Today's other stories in brief
Incest explains Tutankhamun deformities
CAIRO – Ancient Egypts teenage king Tutankhamun was born of an incestuous marriage, scientists said yesterday, helping to explain why he had a club foot and suffered other deformities and genetic defects.
Research including tests on the pharaoh’s mummy, discovered in 1922, showed that his parents had been siblings and he had only one set of grandparents.
Incestuous alliances were common among Egypt’s royalty, said Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, and a king could marry his sister and his daughter because he was a god. – (Reuters)
Judge to release US missionaries
PORT-AU-PRINCE – A Haitian judge said he would order the release of eight of 10 American missionaries accused of kidnapping children, but would detain the other two for further questioning.
Laura Silsby, the group’s leader, and Charisa Coulter were being kept for further investigation, investigating judge Bernard Sainvil said. The 10 Americans, most of whom belong to an Idaho Baptist church, were arrested last month. – (Reuters)
Iraqi gunmen kill four Christians
MOSUL – Four Christians have been killed in the last four days by gunmen in Iraq’s turbulent north, weeks ahead of an election in which the minority group’s vote could be a factor in a Kurd-Arab tussle for power.
Bombings and shootings are recorded almost daily in the violent northern city of Mosul, where a struggle for territory and power between Arabs and Kurds has hampered effective policing and been exploited by al-Qaeda. – (Reuters)