Latest news with #Nefertiti
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
KSINC plans monsoon cruise packages to attract tourists during off season
Kochi: Aiming to attract more tourists during the monsoon season, which is the off-season for cruise boat services in Kochi backwaters, Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) is planning to introduce special trips and packages for visitors. As per the plan, KSINC will offer journeys at a lower rate during the entire off-season. It was learnt that the corporation might offer a minimum of a 25% discount on packages during such seasons. The special packages would be applicable for almost all of its cruise boat services, including the Sagararani cruise. However, Nefertiti cruise is not operated during the monsoon period and the service will resume in Sept. "We want to attract more visitors during the off-season. So, we are experimenting with a similar method followed by the tourism management societies in major destinations like Ooty. We have to provide service at a low rate during such seasons," said a KSINC source. The corporation has already started marketing the Sagararani service under the 'monsoon trip' theme to attract more passengers. As the cruise service will not enter sea waters during the monsoon, it will cover other destinations such as Mattancherry, Willingdon Island, etc.
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- New Indian Express
All sea-going services suspended as heavy rain batters Kochi
KOCHI: Even as the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) denied reports of its sea-going cruise vessel 'Nefertiti' sailing dangerously in the rough sea the other day, the adverse weather has forced the authorities to indefinitely suspend all sea-going services. This after the Cochin Port Authority (CPT) denied permission for operators to sail beyond the Vypeen Ghat citing adverse weather conditions for the second straight day. Luxury vessels, including that of major private operators like 'Neo Classic Cruise & Tours Pvt Ltd' and 'Minar Cruise' didn't operate their sea-going services. 'Nefertiti' and other sea-going vessels of KSINC including 'Sooryamshu' and 'Sagararani' also didn't conduct services. 'We didn't operate the vessel on Monday despite having advance bookings on all days till May 31, following the issuance of adverse weather warning alerts. The services tomorrow (Tuesday) too remain cancelled,' a KSINC spokesperson told TNIE. Nefertiti is allowed to sail 12 nautical miles (nearly 22 kms) into sea only till May 31. The sea-going services won't be conducted during the monsoon season – June, July and August. Meanwhile, the KSINC denied reports that it operated the sea-going ship in violation of the restrictions placed by the port authorities on Sunday. 'Nefertiti is a cruise ship registered under the 'M S Class 6' (Merchant Shipping Act) and is capable and legally allowed to sail up to 20 nautical miles into the sea. However, it sails only up to 12 nautical miles to avoid taking the Immigration Clearance of the Cochin Port,' KSINC said in a statement, while denying that it operated dangerously on Sunday. 'On the said day, the ship sailed only after receiving the nod of the Cochin Port and travelled only two nautical miles from the LNG terminal and returned since the sea was rough. Also there was no situation that forced the ship to anchor in the sea,' it added. The private operators too are currently not taking advance bookings for their sea-going services, especially the popular sun-set tours in the evening.
Egypt Independent
20-05-2025
- General
- Egypt Independent
Is Queen Nefertiti's mummy about to be revealed?
