Australian crocodile Elvis steals lawnmower

Crocodile handler at the Australian Reptile Park, Tim Faulkner, explained how they would make the enclosure safe again

An Australian crocodile reacted badly when a noisy lawnmower invaded his space - he stole it, forcing keepers to make a daring rescue.

Elvis, who lives at the Australian Reptile Park, lunged at the mower, grabbing it from operations manager Tim Faulkner and keeper Billy Collett.
Pulling it under water, the five-metre saltwater crocodile "drowned" the machine at the park near Sydney.
He then sat and watched his catch for more than an hour in his enclosure.
''Once he got it, he just sat there and guarded it,'' said Mr Faulkner. ''It was his prize, his trophy. If it moved, then he would attack it again.''
That, he said, was fairly typical crocodile behaviour.
But Elvis, who is one of the largest crocodiles in New South Wales, is also ''a big territorial male'' who likes his meat.
While the keeper lured Elvis to the other end of the enclosure with an offering of kangaroo meat, Mr Faulkner was able to jump in, retrieve the badly chewed up mower and two teeth that Elvis had lost in the process.
''He has extraordinarily large teeth - much bigger than most crocodiles,'' added Mr Faulkner. ''He punched his teeth through the top casing of the mower.''
'Ate his girlfriend' Elvis, who was captured in the wild and is thought to be around 50 years old, has always been a cranky croc. He was attacking fishing boats in Darwin harbour when he was caught, his keeper said.

Elvis guarded his lawnmower for more than an hour

At the crocodile farm he was first brought to after being caught, he ate two of his girlfriends.
''He is so full of testosterone that he views everything as a threat,'' explained Mr Faulkner. ''Even potential mates.''
The mower was fortunate to have escaped then. But it will never work another day.
As for Mr Faulkner, it was all in a day's work.
''I've handled a lot of animals,'' he said. ''There is a moment when your breath is gone and your adrenalin rushes in.''
But, he stressed, there is difference between a crocodile getting a mower and getting a human.
''That has never happened. We treat the crocodiles with a lot of respect,'' he added.

Classic road trip dented in Sainsbury's

A couple who completed a 33,000-mile trip around the world in a rare classic car came back to England to find a ''large dent'' in the side after leaving it in a supermarket car park.

Mr Herdman has travelled 135,000 miles in the car since 2001 and believes it would have completed around 500,000 miles in total

Geoffrey and Hilary Herdman, who are both retired, took 16 months to complete the trip that they described as a ''wrinkly gap year''.

Their drive around the world was made in a 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe, of which only 42 were made.

Despite encountering some of the toughest roads in the world without any problems, it was when they got home and parked the Bristol in a Sainsbury's car park that they ran into trouble.

Having popped into the supermarket they returned to their prized car and found that another motorist had dented it.

Mr Herdman, a retired chartered accountant, said while they were travelling they were constantly warned about the dangers - from theft of the vehicle to kidnap and worse - but other than a few minor repairs, including a couple of punctures, they did not have any problems.

''It was very nice reflection on human nature. The bad thing is when we got back I leave the car in Sainsbury's car park and find there is a large dent in the front wing,'' he said.
''A car is for using, it's not a work of art ... well, it is a work of art, but it is to be used rather than put in a glass cage and admire. And so these are things you have to face up to.''
During the couple's first 24,000 miles they only had to spend 125 US dollars (£79.50) on repairs. But the dent in the car could cost them around £300.
''I was just walking back towards the car and I thought 'gosh, that doesn't look right' and there was a large dent in the near-side front wing, someone had obviously overly crocked it parking next to me and put a dent in,'' Mr Herdman, 68, said.
He lovingly finished off the restoration of the car - started by its previous owner - after buying it in 1999.
In April 2001 Mr Herdman, a member of the Royal Automobile Club and president of the Bristol Owners Club, finally got the classic car back on the road.
The car - registration 10 DPG and the 29th to roll off the production line - is now believed to be worth around £90,000.
Mr Herdman has travelled 135,000 miles in the car since 2001 and believes it would have completed around 500,000 miles in total.
''We love driving it to bits, it's a very, very comfortable car, both of us can fall asleep when the other one is driving,'' he said.
''It's just a lovely car to drive.''
Mr Herdman and his wife, 70, a retired lawyer, started the incredible journey in July 2010 from Miami, driving up the east coast of North America to Halifax before crossing Canada and then heading south down the west coast.
After a couple of months in South America, they headed across to Australia before the car was shipped back via Turkey for the drive home through Europe.
The couple, who are from London, and currently living in Sussex, eventually returned to the UK in November.

