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Egypt Opens 2 Pyramids to Public

People walk in front of the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, that was reopened after restoration work, in Dahshur, south of Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
People walk in front of the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, that was reopened after restoration work, in Dahshur, south of Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Egypt Opens 2 Pyramids to Public

People walk in front of the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, that was reopened after restoration work, in Dahshur, south of Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
People walk in front of the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, that was reopened after restoration work, in Dahshur, south of Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt opened to visitors on Saturday and for the first time since 1965 the 101-meter "Bent" Pyramid built for pharaoh Sneferu.

Tourists will now be able to clamber down a 79-meter narrow tunnel from a raised entrance on the pyramid's northern face, to reach two chambers deep inside the 4,600-year-old structure that lies just south of Cairo.

They will also be able to enter an adjoining 18-meter high "side pyramid", possibly for Sneferu's wife Hetepheres.

The "Bent" Pyramid is one of two built for Fourth Dynasty founding pharaoh Sneferu in Dahshur, at the southern end of the Memphis necropolis that starts at Giza.

Its appearance is unusual. The first 49 meters, which have largely kept their smooth limestone casing, are built at a steep 54 degree angle, before tapering off in the top section.

The angular shape contrasts with the straight sides of Sneferu's Red Pyramid just to the north, the first of ancient Egypt's fully formed pyramids and the next step towards the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Architects changed the angle when cracks started appearing in the structure, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

"Sneferu lived a very long time...the architects wanted to reach the complete shape, the pyramid shape," Mohamed Shiha, director of the Dahshur site, said.

"Exactly where he was buried -- we are not sure of that. Maybe in this (Bent) pyramid, who knows?"

Authorities are seeking to promote tourism at Dahshur, about 28km south of central Cairo. The site lies in the open desert, attracts just a trickle of visitors, and is free of the touts and bustle of Giza.

As they opened the pyramids, archaeologists presented late-period mummies, masks, tools and coffins discovered during excavations that began near the Dahshur pyramids last year and are due to continue.

"When we were taking those objects out, we found...a very rich area of hidden tombs," Waziri said.

Archaeologists also unveiled the nearby tomb of Sa Eset, a supervisor of pyramids in the Middle Kingdom, which has been closed since its excavation in 1894 and contains finely preserved hieroglyphic funerary texts.

Foreign ambassadors were invited to attend the archaeological announcements.

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Varieties

‘Party in the Back’: Competitors Vie for European Mullet Crown

A woman attends the annual European Mullet Cup in Audregnies, southern Belgium, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)
A woman attends the annual European Mullet Cup in Audregnies, southern Belgium, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)
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‘Party in the Back’: Competitors Vie for European Mullet Crown

A woman attends the annual European Mullet Cup in Audregnies, southern Belgium, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)
A woman attends the annual European Mullet Cup in Audregnies, southern Belgium, on May 23, 2026. (AFP)

Hundreds of distinctively coiffured participants gathered this weekend in southern Belgium for the annual European Mullet Championship to celebrate the once-maligned hairstyle.

Best captured by the tagline "business in the front, party in the back", the mullet typically combines a closely cropped fringe and sides with flowing locks down the back of the neck.

Popularized in the 1980s, it fell dramatically out of fashion before making a somewhat subversive comeback in recent years.

This year's European championship is the fourth to be held since a group of enthusiasts in Belgium borrowed the idea from Australia of staging a competition.

Would-be champions for this edition came from as far afield as France, Spain and England.

For many of those involved, the mullet is much more than a hairdo -- it has become a way of life.

"The mullet is open -- to others, to difference, to adventure. It has a wild side," said event spokesman David Hubert, who goes by the pseudonym Edgar Funkel.

In the quest to be crowned with the title of best mullet in Europe, hopefuls first had to fill out a questionnaire explaining more about themselves.

"Of course, we choose a great hairstyle, but what we really want is to choose a wonderful person," said jury member Lolita Demoustiez, 39 -- known as Dalita.

"What matters is that the person carrying the mullet truly embodies values such as tolerance, kindness and the freedom to be oneself."

Belgian competitor Christine, 60, said her striking new haircut had helped her get through a recent difficult period in her life.

"It feels absolutely brilliant, and I still haven't taken any antidepressants," she said, showing off her silver grey do.

"Long live the mullet!"

Around 50 finalists were selected to show off their mullets before the cheering crowds.

Winners were selected in a range of categories, including junior mullet, traditional mullet, unusual mullet and veteran mullet.

Eventually, the overall champions for 2026 were selected: the duo of Berenice, 44, and Samuel, 46 -- better known to their fans as BesaMulet.

