DNA shows Sahara was green and populated 1,000 years ago

There was a time, between 12,000 and 5,000 years ago, when the Sahara was populated and covered in luxurious vegetation, according to a recent DNA study. The reconstruction was by a group of international biologists coordinated by Fulvio Cruciani from the Sapienza University of Rome in a study published in the Genome Biology journal.

To solve the puzzle of human evolution in the Sahara, the researchers used an innovative technique of genetic sequencing with which they analyzed over 3 million DNA letters of 104 individuals. They focused especially on the Y chromosome, passed down from fathers only to their sons, identifying almost 6,000 genetic variants, half of which had never previously been described. The data show that genetic characteristics of North African and sub-Saharan male population were shaped by migrations in ancient times.

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Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Dera Sacha Sauda spiritual leader found guilty of raping female followers

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at a news conference to launch the score for his film 'MSG-2 The Messenger' in Mumbai AFP/Getty Images A popular Indian actor and spiritual leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has been convicted of raping his followers following a high profile trial. Singh was found guilty of raping two women in a case dating back to 2002 at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda group in the town of Sirsa. The bearded guru, who had denied the charges, had arrived for the hearing with a 100-vehicle convoy that left his ashram early on Friday. Some 15,000 police and soldiers were deployed in Panchkula, the town where his trial took place, for fear of violence. Tens of thousands of his devotees had travelled there to protest his innocence, according to reports, while internet and phone services were throttled in a bid to forestall unrest. In a televised appeal, Singh asked his supporters not to resort to violence, but some said they would not t...

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) threatens to attack Italian vessels in Libyan waters unlikely to materialise, but risks support mission

the Italian parliament approved legislation allowing Italian military vessels to patrol Libyan waters in order to stem the flow of migrants entering Italy. This is the latest in a series of initiatives and proposals by the Italian government to block the Mediterranean migrant route, including the recent introduction of a code of conduct curtailing the flexibility of aid groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate rescue vessels in the Mediterranean. In response to the latest measure to deploy the Italian navy, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) – a militia associated with the Tobruk-based government in eastern Libya – warned that any non-commercial vessel entering Libyan waters without prior authorisation would be attacked.

More Than 70 Killed in Fighting in Western Myanmar

An empty street in Maungdaw township, in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, on Friday after the authorities told residents to stay in their homes after an attack by Rohingya militants. Credit Wai Moe/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images HONG KONG — More than 70 people were killed on Friday in clashes between militants and security forces in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, which outside observers called a worrying upsurge of violence in the troubled region. The dead included at least 12 members of the security forces and at least 59 Rohingya insurgents, according to a statement from the office of Myanmar’s de facto leader, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi . Myanmar’s armed forces said the militants used knives, small arms and explosives in coordinated early morning attacks on several police and military posts around Buthidaung and Maungdaw, near Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh. Rakhine is home to about one million Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim min...

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