Spanish village painted blue for Smurfs film votes on keeping theme

The inhabitants of a Spanish village which was painted entirely blue for the filming of a Smurfs movie voted on Sunday on whether they want their houses to remain a vivid shade of azure or to return to traditional white.

Since filming the hillside village has become a huge tourist attraction 

Juzcar, inland from Malaga, was transformed six months ago when it was chosen as the set for The Smurfs 3D, becoming the world's first official Smurf Village.

Sony, which made the film, had promised to return the village to its original state, with homes painted in dazzling white, as is typical of southern Spain.

But the 250 locals are expected to vote for the unusual look to be retained, because since filming the hillside village has become a huge tourist attraction, pulling in more than 80,000 visitors.

They embraced the makeover with such gusto that some dressed up as giant Smurfs and held a Smurf fair in the village square.

David Fernandez Tirado, the mayor, who has been nicknamed 'Papa Smurf', said there were "many benefits" to the village being blue. The makeover distinguishes Juzcar from all the other 'pueblo blanco' white villages that dot the landscape of southern Spain.

"It's given a boost to the local economy, it's increased our happiness, our dreams and our levels of employment," the mayor told the Spanish media.
"Thanks to being painted blue we are known throughout the world."
The transformation of the village involved more than a dozen painters and 1,000 gallons of bright blue paint.
Special permission had to be sought from the regional government of Andalusia as well as the local bishop – even the church was painted blue.
The film, which opened in the UK in August, revolved around a plot in which the Smurfs were chased out of their home village by an evil wizard and forced to flee to a new life in New York.
The movie starred the singer Katy Perry as Smurfette, while the wizard was played by Hank Azaria, who provides many of the voices in The Simpsons, including Moe the barman and police chief Wiggum.
Villagers voted in a referendum on Sunday, with the result expected to be announced on Friday.
The Smurfs were created as a comic strips by a Belgian cartoonist, Pierre Culliford, in 1958.

US man published fake obit of mother to get bereavement pay

Scott Bennett, a US man, published a fake obituary for his living mother in a ploy to get paid bereavement time off work, police have alleged.

Relatives called The Jeffersonian Democrat newspaper in Pennsylvania after the obituary appeared to say the woman was actually alive and well.

The woman herself then visited the paper.

Police charged 45-year-old Bennett on Tuesday with disorderly conduct.

Newspaper editor Randy Bartley said he accepted the obituary in good faith after being unable to confirm the funeral arrangements at press time.

He told The Derrick newspaper on Friday that the woman was very understanding.

Police Chief Ken Dworek said Bennett wrote up the memorial notice because he did not want to get sacked for taking time off.

Cat with 26 toes rescues US animal shelter

A once-unwanted cat with 26 toes has come to the rescue of an animal shelter in need of a new home.

Normal cats have 18 toes, but Daniel has two extra on each foot due to a genetic mutation called polydactylism

However, this orange-and-white tabby named Daniel is no typical cat. He has a 26 toes – a phenomenon that is helping the non-profit Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center raise money to relocate to a new building.

Normal cats have 18 toes, but Daniel has two extra on each foot due to a genetic mutation called polydactylism.

Officials at the centre found out their rent at a Milwaukee-area mall was being doubled on Jan 1. So, the shelter is buying a new building and is seeking small donations of $26 – or $1 per toe.

