Archaeologists have found a unique weapons chest in a sunken 15th-century ship off the coast of Sweden, Britian’s The Independent newspaper reported.

They assessed the remains of the Danish flagship Gribshunden, or Griffin, which caught fire during its voyage to Kalmar in 1495 and sank in the Blekinge archipelago with a hundred German mercenaries onboard, said the report.

While underwater analysis of the ship has been carried out since 2013, much of the weaponry linked to its soldiers has escaped detailed examination.

A new survey has enabled archaeologists to reconstruct and analyze the ship’s superstructure, offering more insights about what the vessel looked like and its military capability. It has also helped identify and document two cannon carriages and a weapons chest onboard the ship.

“It’s an ammunition tool chest, probably belonging to the German mercenaries who were on board at the time of the sinking,” Rolf Warming, who was involved in the survey, said.

“The contents of the weapon chest are undeniably one of the most important finds,” he added. “It contains, among other things, several different molds and lead plates for the manufacture of lead bullets for early handguns.”

Researchers believe studying the ship will help understand the evolution of military technology during an era when primary tactics shifted from hand-to-hand combat to heavy naval artillery fire.

“The ship will therefore also be compared with other important and uniquely preserved wrecks – such as Mars (1564) and Vasa (1628) – in order to understand this development,” The Independent quoted Warming as saying.

Researchers previously found armor fragments scattered at the wreck site, likely from the apparel of crew members.

They are known as one of archaeology’s great enigmas – hollow 12-sided objects from the Roman era with no known purpose or use.

Only 33 of these mysterious dodecahedrons have ever been found in Britain and now one, unearthed during an amateur archaeology dig after 1,700 years underground, is going on public display in Lincoln as part of a history festival.

Found in Norton Disney, near Lincoln, in the summer of 2023, the artefact is one of the largest of its kind ever found, measuring 8cm tall and weighing 254g.

Its excavation was particularly important as it was found where it was placed 1,700 years ago, meaning the site could hold clues as to its purpose. Only three other examples of dodecahedra have been found on archaeological excavations.

Richard Parker, the secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group, which found the item, said historians were no closer to finding out what these objects were despite extensive research.

“The imagination races when thinking about what the Romans may have used it for. Magic, rituals or religion – we perhaps may never know,” he told the BBC.

There are no known descriptions or drawings of dodecahedra in Roman literature, making their purpose unclear.

The Norton Disney group said the objects were not of a standard size so were not measuring devices, and they did not show signs of wear so they were not used as tools.

It added that “a huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes”.

The Norton Disney dodecahedron, made of a copper alloy, is the only example found in the Midlands. It is in excellent condition, with no damage, and finished to a high standard.

Parker said it was found on the top of a hill in a former large pit of some kind and seemed to be deliberately placed there.

The amateur archaeologists who uncovered the object plan to return to the site this summer to try to uncover more clues as to why it was there.

The group was able to only partly excavate the trench where it was found in 2023, along with some fourth-century Roman pottery, owing to time and financial constraints, with the dodecahedron found on the penultimate day of the dig.

They have secured permission to return in 2024 and resume excavation, relying entirely on donations to fund their work.

The Norton Disney dodecahedron has been on display in the National Civil War Centre at Newark Museum in Nottinghamshire, and from Saturday it will be at Lincoln Museum as part of the city’s Festival of History.

