10 of the most notorious pirates in history



Patrick Pester
Thu, January 26, 2023

Pirates stole ships, gold and other treasures on the high seas.

The world’s most notorious pirates terrorized the seven seas and amassed huge riches between the 16th and 19th centuries. Many of these ship plunderers remain famous to this day, but they were very different from the often-friendly pirates seen in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise.

Many of history's most famous pirates began as privateers — sailors-for-hire on private warships who had been given permission to attack their country's enemies at sea and harass commercial ships in designated zones. Some of these privateers also targeted ships from their own nation when the lure of gold was too great, and they struck out under their own flag to illegally raid merchant vessels.

Some pirates were so successful they became feared around the world and made millions of dollars by today's standards. Here are 10 of the most notorious pirates of all time.

1. Blackbeard

A painting of Blackbeard during his last battle in 1718 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.

A painting of Blackbeard during his last battle in 1718 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. (Image credit: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)

Blackbeard is possibly the most famous pirate in history, but his life is shrouded in mystery. Much of what we know about him and other pirates of his time comes from a 1724 book, published under the name Capt. Charles Johnson, called "A General History of the Pyrates." Charles Johnson is a pseudonym, and the book is often attributed to author Daniel Defoe, who wrote famous novels such as "Robinson Crusoe." Some of the book is backed up by government documents from the time, while scholars have proven other parts to be false, so it isn't an entirely reliable source.

The book says Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Thatch. He was born in Bristol, England and served as a privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 to 1714). In 1716, he turned to pirating in the Caribbean Sea and off the coasts of South Carolina and Virginia in his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. He earned during the Golden Age of Piracy (around 1650 to 1720) a fearsome reputation, which, according to historian and journalist Colin Woodard, Blackbeard used to his advantage. "He did his best to cultivate a terrifying image and reputation, which encouraged his foes to surrender without a fight," Woodard told All About History magazine.

"A General History of the Pyrates" claimed that Thatch's huge beard "came up to his eyes," and while in action, he carried "three brace of pistols, hanging in holsters like Bandoliers; and stuck lighted matches under his hat" to cloud himself in an ominous haze of smoke. Blackbeard was killed in November 1718 after his ship was ambushed by the British navy near Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, according to the National Park Service.

Related: Abandon ship! 18th-century pirate Blackbeard deliberately grounded his leaky boat

2. Ching Shih

The pirate Ching Shih

One of the most successful pirates in history was a woman named Ching Shih, sometimes called Cheng I Sao or Zheng Yi Sao. Born into poverty as Shih Yang in Guangzhou, China, in the late 18th century, Shih was a sex worker until she married a pirate named Ching I in 1801 and took the name Ching Shih, which meant "the wife of Ching," according to a case study by the University of Oxford's Global History of Capitalism project.

The pair consolidated control of the region's rival pirate gangs into a confederation, Dian Murray, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, wrote in a 1981 article in the journal Historical Reflections. Ching died in 1807, and Shih seized sole control of the pirate confederation. According to Murray, Shih secured control of the pirates through careful alliances and a strict code of laws. "The code was severe. Anyone caught giving commands on his own or disobeying those of a superior was immediately decapitated," Murray wrote.

At the height of her power, Shih, also called the "Pirate Queen," controlled a fleet of 1,200 ships crewed by about 70,000 pirates. Shih broke up the confederation in 1810 and negotiated a generous surrender deal with the Chinese government. Not only were the pirates pardoned for their crimes, but some were allowed to keep their vessels and joined the Chinese navy. Some even took positions in the government, Murray wrote.

Related: Famous women in history: 10 influential women from around the world

3. Sir Francis Drake

A portrait of Sir Francis Drake.

Sir Francis Drake was a noble to some and an outlaw pirate to others. Born in Devon, England, around 1540, Drake became the first person from England to circumnavigate the globe, according to the BBC — although this feat was not a planned exploration but rather a byproduct of his goal to raid Spanish ships in the Americas.

Drake's exploits were legitimate from an English perspective because the Spanish had claimed the entire New World territory and the English wanted in, but to the Spanish, Drake was a menacing pirate thief they nicknamed "El Draque," or “the Dragon,” Elaine Murphy, an associate professor of maritime and naval history at the University of Plymouth in England, wrote in an article on the university’s website. Drake brought back plenty of treasure from his circumnavigation and shared his riches with Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a leading naval commander who fought against the Spanish Armada, a huge fleet of Spanish ships that was part of a failed attempt to invade England and overthrow the queen in 1588.

Drake's legacy is further muddied by his involvement in slavery. He helped start the English slave trade in Africa by making multiple trips to Guinea and Sierra Leone with his cousin and naval commander Sir John Hawkins and enslaved up to 1,400 African people, according to Murphy. Drake died of dysentery off the coast of Panama in 1596.

Related: Colombia moves to salvage immense treasure from sunken Spanish galleon

4. Black Sam Bellamy

An illustration of Samuel Bellamy with the wreck of the Whydah from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, dated around 1888.

Samuel Bellamy lived to be only 28 years old, but he made a name for himself during his short life. Likely born in Devon at the end of the 17th century, Bellamy began working on the high seas at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession when he was 13 years old and later became a pirate captain, according to the New England Historical Society.

As a pirate, Bellamy captured 53 ships, including the Whydah Gally, a slave ship carrying a fortune in gold, silver and other goods. The Whydah Gally had left England in 1716 and took 312 enslaved people from the west coast of Africa to Jamaica. Bellamy captured the ship as it returned to England, by then emptied of slaves and filled with profits, according to the Field Museum in Chicago.

He was likely the highest-earning pirate of all time, Forbes reported in 2008. Forbes estimated that he captured booty worth about $120 million in 2008 dollars. Bellamy made the Whydah Gally his flagship in 1717, but he went down with it in a storm that same year.

His nickname was "Black Sam" Bellamy because he wore black wigs tied back with a black bow. Bellamy also styled himself as the "Robin Hood of the Sea" by stealing from the wealthy. According to the New England Historical Society, he ran his ship democratically, treated his crew members as equals and spared the lives of captives.

