Ancient warning for modern day bathers

Archaeologists excavating an ancient Roman bathhouse near Hadrian's Wall in Carlisle, UK, have discovered a collection of 36 engraved gems, known as "intaglios," made of semiprecious stones like amethyst, carnelian, and jasper. These small gems are believed to have fallen out of wealthy visitors' rings while they were bathing in the third-century bathhouse.

The researchers speculate that the water may have caused the adhesives used in the rings to loosen and the metal settings to expand and contract, leading to the loss of the stones. The site has also yielded various other artifacts, suggesting that the owners of the gems were likely women.

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Get ready to enjoy shooting stars as Eta Aquariids dazzle sky

People in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and parts of the Pacific will be able to see the Moon eclipsed by the Earth, darkening the sky and making it easier to spot the meteors.

Be prepared to behold a mesmerizing display of shooting stars tonight as the Earth collides with dust and debris left by Halley’s Comet. The meteor shower, named after the star Eta Aquarii, is predicted to peak overnight on May 5-6 and 6-7, 2023, providing sky-watchers with the chance to witness a flurry of meteors streaking across the night sky.

This year’s meteor shower may be even more spectacular than usual. Scientists predict that the meteor rates could be more than twice the usual number, with up to 60 to 120 shooting stars per hour in each hemisphere, compared to 10 to 30 in normal years.

Halley’s Comet orbits the Sun every 75-79 years and was last seen in 1986.

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Meet Runa, an extraordinary rat working for the US Secret Service. Trained by APOPO, a Belgian NGO, Runa uses her keen sense of smell to detect tuberculosis, landmines, and smuggled animals.

Watch the video to witness the incredible abilities of this highly trained rat!

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🇧🇷 Lula da Silva appeals in support of Assange

He expressed his dismay at Assange's four-year confinement in Belmarsh Prison in the UK, stating that it was embarrassing that a journalist who exposed wrongdoing was imprisoned without significant action being taken to free him.

💬 “We talk about freedom of expression; the guy is in prison because he denounced wrongdoing. And the press doesn’t do anything in defense of this journalist. I can’t understand it,” Lula told reporters.

Lula called for a global press movement to defend the right to expose wrongdoing, emphasizing that Assange had not "denounced anything vulgar" but had exposed state surveillance. He criticized the lack of action by the press to secure the journalist's freedom, stating that it was sad but true.

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Russian air defense repels Ukrainian drone attack on Sevastopol

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that a total of ten drones were sent to attack Crimea and Sevastopol overnight.

💬 "No facilities in the city were damaged. All services continue to monitor the situation," he added.

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👑💀 Wait, what? The "Grim Reaper" has been spotted at King Charles' coronation

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🇸🇾 Arab FMs to hold emergency meeting over Syria's return to Arab League

The meeting has been confirmed by Gamal Rushdy, a spokesman for the League of Arab States. The move follows recent decision by some Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to resume diplomatic relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syria's membership in the LAS was suspended in 2011 after the start of the armed conflict in the country.

In mid-April, foreign ministries of several Arab nations urged the LAS to resume Syria's membership, while also stating the need to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria and asking Arab countries' leadership for help in resolving the situation in the country.

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❗️Prilepin has been successfully taken out of the medically induced coma, he is conscious and feeling well, his press service says

🇷🇺🫡 Russia marks the 31st anniversary of its Armed Forces

On May 7, 1992, Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin issued an executive decree establishing the Russian Armed Forces and assumed control as supreme commander.

Huge Sputnik explainer is coming soon so stay tuned!

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 RFK Jr: Russia 'cannot lose in Ukraine' as this is 'existential for it'

💬 "We are being told they are losing, but they cannot afford to lose," Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said as he spoke with the hosts of the All-In Podcast.

Russia has been “building up” its forces, and it has “an artillery advantage,” pointed out the Democratic presidential candidate, adding that the US, which has been funneling vast amounts of weapons to Ukraine, does not have the ability to replace the arms lost in the conflagration.

Washington has been doing everything to prolong the Ukraine conflict, and the US administration has been displaying "absolute intransigence" regarding the many opportunities to end the conflagration. But this can be explained by the fact that the US has been on "a mission to maximize casualties, to prolong what is, essentially, a war of attrition," RFK Jr. said.

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🇷🇺🫡 Born in chaos, forged in combat: How today's Russian military structure came to be

▪️Sunday marks the 31st anniversary of the creation of the modern Russian military.

❓What is its makeup and composition? What does the letter ‘Z’ painted on Russian vehicles in Ukraine mean? How does Russia’s military stack up against NATO?

From the rough start after the collapse of the USSR until today:
Read this Sputnik explainer to find out how the Russian Army came to be

🇹🇷🇺🇸🇷🇺 US asked Turkiye to send its S-400s to Ukraine, but Ankara refused, Turkish FM Cavusoglu says

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📹 Russian forces seize trophy Humvee in Artemovsk

The Ukrainian security forces attempted to destroy the abandoned Humvee with artillery, and as a result, it sustained minor damage. The vehicle’s wheels were damaged by shrapnel, but because the tires have special rubber inserts inside, this allowed the trophy to be successfully evacuated.

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⚡️Russia’s FSB in coordination with the Interior Ministry stopped a sabotage attempt planned by Ukrainian intelligence at the airfield in Ivanovo region using drones

🇺🇸🇪🇺 US fuelling breakdown of France, Germany, while capitalizing on 'weak Europe'

💬 “The US is luring over European industry with cheaper energy, lower taxes… creating a division between France and Germany… And on top of that, the Americans are shifting the center of Europe from Western Europe to Eastern Europe, because Western Europe is too much of a headache," Elijah Magnier, a veteran war correspondent, told Sputnik.

While in France “today you have Macron, tomorrow you will have Marine Le Pen,” in Germany, "Scholz is standing in support of the US interests, no longer supporting the German population and their needs,” underscored the veteran war correspondent.

Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz are “no longer leaders even in their own countries,” he pointed out. While there has always been rivalry between France and Germany, Magnier reflected since the Ukraine crisis escalated in early 2022, the self-harming Western sanctions has exacerbated the energy crisis, so the two European countries could not put up “a united front” against the US.

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