Casting wide webs

Spiders in Australia have cast webs over larges areas of flood ravaged lands, Reuters has reported.

Experts say this type of behaviour is normal after floods. The creatures were simply trying to spin sticky webs to anchor themselves from the torrents of water.

Entomology collections manager Graham Milledge at The Australian Museum has told Australian media: “They often do it as a way of dispersing and getting into a new area. In an event like this, they are just trying to escape the floods.”

Sourced from: Reuters.

Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Jack Nicholson he is not, despite the ID

A Brazilian man has been arrested for using false identification with a picture of Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson, to open a bank account, Sky News has reported.

Police have arrested 41 year old Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros in Recife, and he has been charged with forgery and making use of fake documents. Released images of the false identification show an image of Nicholson, but the signature of a "Joao Pedro dos Santos" coupled with a fingerprint.

"The document with the photo of the actor and other false identification were used to start a fictitious company - and with it also open a bank account," said Erivaldo Guerra, the investigative lead. "That way, he would use the limits on the cheques and the credit cards to steal money."

Sourced from: Sky News.
Text by: Priya Pitamber. 

Street View catches man peeing in garden

A French national is taking Google to court after its Street View Map application showed the man urinating in his front garden, Reuters has reported.

Despite his face being blurred, he believes he has been recognised by locals in his home village in the
Maine-et-Loire area and has since been ridiculed.  A Google camera caught the man relieving himself in November 2010.

The man wants the image to be removed and a payment of 10,000 EURO. "Everyone has the right to a degree of secrecy," his lawyer, Jean-Noel Bouillard, has said to Reuters. "In this particular case, it's more amusing than serious. But if he'd been caught kissing a woman other than his wife, he would have had the same issue."

Sourced from: Reuters.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Trapped in snow for two months

A Swedish man has been rescued from a snowed-in car, allegedly having been trapped there since the end of December, Sky news has reported.

A man on a scooter spotted movement in the car on an apparently deserted road and called the police. Policeman Ebbe Nyberg said:  “They were amazed at what they found: A man in his mid-40s huddled inside in a sleeping bag "in really bad shape," starving and barely able to move or speak."

The man was not reported missing and he has survived on eating snow for the past two months. Temperatures have dropped to as low as -30 degrees Celsius.

Sourced from: Sky News.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Where was Charlie Chaplin born?

The place of birth of legendary actor, Charlie Chaplin, deepens. Fresh files released from MI5 have confirmed he was not born in London, Sky news has reported.

Back in 1952, US officials asked the British intelligence office to look into the actor's birth after he left the USA, amidst suspicion he was a communist sympathiser.

It is believed Chaplin was born on 16 April 1889 in South London. But MI5 found no record of his birth in the country. "It would seem that Chaplin was either not born in this country or that his name at birth was other than those mentioned." Scotland Yard's Special Branch received a tip that the actor was actually born in France. 

Sourced from: Sky News.
Text by: Priya Pitamber. 

Dolling it up for the royal wedding anniversary

Prince William and Kate Middleton are not the only two people who will celebrate the one year anniversary of their royal wedding. Reuters has reported that their big day will be immortalised in a special doll set.

Mattel Inc, the company that makes Barbie dolls, have said they are creating a doll set of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – wearing outfits the couple wore on their wedding day almost a year ago.

The figurines will retail at $100 a set and they are already taking orders on their Barbie Collector’s website.

Sourced from: Reuters.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Indian politicians resign after porn debacle

Three politicians from India have resigned after they were caught watching pornographic material on their cellular phones during a session in parliament, Reuters has reported.

While sitting in a state assembly, news media have broadcast footage of state Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi showing a porn clip to Minister for Women and Child Development, C.C. Patil. The phone belonged to state Minister for Ports, Science and Technology Krishna Palemar, who has also quit.

They have denied that they were deliberately looking at porn, but did not want to cause embarrassment to the party. "We are requesting the honourable Speaker of the House to conduct an inquiry and we'll come out with a clean chit," Patil has said.

Sourced from: Reuters.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Cold puts a halt to ‘peeing statue’

The famous, bronze statue of a young boy urinating in Brussels, the Manneken-Pis, has had to ‘stop peeing’ because of freezing temperatures, Reuters has reported.

The tourist office has said they had to cut off the flow of water to the statue because they were concerned the cold could affect the internal mechanisms of the statue. "It all depends on the weather, if the temperatures go up again it will work again," a spokeswoman revealed.

The statue has become a huge tourist attraction, and has been there since the 1600s. There are more than 800 specially made clothes that are used to dress it up during the year.

Sourced from: Reuters.

Text by: Priya Pitamber.

