Low turnout set to thwart moves to ease Italian citizenship rules
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Malay Mail
24-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Hatshepsut's hidden truth: Unravelling the real reasons behind the erasure of an iconic queen's reign
TORONTO, June 24 — She was one of ancient Egypt's most successful rulers, a rare female pharaoh who preceded Cleopatra by 1,500 years, but Queen Hatshepsut's legacy was systematically erased by her stepson successor after her death. The question of why her impressive reign was so methodically scrubbed has attracted significant debate, but in new research published Monday, University of Toronto scholar Jun Wong argues far too much emphasis has been placed on her gender. 'It's quite a romantic question: why was this pharaoh attacked after her death?' Wong told AFP, explaining his interest in a monarch who steered ancient Egypt through a period of extraordinary prosperity. Earlier scholars believed Queen Hatshepsut's stepson Thutmose III unleashed a posthumous campaign of defilement against her out of revenge and hatred, including because he wanted to purge any notion that a woman could successfully rule. 'The way in which (Hatshepsut's) reign has been understood has always been colored by her gender,' Wong said, referencing beliefs that Thutmose III may have viewed her as 'a kind of an evil stepmother.' His research, which builds on other recent scholarship and is being published in the journal Antiquity, argues Thutmose III's motivations were far more nuanced, casting further doubt on the theory of backlash against a woman in charge. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt roughly 3,500 years ago, taking over following the death of her husband Thutmose II. She first served as regent to her stepson, the king-in-waiting, but successfully consolidated power in her own right, establishing herself as a female pharaoh. Experts say she expanded trade routes and commissioned extraordinary structures, including an unparallelled mortuary in the Valley of the Kings on the Nile's west bank. Wong reassessed a range of material from damaged statues uncovered during excavations from 1922 to 1928. He said there is no doubt Thutmose III worked to eliminate evidence of Hatshepsut's achievements, but his efforts were 'perhaps driven by ritual necessity rather than outright antipathy,' Wong said. Thutmose III may have been trying to neutralize the power of his predecessor in a practical and common way, not out of malice. He also found that some of the statues depicting Hatshepsut were likely damaged because later generations wanted to reuse them as building materials. 'For a long time, it has been assumed that Hatshepsut's statuary sustained a vindictive attack,' Wong said, arguing that a fresh look at the archives suggests 'this is not the case.' — AFP
Malay Mail
24-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Inside the cockpit of the B-2 stealth bomber: 40-hour missions, turkey sandwiches and blind refueling at 50,000 feet
WASHINGTON, June 24 — Before strapping into the cockpit of the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber for missions that can stretch beyond 40 hours, pilots undergo weeks of preparation that focuses not only on flight plans, but what to eat. The B-2, a $2 billion flying wing built by Northrop Grumman , played a key role in delivering strikes on Iran's nuclear sites on Saturday. It demands extraordinary endurance from its two-person crew. That starts with understanding how nutrition affects alertness and digestion during intercontinental flights that can span nearly two full days. 'We go through sleep studies, we actually go through nutritional education to be able to teach each one of us: one, what wakes us up and then what helps us go to sleep,' said retired Lt. Gen. Steve Basham, who flew the B-2 for nine years and retired in 2024 as deputy commander of US European Command. Pilots are trained to be cognizant of foods and how they slow or speed digestion - critical in an aircraft with a single chemical toilet. Basham's go-to meal: turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, no cheese. 'As bland as you possibly can,' he said. With a 172-foot (52.4 m) wingspan and stealth profile, the B-2 can fly 6,000 nautical miles without refueling, but most missions require multiple mid-air refuelings. That process becomes increasingly difficult as fatigue sets in. Refueling is done blind - pilots can't see the boom extending from a tanker full of gas attaching to the B-2 16 feet behind their heads. Instead, they rely on visual cues from the tanker's lights and memorized reference points. At night, especially on moonless flights, the task becomes what Basham called 'inherently dangerous.' 'Adrenaline kept you going before you went into country,' he said. 'The adrenaline goes away. You try to get a little bit of rest and you still got that one last refueling.' File photo: US Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam January 11, 2018. — Reuters pic The B-2's cockpit includes a small area behind the seats, where pilots can lie down on a cot. Sunflower seeds help some stay alert between meals. Despite its cutting-edge design - features that make it stealthy reduce infrared, radar and acoustic signatures - the B-2's success hinges on human performance. The aircraft's two-person crew replaces the larger teams required for older bombers like the B-1B and B-52, placing more responsibility on each member of the flight crew. The B-2's fly-by-wire system, which relies entirely on computer inputs, has evolved since its 1989 debut. Early software lagged behind pilot commands, complicating refueling, Basham said. Updates have improved responsiveness, but the challenge of flying in tight formation at high altitude remains. During Operation Allied Force in 1999, B-2s flew 31-hour round trips from Missouri to Kosovo, striking 33% of targets in the first eight weeks, according to the Air Force. In Iraq, the aircraft dropped more than 1.5 million pounds of munitions across 49 sorties. The Air Force plans to replace the B-2 and B-1 fleets with at least 100 B-21 Raiders over the coming decades. The B-2 costs about $65,000 per hour to operate, compared to $60,000 for the B-1, Pentagon data shows. 'Our pilots make it look easy, but it's far from easy,' Basham said. The B-2's complicated missions can't be done 'without a massive, massive array of planners on the ground throughout the world and maintainers that make sure you've always got a good aircraft.' — Reuters
The Sun
15-06-2025
- The Sun
USM Students Empower Penang Homeless in Community Outreach
GEORGE TOWN: A recent community outreach initiative by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students has shone a light on the power of community empowerment, while fostering unity and practical life skills among residents of Penang Homeless Transit Centre (PTGPP). In a statement, USM said a total of 71 second-year students from its School of Communication took part in the programme, Comm@Love In Transit (Comm@L.I.T.), organised in collaboration with PTGPP and supported by Service-Learning Malaysia–University for Society USM (SULAM-USM). Held yesterday, the initiative aimed to uplift PTGPP residents through a series of vibrant, interactive activities, including an explore race, gotong-royong (communal clean-up), an oral health awareness talk, and a community celebration. 'Each activity was designed to promote sustainability, improve mental and emotional well-being, and foster a sense of belonging and connection among participants. 'These efforts also aligned with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production),' the statement read. State Social Development and Welfare Committee chairman, Lim Siew Khim, who attended the event, praised the programme's transformative impact in strengthening community cohesion and promoting collaboration between institutions. 'The residents' growing confidence and motivation to reintegrate into society is a remarkable achievement. It proves that coordinated efforts between institutions and communities can bring about meaningful and lasting change,' she said.