Related: Sunken 17th-century 'pirate ship' discovered, alongside gunpowder-packed grenades

5. Black Bart

An engraving of Captain Bartholomew Roberts, or Black Bart, on the coast of Guinea.

Bartholomew Roberts, nicknamed "Black Bart," was a tall, handsome and flamboyantly dressed 18th-century pirate from Wales. He initially worked on merchant ships but became a pirate and was soon elected captain of his own ship and crew, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich in London.

Roberts took upward of 400 ships during his lifetime, including in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. He often took slave ships and then demanded gold from their captains in exchange for their return. When one such captain refused, Roberts reportedly burned the ship with 80 enslaved people trapped on board, according to the World History Encyclopedia.

Black Bart's crimes came to an end in 1722 when he was killed by the British navy off the coast of Gabon in West Central Africa while his crew members were too drunk to defend the ship, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. A total of 52 members of his crew were then hanged following the largest pirate trial ever held, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Related: Why did pirates wear earrings?

6. Captain Kidd

A painting of Captain Kidd welcoming a woman onto his ship in New York Harbor by Jean Leone Gerome Ferris.

William Kidd, often known as Captain Kidd, is famous for walking the blurry line between privateer and pirate. Born in Scotland around 1645, Kidd was employed as a privateer by the British government in 1689 and was even commissioned to arrest pirates. However, he was ultimately hanged for murder and piracy himself, according to Britannica.

Kidd famously captured a merchant ship, the Quedagh Merchant, off the west coast of India in 1698. The ship was filled with gold, silver, valuable silks and satins, as well as other Indian merchandise. Learning he'd been branded a pirate, Kidd left the ship in the Caribbean in 1699, traveled to New York to clear his name and was captured. The wreckage of the Quedagh Merchant was discovered in 2007.

Historians disagree on whether Kidd was actually guilty of piracy. Nevertheless, he was executed in London in 1701. Authorities then hung his body in a metal cage in the River Thames for three high tides, supposedly to deter passing sailors from piracy, according to Thurrock Council, a local government authority in England.

Related: Buccaneer bones: Possible pirate skeleton found under Scotland schoolyard

7. Sir Henry Morgan

A colorized engraving of Sir Henry Morgan in the Caribbean.

Rum drinkers will be familiar with Sir Henry Morgan — his portrait appears on the front of "Captain Morgan" rum bottles. Morgan was born in Wales in around 1635 and went to the Caribbean as a laborer in 1655. Completing his contracted work in Barbados, Morgan sought his fortunes in Jamaica and quickly turned to piracy, according to the Dictionary of Welsh Biography (DWB).

Morgan married his cousin Elizabeth Morgan in 1665, who was also the daughter of the deputy-governor of Jamaica. From 1666, he commanded his own ship as a privateer. Morgan fought on land as well as at sea. He raided towns along the coasts of Mexico, Panama and Cuba, according to BBC Wales. His bounty included gold, silver and gems, and he also captured and sold enslaved people. Morgan appears to have been knighted by King Charles II of England in 1674, despite being a prisoner for his exploits just a few years earlier, according to the DWB. This demonstrates how quickly fortunes could change for pirates and privateers during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Morgan died of natural causes in 1688. At the time of his death, Morgan owned three plantations, and his estate in Jamaica had 131 enslaved people, including 33 boys, girls or children, according to the Legacies of British Slavery database at University College London.

Related: What happened to the lost Pirate Republic?

8. Anne Bonny

A colorized engraving of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Anne Bonny (or Bonney) was a female pirate who was as menacing as her male counterparts, if not more so. The daughter of a plantation owner, Bonny was born in Ireland in 1698 before moving to South Carolina, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. She left her life behind for the Caribbean in the early 1700s and hit the open ocean. Bonny started pirating disguised as a man on the ship of Calico Jack Rackham, a pardoned buccaneer

9. Mary Read

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Circa 1715, the pirate Mary Read.

Bonny wasn’t alone in her piracy: She had a partner, Mary Read, who was also part of Rackham’s crew. Read was born in London and also dressed as a man. She was working on another ship when it was captured by Rackham, and so she joined Rackham’s crew.

Bonny and Read became friends, pillaging together on the high seas. They wore jackets and long trousers, and fought with a machete in one hand and a pistol in the other. A victim of their piracy testified that they were very active on the ship and "wiling to do any thing," according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Rackham's ship and crew were captured off Jamaica in 1720 and put on trial, but Bonny and Read avoided the gallows because they were both pregnant. Read died in prison with a fever, while Bonny survived. Her father secured her release from prison and took her back to South Carolina, where she lived until age 84.

Related: Pirate attacks linked to destructive fishing

10. Charles Vane

An illustration of Charles Vane from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, dated around 1888.

Charles Vane is a mysterious figure in the Golden Age of Piracy. His date and place of birth are unknown, but historical accounts paint him as a bold and ruthless pirate. He's first recorded in the early 18th century, plundering Spaniards who were salvaging silver from the wreckage of a Spanish fleet in the Gulf of Florida, according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. From there, he's documented attacking various ships on the high seas.

Once, when he was cornered by the British navy, Vane set fire to his flagship vessel and sent it directly into the British fleet. The burning ship caused a sufficient distraction for Vane to escape and avoid capture, according to The National Archives in London, a U.K. government department. Vane’s crew eventually removed him from command of his pirate ships, and he was stranded on an uninhabited island in the Caribbean after a storm ruined his only remaining vessel. He was rescued but soon identified and hanged for his crimes in Jamaica in 1721.

Vane wasn't the richest pirate, but he still amassed the equivalent of $2.3 million by the end of his career, based on a 2008 estimation reported by Forbes..

Related: Sunken pirate ship from explorer Vasco da Gama's fleet discovered

Additional resources

Learn more about the real Caribbean pirates by reading Colin Woodard's "The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down" (Mariner Books, 2008). You can also listen to a short audio series about historical pirates called "The Truth About Pirates," by Royal Museums Greenwich, on SoundCloud. For more information on the discovery of Captain Kidd's ship, the Quedagh Merchant, check out the Indiana University website.