They've collected enough so far to secure the financing with about $80,000 raised since Oct. 24, but they hope to raise $120,000 by Dec. 23 so they can become even more financially stable. About $50,000 of the money raised has come from $26 donations.

"I've always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and this is definitely the case," said Amy Rowell, owner of Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center.

She found Daniel in October at animal control when she went to pick up another cat. As she bent down to that cat's cage, Daniel stuck his paw out and poked her head.
"He was very clearly saying, 'I need to be rescued, I'd like to be your friend, please pay attention to me,'" she said. "And when a sign is that obvious, we tend to not ignore it."
The shelter takes in animals that might otherwise be euthanised.
Daniel was originally going to be adopted out, but Rowell has decided to keep him as a shelter mascot.
Daniel's 26 toes – two shy of the Guinness World Records number- don't seem to affect his cat activities.
"He runs and he plays and he climbs, he uses a scratching post. He seems to be not bothered by it at all," Rowell said.

Search is on for new metaphor as painters complete Forth Bridge

The painting of the Forth Bridge, a job that is famously never finished, has finally been completed, it has been announced.

The Forth Rail Bridge 

Network Rail said that its 10-year, £130m programme of refurbishment had ended and that the crossing would not now need another full paint job for at least 20 years.

The project, delivered by Network Rail and main contractor Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, involved encasing the bridge in up to 4,000 tonnes of scaffolding and painting more than 230,000 square meters of steel.

A triple layer of new glass flake epoxy paint was applied to the bridge, similar to that used by the offshore oil industry, to create a virtually impenetrable layer.

The projects completion sparked immediate calls to find a new metaphor which adequately described a seemingly never ending process.

Twitter users suggested “upgrading the M1 near Luton” would be a suitable replacement or “shaving a wookiee” - a famously furry character in the Star Wars trilogy.

Cannonball hits house after TV experiment goes wrong

A cannonball crashed through a home in California on Wednesday after an experiment for MythBusters, a US TV show, went awry.

A hole near the master bedroom window of a Dublin, Calif. home marks the exit point of the cannonball 

The Discovery Channel’s MythBusters were filming an episode in which they tested projectiles shot from a cannon and whether they would pick up the same speed and have the same impact as the ball.

The show’s hosts had been shooting the cannon at a rock quarry in northern California.

Instead of hitting water-filled bins however, the cannonball went about 650 yards, bounced in front of the home and crashed through the front door before exiting through a cinderblock wall at the back of the house. It then bounced at least once more before smash the window and dashboard of a minivan.

“It missed the target and took kind of an oddball bounce,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Department spokesman JD Nelson. “It was almost like skipping a rock on a lake. Instead of burying it into the hill it just went skyward.”

Fortunately nobody was injured, and the home’s residents did not even wake up until the broken drywall settled on top of them, Mr Nelson added.

“We are really, really grateful and glad that no one was hurt,” co-host and executive producer Adam Savage said in an interview. “Discovery is committed to making this right and making sure that everything that has been damaged is as good or better as before this started.”
MythBusters is a science show that stars special effects experts Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who conduct unusual and occasionally explosive experiments to test the validity of urban myths, such as whether shooting fish in a barrel is as easy as it sounds.
“All proper safety protocol was observed” prior to the incident, a spokesman for the cable TV network added.

Christmas rebranded 'Winter Festival' by Liberal Democrats

Marilyn Sharland, a vicar, is furious after Liberal Democrats called Christmas 'the winter festive season' in a local newsletter.

Rev Marilyn Sharland said she was annoyed that the "banal" headline in the Lib Dem flyer showed disrespect to Christians by failing to give Christmas its proper name.

"I was really, really put out," said Rev Sharland, who is a canon of Gloucester cathedral as well as a parish vicar in the city.

"I'm fed up with people trying to sideline the Christian faith and as a consequence they are sidelining the festival of Christmas.

"People of all faiths and those who have none all celebrate Christmas because it's a lovely time and a great thing to do."