International newspapers several years ago reported the discovery of Queen Nefertiti's mummy, citing an English researcher more interested in fame than science. Naturally, I opposed the publication of such sensational, unverified news. At the time, I challenged every piece of alleged evidence the English researcher presented. During our debates, I lacked scientific data on the purported Nefertiti mummy. However, after the English researcher examined this mummy using x-rays, I wasn't able to refute its results. The mummy that is claimed to be Queen Nefertiti, the wife of King Akhenaten, was first discovered in 1898 by French Egyptologist Victor Loret within a cache of mummies in Tomb #35 in the Valley of the Kings, which belonged to King Amenhotep II. Years after the cache of mummies in Amenhotep II's tomb was revealed, Howard Carter, renowned for discovering Tutankhamun's tomb, relocated nine identified mummies – including those of Kings Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, and Merneptah (son of the famous Ramesses II) – to Cairo. The story behind these caches dates back to the 21st Dynasty. At the time, Amon's priests sought to protect the royal mummies from widespread tomb robberies. To do so, they moved the mummies from their original burial sites to nearby tombs, and then to various hidden caches. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the Deir el-Bahari cache, unearthed in 1881. Carter left three mummies inside Amenhotep II's tomb, the first of which he named the 'Elder Lady.' Through the Royal Mummies Study Project, which I've led for years, we later confirmed that the Elder Lady's mummy is indeed the famous Queen Tiye, wife of King Amenhotep III, known as the 'Pasha of Ancient Egypt's Pharaohs,' and the mother of King Akhenaten. Next to Queen Tiye's mummy lay another mummy of a young boy, whom I believe to be a son of King Amenhotep III who died young, leaving the throne to his brother Akhenaten. The third mummy, the subject of this article, was initially believed by the French Egyptologist Loret to be that of a young boy with a bald head, a missing right arm, and a crushed area below the face. This mummy, known as the 'Younger Lady,' is the one that is widely proclaimed to be Queen Nefertiti, the wife of King Akhenaten. She lived alongside her husband during their struggles against the priests of Amun, moved with him to Amarna, and bore him six daughters, one of whom married the famous boy king Tutankhamun. However, upon Queen Tiye's (Nefertiti's mother-in-law) arrival in Amarna, Nefertiti completely withdrew from public life, living separately from Akhenaten in her palace with her daughters. Scientists have never found the tomb or the mummy of the beautiful queen, yet her fame endures through her exquisite bust displayed in the Berlin Museum. The struggle between us and the museum regarding the return of the queen's head to her homeland, Egypt, continues. Under my leadership, we successfully established the first-of-its-kind Egyptian Project for the Study of Royal and Non-Royal Mummies. This ambitious project aims to create a comprehensive database and record of all mummies located in tombs and storage facilities. Furthermore, it involves studying royal mummies using the latest CT-Scan technology and establishing the only DNA laboratory in the world specifically dedicated to mummy studies. This lab was initially located in the basement of the Egyptian Museum before being transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat. We initially used the CT scanner to uncover the secrets of the controversial 'Younger Lady' mummy, which had been popularized as Nefertiti's. However, our studies concluded that she had no connection to Queen Nefertiti. One of the arguments proposed in favor of this being Nefertiti was the mummy's right arm position. When the mummy was discovered, its right arm was missing, though two separate arms were found nearby: one straight and one bent. While scientists initially believed the straight arm belonged to the mummy, a later study, using mummy measurements and x-ray analysis, revealed that the bone density of the straight arm differed from the rest of the body. This led him to conclude that the bent arm was the correct one. If true, the woman would have one straight left arm extending along her body and a bent right arm across her chest. This specific arm positioning, one straight and one bent, was a tradition reserved for queens. However, this doesn't confirm her identity as Nefertiti, as many other ancient Egyptian queen mummies have yet to be identified. The next article will delve deeper into the true identity of the Younger Lady mummy, fully dispelling the long-held belief that she was Queen Nefertiti.
News24
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Nandi Madida's love for her natural hair – ‘You are soothed, you are calmer'
Presenter, actor and media personality Nandi Madida reveals a deep appreciation for her hair, the rich African culture that inspires it and the admiration she has for her daughter Nefertiti's love for her natural kinks. Nandi pens a touching tribute to the crown that she and South Africa so adore. 'Just as an African, I'm so inspired by this colourful continent. Not only are we genetically the most diverse continent in the world, we're also the cradle of humankind, so everything kind of started here and you can see it. We're just vibrant. 'Everyone borrows from here but it's all rooted here. And so, I love playing and having fun with my hair. I love also ensuring that, especially particularly young people but people of all ages, understand how powerful our hair is. And I always say one day when I'm no longer on this earth, I hope I did somehow influence some kiddies out there who will be adults by then to just love their hair and how to work around it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nandi_Madida 🇿🇦 (@nandi_madida) 'Hair has been so important to me, not only as a media personality and making a statement with my hair but also just as an African child. We have a very painful past and so something as simple as hair has been ostracised for so long where people felt less than because of their hair. 