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‘Sun Kings’ Welcome Visitors at Czech National Museum

Visitors wearing face masks at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Visitors wearing face masks at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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‘Sun Kings’ Welcome Visitors at Czech National Museum

Visitors wearing face masks at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Visitors wearing face masks at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Czechs flocked to the National Museum in Prague on Monday to enjoy watching Egypt's pharaonic treasures displayed for the first time at an exhibition dubbed "Sun Kings,” held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Czech archaeological mission in Egypt.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Anani and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Sunday, in a ceremony attended by 500 Czech figures including entrepreneurs and statesmen.

The exhibition, scheduled to last until February 2021, features 90 artifacts unearthed by the Czech mission in the archaeological area of Abu Sir. The collection includes the head of a statue of King "Ra-Nefer-F", and a group of statues from the Old Kingdom, including one of a writer, statues of senior statesmen and officials, and a group of Canopic vessels, in addition to ten Ushabti statues of faience.

Babiš hailed the Egyptian government for its cooperation in organizing the exhibition in light of the current circumstances and the coronavirus pandemic. "This exhibition is the first to display Egyptian antiquities in Prague and the largest ever on Ancient Egypt," he said.

For his part, Anani said "the preparations for this exhibition, which began about five years ago, offers visitors a small glimpse about the Egyptian civilization, which would encourage them to visit Egypt to see more and enjoy the amazing Egyptian beaches."

The exhibition shed lights on the fifth dynasty (2435-2306 BC) and its kings known as "Sun Kings", who built their pyramids and temples in Abu Sir, southern Giza. The kings include Sahure, Neferirkare, Neferefre, and Nyuserre. And because the pyramids were built of mudbrick, they collapsed with time, and the region has been known as "the region of forgotten pyramids."

Dr. Miroslav Bárta, vice president of Charles University, said "the exhibition is an opportunity to recall the pyramid construction age, by displaying the artifacts the Czech mission excavated in Abu Sir. It is a dream that came true."

Anani said "the artifacts displayed at the exhibition never left Egypt before, and they are set to be featured in the Grand Egyptian Museum after they return from Prague."

He expected the Prague exhibition to host up to 300,000 visitors, and hailed the use of the video and hologram to provide more information about the artifacts.

During the exhibition, visitors can watch movies on Kings Sahure and Nyuserre and their tombs.

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Varieties

Mounted New York Police Officer and His Horse Corner Suspected Purse Snatcher in Manhattan

A view shows the downtown Manhattan skyline in New York City, US, July 22, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows the downtown Manhattan skyline in New York City, US, July 22, 2025. (Reuters)
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Mounted New York Police Officer and His Horse Corner Suspected Purse Snatcher in Manhattan

A view shows the downtown Manhattan skyline in New York City, US, July 22, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows the downtown Manhattan skyline in New York City, US, July 22, 2025. (Reuters)

A New York City police officer on horseback nabbed a suspected purse snatcher after chasing her through the streets of Manhattan at full gallop — a wild scene evoking the clip-clopping past of a city where lights, sirens and squad cars are the norm.

The late Wednesday morning pursuit began when the victim reported the theft. The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story.

The officer repeatedly screamed at the suspect to stop running, but she refused while denying she had taken the purse.

The brief hoof chase went along sidewalks, under scaffolding, between parked cars and across streets before the woman was stopped by a pedestrian and then detained by the officer.

The woman was charged with larceny and providing false information. Authorities said she had been convicted of murder in the April 2000 fatal shooting of a cab driver and had served time in prison before being released. She is currently on lifetime parole.

No injuries were reported in the chase.

Varieties

Back on Earth, Artemis II Crew Still Finding their Footing

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen speak during a press conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on April 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Danielle Villasana/Getty Images/AFP
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen speak during a press conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on April 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Danielle Villasana/Getty Images/AFP
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Back on Earth, Artemis II Crew Still Finding their Footing

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen speak during a press conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on April 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Danielle Villasana/Getty Images/AFP
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen speak during a press conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on April 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. Danielle Villasana/Getty Images/AFP

Nearly a week after their Pacific splashdown, the astronauts who crewed the Artemis II mission that flew around the Moon told reporters Thursday they have yet to fully grasp the magnitude of the moment.

"It's been a week of medical testing, physical testing, doctors, science objectives," mission commander Reid Wiseman said during a press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"We have not had that decompression," he added.

The 50-year-old led fellow Americans Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian crewmate Jeremy Hansen, on a mission that took them farther into space than anyone has ever gone before.

Adjusting to life on Earth is taking a beat, AFP reported.

"Tomorrow will be one week, and I just was trying to live in a little hole for one week, been off social media, not on the news. So, no, I don't know," Glover, who piloted the mission, told reporters.

Nonetheless, he said his children and neighbors have clued him in to the excitement.

Artemis II was the first crewed mission to venture to the Moon's orbit since 1972, and the only one in history to include a woman, or a Black astronaut, or a non-American. Their voyage was broadcast live by US space agency NASA, and the media coverage of the launch and return to Earth was watched by millions of people.

For Koch, waking up to the reality means remembering gravity has taken hold.

"In the first few days, I thought I was floating. I truly thought I was floating, and I had to convince myself I wasn't," Koch said.

Their mission lasted almost 10 days, but NASA has ambitions to return to the Moon for longer visits to establish a base in preparation for future missions to Mars.

The United States is targeting a lunar landing in 2028, before the end of President Donald Trump's term and a deadline set by rivals in China.

Varieties

Hidden Cave, Hippo Bones Under Welsh Castle May Rewrite History

Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
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Hidden Cave, Hippo Bones Under Welsh Castle May Rewrite History

Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

A prehistoric hidden cave and hippo bones found beneath a Welsh castle could transform understanding of ancient life in Britain, researchers said Thursday, calling the site a "once-in-a-lifetime discovery".

Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals, including a now extinct hippopotamus that roamed Wales 120,000 years ago.

A major five-year archaeological project led by the University of Aberdeen will investigate the "enormous" cave, accessed via a spiral staircase from the 11th Century castle, AFP reported.

"There is no other site like it in Britain -- it is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery," said Rob Dinnis, who will lead the project.

The cave, previously thought to have been emptied by the Victorians, is now described as "one of the most important prehistoric archives in Britain".

"Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site," Dinnis said in a statement.

"Not only is there extremely rare evidence for early Homo sapiens, there are also hints at even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals."

"We have also found hippo bones, which probably date to the last interglacial period, around 120,000 years ago," he added.

Earlier finds have revealed bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and wild horse, alongside stone tools and evidence of human occupation across multiple periods.

With larger-scale excavation due to resume in May, the researchers hope to gain "insights into past climate change, extinct species, and the multiple periods when humans called the cave their home".

They said the site could chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago to some of Britain's earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and possibly even earlier Neanderthal presence.

"Wogan Cavern provides a unique chance to use all the scientific techniques now available to archaeologists," said professor Kate Britton of the University of Aberdeen.

"Because the bones are well preserved, we can learn a lot about past environments and ecosystems," she added.

At Pembroke Castle, staff say the discovery adds a new dimension to the site's long history as a medieval fortress and birthplace of Henry VII in 1457.

"This is incredibly exciting news for everyone at the castle," said castle manager Jon Williams.

"We are thrilled that work on this wonderful cave will continue."