She said it seemed banal to call it something else out of political correctness.

"Lots of people have spoken to me who are really peeved that the Liberal Democrats can't just accept Christmas as Christmas and enjoy it instead of just calling it the winter festive season."
She added: "We have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day because we are celebrating the birth of Christ.
"Those who stay away from church send Christmas cards and buy Christmas presents, Christmas crackers and Christmas trees. They do not buy winter season cards or winter season trees.
"I have just returned from Dubai where the shops are full of Christmas tinsel and Christmas presents.
"The Muslims, the Jews and people of all other faiths all celebrate at this time of year. "They may not follow Jesus but they appreciate joyous festivals and are not the slightest bit threatened."
But Gloucestershire County Councillor Bill Crowther (Lib Dem, Hucclecote) said he did not understand why anyone would take offence.
He said: "We decided on the headline because it was an article about all the great things going on in December in Hucclecote, including things at the churches, and praising the people involved in them.
"It makes me very sad that anyone has gone on to take offence, despite the fact none was ever intended and despite the fact they seemed to accept our explanation."
He said they had been contacted and accused of 'trying to be PC'.
But he added: "We did have an e-mail, which was responded to, and we thought this was sorted out."

Power showers use twice as much water and electricity as baths.

Power showers use twice as much energy and water as baths, despite the commonly-held perception that showers are better for the environment, new research has found.

Power showers use booster pumps to increase the water flow 

The average power shower costs families about £918 a year in water and electricity, according to a study by Unilever UK, the maker of Domestos and Dove products. This is nearly twice as much energy and water as a bath uses. The cost of running a power shower is also more than double the cost of a normal shower, which sets a family back an average of £416 a year in water and electricity, the research found.

Power showers use booster pumps to increase the water flow and are therefore more electricity-intensive than normal showers.

Unilever monitored 2,600 showers taken by 100 families over 10 days. The company used sensors to detect water use. The £918 figure is based on an average water flow of 17 litres per minute and typical annual charges for water, sewage and energy.

The company found that an eight-minute non-power shower with an average water flow rate used about 62 litres of hot water per shower and cost about 30p.

The average four-person family would use 90,000 litres per year, at a collective cost for electricity and water of £416.

Dr Hilde Hendrickx, a behavioural psychologist at Unilever, said that the study would help it “understand how we can change people’s behaviour to reduce the amount of energy and water they use during showering”.
The survey unearthed some strange habits.
It found that 12-year-old boys spent longest in the shower, averaging 9  minutes and 41 seconds. Girls were in and out in just 6 minutes and 34 seconds until they hit their teens, when this rose to 9 minutes and 21 seconds.
The average teenage girls used water worth £123 over a year, Unilever said. Although women shower in 7 minutes 39 seconds on average during the week, on Saturdays they took 8 minutes 55 seconds. Men spent 8 minutes 5 seconds showering during the week.
The survey found that women were effective multi-taskers when they were in the shower.
Women were more likely than men to be shaving their legs and cleaning their teeth while showering.

Men spend more time getting ready than women, research shows

Men spend more time getting ready to go out than women, according to research.

On average men spend 81 minutes a day on personal grooming.

On average men spend 81 minutes a day on personal grooming, including cleansing, toning and moisturising, shaving, styling hair and choosing clothes, the study found.

Women have their beauty regime down to a fine art and get hair, clothes and make-up done in just 75 minutes.

The research, carried out for Travelodge, found that on an average morning men spend 23 minutes in the shower, compared to 22 minutes for women.

Men then take 18 minutes on their shaving regime, compared to 14 minutes for women despite them having to trim legs, armpits and bikini line.

Men take a minute longer - 10 minutes - on cleansing, toning and moisturising.