How did French aristocrat keep from losing her teeth? Secret revealed 400 years later

Irene Wright
Thu, January 26, 2023 at 12:50 PM MST·2 min read

Anne D’Alègre had a reputation, and not necessarily a good one.

Born in 1565, the French aristocrat had been widowed twice and lost a son in the midst of multiple religious wars when her teeth started to fall out.

The trait, caused by periodontal disease, was very unbecoming for the French elite, so she had to find a way to keep her teeth from slowly slipping out of her skull.

In a study from Archaeological Science: Reports, and Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, researchers found D’Alègre’s dentistry secret.

She used gold wire to keep her teeth in place, weaving it around individual teeth and through her smile.

D’Alègre had gold wiring twisted around and between her teeth to hold them in place after developing periodontal disease.

D’Alègre’s remains were found in 1988 in the northwest region of France, but it wasn’t until recently that they were able to be examined more closely.


The team used a “Cone Beam” scan, a program that takes X-rays and builds a three-dimensional image, giving scientists a holistic view of D’Alègre’s skull and dental work.

They found that not only had she used gold wire to tighten her teeth and hold them together, but she also had a rare artificial tooth made from the ivory of an elephant, a testament to her status.

However, the researchers said her teeth bling might have actually made her condition worse.

In order for the gold wire to be effective, it would have had to be regularly tightened, slowly destabilizing the teeth around it and causing a great deal of pain.

She may have thought the pain was worth it to maintain her position in the aristocracy, since her reputation was already on the rocks following the death of her second husband and a rumor that she may be marrying a third.

Anne D’Alègre was widowed twice and lost her son in a religious war before dying of disease at the age of 54.

The rumors were silenced when D’Alègre fell ill in 1619 and died at the age of 54. Her body was buried away from the other Protestants of the same social station, but her unique dental trick lives on 400 years later.

Black schoolchildren were falling behind after the Civil Rights Movement. 'Sesame Street' filled the gaps and changed public programming forever.

Isaiah Reynolds
Thu, January 26, 2023 


Black literacy and education achievement rates were below the national average during the 1960s.

To bolster Black schoolchildren's success, "Sesame Street" emerged to present diverse representation.

'Sesame Street' co-creator Lloyd Morrisett died on January 23, 2023 at the age of 93.

For decades, early childhood education was racially separated but glaringly unequal. While the 1950s and 60s were rife with extensive legal efforts for educational equality, classrooms were still producing a major gap in educational attainment— roughly 3/4ths of the Black American population did not have a high school diploma in 1965. Four years later, the Black illiteracy rate, although a stark drop from previous decades, was still 3.5 times higher than the national average.

Educators and academics recognized this gap was not going to be filled with traditional lesson plans. With televisions reaching nearly every household, there was a concerted effort to introduce a revolution in educational programming: "Sesame Street."

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated Head Start, the first publicly funded preschool program catered to low-income students. As a result, documentarian Joan Gatz Cooney published "The Potential Uses of Television for Preschool Education" in 1966, sparking the investment in the intersecting tactics of education and quickly-developing audiovisual technology. Partnering with experimental psychologist Lloyd Morrisett and the Children's Television Workshop, the duo set out to jumpstart the beginnings of public educational programming through "Sesame Street."

The show's curriculum was highly-vetted by academics, medical professionals, and experienced psychiatrists — most notably Dr. Chester Pierce, founding president of the Black Psychiatrists of America. As a head consultant to "Sesame Street," Pierce emphasized the necessity to promote positive representations of African Americans to combat the microaggressions (a term coined by Pierce himself) present in popular media at that time. His intentions became known as the "hidden curriculum" behind the show: to bolster the confidence of children of color and portray an accurate representation of the multicultural world around them.

Depicting ornate brownstones, bustling city streets, and a diverse cast of characters, "Sesame Street" set out in its 1969 pilot to mimic, and effectively destigmatize, the Black child's urban upbringing.

Almost immediately critics recognized the "hidden curriculum" and worked to stifle the spread of the show. One year after the premiere, the Mississippi State Commission on Education voted to veto the showing of "Sesame Street" because it featured a "highly integrated cast of children" and "Mississippi was not ready for it."

In the decades that followed, the program maintained its commitment to children of color and diverse representation. Special guests included Black pioneers and leaders like Jesse Jackson, the Harlem Globetrotters, Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, and Nina Simone. New cast members were introduced in the 1970s to represent shifting demographics in the country. More recently, characters and messaging have been added to feature children with disabilities and help children cope with the impacts of addiction, and global conflict.

Nearly 50 years later, the show's efficacy continues to be proven. One of the most extensive and longitudinal studies conducted on "Sesame Street" found "children who were preschool age in 1969 and who lived in areas with greater predicted "Sesame Street" coverage were statistically significantly more likely to be at the grade level appropriate for their age." The program has also proven to be especially beneficial for boys, Black children, and children living in predominantly low-income areas.

Its legacy as one of the longest-running television shows in history has undeniably sparked inspiration in countless other forms of childhood education. What began as an initial goal to ensure equal access to all children helped solidify the future and success of generations of children.

"We hoped to find a way," said "Sesame Street" co-creator Lloyd Morrisett, "using television, that we may help those children who would otherwise not succeed in school, do better." On January 23, Morrisett died at the age of 93.

EGYPTOLOGY

Gold-covered mummy and 4,000-year-old burial plot among latest Egyptian discoveries

Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Fri, January 27, 2023 at 3:05 AM MST·4 min read

Egyptian archaeologists and researchers have unveiled a treasure trove of artifacts recently including what may be the oldest and most intact mummy ever found.

A team of Egyptologists on Thursday announced the discovery of several ancient tombs at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside of the capital Cairo. Among the findings: a mummy belonging to a man called Heka-shepes sealed in a large rectangular limestone sarcophagus about 4,300 years ago, Zahi Hawass, director of the excavation, said in a post on Instagram.