The Philippines has closed schools down and warned of overloading on its power grid, as authorities across Southeast Asia issued a series of health alerts for a crushing and deadly heat wave, Reuters reported.
The Philippines' country's education ministry cancelled in-person classes at public schools for two days on Sunday.
"We already have reports of high blood pressure and dizziness, and fainting for pupils and teachers in the past days," Benjo Basas, chairperson of Teachers' Dignity Coalition, a group of educators, told DWPM radio station.
Temperatures in the Philippines are forecast to reach 37 degree Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the next three days, with many classrooms crowded and without air conditioning.
The country's weather agency said the heat index - the actual temperature felt by the body to include relative humidity - is expected to remain at a record 45 degrees Celsius (113° Fahrenheit), in the range which it classes as "dangerous" as conditions can trigger heat stroke from prolonged exposure.
The heat wave is also putting pressure on power supplies on the main island of Luzon, which accounts for three-quarters of economic output, with reserves thinning after 13 power plants had shut down earlier this month, the Philippines' grid operator said in a statement.
In Thailand, temperatures are forecast to surpass 40 degrees in Bangkok and the country's central and northern regions with the meteorological agency advising people to avoid being outdoors for extended periods.
Temperatures soared to 44.2 degrees Celsius in the northern city of Lampang on April 22, with the meteorological department saying on Monday it expects the extreme heat will continue this week.
In the past month, 30 people have died from heat stroke, data from Thailand's health ministry showed.
DEHDRATION, HEAT SHOCK
People are seeking respite from the heat in air-conditioned shopping malls in Vietnam's business hub Ho Chi Minh City, state media reported, with the country's national weather agency warning of risks of forest fires, dehydration, and heat shock.
Maximum temperatures measured in several parts of northern and central Vietnam ranged from 40.2 and 44.0 degree Celsius the agency said on Sunday, adding that temperatures won't subside until Wednesday.
Vietnam's state electricity company has also urged consumers to refrain from overworking their air conditioning units, warning that electricity consumption has reached record highs in the recent days.
Malaysia meteorological department issued hot weather warnings on Sunday for 16 areas that have recorded temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees (95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit) for three consecutive days.
A total of 45 cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in the country as of April 13, the health ministry said, without specifying when it began tracking the cases. Two deaths due to heat stroke have been reported, the ministry said in a statement.
In the neighboring city state of Singapore, the meteorological service said the country's temperatures could soar higher in 2024 than last year, which was Singapore's fourth-warmest year since records began in 1929.
Singapore's hottest day recorded was May 13 last year when the highest daily maximum temperature hit 37 degrees Celsius, Reuters said.
Since last month some schools have relaxed rules on uniforms to allow students to wear more comfortable physical education attire amid the persistent heat.
Meanwhile, warmer temperatures in Southeast Asia's most populated nation of Indonesia are driving a surge in cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne infection, with cases more than doubling to 35,000 from 15,000 a year earlier, the health ministry has said.
The El Nino weather pattern has prolonged the dry season and hotter temperatures have accelerated the mosquito lifecycle, Indonesian health ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi told state news agency, Antara.

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Development Authority has highlighted its groundbreaking environment-protection project at the World Economic Forum special meeting held in Riyadh on April 28-29.

The WEF meeting focused on boosting international collaboration, economic growth, and sustainable energy solutions.

The project shows Saudi Arabia's successful efforts toward environmental sustainability as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.

The Rafha-based reserve's project is the largest of its kind for environment monitoring and protection. Using 40 drones, the project significantly improved efficiency in detecting violations like firewood collection and overgrazing. Rangers can now cover a 427 km² area in less than five hours, a 220% improvement compared to the previous 13 hours.

The project also promotes sustainability by reducing reliance on fuel-guzzling vehicles. Two drone models showcased at the WEF meeting contribute to an over 66% reduction in carbon emissions.

The project trained over 100 environment monitors, logging more than 8,000 training hours. The training is a crucial part of the reserve's technical system, which incorporates Internet of Things, AI, and data science.

A pair of giant pandas will soon make the journey from China to the US, where they will be cared for at the San Diego Zoo as part of an ongoing conservation partnership between the two nations, officials said Monday.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said its caretakers recently visited China to meet the giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, ahead of their planned trip to Southern California. An exact date for the handoff hasn't been set.
Yun Chuan, a mild-mannered male who's nearly 5 years old, has “deep connections” to California, the wildlife alliance said. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao, The Associated Press reported.
Xin Bao is a nearly 4-year-old female described as “a gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears.”
“Our conservation partners in China shared photographs and personality traits of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, but meeting them in person was so special," said Dr. Megan Owen, the alliance's vice president of conservation science. “It’s inspiring as people from around the world come together to conserve, protect, and care for these special bears, and we can’t wait to welcome them to San Diego.”
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has a nearly 30-year partnership with leading conservation institutions in China focused on protecting and recovering giant pandas and the bamboo forests they depend on.

