British pilgrims prepare to join millions in Saudi Arabia to for annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj
Millions of Muslims are preparing to undertake Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and one of the central pillars of Islam. Among them are British pilgrims getting ready to travel from London, each with their own hopes for the days ahead. (AP Video: Mustakim Hasnath)
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San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A Virginia museum found 4 Confederate soldiers' remains. It's trying to identify them
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Archaeologists in Virginia were excavating the grounds of a building that stored gunpowder during the American Revolution when they uncovered the eye sockets of a human skull. The team carefully unearthed four skeletons, including one with a bullet in the spine, and three amputated legs. They quickly surmised the bones were actually from the Civil War, when a makeshift hospital operated nearby and treated gravely wounded Confederate soldiers. The archaeologists work at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a museum that owns the land and focuses on the city's 18th century history. They're now trying to identify human remains from the 19th century, a rare endeavor that will include searching for living descendants and requesting swabs of DNA. The museum has recovered enough genetic material from the men's teeth for possible matches. But the prospect of identifying them emerged only after the team located handwritten lists in an archive that name the soldiers in that hospital. 'It is the key,' said Jack Gary, Colonial Williamsburg's executive director of archaeology. 'If these men were found in a mass grave on a battlefield, and there was no other information, we probably wouldn't be trying to do this.' The archaeologists have narrowed the possible identities to four men who served in regiments from Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia. The museum is withholding the names as the work continues. Meanwhile, the remains were reinterred Tuesday at a Williamsburg cemetery where Confederate soldiers from the same battle are buried. 'Everyone deserves dignity in death,' Gary said. 'And being stored in a drawer inside a laboratory does not do that.' 'Shockingly costly for both sides' The soldiers fought in the Battle of Williamsburg, a bloody engagement on May 5, 1862. The fighting was part of the Peninsula Campaign, a major Union offensive that tried to end the war quickly. The campaign's failure that summer, stalling outside the Confederate capital of Richmond, informed President Abraham Lincoln's decision to end slavery. In his first inaugural address, Lincoln said he intended to reunite the nation with slavery intact in the Southern states, while halting its westward expansion, said Timothy Orr, a military historian and professor at Old Dominion University. But Lincoln realized after the campaign that he needed a more radical approach, Orr said. And while the president faced political pressure for emancipation, freeing people who were enslaved served as 'another weapon to defeat the Confederacy.' 'He becomes convinced that slavery is feeding the Confederate war effort,' Orr said. 'It had to be taken away.' Bigger and bloodier battles followed Williamsburg, Orr said, but it was 'shockingly costly for both sides." Roughly 14,600 Union soldiers fought about 12,500 Confederates, Carol Kettenburg Dubbs wrote in her 2002 book, 'Defend This Old Town.' The number of Union killed, wounded, captured or missing was 2,283. The Confederate figure was 1,870. The fighting moved north, while a Union brigade occupied the southern city. Confederate soldiers too wounded for travel were placed in homes and a church, which was converted into a hospital. A surgeon from New York treated them, while local women visited the church, Dubbs wrote. One woman noted in her diary on May 26 that there were 'only 18 out of 61 left.' Their arms were crossed When the remains were discovered in 2023, they were aligned east-west in the Christian tradition, said Gary, the archaeologist. Their arms were crossed. The careful burial indicates they were not dumped into a mass grave, Gary said. Those who died in the battle were almost immediately placed in trenches and later reinterred at a cemetery. The men were not in uniform, said Eric Schweickart, a staff archaeologist. Some were in more comfortable clothes, based on artifacts that included buttons and a trouser buckle. One soldier had two $5 gold coins from 1852. Another had a toothbrush made of animal bone and a snuff bottle, used for sniffing tobacco. The bullet in the soldier's spine was a Minié ball, a common round of Civil War ammunition. The foot of one amputated leg also contained a Minié ball. Bones in a second severed leg were shattered. 'We want it be ironclad' As the team researched the battle, they learned of the lists of hospitalized soldiers, said Evan Bell, an archaeological lab technician. The lists were likely copied from Union records by the women who visited the wounded. The documents were with a local family's papers at William & Mary, a university nearby. The lists became the project's Rosetta stone, providing names and regiments of more than 60 soldiers. They included dates of death and notes indicating amputations. The archaeologists eliminated soldiers on the lists who survived or lost an extremity. The four skeletons had all of their limbs. Death dates were key because three men were buried together, allowing the team to pinpoint three soldiers who died around the same time. William & Mary's Institute for Historical Biology examined the remains and estimated their ages. The youngest was between 15 and 19, the oldest between 35 and 55. The estimates helped match names to enlistment records, census data and Union prisoner of war documents. The soldiers' remains and the amputated limbs were buried in their own stainless steel boxes in a concrete vault, Gary said. If descendants are confirmed, they can move their ancestor to another burial site. The identification effort will continue for another several months at least and will include extensive genealogy work, Gary said. Using only DNA tests on remains from the 1800s can risk false positives because 'you start becoming related to everyone.' 'We want it to be ironclad,' he said.