The mummy, "found inside covered with gold leaf … may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," he said.

The find, dating from about 2500 B.C. to 2100 B.C., in the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, is part of a year-long excavation near the Saqqara pyramids.

The new discoveries were found beneath an ancient stone enclosure known as Gisr el-Mudir. ‘‘I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: A beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,’' Hawass told The Associated Press.

Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.

Also uncovered: a tomb belonged to a priest from the fifth dynasty known as Khnumdjedef, while the other tomb belonged to a palace official named Meri, who held the title of “the keeper of the secrets,” the team said.

Other major findings from the excavation include statues, amulets, and a well-preserved sarcophagus.

An Egyptian antiquities worker watches a recently discovered artifact at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.

Ancient Egyptian family plot found

Archaeologists also disclosed several recent discoveries about 400 miles to the south – including a family burial plot dating back about 4,000 years.

The uncovering of the burial site, found at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis (or cemetery) on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor, is the first found from the ancient Egyptian Thirteenth Dynasty, which dates back beyond 1780 B.C., according to Mostafa Waziry, an Egyptologist and the secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

"The discovery is the first of its kind," Waziry said in a posting on Instagram.

Discoveries at the site included a pink granite sarcophagus weighing about 11 tons, inscribed with the name of a minister named Ankho, who lived during the reign of King Sobekhotep II during the 13th Dynasty, Fathy Yaseen, director general of antiquities of upper Egypt, told CBS News about the site.

"We have discovered more than a thousand burial sites before in Luxor, but this is the first time we find one from the 13th Dynasty," Yaseen said.

A recently discovered artifact is displayed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 26, 2023.

Also discovered nearby: "The most important and oldest residential city" dating from the Roman Era, Waziry said in a posting on Instagram. He also posted videos of the finds on Facebook and Twitter.

That city, which is believed to be part of the ancient city of Thebes, along the Nile and within Luxor, "is important because it shows us more about the life of regular Egyptians at this time," Yaseen told CBS News.

Researchers 'digitally unwrap' an ancient Egyptian mummy

Another archaeological advance was announced Tuesday by researchers at the University of Cairo. They describe in the journal Frontiers of Medicine how they "digitally unwrapped" the mummy of a teen boy from 300 B.C. using computed tomography (CT) scans.

The team of scientists were able to shed new light on the boy's high social status by affirming the intricate details of the amulets inserted within his mummified body and the type of burial he received.

Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) image of the front of the digitally unwrapped torso of a mummy, stored at the Cairo Egyptian Museum since 1916. The scans show the crossed arms position and amulets buried with the teen.

Archaeological finds could help rebound of Egyptian tourism

Ancient Egyptian discoveries often are used to boost the nation's tourism, which is a significant source of income in the North African country. Tourism suffered a downturn after political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Tourism, which accounted for about 12% of the country's economy, also took a major hit due to the coronavirus outbreak, The Egypt Independent reported in February 2021. And tourism has also been hampered by the war in Ukraine, the outlet reported last year.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Dig deeper: Mummies, other ancient and archaeological finds

A 3,600-year-old mummy named 'Fred': Egyptian mummy in Italian museum proves embalming predates the Pharaohs

'Dream of all runologists': 'World's oldest dated rune stone' found in Norway

Secrets of a mummy: Scientists in Egypt 'digitally unwrap' 3,500-year-old mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I

Ancient 'Green Coffin': Sarcophagus returned to Egypt after US officials ruled it was looted

Ancient thrift shop find: A woman bought a $35 sculpture at Goodwill. It actually was a missing ancient Roman bust.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ancient Egypt: 'Oldest' mummy and one 'digitally unwrapped' by science

Archaeologist hails possibly 'oldest' mummy yet found in Egypt
 

 

Thu, January 26, 2023

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital Cairo containing what may be the oldest and "most complete" mummy yet to be discovered in the country, the excavation team leader said on Thursday.

The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a recently uncovered group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, told reporters.

The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.

"This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," Hawass, one of Egypt's former ministers of antiquities, said in a statement.


Among other tombs found was one belonging to Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, a supervisor of nobles and a priest during the reign of Unas, last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty. It was decorated with scenes of daily life.

Another tomb belonged to Meri, "keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace".

Numerous statues were found among the tombs, including one representing a man and his wife and several servants, the statement said.

(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Unearthed mummy may be ‘most complete’ one ever found in Egypt, archaeologists say

Moira Ritter
Thu, January 26, 2023 at 12:46 PM MST·1 min read

For the past 4,500 or so years, Egypt has flaunted its monstrous pyramids, which tower hundreds of feet above ground.

But experts are learning that ancient Egyptian relics might be buried deep below the desert, too.

A team of archaeologists recently unearthed what they say could be the oldest and most complete mummy ever discovered in the country, Zahi Hawass, the director of the team, said Jan. 26, according to ABC News. The mummy was found in the Saqqara Necropolis, about 15 miles southwest of Cairo.

“To find a mummy that old and that well-preserved in a necropolis that is this prolific is truly a unique thing,” Hawass said, according to The National.

Egyptian antiquities workers found the 4,300-year-old sarcophagus at the bottom of a burial shaft. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The 4,300-year-old mummy was found inside a large limestone sarcophagus buried at the bottom of a 50-foot burial shaft, ABC News reported. When the team opened the sarcophagus, they found the mummy of a man named Hekashepes covered with gold flakes.

Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Other tombs were found during the excavation, the team said, according to Reuters.

One tomb — which was decorated with daily life scenes — belonged to Khnumdjedef, an inspector, supervisor and priest during the rule of the last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty, around the mid-24th century B.C., the archaeologists said, per Reuters.

The recently discovered tombs date back to the Old Kingdom, which existed from 2700 BC until 2200 BC, experts said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Another belonged to Meri, who was the “keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace,” the team said, according to the outlet.

Twelve “beautifully carved statues” were also discovered, Hawass said, according to ABC. The statues are of unidentified individuals but include two couples.