Prince Harry will return to Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games in May, before joining his wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria, his spokesperson said on Sunday.
Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020.
He has only returned to Britain on a few occasions since his departure from royal life, arriving for major events such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 and his father's coronation in May 2023.
According to Reuters, his spokesperson said Harry would attend a service at St Paul's Cathedral in London on May 8 to celebrate the Invictus Games, the international sporting event that he founded for military personnel wounded in action.
Harry served as a military helicopter pilot in Afghanistan and Invictus organizers said the service was designed to mark "a decade of changing lives and saving lives through sport.”
It will include readings by Harry and the British actor Damian Lewis. Wounded veterans and members of the Invictus community will also attend.
Harry will then be joined in Nigeria by Meghan, a former American actress who is known as the Duchess of Sussex. Harry's spokesperson said the couple had been invited by the country's chief of defense staff, its highest ranking military official.
No further details were given about the trip.
Harry was last seen in Britain in February this year for a brief meeting with his father after the monarch announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
The palace said on Friday that Charles would return to public duties after he made good progress following treatment and a period of recuperation.

China will send a robotic spacecraft in coming days on a round trip to the moon's far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole, Reuters reported.
Since the first Chang'e mission in 2007, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, China has made leaps forward in its lunar exploration, narrowing the technological chasm with the United States and Russia.
In 2020, China brought back samples from the moon's near side in the first sample retrieval in more than four decades, confirming for the first time it could safely return an uncrewed spacecraft to Earth from the lunar surface.
This week, China is expected to launch Chang'e-6 using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission, and collect soil and rocks from the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth.
With no direct line of sight with the Earth, Chang'e-6 must rely on a recently deployed relay satellite orbiting the moon during its 53-day mission, including a never-before attempted ascent from the moon's "hidden" side on its return journey home.
The same relay satellite will support the uncrewed Chang'e-7 and 8 missions in 2026 and 2028, respectively, when China starts to explore the south pole for water and build a rudimentary outpost with Russia. China aims to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Beijing's polar plans have worried NASA, whose administrator, Bill Nelson, has repeatedly warned that China would claim any water resources as its own. Beijing says it remains committed to cooperation with all nations on building a "shared" future.
On Chang'e-6, China will carry payloads from France, Italy, Sweden and Pakistan, and on Chang'e-7, payloads from Russia, Switzerland and Thailand.
NASA is banned by US law from any collaboration, direct or indirect, with China.
Under the separate NASA-led Artemis program, US astronauts will land near the south pole in 2026, the first humans on the moon since 1972.
"International cooperation is key (to lunar exploration)," Clive Neal, professor of planetary geology at the University of Notre Dame, told Reuters. "It's just that China and the US aren't cooperating right now. I hope that will happen."

SOUTH POLE AMBITIONS
Chang'e 6 will attempt to land on the northeastern side of the vast South Pole-Aitkin Basin, the oldest known impact crater in the solar system.
The southernmost landing ever was carried out in February by IM-1, a joint mission between NASA and the Texas-based private firm Intuitive Machines.
After touchdown at Malapert A, a site near the south pole that was believed to be relatively flat, the spacecraft tilted sharply to one side amid a host of technical problems, reflecting the high-risk nature of lunar landings.
According to Reuters, the south pole has been described by scientists as the "golden belt" for lunar exploration.
Polar ice could sustain long-term research bases without relying on expensive resources transported from Earth. India's Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008 confirmed the existence of ice inside polar craters.
Chang'e-6's sample return could also shed more light on the early evolution of the moon and the inner solar system.
The lack of volcanic activity on the moon's far side means there are more craters not covered by ancient lava flows, preserving materials from the moon's early formation.
So far, all lunar samples taken by the United States and the former Soviet Union in the 1970s and China in 2020 were from the moon's near side, where volcanism had been far more active.
Chang'e-6, after a successful landing, will collect about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples with a mechanical scoop and a drill.
"If successful, China's Chang'e-6 mission would be a milestone-making event," Leonard David, author of "Moon Rush: The New Space Race,” told Reuters. "The robotic reach to the Moon's far side, and bringing specimens back to Earth, helps fill in the blanks about the still-murky origin of our Moon."

Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced on Sunday campaigns to combat desertification, restore ecosystems, and strengthen drought resilience.

These efforts are ahead of global WED celebrations on June 5 in Riyadh. The announcement was made at the opening of Environment Week 2024 in Riyadh. The campaign will run up to its celebration date.

The inauguration of Environment Week 2024 was announced by Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman Alfadley. Environment Week is an annual event that aims to raise environmental consciousness among individuals and is organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

During the event, Deputy Minister for Environment Dr. Osama Faqeeha emphasized the shared responsibility in addressing land degradation and combating desertification. The responsibility extends to policymakers, the private sector, and civil society organizations globally, working together to restore agricultural areas, rehabilitate land, and tackle desertification and drought.

Dr. Faqeeha noted that during World Environment Day, Saudi Arabia will shed light on the urgent need for global investments in conserving nature, restoring lands, and striving towards sustainability.

He highlighted the importance of uniting national and international efforts to safeguard and rehabilitate ecosystems across the globe, aiming to fulfill sustainable development objectives.

“Without action, 95% of land on earth could be degraded within the next 30 years, which could spell disaster for humanity and the planet,” said Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, during the launch of the global campaign.

“We have seen how previous campaigns have catalyzed climate action across the globe. This year, we are calling on people - from the grassroots to governments – to help tackle the climate and extinction crisis we face by restoring the ground we depend on for survival,” she added.

Countries worldwide have committed to restoring one billion hectares of land, aiming to protect 30% of land and sea for nature and restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems. Supporting the 2030 Agenda for a sustainable, resilient world, World Environment Day 2024 will boost climate action efforts by gathering support for ecosystem restoration.

Famed for its blue seas, breathtaking views and cove-studded coastline, the Mediterranean island of Capri has been a tourist haven since the early years of the Roman empire.

Unlike in the imperial heyday, when emperors made it their exclusive playground, Capri now attracts visitors from around the world, clogging its narrow alleys, packing the piazzas and blocking the beaches during the hot summer months.

As many as 16,000 tourists a day pour onto the rocky isle in peak season, outnumbering the 12,900 residents. Most are day trippers, but increasing numbers stay the night as ever more homes are given over to holiday lets, bringing its own problems.

"Capri is becoming a dormitory for tourists," said Teodorico Boniello, head of the local consumers' association. "There are more people coming than we can cope with and families can't set down roots because they can't afford to stay."

Capri is a microcosm of many European holiday hotspots. Locals depend on visitors for their livelihoods, but the advent of mass tourism risks turning their picture-perfect beauty spots into blobs of shuffling humanity.

Some Italian towns and islands are starting to push back, albeit gently.

Venice last week became the first city in the world to introduce an entrance fee for visitors in peak periods, Florence has banned new holiday lets in the city center and the Cinque Terre park on the Italian Riviera started charging 15 euros for access to a popular coastal footpath to tackle overcrowding.

Capri has doubled its own visitors' fee from 2.5 euros to 5 euros, which outsiders pay when they catch a ferry from nearby Naples or Sorrento from April through to October.

"We are looking to persuade more people to visit during winter," Capri Mayor Marino Lembo told Reuters, sitting in his office with the smog of Naples hanging far in the distance.

But such a fee looks unlikely to dissuade tourists from travelling to an island which has more than four million tagged photos on Instagram, drawing in an endless flow of visitors eager to add the same views to their social media pages.

Moreover, locals say it will do nothing to help ease the housing crisis, which forces many essential workers, including teachers and medics, to live on the mainland.

EARLY STARTS

Antonio De Chiara, 22, wakes up every morning at 5:20 a.m. in his hometown near Naples in order to be sure to catch the 7:00 a.m. ferry, which takes 50 minutes to reach Capri. Around 400 other commuters join him on the ride across the bay.