Miami Herald
28 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Jessie J says she ‘needs a hug' after revealing early breast cancer diagnosis
Jessie J is doing away with the secrets — once and for all. The 37-year-old British singer took to Instagram on June 3 to reveal that she was diagnosed with early breast cancer prior to dropping her new song, 'No Secrets,' which was released on April 25. Her newest single, 'Living My Best Life,' was released three weeks later on May 16. In her announcement, Jessie J made sure to emphasize the term 'early.' 'Cancer sucks in any form, but I'm holding onto the word 'early,'' she said in the clip, adding that she's been 'in and out of tests' for the past few weeks and will be undergoing surgery soon. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer treatments are 'more effective and are better tolerated when started early.' In an attempt to keep the announcement light, Jessie J joked that she is 'getting to keep (her) nipples' and described her upcoming surgery as a 'very dramatic way to get a boob job.' 'I am going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery,' she said of the music festival she's performing at on June 15. 'And I will come back with massive (breasts) and more music.' While she credits her sense of humor for helping her through hard times, she also opened up about the new perspective her diagnosis has given her. 'All jokes aside,' she wrote in the caption. 'This last 2 months have been so amazing, and having this go on along side it on the sideline's has given me the most incredible perspective.' 'BUT… Your girl needs a hug,' she added. While revealing her diagnosis, Jessie J admitted that she was hesitant about going public with the news. Ultimately, she decided to share it with her fans so they can hear it from her. 'I've always shared everything that I go through in my life,' she explained. 'I just wanted to be open and share it,' she continued. 'One, because selfishly I do not talk about it enough – I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard.' Jessie J goes on to describe herself as a 'sharer' and 'open book.' 'I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories,' she says in the video. She also highlighted the irony behind the timing of her two newest releases. 'To get diagnosed with this as I'm putting out a song called 'No Secrets,' right before a song called 'Living My Best Life,'' Jessie J said in the video. 'I mean, you can't make it up.' She further clarified that the release of her two singles was 'pre-planned' before learning of the diagnosis. 'No (more) Secrets and is it too soon to do a remix called 'Living my breast life'?' she joked in the caption of the post. The breast cancer diagnosis comes less than one year after the singer revealed that she was diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). It also comes several years after she suffered a miscarriage in 2021, per People. Jessie J is now the proud parent of her 2-year-old son, Sky, who she welcomed with boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman in 2023, per Today.
New York Post
34 minutes ago
- New York Post
Seahawks coach sounds off on ‘crazy' Sam Darnold QB controversy after $100 million star's rough practice
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald isn't opening the door to a Sam Darnold quarterback controversy. Speaking Tuesday on Seattle Sports 710-AM, the second-year coach quelled any speculation that the team's $100 million acquisition could lose the role of QB1 before the start of the season. 'No, you guys are crazy,' Macdonald replied when asked if anything except injury would loosen Darnold's grip on the job, per ESPN. 'I respect that you've got to ask it, but it's just a crazy question. It's just not going to happen. Sam's our starting quarterback. We love him. He's doing a tremendous job.' Advertisement 5 Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald in December 2024. Getty Images 5 Sam Darnold looks to pass at Seahawks OTAs on June 2, 2025. AP Darnold, 27, signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5 million pact in March following a career year with the Vikings. Advertisement Macdonald, 37, responded to Tuesday's question after Seattle took a spin on the Darnold roller-coaster at OTAs this week, when he tossed two interceptions in a brief span. The coach made it clear no one is hitting the panic button in early June with the season opener three months away. 5 Sam Darnold (r.) chats with Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (l.) on June 2, 2025. AP 'God forbid you're the worst payer of all time because you made one bad throw or one bad decision,' he said. 'That is not what we're trying to build. We want these guys to go prepare the right way and then when they go out on the practice field, go freaking let it rip and then we'll go fix it. … We've got time. It's June 3 … They're going to get plenty of reps. We'll get those things fixed.' Advertisement Darnold is starting anew in the Pacific Northwest after earning his first Pro Bowl nod in Minnesota, where he threw 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions en route to a postseason appearance. 5 Sam Darnold and the Seahawks agreed to a three-year, $100.5 million pact in free agency. AP The NFL journeyman — whose previous stops included the Jets, Panthers and Niners — came crashing back down to earth in the playoffs, with the Vikings being routed by the Rams in the wild-card round, 27-9. Darnold tossed a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked nine times. Advertisement The Vikings are moving forward with last year's first-round pick, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who missed last season due to a knee injury. 5 Sam Darnold is coming off a career year with the Vikings. Bill Kostroun for New York Post Prior to Darnold's arrival, the Seahawks moved on from quarterback Geno Smith, trading the fellow ex-Jet to the Raiders in March after missing the playoffs following a 10-7 campaign. Even with the Seahawks all-in on Darnold, they do have a $37.5 million escape hatch in the event they want to get out of the union after a year. Seattle also has insurance in former backup quarterback Drew Lock, who rejoined the team in April after a stint with the Giants, and rookie Jalen Milroe, taken in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Darnold and the Seahawks host the Niners in their season opener on Sept. 7.
