ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE FOUND IN ISRAEL

JERUSALEM -- In what was slated to be the site of a new 122-room hotel, archaeologists say they have discovered one of the world's oldest synagogues in Northern Israel.
The site, which was unearthed as preparations were being made for construction of the hotel near the Sea of Galilee, is believed to date back some 2000 years from 50BCE to 100CE.
In the middle of the 120 square meter main hall of the synagogue archaeologists discovered an unusual stone carved with a seven branched menorah . "We are dealing with an exciting and unique find," said excavation director and Israeli Antiquities Authority archaeologist Dina Avshalom-Gorni.
The menorah engraving is the first of its kind to be discovered from the Early Roman period according Avshalom-Gorni who said the site joins just six synagogue locations that are know to date from the same time.
She said synagogues from this period were extremely rare in part because many Jews during that time were in the habit of visiting the main temple in Jerusalem three times a year as opposed to attending local houses of worship.
Avshalom-Gorni posited that the engraved menorah was done by an artist who had visited the main synagogue in Jerusalem known as the Second Temple where the actual menorah was believed to be kept.
In addition to the engraved stone Avshalom-Gorni said they discovered preserved frescoes on the walls with "vivid" colors.
The synagogue was discovered in area called Migdal, historically an important settlement along the Sea of Galilee, which researchers say was mentioned in ancient Jewish texts as playing a prominent role during what is known as the Great Revolt, when Jews attempted to rebel against Roman rule. Migdal also figures in early Christian writings as the place where Mary Magdalene accompanied Jesus and the Apostles.
Jose Miguel Abat, a legal representative for the company developing the land, Ark New Gate, said the company was thrilled at news of the find and planned to establish a multi-cultural and multi-religious center at the location.
"We are sure this finding and the planned center will attract tourists and visitors from Israel and from around the World," Abat said in a statement.

BOLIVIAN PASTOR HIJACKS A MEXICAN JET : SAYS GOD WANTED HIM TO HIJACK THE PLANE

MEXICO CITY -- Mexican investigators are evaluating a Bolivian pastor who hijacked a jetliner for possible mental illness, and trying to figure out how he managed to slip through Cancun Airport security with a fake bomb in his luggage.
Jose Flores, 44, pulled out the device, which he later described as a "a juice can ... with some little lights I attached," as the airplane was approaching Mexico City Wednesday afternoon.
The device was a dud, but his sudden move and demands sparked an hour-long runway standoff that kept the country in suspense until the 103 passengers and seven crew members escaped unharmed. The incident ended peacefully when armed police dramatically raided the airplane.
Authorities said the entire incident was preventable because the fake bomb should have been spotted during routine airport screening.
"It was certainly something that should have been detected and stopped," Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna told the Televisa television network on Thursday. The device included cables, three sand-filled juice cans and a digital clock, he said.
Federal prosecutors said Flores may face terrorism charges but is also undergoing mental evaluations. If he is found to be mentally ill, authorities said it's possible he could be sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Flores told authorities that Wednesday's date - 9-9-09 - is the satanic number 666 turned upside down. Speaking to reporters after he was detained, Flores smilingly told them: "Christ is coming soon."
He said he had received divine revelation that an enormous earthquake would soon strike Mexico and that he hijacked the plane to force a meeting with President Felipe Calderon.
In Bolivia, Flores's mother said she was confident that divine justice would save her son from doom.
She said his actions were wrong, "but I believe that God will bring victory," said Mary Pereira.