Among the statues found, two depicted unidentified couples, the team said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The team also unearthed several ceramic pots and clay vessels, according to The National.

An Egyptian archeologist restores a recently discovered pottery at the site of necropolis. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Pink sarcophagus — weighing over 22,000 pounds — found at family burial site in Egypt

Golden tongue among 49 amulets found buried with mummy that sat in storage for 100 years

Massive mummified crocodiles — at least 2,300 years old — unearthed in tomb in Egypt

52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt discovered at Saqqara


Owen Jarus
Thu, January 26, 2023 


Here we see a photo of a section of the Book of the Dead. Hieroglyphics are on the bottom and illustrations of people doing funerary rites are on top.

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 52-foot-long (16 meters) papyrus containing sections from the Book of the Dead. The more than 2,000-year-old document was found within a coffin in a tomb south of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.

There are many texts from The Book of the Dead, and analysis of the new finding may shed light on ancient Egyptian funerary traditions. Conservation work is already complete, and the papyrus is being translated into Arabic, according to a translated statement, which was released in conjunction with an event marking Egyptian Archaeologists Day on Jan. 14.

This is the first full papyrus to be uncovered at Saqqara in more than 100 years, Mostafa Waziry, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said, according to the statement.

Related: 10 times ancient Egyptian discoveries awed us in 2022

The Step Pyramid of Djoser was constructed during the reign of the pharaoh Djoser (ruled circa 2630 B.C. to 2611 B.C.) and was the first pyramid the Egyptians built. The area around the step pyramid was used for burials for millennia. Indeed, the coffin that housed the newfound papyrus dates to the Late Period (circa 712 B.C. to 332 B.C.), Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former minister of Antiquities, told Live Science in an email. Information about who owned the papyrus and its precise date will be announced soon, Hawass said.

The Book of the Dead is a modern-day name given to a series of texts the Egyptians believed would help the dead navigate the underworld, among other purposes. They were widely used during the New Kingdom (circa 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.).

While 52 feet is lengthy, there are other examples of Book of the Dead papyri of that length or longer. "There are many manuscripts that would have been similar in length, but papyrus manuscripts of ancient Egyptian religious texts can vary quite dramatically in length," Foy Scalf, the head of research archives at the University of Chicago, told Live Science in an email. Scalf, who was not involved in the latest discovery but holds a doctorate in Egyptology, noted that there are Book of the Dead scrolls that measure over 98 feet (30 m) long.

Second papyrus

This appears to be the second papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead that has been found at Saqqara in the past year. In 2022, a 13-foot-long (4 m) fragmentary papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead was found at Saqqara in a burial shaft near the pyramid of the pharaoh Teti (reigned circa 2323 B.C. to 2291 B.C.). It had the name of its owner, a man named "Pwkhaef," written on it.

Despite being buried near pharaoh Teti's pyramid, Pwkhaef lived centuries after the ruler. The burial shafts where this papyrus was found date to the 18th and 19th dynasties of Egypt (1550 B.C. to 1186 B.C.). But the practice of being buried next to the pyramid of a former ruler was popular in Egypt at the time.

The discovery was made by a team of Egyptian archaeologists from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which has yet to release images of the ancient document. According to the statement, the papyrus will soon go on display in an Egyptian museum.

Egypt archaeology: Gold-covered mummy among latest discoveries

Kathryn Armstrong - BBC News
Thu, January 26, 2023 

One of four newly discovered tombs at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo

Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years.

The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt.

It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found.

One tomb belonged to a "secret keeper".

The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles.

Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of "secret keeper", which allowed him to perform special religious rituals.


A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered.

Several other items, including pottery, have also been found among the tombs.

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC.

"This discovery is so important as it connects the kings with the people living around them," said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation.

Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found.

Thursday's discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD.

Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers and what they've called "metal workshops" - containing pots, tools and Roman coins.

Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry.

The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.

But, critics have accused Egypt's government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.

Puerto Rico selects company to privatize power generation


An electricity meter shortly after it was installed at the Jobos Bay National Research Reserve in Salinas, Puerto Rico, May 3, 2022. Puerto Rico privatized its electricity production on Jan. 25, 2023, selecting Genera PR to take over the operation and maintenance of state power generation units in the U.S. territory as part of an initial $22.5 million annual contract. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File )

DÁNICA COTO
Wed, January 25, 2023 at 10:54 AM MST·4 min read

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico privatized its electricity production on Wednesday, selecting Genera PR to take over the operation and maintenance of state power generation units in the U.S. territory as part of an initial $22.5 million annual contract.

The announcement comes as the island struggles to rebuild its crumbling power grid amid chronic power outages blamed in part on what Gov. Pedro Pierluisi called “archaic and unstable” generation units.

“I am sure that we are on the right track to give our people the reliable and affordable energy system that they deserve,” he said.

Genera PR is a subsidiary of New York-based New Fortress Energy, which works closely with Shell Oil and other oil and gas producers. Genera also will handle contracts related to fuel purchases for the island’s 12 power facilities as part of a 10-year contract with Puerto Rico’s government.

“Today is a historic day,” said Secretary of State Omar Marrero, who noted that recent hurricanes have revealed the deterioration and critical state of the island’s power grid.

Puerto Rico's generation units, some of them more than 50 years old, have suffered blackouts at rates five times worse than the industry average in recent years, producing less than half of the power the government had forecast.

“Decades of mismanagement and neglect have left Puerto Rico with an expensive, inefficient and dated energy system,” said a federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico's finances, in a statement supporting the contract awarded to Genera PR.

Many Puerto Ricans remain wary of this process, well aware that privatizing the transmission and distribution of power in June 2021 did not lead to an improvement in issues including the length of outages, which has worsened. The power situation on the island is so dire that the U.S. government recently announced it would supply temporary electric generation via barges and land-based generators.

Another concern is that high power bills could become even more expensive under the new public-private partnership, concerns that officials brushed aside as they noted that Genera PR will receive incentives to generate savings, of which 50% will be passed along to consumers.

