The Shroud of Turin went on display for a special TV appearance on Saturday amid new research disputing claims it’s a medieval fake and purporting to date the linen some say was Jesus’ burial cloth to around the time of his death.
The Vatican has tiptoed around just what the cloth is, calling it a powerful symbol of Christ’s suffering while making no claim to its authenticity.
The 14-foot-long, 3.5-foot-wide cloth is kept in a bulletproof, climate-controlled case in Turin’s cathedral, but is only rarely open to the public. The last time was in 2010 when more than two million people lined up to pray before it and then-Pope Benedict XVI visited. (AP)
Complaints by cruise passengers
Complaints by cruise ship passengers include one by a woman who moaned about the sea being “too loud”, it has been revealed.
And a couple accused a captain of being “rude” for sailing off when they had left a note saying they needed more sightseeing time in port. One woman, having seen that Take That star Gary Barlow had been on her ship on an earlier trip, demanded to know why the singer was not on her voyage.
Another passenger, a man, complained about not getting “an impressive tan” and being unable to swim in the pool each day – while on a trip around Alaska. (PA)
Shark wrestler rewarded for bravery
An Australian has earned a bravery award for grabbing a 3.7-metre great white shark by the tail as it mauled a snorkeller.
Trevor Burns received the Star of Courage for grappling with the shark and then rescuing its victim, Elyse Frankcom, off the town of Rockingham in 2010.
Ms Frankcom was a 19-year-old guide showing dolphins to a group of tourist snorkellers including Mr Burns when the shark clamped her thighs in its jaws. Mr Burns said he clung to the tail for several seconds despite its violent thrashing before the shark released Ms Frankcom and swam away. (PA)
Lennon letter in online auction
Letters from John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe and Dwight Eisenhower are among hundreds of historical documents being offered in an online auction.
Monroe tells acting coach Lee Strasberg in a handwritten, undated letter that she cannot concentrate on what she is trying to learn. That note, written on Hotel Bel-Air letterhead stationery, is expected to fetch up to $50,000 (€43,000).
Meanwhile a letter by John Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney around the time of the Beatles’ formal 1971 break-up could bring up to $60,000 (€47,000).
They are among 250 items being auctioned on May 30 by documents dealer Profiles in History. (AP)
Eiffel Tower is bomb hoax target
The Eiffel Tower was evacuated after an anonymous phone caller made a bomb threat yesterday.
Nearly 1,400 people were cleared from the tourist attraction following a request from tower operators after the warning, a Paris police official said.
Police then searched the monument with sniffer dogs and set up a security perimeter.
No explosives were found and the site was to be reopened, the official said.
The 1,063-foot tower is one of the world’s top tourist attractions, with millions of visitors a year. (AP)