Choosing an outfit is also a time-consuming operation for men who want to look their best - taking 13 minutes compared to 10 minutes for women.
The study also found that the average British person does not have a clue regarding the true value of their toiletry bag.
When quizzed, the average adult estimated their wash bag with contents to be worth £52.23 when in reality the bag of essentials is worth nearly three times more at £156.69.
A spokeswoman for Travelodge said they had seen a rise in the number of toiletry bags being left behind in their 487 hotels.
In the last 12 months, hotel staff have spent hundreds of hours uniting 10,000 wash bags with their owners.
In one case a customer paid more than £100 for a courier to pick up her toiletry bag, which she had left behind in a London hotel - the designer wash bag had nearly £1,000 worth of toiletry items.

The cheap secret behind the £5 million hands: almond oil

The woman behind a pair of hands that have been insured for £5 million has revealed the secret of her success – almond oil.

The cheap secret behind the £5 million hands: almond oil 

They are the hands that have been admired in adverts from America to Australia – and insured for £5 million.

Gemma Howorth's flawless hands, with their smooth, blemish-free skin, long, elegant, straight fingers and deep nail beds, have doubled for those of supermodels like Kate Moss and Lily Cole in photoshoots.

Her hands are so crucial to Miss Howorth's fortune that she has had them insured at Lloyds of London for £5 million.

They can earn her £200 for two hours, £800 for an average day's work and £2,500 a day for the most lucrative assignments.

In perhaps the ultimate accolade, they have also starred in adverts for Fairy Liquid, still renowned for its former jingle: "Now hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face."

And the secret of such perfection? A £1.50 pot of almond oil from Boots.
Miss Howorth, of Chelsea, west London, said her hands have featured in more than 250 television adverts and on countless billboards. She estimates that her hands – if not her face – have been seen by millions worldwide.
"I even saw them in a television advert while on holiday in Cambodia," she said.
Looking after her hands is a full-time job involving precautions leave onlookers thinking she is "a lunatic."
Miss Howorth, 27, said: "I sunbathe with gloves on. I forgot the gloves once, and even with high-factor sun cream, I noticed tiny wrinkles developing on my hands.
"After ten years in this job, it's an ingrained habit to think before I do things. Even opening the fridge door could break a nail. Rummaging in your handbag is potentially lethal. You have to open it carefully, so you don't get a paper cut."
She also admits that her hands do not do dishes (even though they do advertise washing up liquid.) That job is reserved for her husband Marcus Watts, 45, who runs Greenforce, an overseas volunteering company.
Miss Howorth said: "I can't remember the last time I washed anything without wearing gloves. It's really bad for your hands. I have a dishwasher, a cleaner and a husband."
She also has insurance – and reveals the £5 million valuation of her hands and her almond oil secret in Stella, The Sunday Telegraph's magazine although she does not discuss the premium.
She said: "I could claim on the insurance if I get a paper cut, depending on how bad it is. If I cut my hand I might not work for two weeks, and that could be thousands of pounds lost.
"There are clauses for things like broken wrists, and if one of my fingers gets chopped off, I get a very big payout."
She added: "The insurance doesn't cover me for skiing, so I ski in steel gloves. They have a bit of steel in the back, to stop you breaking your wrists."
But her ultimate protection for her hands is rather more prosaic.
Despite manufacturers sending countless expensive beauty creams she always prefers her trusty almond oil. She uses her "secret weapon" to moisturise her hands at least 30 times a day.
She said: "I have tested hundreds of products, and I always go back to my almond oil. It is the cheapest and best. Some other products don't seem to sink into the skin, but almond oil does.
"It really nourishes, and you don't need separate hand creams and cuticle oils: almond oil gives you the lot.
"And you can get it behind the pharmacy counter at Boots for about £1.50 for a 50ml pot."
Miss Howorth, who also runs Body London, the UK's only body-part model agency, tells all her 140 models to use almond oil. Many are now converts.
Sunna Jarman, of Chiswick, west London, provided the legs that went with Sharon Stone's face in posters for the film The Muse. The 37-year-old mother of two often finds herself on leg modelling assignments with 17 year-olds. She puts the enduring youthfulness of her legs down to daily gym sessions, good genes that have helped her avoid cellulite, and almond oil.
"It's just fantastic. I never buy normal moisturisers. Maybe it's just me, but I find they are just no good. I don't think you need to spend money on expensive things like that."