Barely out of Naples, those on a tight schedule start queuing in the aisles to ensure they are first off the boat to grab a seat on one of a handful of small buses that head up the hill to town. Stragglers risk a lengthy wait.

"It would be lovely to live in Capri, but it is very difficult. Even if I could find a place, the rent would take up all my salary," said De Chiara, who recently got a job as a child therapist on the island.

Stefano Busiello, 54, teaches maths in a Capri high school but lives in Naples and has commuted back and forth for 20 years. "I have never even tried to find a house here. I could never afford one and things are getting harder."

Only 20% of staff in his school actually live on Capri, he said, with everyone else arriving on the ferries -- a daily grind that means most of his colleagues stay no more than two or three years before seeking a transfer to mainland schools.

Roberto Faravelli, who runs a Bed and Breakfast near the port, says people like himself might be willing to rent their properties to workers if the region offered incentives to close the gap on lucrative holiday lets.

"The government needs to encourage homeowners to offer long-term rents. What we lack is anyone trying to resolve these problems," he said.

But mayor Lembo did not expect the authorities to intervene. "It is unfortunate, but this is the market economy at work."

POST-COVID SURGE

Vacation rental platform Airbnb lists more than 500 properties on Capri against around 110 in 2016. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with local families renting out their properties during the summer months on unregulated portals.

"This short-term rental market is chaotic. There are no controls," said Lembo.

Despite obvious resentment over the lack of viable housing, Capri has not yet witnessed the sort of protests seen elsewhere -- such as Spain's Canary Islands, where thousands took to the streets this month to demand limits on tourist arrivals.

The end of the COVID pandemic has seen tourism surge across Europe as global travelers seek to make up for lost time.

Italy had near record overnight stays in 2023, according to data collated by the Florence center of tourism studies, and was the 5th most visited country in the world in 2023, with tourists drawn to its quaint villages and culture-rich cities.

But none were built for mass travel.

In the morning during high season, a fleet of ferries disgorge up to 5,000 visitors into Capri's tiny port in just two hours. Everyone wants to head up to the town of Capri and the smaller Anacapri, but the buses can only carry 30 people at a time and the funicular 50.

"You can easily wait two or even three hours to get up the hill in summer. The quays get packed. No one can move," said Boniello, flicking through videos on his phone of people crammed one against the other.

Lembo acknowledges the problems, but denies tourism is ruining an island his ancestors have lived on for centuries. "I don't agree with nostalgics who say Capri was more beautiful 100 years ago. There was misery and poverty back then. Now there is wealth, and that is thanks to tourism."

Millions of students returned to their reopened schools across Bangladesh Sunday despite a lingering heatwave that prompted a nationwide classroom shutdown order last weekend.

Average maximum temperatures in the capital Dhaka over the past week have been 4-5 degrees Celsius (7.2-9 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 30-year average for the same period, with several more days of hot weather forecast.

Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.

Classes resumed with anxious relatives accompanying their children to school gates for the start of classes in Bangladesh, which follows the Sunday-Thursday Islamic work week.

"I went to the school with my 13-year-old daughter. She was happy her school was open. But I was tense," said Lucky Begum whose daughter is enrolled at a state-run school in Dhaka.

"The heat is too much," she told AFP. "She already got heat rashes from sweating. I hope she does not get sick."

Around 32 million students were kept at home by the school shutdown, Save the Children said in a statement this week.

A directive from education authorities announcing the resumption of classes said preschools would remain shut, while primary school hours would be shortened.

Bangladesh's weather bureau said Sunday the heatwave would continue for at least the next three days.

Forecaster Kazi Jebunnesa said rain would likely bring some relief after Thursday.

Another weather bureau meteorologist, Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, told AFP Bangladesh had not seen such an intense heatwave since records began in 1948.

"It is a record as far as the duration and the coverage area in the country are concerned," he said, adding that the searing temperatures were affecting about three-quarters of the country.

Mallik said climate change and man-made causes including rapid urbanization, forest clearance, shrinking water bodies and increased usage of air conditioning were to blame.

"The trouble is, we will see more such severe heatwaves in the future," he said.