US President Barack Obama said he hoped for direct West Asia peace talks to start before the end of September, as he and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports of a rift.
The leaders sat close together in the Oval Office on Tuesday and staged a prolonged handshake for the cameras, seeking to put to rest a tense, closed-door encounter at the White House in March.
“I believe that Israeli PM Netanyahu wants peace. I think he’s willing to take risks for peace,” Mr Obama said, and strongly disputed a question which suggested he had distanced the US from Israel. “The fact of the matter is, is that I’ve trusted Netanyahu since I met him before I was elected President and have said so both publicly and privately.”
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Father-son tombs found in Egypt
Cairo : Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered two ancient tombs belonging to a father-son duo, believed to be some 4,300 years old. The tombs belong to a father and his son from the 6th Dynasty and were found west of the Step Pyramid in Sakkara district by an Egyptian team that has been excavating here since 1986, culture minister Farouk Hosni said.
“The first tomb, of the father, has a beautiful false door de-picting him sitting in front of the table of sacrifices, which means that he was holding important positions during that period,” secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawas said. He was carrying the titles of the Chief Clerk of the King and the supervisor of missions. PTI
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Parachutist survives 800-m fall
Moscow : A 19-year-old Russian girl parachutist had a miraculous escape when she survived a free fall of 800-metres after her parachute failed to open during a jump, according to a report.
Yulia Yevdokimenko from Nefteyugansk in Western Siberia fell into a swampy and shallow river just 50- centimetre-deep and she did not even faint during the fall or after it.
She suffered two compression spinal fractures, broke her rib and had many bruises. Yulia, a local champion in track and field, said: “Psychologically I was ready for an extreme landing in water or on trees, but with an open parachute!”
She faces a complicated surgery and would have to spend at least one month in hospital. —PTI