The company will receive $22.5 million annually for the first five years of the contract, a payment that will drop as Puerto Rico permanently shutters generation units amid a push for more renewable energy sources. Genera PR also will receive up to $15 million during a transition period of 100 days, and up to $100 million a year in incentives, a payment that also will drop as units are shut down.

Wes Edens, founder and executive director of New Fortress Energy, said Genera PR would begin operating by mid-year.

He said power outages are unacceptable and noted that electric bills in Puerto Rico are “simply too high.”

“While we recognize the challenges that are before us…we believe the opportunities here…are tremendous,” Edens said.

Until Wednesday, the government had refused to release a copy of the contract or name the company chosen even as the governing board of Puerto Rico’s power company and the island’s Public-Private Partnerships Authority had approved of it after meeting behind closed doors.

The sole vote against the contract came from Tomás Torres, a member of the governing board that represents the public’s interest.

He said such contracts normally are done with broad citizen participation “given the impact it will have on all sectors that make up public interest." He also noted that Genera PR will have monopoly power as the sole provider of electricity on the island.

Torres also warned that the contract represents additional costs for the state power company, which holds some $9 billion in debt — the largest of any Puerto Rican government agency — and remains mired in an acrimonious battle with creditors as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. It remains to be seen how much of that debt consumers will have to pay.

Edens said a top priority will be saving on fuel purchases, noting that New Fortress Energy has a big portfolio of oil producers and is on the verge of producing its own fuel sources.

New Fortress Energy opened a natural gas facility in Puerto Rico in 2020. Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority later accused the company of violating its contract by supplying less natural gas than it promised, forcing the state power company to use more expensive diesel at generation units, a cost that has not been reimbursed.

Puerto Rico’s governor said that contract remains in good standing. Meanwhile, that issue remains under review by the island’s Energy Bureau.

Puerto Rico officially privatizes power generation amid protests, doubts

Nicole Acevedo
Wed, January 25, 2023
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A new private company will take over power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public corporation currently in charge of generating energy on the U.S. territory.

Genera PR, an independently managed subsidiary of the New York-based energy company New Fortress Inc., has been awarded a multimillion-dollar 10-year contract to operate, maintain and decommission the power generation units on the island.

The power generation equipment in Puerto Rico, plagued by ongoing blackouts and decaying infrastructure, is on average about 45 years old — twice the age of those on the U.S. mainland. Some of them have been found to be six decades old. They’re mainly reliant on fossil fuels.

The company and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) are currently undergoing a transition process set to last 100 days. Genera PR is expected to formally start operating in July.

Officials in Puerto Rico have been taking steps toward privatizing power generation for some time. Genera PR's contract underwent various approval stages and the final one was announced Wednesday in a lengthy news conference.

Under the terms of the new partnership, the Puerto Rican government has agreed to cover up to $15 million in transition costs to Genera PR, officials said. Additionally, the company will be paid a yearly fee of $22.5 million during the first five years. The fee will decrease after the fifth year, up to a minimum of $5 million per year. The exact amount will be determined by the number of power plants removed during the forfeiture process.

"We continue advancing the transformation that we all want," Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in a statement. "I'm confident that we are on the right track to give our people the reliable and affordable energy system they deserve."

Genera PR can also receive up to $100 million in incentives if it achieves savings in operating costs and complies with occupational safety, environment and fuel purchase guidelines, Fermín Fontanés Gómez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority, said during the news conference.

Fontanés Gómez emphasized PREPA will continue to be the owner of the power generation units, since Genera PR was only contracted to operate, maintain and eventually forfeit units.

Genera PR was one of two companies that submitted proposals to the PREPA, the agency in charge of administering the contract, during a two-year bidding process.

Officials said that of the two companies interested, Genera PR was willing to provide services at a lower cost, compared to its competitor. Genera PR's priorities also line up with local policies, they said, including Act 17-2019, which sets various benchmarks for Puerto Rico to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2050.

Less than 4% of Puerto Rico’s power generation currently comes from renewable energy.

As Puerto Rico looks to transition to renewable energy, "this partnership will provide meaningful cost savings for consumers and businesses, improve reliability and reduce the environmental impact of an aging thermal generation system," said New Fortress's Chairman and CEO, Wes Edens, in a statement.
Skepticism amid frustration

Hurricane Fiona Hits Puerto Rico, Knocking Out Power Across The Island (Jose Jimenez / Getty Images)

A crowd gathered Wednesday outside Gov. Pierluisi’s mansion to protest the privatization and the new contract.

CAMBIO PR, a nonprofit group advocating more energy sustainability, said on Twitter that the hiring of Genera PR "confirms another expensive transaction full of conflicts of interest and a contractor that has broken contracts and laws."

New Fortress Inc., Genera PR's parent company, has previously sold fuel to the PREPA.

NF Energia LLC, a natural gas supply company and a subsidiary of New Fortress Energy Inc., received a procurement contract in 2019 to sell natural gas to PREPA to power two generation units in San Juan. The $1.5 billion contract is valid until March 2024, according to data from the Comptroller’s Office in Puerto Rico.

PREPA has alleged that the natural gas company has failed to comply with its obligations to deliver natural gas as agreed upon. A lack of natural gas has forced the power authority to burn more expensive fuels, resulting in an additional cost of $34.5 million, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper, El Nuevo Día, reported.

Details of the new contract were explained during the news conference Wednesday morning, and the official document was made public in the evening.

Genera PR's contract is the result of a privatization process that started in 2017, after the PREPA declared bankruptcy following years of low liquidity, limited access to capital markets and the burden of long-term debt.

In that same year, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria, one of the biggest and deadliest natural disasters on U.S. territory in 100 years, further deteriorating the already fragile and disinvested power grid.

As part of an ongoing privatization process, in 2021 the PREPA relinquished the island’s power transmission and distribution system to Luma Energy. The consortium made up of Atco in Canada and Quanta Services Inc. in Texas started operating on the island in June 2021.

At the time, government officials promised the partial privatization of the power grid under Luma would improve electric services, but the territory's residents are still grappling with frequent outages.

After Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico in September, the grid was unable to withstand the Category 1 storm, triggering an islandwide blackout that took more than two weeks to undo.

Power customers in Puerto Rico have seen seven electric rate increases last year, even though people in Puerto Rico already pay about twice as much as mainland U.S. customers for unreliable service.

Luma Energy says it has reduced outage frequency by 30% over the past year and has initiated 251 federally funded projects to permanently rebuild the patched-up grid following hurricanes Maria and Fiona.

PREPA's bankruptcy remains ongoing as the public corporation attempts to restructure its nearly $9 billion public debt, the largest of any government agency.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

Jerusalem, West Bank on edge after Israeli raid, fighting












Palestinians burn tires and wave the national flag during a protest against Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, along the border fence with Israel, in east of Gaza City, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. During the raid in the West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, and wounded several others, Palestinian health officials said, in one of the deadliest days of fighting in years. The Israeli military said it was conducting an operation to arrest militants when a gun

ISABEL DEBRE
Fri, January 27, 2023 

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister signaled Friday that the military would stop its airstrikes if Palestinian militant groups halted rocket attacks, a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in decades raised the prospect of a major flare-up in fighting.

The limited exchange of fire between Gaza militants and the Israeli armed forces has so far followed a familiar pattern that allows both sides to respond without leading to a major escalation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's instruction to the military to prepare for new strikes in the Gaza Strip “if necessary” also appeared to leave open the possibility that the violence would subside.

Midday prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, often a catalyst for clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police, passed in relative calm, despite a heavy police presence. Still, residents of the holy city and the occupied West Bank remained on edge.

The bombardments followed an Israeli raid in the flashpoint Jenin refugee camp that turned into a gun battle, which killed at least nine people, including seven militants and a 61-year-old woman.

The raid also sparked clashes elsewhere during which Israeli forces killed a 22-year-old in al-Ram, a Palestinian town north of Jerusalem. At the funeral in al-Ram, crowds of Palestinians carried the young man's body aloft and waved the flags of both Fatah, the party that controls the Palestinian Authority, and militant Hamas, which rules Gaza.

The escalation in the decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian conflict created an early test for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government, which came to office as tensions with the Palestinians soared and has vowed to take a hard line.

The raid also prompted the Palestinian Authority to halt security coordination with Israel and drew “deep concern” from the State Department just days before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to visit the region.

So far, both the Palestinian rockets and Israeli airstrikes seemed limited so as to prevent escalation into a full-blown war. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller skirmishes since the militant group seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Palestinian militants fired rockets from Gaza toward the south of Israel. Israel retaliated with nonlethal airstrikes on militant targets in Gaza, such as training camps and an underground rocket manufacturing site.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed the military dealt a “tough blow” to Palestinian militants in Gaza and said the army was preparing to strike “high-quality targets ... until peace is restored to the citizens of Israel.”

An uneasy calm prevailed around Al-Aqsa, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Tensions at the volatile Jerusalem holy site has triggered violence in the past, including a bloody Gaza war in 2021. The site is considered both the third-most sacred site in Islam, as well as the site of an ancient Jewish temple that is the holiest place in Judaism.

Israeli police were out in force at entrances to the limestone alleys that lead to the sacred compound. Scores of Muslim worshippers gathered in the mosque's stone courtyard before the iconic golden Dome of the Rock and chanted in solidarity with those killed in the Jenin raid.

“In spirit and blood, we will sacrifice you,” they shouted. “Greetings Jenin, Greetings Gaza.”

Eyad Shaher, a 45-year-old construction worker from Bethlehem who prays weekly at Al-Aqsa, said he was relieved to have a peaceful morning.

“Thank God it was good and there were no problems after that cursed day,” he said, referring to Thursday’s events.

Tensions have soared since Israel stepped up raids in the West Bank last spring, following a series of Palestinian attacks. Jenin, which was an important a militant stronghold during the 2000-2005 intifada and has again emerged as one, has been the focus of many of the Israeli operations.

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem last year, making 2022 the deadliest in those territories since 2004, according to leading Israeli rights group B’Tselem. Last year, 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

So far this year, 30 Palestinians have been killed, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Israel says most of the dead were militants. But youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations also have been killed.

Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, warned Friday that “the Israeli escalation in Jenin is dangerous and disturbing and undermines international efforts to advance the priority of the peace agenda.” The UAE recognized Israel in 2020 along with Bahrain, which has remained silent on the surge in violence.

News of the nine killed in Jenin and the overnight rockets blared from phones and radios in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday as young Palestinians milled around and women hawked raisins.

Ibrahim Salameh, a 21-year-old smoking on the steps of Damascus Gate, said he had never been so scared. On Wednesday, he said, his teenage neighbor was killed as police entered the Shuafat refugee camp to demolish an attacker's home.

“Every day there's more and more fear, more tension,” he said. “Somehow I'm living with this idea that at any moment I could be shot dead.”

In the West Bank, Fatah announced a general strike and most shops were closed in Palestinian cities. The PA declared Thursday that it would halt the ties that its security forces maintain with Israel in a shared effort to contain Islamic militants. Previous threats have been short-lived, in part because of the benefits the authority enjoys from the relationship, and also due to U.S. and Israeli pressure.

The PA has limited control over scattered enclaves in the West Bank, and almost none over militant strongholds like the Jenin camp.

Israel says its raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The Palestinians say they further entrench Israel’s 55-year, open-ended occupation of the West Bank, which Israel captured along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want those territories to form any eventual state.

Israel has established dozens of settlements in the West Bank that now house 500,000 people. The Palestinians and much of the international community view settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace, even as talks to end the conflict have been moribund for over a decade.