‘Mass’ hysteria in US school

A school in the USA is experiencing a breakout of Tourette's syndrome and they cannot determine the cause, Sky News has reported.

At least 15 girls in Le Roy High School have over the past months begun to twitch and have uncontrollable, loud outbursts – even using foul language. Doctors say it could be conversion disorder (mass hysteria) – a psychological condition.

The school is investigating possible sources, including a chemical spill that occurred 6km from the school in 1970.

Sourced from: Sky News.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Yoga room for travellers at airport

If you’re a nervous flier, first unwind with some yoga and meditation before boarding your flight at the San Francisco Airport, as reported by Reuters.

Called the first of its kind, the airport has built a yoga room filled with blue walls, which are soothing, and low lights. The architecture company, Gensler Designm said the floating wall was made to symbolise “a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind”.

The room is already being used, according to airport manager, John Walsh. "I've seen people using it. They do yoga. We have mats, but some people actually bring their own." The room also has folding chairs that are used in some yoga practices There are no plans to have classes yet.

Sourced from: Reuters.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Disneyland changes the rules

Disney theme park workers can now grow a beard or even a goatee, if they fancy, Times Live has reported.

Since the 1950s the company has banned all facial hair on people who work in the theme park. In 2000 they gave a little leeway, saying employees may grow moustaches if they were on holiday.

At the beginning of February, the growth of beards will be allowed. A spokesperson for Disney said that it was time for a policy shift, and added there will be casual Fridays for workers who do not have contact with visitors.  

Sourced from: Times Live.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

Dracula-like monkey ‘rediscovered’

Deep in the jungles of Indonesia, a monkey thought to have been extinct has been discovered once again, Sky news has reported.

Miller's grizzled langur is characterised by its black face, framed by a fluffy, Dracula-like collar. The animal has been found far from its previous known habitat. They were located because scientists set cameras in the Wehea Forest hoping for footage of other animals.

Brent Loken, a doctorate student at Simon Fraser University in Canada has said: "We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that, wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea."

Sourced from: Sky News.
Text by: Priya Pitamber.

‘Diva’ fly named after Beyoncé

When you think of Beyoncé, you do not associate her with flies. Well, maybe now you will. Times Live has reported that an Australian scientist has named a fly after the singer, because the species has a golden lower abdomen.

Bryan Lessard, a researcher from a government institute said he paid tribute to Beyoncé because the colour of the insect’s bottom made it a “diva of flies”. The fly has been dubbed Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae.

"It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly's abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the performer Beyoncé as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy - the naming of species.”

Sourced from: Times Live.
Text by: Priya Pitamber

Hidden rifles found in Russia

A man from a village in Russia has found a hidden stockpile of weapons in crates he bought to use as fire wood, Reuters has reported.

About 75 of Kalashnikov assault rifles and 253 cartridges were found in 60 wooden crates. The villager said he bought them from a random truck driver, so he could keep his home warm this winter.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has said he will investigate the issue, via his facebook page.  "Wow! I will hold a meeting with Izhmash about its firearms next week and we will deal with this miracle." The rifles were making their way from Izhmash, an arms manufacturing plant, to be recycled. 

Sourced from: Reuters
Text by: Priya Pitamber

Car on a (hot-tin) roof

A thief driving a stolen car at high speed has managed to launch it on the roof top of a private home in California, Huffington Post reports. It happened after he struck a rock then a tree stump.

Jeanell Ricks was inside the house, looking after her kid nephew. "I thought it was an earthquake, because I heard the house moving, I saw the house moving." Initially the landlord thought it was a joke when he received the call saying there was a car on the roof. "I had to actually go online to see it and still couldn't believe it that’s why I'm over here checking it out," says Gary Brar.

Police have caught up with the car thief and no injuries were reported from the indecent.

Sourced from: Huffington Post.
Text by: Priya Pitamber

A stomach for bugs

A businesswoman in Australia has been breeding insects to be eaten, Sky News has reported.

Entomologist Skye Blackburn has used insects for edible purposes by covering some in chocolate, or turning them into suckers, or even grinding them and adding them to breads and biscuits.

While this could lead most people to hurl, Blackburn has said it has been rather popular over Christmas. Some of her regular customers include professionals such as doctors and academics. “They are really aware of the nutritional value of the bugs compared to some of the meat products people get," she has said.

Her insect farm is near Sydney and she has met the country’s strict hygiene regulations. “We keep them in a very sterile environment feeding them organic grains and vegetables, which increases the flavour of the bugs themselves.” Business also seems to be booming because she will expand her range to water bugs, scorpions and even tarantulas this year.

Sourced from: Sky News. Text by: Priya Pitamber