where we're excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger and that's what the satellites allow us to do," she said.

Damaged Joplin hospital almost the only building left standing in area

CNN: It probably was a typical Sunday night at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri -- patients watching television, perhaps, or eating their dinners.But the evening wound up as anything but typical, as the nine-story building took what officials said was a direct hit from a tornado. The twister turned a place where the injured typically would seek treatment and refuge into a scene of chaos and devastation.Windows were blown out, gurneys tossed up to five blocks away, and 183 patients and about 200 staffers were evacuated. X-rays from St. John's reportedly were found in driveways in Dade County, Missouri, about 70 miles away.

Three dead, 150 wounded in Nato raids: Libya

TRIPOLI: At least three people died and 150 were wounded as NATO warplanes hit the Libyan capital Tripoli early Tuesday, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters. 

"According to the information we have there are three dead and 150 wounded," he told journalists on a bus taking them to a hospital shortly after the strikes. 

Ibrahim said NATO had carried out "between 12 and 18 raids on a barracks of the people's guard", volunteer units who back up the army. Most of the victims were civilians living nearby, the spokesman added. (AFP)

Hilary Clinton says Pakistan has hard choices to make

LONDON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated that Pakistan has hard choices to make and the international community is ready to help her overcome challenges posed by the terrorists and militants.

She was speaking at a joint news conference with her British counterpart William Hague at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office following their talks on the eve of President Barack Obama’s State visit to the UK starting Tuesday.

Referring to the latest attack by the terrorists on the naval base in Karachi, the US Secretary of State said many terrorists on Pakistani soil had been killed and could not be done without the co-operation of Pakistani government. But, she added, there is more to be done. Clinton said both the United States and the United Kingdom seek to support Pakistani people for greater stability, economic prosperity and justice.

Lightning strikes a man twice

LONDON: A man jogging along a quiet road survived after being struck twice by lightning in the space of a minute.

A CCTV footage caught the incident on film on April 11, showing the bewildered man fall to the ground after being struck only to be struck a second time after getting back on his feet.

The footage has become something of an Internet sensation with viewers debating over its origins and authenticity.