___

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Israel, Gaza fighters trade fire after deadly West Bank raid











Mourners carry the bodies of eight Palestinians, some draped in the flag of the Islamic Jihad militant group, during a joint funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, and wounded several others during a raid in the flashpoint area of the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said, in one of the deadliest days of fighting in years. The Israeli military said it was conducting an operation to arrest militants when a gun battle erupted. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

ISABEL DEBRE
Wed, January 25, 2023

JERUSALEM (AP) — Gaza militants fired rockets and Israel carried out airstrikes early Friday as tensions soared following an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank that killed nine Palestinians, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman.

It was the deadliest single raid in the territory in over two decades. The flare-up in violence poses an early test for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and casts a shadow on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s expected trip to the region next week.

Of the five rockets fired at Israel, three were intercepted, one fell in an open area and another fell short inside Gaza, the military said. It said the airstrikes targeted an underground rocket manufacturing site for Hamas as well as militant training areas.

The rockets set off air raid sirens in southern Israel but there were no reports of casualties on either side.

Both the Palestinian rockets and Israeli airstrikes seemed limited so as to prevent escalation into a full-blown war. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller skirmishes since the militant group seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Thursday's deadly raid in the Jenin refugee camp was likely to reverberate on Friday as Palestinians gather for weekly Muslim prayers that are often followed by protests. Hamas had earlier threatened revenge for the raid.

Raising the stakes, the Palestinian Authority said it would halt the ties that its security forces maintain with Israel in a shared effort to contain Islamic militants. Previous threats have been short-lived, in part because of the benefits the authority enjoys from the relationship and also due to U.S. and Israeli pressure to maintain it.

The Palestinian Authority already has limited control over scattered enclaves in the West Bank, and almost none over militant strongholds like the Jenin camp. But the announcement could pave the way for Israel to step up operations it says are needed to prevent attacks.

On Thursday, Israeli forces went on heightened alert as Palestinians filled the streets across the West Bank, chanting in solidarity with Jenin. President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning, and in the refugee camp, residents dug a mass grave for the dead.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Abbas had decided to cut security coordination in “light of the repeated aggression against our people." He also said the Palestinians planned to file complaints with the U.N. Security Council, International Criminal Court and other international bodies.

Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, said the Biden administration was deeply concerned about the situation and that civilian casualties reported in Jenin were “quite regrettable.” But she also said the Palestinian announcement to suspend security ties and to pursue the matter at international organizations was a mistake.

Thursday's gun battle that left nine dead and 20 wounded erupted when Israel's military conducted a rare daytime operation in the Jenin camp that it said was meant to prevent an imminent attack on Israelis. The camp, where the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group has a major foothold, has been a focus of near-nightly Israeli arrest raids.

Hamas’ armed wing claimed four of the dead as members, while Islamic Jihad claimed three others.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the 61-year-old woman killed as Magda Obaid, and the Israeli military said it was looking into reports of her death.

The Israeli military circulated aerial video it said was taken during the battle, showing what appeared to be Palestinians on rooftops hurling stones and firebombs on Israeli forces below. At least one Palestinian can be seen opening fire from a rooftop.

Later in the day, Israeli forces fatally shot a 22-year-old and wounded two others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as Palestinians confronted Israeli troops north of Jerusalem to protest Thursday’s raid. Israel's paramilitary Border Police said they opened fire on Palestinians who launched fireworks at them from close range.

Tensions have soared since Israel stepped up raids in the West Bank last spring, following a series of Palestinian attacks.

Israel’s new national security minister, far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to grant legal immunity to Israeli soldiers who shoot Palestinians, posted a video of himself beaming triumphantly and congratulating security forces.

The raid left a trail of destruction in Jenin. A two-story building, apparently the operation's target, was a charred wreck. The military said it entered the building to detonate explosives.

Palestinian Health Minister May Al-Kaila said paramedics struggled to reach the wounded during the fighting, while Akram Rajoub, the governor of Jenin, said the military prevented emergency workers from evacuating them.

Both accused the military of firing tear gas at the pediatric ward of a hospital, causing children to choke. Video at the hospital showed women carrying children into a corridor.

The military said forces closed roads to aid the operation, which may have complicated rescue efforts, and that tear gas had likely wafted into the hospital from nearby clashes.

The Israeli rights group B’Tselem said Thursday marked the single bloodiest West Bank incursion since 2002, at the height of an intense wave of violence known as the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which left scars still visible in Jenin.

U.N. Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland said he was “deeply alarmed and saddened” by the violence. Condemnations came from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Turkey, which recently reestablished full diplomatic ties with Israel. Neighboring Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries also condemned the Israeli raid.

The Islamic Jihad branch in Gaza has repeatedly fought against Israel, most recently in a fierce three-day clash last summer that killed dozens of Palestinians and disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis.

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem last year, making 2022 the deadliest in those territories since 2004, according to B’Tselem. So far this year, 30 Palestinians have been killed.

Israel says most of the dead were militants. But youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations also have been killed. So far this year, not including Thursday, one-third of the Palestinians killed by Israeli troops or civilians had ties to armed groups.

Last year, 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

Israel says its raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The Palestinians say they further entrench Israel’s 55-year, open-ended occupation of the West Bank, which Israel captured along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians claim those territories for their hoped-for state.

Israel has established dozens of settlements in the West Bank that now house 500,000 people. The Palestinians and much of the international community view settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace, even as talks to end the conflict have been moribund for over a decade.

___

Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; Areej Hazboun in Jerusalem; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Fares Akram in Hamilton, Ontario, contributed.

Brazil "looks forward" to environmental bond sale - debt head

Thu, January 26, 2023 

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Brazil looks forward to returning to the bond market with a bond sale related to environmental concerns, its head of public debt operations told an event on Thursday.

"Unfortunately it took Brazil a little longer than it took our peers," Luis Felipe Vital, Head of Public Debt Operations at the Brazil National Treasury said.

"But we are sure we will have very interesting things to announce in the future."

The comments come as Brazil's new president Lula da Silva took office at the start of the year pledging to stop deforestation in the Amazon, a vital biome to curb climate change.

"Brazil does give a lot of importance for the environment components," Vital said at event organised by think tank OMFIF.

"So we are looking forward to be back in the market in a bond related to that." (Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli; editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)