Huge swarms of humans killed off Neanderthals

Neanderthals died out in Western Europe after a huge surge of modern humans arrived suddenly from Africa and made them a minority in their own land, researchers claim.

The swarm of Homo sapiens onto the continent more than 40,000 years ago left the Neanderthals, who had thrived in the frigid conditions for 300 millennia, outnumbered by a massive 10 to one.

The invasion of so many modern humans overturned the neanderthals' domination of the land and forced them into fierce competition for food, fuel and other crucial resources.

The scenario, described by Paul Mellars, emeritus professor of prehistory and human evolution at Cambridge University, and his colleague, Jennifer French, is the latest attempt by scientists to explain the mystery of the Neanderthals' demise.

***

Artist portrays gorilla on a crucifix

An artist has defended his installation of a lifesize gorilla on a crucifix in a former London church.

The artwork by Paul Fryer is scarily lifelike, created using the waxwork techniques of the world-famous Madame Tussauds museum and finished off with human hair.

Another of Fryer's pieces being shown in the crypt is a lifelike black Christ depicted in an electric chair - a statement about the disproportionately large number of black people on death row in the United States.

Girls mature faster in Iran, can be executed sooner

Under the Iranian Islamic Penal Law, Article 49; a child becomes criminally liable at 9 years for girls, 15 years for boys.

Thus, at those ages, they can be sentenced to the death.

If younger than these respective ages, they can be sentenced to corporal punishment (presumably a public lashing)

PlayStation is "road to hell" - Prez Chavez

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has denounced the PlayStation console as a "poison" that leads our kids down the capitalist "road to hell".

Egyptian official blames Israel for shark attack increase

Shark attacks on tourists in the Red Sea have triggered a flurry of speculation as to what could have caused them, with suggestions ranging from overfishing to an Israeli plot to harm Egyptian tourism.

"What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark (in the sea) to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm," South Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha was quoted as saying by state news site egynews.net.

***

Saudi high school girls hold illegal sports tournament

Private Saudi girls' high schools are being investigated by the education ministry for holding an "illegal" sports tournament, the Arab News reports.

The groundbreaking event involving 200 females from six Jeddah private high schools broke ministry rules against girls' sports in schools, a ministry official told the newspaper.

"We don't have any regulations that say that it's okay for girls' schools to hold sports classes or training," said Ahmed Al-Zahrani, director of girls' education in Jeddah.

***

Iran executing another person every eight hours

Iranian authorities have unleashed an "execution binge" with an average rate of one person hanged every eight hours since the beginning of the year, a rights group monitoring the Islamic Republic says.

"The Iranian judiciary is on an execution binge orchestrated by the intelligence and security agencies," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, said yesterday.

***