Varieties

Bangladesh Puts AI in Driving Seat to Tackle Terrible Traffic

In April, Dhaka police linked traffic cameras to artificial intelligence software designed to automatically detect violations. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP
In April, Dhaka police linked traffic cameras to artificial intelligence software designed to automatically detect violations. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP
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Bangladesh Puts AI in Driving Seat to Tackle Terrible Traffic

In April, Dhaka police linked traffic cameras to artificial intelligence software designed to automatically detect violations. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP
In April, Dhaka police linked traffic cameras to artificial intelligence software designed to automatically detect violations. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP

Bangladesh's densely populated capital, infamous for grinding gridlock, has launched its first AI-powered traffic enforcement system in a bid to bring order to one of the world's most congested cities.

Across Dhaka, buses, cars, motorcycles and pedal rickshaws jostle for space -- seeming to treat signals, pedestrian crossings and even traffic police as obstacles to overcome.

On-the-spot police fines often spark arguments, confrontations are common, and officers are sometimes struck by vehicles refusing to obey commands.

"Those who violate the rules turn against us," traffic sergeant SM Nazim Uddin told AFP.

"But since AI was introduced, people behind the wheel have started obeying the law -- and we have been spared the everyday quarrels."

Despite repeated attempts to modernize traffic management, the city of more than 22 million people had remained reliant on manual control, with officers stretching ropes across roads before traffic lights turned green.

But in April, Dhaka police linked traffic cameras to artificial intelligence software designed to automatically detect violations.

Motorist Hannan Rahman Jibon, 28, was among the first drivers caught.

"I ran a red light and the owner of my car, who was sitting at home, received a text message saying that the vehicle had violated traffic rules," said Jibon, who was hit with an automatic 2,000 taka ($16) fine.

"I am more careful now, with cameras installed in many different parts."

- 'Getting results' -

One study, by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, ranked Dhaka as the "slowest city" in the world.

With an average speed of just 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per hour, according to a World Bank and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology study, it is quicker to walk.

City police spokesman N.M. Nasiruddin said the AI system used existing traffic-monitoring camera feeds -- with the software identifying offences ranging from signal and lane violations to illegal parking.

Coverage does not stretch across all the city, and manual traffic enforcement will be phased out over time, but police say it is changing behavior.

"We have started getting results," Nasiruddin said. "We have prosecuted at least 300 vehicles."

Inside a control room at police headquarters, analyst Sharmin Afroze, 52, monitored a bank of live traffic feeds, plugged into the AI system, where violations it flags are checked by humans.

"Before, police used to stop vehicles, check papers and determine fines," Afroze told AFP, noting that in a single day, the system had recorded nearly 800 traffic violations.

For now, police are only fining the worst offenders -- while giving the others a warning.

- 'Do not follow rules' -

Still, officials admit the technology faces hurdles.

"We are facing some challenges too," Afroze said. "For example, some number plates are blurred or too small to identify."

Police are working with the road transport authority to address the issue, while additional features -- such as vehicles driving on footpaths -- will be added soon.

The system also currently targets motor vehicles, and police are still considering how to regulate Dhaka's vast fleet of pedal rickshaws, a defining feature of the city's traffic.

Hasib Mohammed Ahsan, a professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said the long-term success of the system would depend less on technology -- and more on whether authorities consistently enforce the rules.

"We have spent huge amounts of money on traffic signals and their upgrades, but those efforts were never sustained," Ahsan said.

"We do not follow rules, there is no consistency in our planning, and there is no accountability for failure."

Varieties

Shark Kills Man in Australia’s Queensland State

A sign is seen at the site of a fatal shark attack at Dee Why Beach in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP)
A sign is seen at the site of a fatal shark attack at Dee Why Beach in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP)
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Shark Kills Man in Australia’s Queensland State

A sign is seen at the site of a fatal shark attack at Dee Why Beach in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP)
A sign is seen at the site of a fatal shark attack at Dee Why Beach in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP)

A man has died after a shark attack in northern Queensland state in Australia, police said on Sunday.

The 39-year-old died from his injuries at a boat ramp after he was pulled from the water following the attack at Kennedy Shoal, Queensland police said in statement.

Emergency services were called to Hull River Heads boat ramp just before 12:00 pm, police said.

"The man was retrieved from the water and died from his injuries," the statement said.

The man died at the boat ramp, Queensland Ambulance said.

The site is 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the popular tourist city of Cairns.

The attack follows a fatal shark attack a week ago in Western Australia.