Page 6 - aruba-today-20220914

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 14 september 2022
Ancient skeleton found in Mexico cave threatened by train

By MARK STEVENSON mains known as The Wom-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A an of Naharon, who died
prehistoric human skeleton around the same time, or
has been found in a cave perhaps earlier, than Naia
system that was flooded at — the nearly complete
the end of the last ice age skeleton of a young wom-
8,000 years ago, according an who died around 13,000
to a cave-diving archae- years ago. It was discov-
ologist on Mexico's Carib- ered in a nearby cave sys-
bean coast. tem in 2007.
Archaeologist Octavio del President Andrés Manuel
Rio said he and fellow diver López Obrador is racing to
Peter Broger saw the shat- finish his Maya Train project
tered skull and skeleton in the remaining two years
partly covered by sediment of his term over the objec-
in a cave near where the tions of environmentalists,
Mexican government plans cave divers and archae-
to build a high-speed tour- ologists. They say his haste
ist train through the jungle. will allow little time to study
Given the distance from the ancient remains.
the cave entrance, the Activists say the heavy,
skeleton couldn't have high-speed rail project
gotten there without mod- will fragment the coastal
ern diving equipment, so jungle and will run often
it must be over 8,000 years above the fragile limestone
old, Del Rio said, referring to In this photo courtesy of Octavio del Rio, shows fragments of a pre-historic human skeleton partly caves, which — because
the era when rising sea lev- covered by sediment in an underwater cave in Tulum, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2022. they're flooded, twisty and
els flooded the caves. Associated Press often incredibly narrow —
"There it is. We don't know can take decades to ex-
if the body was deposited an coast, and experts say to explore the site. that has to be done in or- plore.
there or if that was where some of those caves are He stressed that the cave der to correctly interpret" Caves along part of the
this person died," said Del threatened by the Mexican — whose location he did the find, Del Rio said, noting coast already have been
Rio. He said that the skel- government's Maya Train not reveal because of a that "dating, some kind of damaged by construction
eton was located about 8 tourism project. fear the site could be loot- photographic studies and above them, with cement
meters (26 feet) underwa- Del Rio, who has worked ed or disturbed — was near some collection" would be pilings used to support the
ter, about a half-kilometer with the National Institute where the government needed to determine ex- weight above.
(one third of a mile) into the of Anthropology and His- has cut down a swath of actly how old the skeleton The 950-mile (1,500-kilome-
cave system.Some of the tory on projects in the past, jungle to lay train tracks, is. ter) Maya Train line is meant
oldest human remains in said he had notified the in- and could be collapsed, Del Rio has been explor- to run in a rough loop
North America have been stitute of the discovery. The contaminated or closed off ing the region for three around the Yucatan Pen-
discovered in the sinkhole institute did not immedi- by the building project and decades, and in 2002, he insula, connecting beach
caves known as "cenotes" ately respond to questions subsequent development. participated in the discov- resorts and archaeological
on the country's Caribbe- about whether it intended "There is a lot more study ery and cataloguing of re- sites.q

Argentina: Third person arrested in VP assassination attempt

have involved a network of to go off, though it was assassination attempt, ac-
people. loaded with five bullets. cording to the official.
Agustina Díaz, who ap- His girlfriend, Brenda Uliarte, "With what we're learning
pears to have at least been a 23-year-old Argentine until now, the role Brenda
a close friend of the girl- who reportedly was at the played becomes more rel-
friend of the man accused scene of the attempted evant," the official said.
of trying to shoot Fernández shooting, was arrested Sabag Montiel has been
on Sept. 1, was detained three days later. living in Argentina since the
Monday in the province Uliarte and Sabag Montiel 1990s. Photos posted to his
of Buenos Aires, an official are both accused of trying now-inactive social net-
with the knowledge of the to assassinate Fernández, works appear to show he
case confirmed to The As- the most important political has tattoos with Nazi sym-
sociated Press. They spoke figure in Argentina of the bols on his arms and hands.
on condition of anonym- last 15 years. She was presi- Judicial investigators are
ity because they were not dent for two terms from using security footage and
A banner depicting Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fer- authorized to speak on the 2007 to 2015 and now has cellphone communica-
nandez hangs from a government building early Friday, Sept.
2, 2022, hours after a person pointed a gun at her outside her investigation. both ardent followers and tions to try to reconstruct
home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fernando Sabag Montiel, a detractors. what happened in the
Associated Press 35-year-old Brazilian citizen, Uliarte had Díaz's contact days before the attempt-
was detained shortly af- saved in her phone as "love ed shooting and whether
By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA investigation into the assas- ter he pointed a handgun of my life" and the two were there were any suspicious
Associated Press sination attempt on Argen- at Argentina's vice presi- in touch before and after people present around
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina tine Vice President Cristina dent outside her home. He the assassination attempt. the vice president's home
(AP) — A third person has Fernández — a move that pulled the trigger twice, but Díaz reportedly helped Díaz on the days before the
been arrested as part of the suggests the incident could the Bersa handgun failed escape the scene after the attack.q