WEEK-OLD BABY UNDERGOES SEX CHANGE OPERATION IN RAJKOT

RAJKOT: Seven days after a boy was born to a city-based family, doctors have medically proved that the baby is a girl. The baby went through an operation on Wednesday for a sex change.
After a sonography, city-based doctor Dr Atul Hirani confirmed that it was a baby girl. The baby had male genital organs but female sexual organs inside the body.
The family realized that something was amiss and took the baby to a paediatrician and after various tests. After consultation and discussion with doctors, they were convinced to take a practical decision for the better future of the baby. Had the family chosen to keep the baby as it is, it could have led to psychological and social problems for the baby. The family belongs to middle class strata.
A team of doctors lead by Dr Rohit Thakkar and five others, including plastic surgeon Dr Girish Amlani, urologist Dr Sanjay Popat, general surgeon Dr Yogesh Raichura, paediatrician Dr Nayan Kalavadiya and Dr Sukhdev Chandarana, operated upon the seven-day-old baby for genital reconstruction in a three-hour operation. The baby will be able to live a normal life as a female child.

WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON GERTRUDE BAINES DIES AT 115

LOS ANGELES: Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest known person who once quipped she had won the genetic lottery, died Friday at a nursing home. She
was 115.
Baines likely suffered a heart attack, but an autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death, said her longtime physician, Dr. Charles Witt.
"I saw her two days ago, and she was just doing fine," Witt said. "She was in excellent shape. She was mentally alert. She smiled frequently."
Born in 1894 in Shellman, Georgia, Baines claimed the title of the world's oldest living person when a 115-year-old woman, Maria de Jesus, died in Portugal in January.
The oldest person in the world is now Kama Chinen, 114, who lives in Japan, according to Dr. L. Stephen Coles of the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks claims of extreme old age. Chinen was born May 10, 1895, Coles said.
The oldest person who has ever lived is Jeanne-Louise Calment, according to Coles. She was 122 when she died Aug. 4, 1997, in Arles, France.
Baines outlived her entire family, including her only daughter, who died of typhoid.
Baines worked as a maid in Ohio State University dormitories until her retirement and has lived at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles for more than 10 years.
After turning 115 in April, she said, "Living that long is like winning the genetic lottery."
Nurses at Western Convalescent Hospital described Baines as a modest woman who liked to watch the "Jerry Springer Show" and eat fried chicken, bacon and ice cream. She refused to use dentures.
"I don't know how she does it. She only has her gums, no teeth," said Susie Exconde, the nursing director. Exconde who found Baines dead in her bed at about 7:25 a.m. (1125 GMT)
Witt, her physician, said that when he visited Baines earlier this week, she only complained that her bacon was soggy and arthritis was causing pain in her right knee.
Baines celebrated her birthday at the nursing home April 6 with music, two cakes and a letter from President Barack Obama, whom she voted for in November.
Featured on local television newscasts when she cast her ballot, Baines, who is black, said she backed him "because he's for the colored." She said she never thought she would live to see a black man become president.
"We were hoping to have her until the next election," Exconde said. "We'll miss her."

WORLD'S FIRST MUSLIM SEARCH ENGINE ' IMHALAL.COM ' A SEARCH ENGINE ONLY FOR MUSLIMS

NEW DELHI: A Dutch company has launched a new search engine that aims to protect Muslims from accidentally bumping into explicit material while su rfing the Web. Called ImHalal.com, or "I am Halal," is the world's first Muslim search engine.
Reza Sardeha, founder of AZS Media Group, which runs the search engine, told The Daily Star that the idea grew after his friends complained of bumping into sexually explicit content when using search engines such as Yahoo or Google.
According to The Daily Star, the site's filter examines the user's search terms and the websites that are returned, trawling for a 'non-halal list' of words that may indicate forbidden fruit. On the site, sex-related terms such as 'gay,' 'lesbian' or simply 'sexy' merit a haram level of three; the highest score on the list.
But 'beer' and 'pork' only merit a score of one, while 'drugs' comes up as a level two. There are, however, no restrictions on more general concepts that are forbidden in Islam such as 'suicide' or 'magic.'
Sardeha told the publication that the company is now in talks with Imams to determine what else might be considered Haram so that it can be blocked on the site. They also have plans to keep adding to the search engine with what Sardeha calls 'Islamic widgets.'
The site, launched earlier this month, claims to have received more than 400,000 unique visitors so far.