'And so, I was very lucky that I came from a family and read the likes of Steve Biko, who were so invested in ensuring that we were enlightened as a people and understood what the system was trying to do by breaking us down and instead build us up. And so, I'm always intentional about building us up. 'My daughter has the most gorgeous hair and this big 'fro, and she does all these beautiful hairstyles and she loves it! She just loves her kinks. She doesn't have any FOMO and that's so much progress whereas we would put chemicals on our head wanting to look like a blonde barbie, so just to see how there's been so much progress. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nandi_Madida 🇿🇦 (@nandi_madida) 'I would first apologise to my hair and say for putting you through chemicals where to the point that you got really burnt and permanently damage your skull. So, I'm sorry for that and though you were very young and weren't aware and no one was aware what was happening. May you heal and, from that, I've intentionally ensured that you're healed, that you are comforted, that you feel soothed. 'You are soothed, you are calmer. You're growing, you love your kinks. You can just be for who you are and enjoy your crown.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nandi_Madida 🇿🇦 (@nandi_madida)
News24
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Nandi Madida creates safe haven for women on The Motherhood Network podcast
Motherhood is no walk in the park. Every stage of it brings different challenges and struggles just as it brings out-of-this-world joy. Many women wear the title with pride while others even draw strength from it. One best known to slay motherhood is media personality and mother of two, Nandi Madida. To her, motherhood is 'humanity'. 'It's knowing that you have a contribution to create what hopefully will be incredibly human beings in this earth and that responsibility is an honour. We really hold humanity, we give birth to humanity, it's everything.' Contrary to what's dominating in the public domain currently, Nandi has always wanted to be a mother. 'I loved journaling growing up and I recently found the journal I used when I was in grade 11, 21 years ago. I was going through it with my husband, and it was so funny because I came across a part where I said I'd like to have a son called Shaka.' She chuckles as she tells Drum that years later, like Queen Nandi of the Zulu kingdom, she has a Shaka who's almost nine years old, just as she manifested it. With both her pregnancy with Shaka and Nefertiti, she admits that her life has changed for the better. Although they both came as surprises, she was ecstatic about carrying her blessings. Reminiscing on her pregnancy with Nefertiti, she shares with Drum how she was in the bathroom in her old house when her husband, Zakes Bantwini gave her the biggest hug and told her how he wishes it would be a girl so that they wrap up the package of blessings. Her biggest challenges on her motherhood journey have included digging deep within herself to work on her emotional intelligence while trying as much as possible to keep the romantic spark alive with her spouse, especially in the early stages, just after birth. 'After finding that rhythm, you feel like a winner. From a medical perspective, there's having to seek advice when you realise that you have a child who has a different way of thinking and doing things. I wouldn't say it's a challenge, but it is more of an awakening,' she adds. Having been someone who's lived with ADHD, she's learned a lot about neurodivergence and was more than happy to take on the task of mothering children living with autism and ADHD. 'I've always been transparent about my daughter mainly because I also wanted to normalise it. You'd be shocked to learn that a lot of people are undiagnosed neurodivergent. There's a whole world of people who haven't been diagnosed and there's a whole lot of diagnoses now with more information at their disposal. Me opening up, unintentionally made a lot of other parents comfortable with opening up about their journeys.' That brought a sense of comfort as she became a haven and sounding board for a lot of parents out there. Despite being the one leading the conversation about her children's conditions, there's nothing she wants more than for both of them to own their stories one day and tell them to inspire people. Through it all, her own mother, Thandeka Mngoma poured into her cup. 'She has naturally been a key figure in my life and I'm forever grateful for that. I love how honest she was about both the negative and positive sides of motherhood. She always provided a space for us to have uncomfortable conversations, and I really appreciated that.' It is from this that she saw it befitting to launch a podcast focused on motherhood, titled The Motherhood Network which premiered on Mother's Day, 11 May with media mogul, Basetsana Kumalo joining her as the first guest. 'It's long overdue from my side. I was interested in launching something during covid, but I felt like I hadn't been a mother long enough. I just wanted to experience longer and have a sense of comfort in being able to impart knowledge from not only my experiences but also other people's experiences, in a more mature, motherly perspective. 'As much as we're celebrating mothers, we'll also speak about the reality that comes with having triggers like not having a mother who was healthy for them, who was there for them, so we speak about the mother wound as well. I'm passionate about that as much as I am about celebrating incredible mothers who've been able to inspire the next generation as well,' she adds. Dr. Judy Dlamini, Chancellor of Wits University and author and Dr. Nellie Balfour, one of South Africa's leading paediatricians are some of the guests that will be coming up on the podcast as people embrace the navigation of motherhood on the podcast.
