HAIFA, Israel — An altar to the Greek god Pan in a Byzantine church in Israel could also be where Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, an archeologist who helped discover it told Zenger News in an exclusive interview. If correct, it would mean the site is where Christianity arguably was founded, as Peter went on to become the first Pope of the Christian faith. That point has been the subject of debate between Roman Catholics and Byzantine Catholics. Adi Erlich, a professor at the University of Haifa’s Zinman Institute of Archeology, together with the uncovered…
Author: zenger.news
NANTONG CITY, China — — An escaped bull attacked an elderly man in China, who tried to beat it away with a broom before police killed it. The incident took place Dec. 3 on the streets of Nantong City, located on the bank of the Yangtze River in the east-central province of Jiangsu. Footage of the life-threatening incident shows a large black bull running across a road toward a house where an elderly man is seated. The bull charges at the pensioner and bashes him against the doorway. As the man falls inside the house, the bull continues the assault.…
KOLKATA, India — Though India’s Supreme Court has ordered a halt to construction on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Central Vista project, the court did allow a foundation stone for the new parliament building to be laid on Dec. 10. “The new parliament building will fulfill the needs of 21st century India. It is a historic day and a testament to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’[Self-Reliant India],” Modi said during the ceremony. Beyond the installation of the foundation stone, no construction can begin unless the Supreme Court grants ted with the groundbreaking ceremony. “We thought we are dealing with a prudent litigant and that…
KOLKATA — WhatsApp Pay has found few takers since it was launched in India in November. The app, which is owned by Facebook, posted 310,000 transactions in November, according to data from the National Payments Corporation of India, which regulates the operations of retail payments and settlement systems in the country. In comparison, Google Pay had nearly 960 million transactions in November, followed by Flipkart-backed PhonePe with 868 million transactions and PayTM with 260 million transactions. The Indian government allowed WhatsApp Pay to roll out its operations in India with a maximum of 20 million users. WhatsApp messaging service has about…
NEW Delhi — Writers and free speech advocates have hit back hard at Twitter for suspending poet and journalist Salil Tripathi’s account hours after he posted a poem that spoke out against the Hindu right-wing in the country. The Dec. 6 tweet that was reported as “offensive” showed Tripathi reciting his poem “My Mother’s Fault” about the demolition of a 16th-century mosque by a mob in 1992. Many Hindus believe that the mosque’s site in Ayodhya was the birthplace of their deity, Ram. The Babri Masjid mosque demolition, allegedly led by right-wing Hindu organizations associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s…
MUMBAI — More than 25 environmental groups in India have started a campaign to highlight the government’s delay in implementing air quality standards for coal-fired thermal power plants. “Five years after the announcement, more than 90 percent of the coal power plants continue to pollute our lungs and the companies that own them are dragging their feet at the cost of our health,” the Air Offenders of India‘s campaign states. The campaign chronicles events since 2015, when the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced stricter standards for coal-based power plants under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Act…
VIENNA — Christmas came early for the Leopold Museum in Vienna recently when anonymous donors unexpectedly financed the purchase of a famous 19th-century oil painting at auction. “The Altar of Dionysos”, by renowned Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was auctioned off Tuesday night by continental Europe’s largest auction house, the Vienna-based Dorotheum. It sold for $560,000 — well above the estimated range. A spokesman for the Leopold Museum called the acquisition extraordinary and said the way it was financed was a first for the museum. “The day before the auction a Viennese couple called our director to talk to him about…
QUETTA — Shabbir Shahwani was one of three professors kidnapped on Nov. 29 while traveling from their university in Balochistan. After being pulled from their car and taken to a remote area, Shahwani struggled with one question: Should he remove his blindfold or not? “The decision would either grant me freedom or a bullet in my head,” he said. Ultimately, the three found freedom after the harrowing episode. Shahwani, an assistant professor at the University of Balochistan, and his colleagues were on their way to supervise candidates during an examination. They were taken to a deserted area several miles outside…
KOLKATA — After a dip in trading relations with Iran following the 2018 sanctions by the Trump administration, India is looking to revive its relations with the Gulf nation under the Biden administration in 2021. “One of the advantages of importing oil from Iran would be that India can bargain for a better payment condition as both countries have historically a good understanding in terms of payments. Also, oil prices are low and India can get a better deal,” said Urvisha H. Jagasheth, a research analyst at CARE Ratings. “As a buyer, I would like to have more buying places. I should have…
MUMBAI — More than 580 people in the southern city of Eluru in the state of Andhra Pradesh have been hospitalized with a mystery illness. Blood samples of 50 patients showed high levels of lead and nickel, leading to fears that the cause might be pesticide poisoning. “We suspect these cases are due to lead or organochlorine poisoning, but the source is yet to be identified,” Dr. A V R Mohan, medical superintendent of the Eluru Government Hospital, told Zenger News. A team of experts from several major institutes in India have arrived to investigate, collecting samples of water, raw…