Sudan Floods Threaten Ancient Archaeological Gem

A view of the historic Meroë pyramids site, in al-Bajrawiya, Sudan, on April 16, 2015. (AP)
A view of the historic Meroë pyramids site, in al-Bajrawiya, Sudan, on April 16, 2015. (AP)
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Sudan Floods Threaten Ancient Archaeological Gem

A view of the historic Meroë pyramids site, in al-Bajrawiya, Sudan, on April 16, 2015. (AP)
A view of the historic Meroë pyramids site, in al-Bajrawiya, Sudan, on April 16, 2015. (AP)

Rising Nile floodwaters are threatening to swamp an ancient archaeological site in Sudan, after some of the highest ever recorded river levels, archaeologists said Monday.

Teams have set up sandbag walls and are pumping out water to prevent damage at the ruins of Al-Bajrawiya, once a royal city of the two-millenia-old Meroitic empire, said Marc Maillot, head of the French Archaeological Unit in the Sudan Antiquities Service.

"The floods had never affected the site before," Maillot said.

The area includes the famous Meroe pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Farmers along the fertile banks of the Nile, the world's longest river, depend on its annual floods.

But water levels have risen much further than usual this year.

"The situation is currently under control, but if the level of the Nile continues to rise, the measures taken may not be sufficient," Maillot said, adding that the site is usually some 500 meters (1,650 feet) away from the river.

Other ancient sites are also threatened along the Nile, according to Maillot.

Sudanese authorities last week declared a three-month national state of emergency after record breaking floods that have killed at least 99 people.

Officials said they had recorded the highest waters on the Blue Nile -- which joins the White Nile in the Sudanese capital Khartoum -- since records began over a century ago.

Faisal Mohamed Saleh, Sudan's information and culture minister, visited the site to see the work being done to protect it.

The site, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of Khartoum, was a capital of an empire that controlled vast swathes of land from 350 BC to 350 AD.

Sudan's ancient civilizations built more pyramids than the Egyptians, but many are still unexplored.



Many US Ice Cream Producers to Phase Out Artificial Food Dyes by 2028

Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Many US Ice Cream Producers to Phase Out Artificial Food Dyes by 2028

Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Volunteers scoop ice cream before a press conference on the steps of the United States Department of Agriculture on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Dozens of US ice cream producers are planning to remove artificial colors from their products by 2028, a dairy industry group and government officials said on Monday.

The producers, which together represent more than 90% of ice cream sold in the US, are the latest food companies to take voluntary steps to remove dyes since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April said the US aimed to phase out many synthetic dyes from the country's food supply.

Several major food manufacturers, including General Mills, Kraft Heinz, J.M. Smucker, Hershey and Nestle USA, have previously announced their plans to phase out synthetic food coloring.

The 40 ice cream companies will remove Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 from their retail products, excluding non-dairy products, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

The IDFA announced the plan at an event at the US Department of Agriculture headquarters on Monday with Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

"We know that our current health outcomes, especially for our children, are unsustainable and that American agriculture is at the heart of the solution to make America healthy again," Rollins said at the event, referencing a slogan aligned with Kennedy.

Rollins and Kennedy have worked closely together on food sector efforts like encouraging states to ban soda from the nation's largest food aid program.

Kennedy has blamed food dyes for rising rates of ADHD and cancer, an area many scientists say requires more research.

The IDFA said artificial dyes are safe, but that ice cream makers are taking the step in part to avoid disruption to sales from state efforts to phase out dyes from school foods and West Virginia's recent food dye ban.