Police comandeer golf buggies to catch burglar on course

Police officers commandeered golf buggies in vain attempt to catch a burglar who fled onto a course.

The assailant fled onto the West Lancs golf course to make his escape as officers and the force helicopter converged on the scene 

An elderly woman was attacked by the man, who had forced his way into her house in Hightown, Merseyside.

The would-be thief fled empty-handed after a 62-year-old neighbour, who was also hurt, rang 999 and bravely intervened.

The assailant fled down Blundell Road on to sand dunes and then the West Lancs golf club to make his escape as officers and the force helicopter converged on the scene.

And to the surprise of golfers on the links course, which straddles the Sefton coast, police took command of electric golf buggies as they tried in vain to apprehend their suspect.

Detective inspector Jon Smith said: "This was a cowardly and callous attack on two vulnerable elderly women, which has left them very shaken and traumatised.

"We are absolutely determined to find this man, but we need the community's help to bring him to justice. I would like to reassure residents that incidents like this are thankfully very rare."
It is understood both victims were taken to hospital for treatment following the assault on Tuesday lunchtime.
Both were later released. Police said the raider was of slim-to-medium build, with a bald head and wearing a grey fleece jacket.
The suspect is said to be aged between 20 and 40.

Guinness World Records Day: 300,000 people take part

From the wacky to the impressive, thousands of people around the world sought their place in the Guinness World Records.

This was no bog standard race but the world's fastest toilet against the world's quickest mobility scooter and the world's smallest roadworthy car.  

Among the attempts to set new global records were 57 people in Canary Wharf, London, who piled into a large pair of bright pink underpants to break the record for the most people in a pair of pants.

Essex played host to the largest Cream Tea Party, attracting 334 people while Dubliners managed to return the record for the most people dressed as leprechauns to Ireland from the US when 262 donned costumes.

Canary Wharf also held a world record race between the fastest toilet, the smallest roadworthy car and the fastest mobility scooter.

In the Netherlands, 1,541 took part in a mass Macarena dance while in Florida, 91 year-old Bernice Mary Bates was named the oldest yoga teacher.

Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor, said: "This year, it seems to be about bringing records back home to the people who are most passionate about enjoying their culture and national identity."

China school run most dangerous in the world

Pupils in a remote village in China are forced to scramble down sheer cliffs and cross freezing rivers just to reach their school.

Every term, village officials and teachers come to Pili village in north western China to collect the 80 school children that live there.

The pupils are escorted on a perilous 125-mile journey through the mountains of the remote Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where some paths along sheer rock faces are only inches wide.

To reach the school, the children must also wade through four freezing rivers, cross a 650ft chain bridge and four single-plank bridges.

It takes the children two days to complete the journey.

Zimbabwean man claims prostitute turned to donkey

A Zimbabwean man has told a court that he hired a prostitute who during the night transformed into a donkey, and that he is now "seriously in love" with the animal, according to state media.

Moyo has been charged with bestiality. The court has ordered him to undergo a mental examination.

"I think I am also a donkey. I do not know what happened when I left the bar, but I am seriously in love with (the) donkey," Sunday Moyo told the court, according to The Herald newspaper.

Moyo, 28, was arrested in the town of Zvishavane, about 185 miles south of the capital Harare on Sunday.

He said he had paid $25 for a prostitute, and was surprised Sunday morning when he heard people accusing him of having sex with a donkey.

Moyo has been charged with bestiality and remanded in custody. The court has ordered him to undergo a mental examination, The Herald said.

Mystery condition makes woman age 50 years in just a few days

Doctors have been left baffled by a strange condition which saw a woman of 23 age 50 years in a matter of days.

(L-R) Nguyen Thi Phuong, aged 21 and how she looks now, aged 26, after having suffered an allergic reaction to seafood 

Vietnamese woman Nguyen Thi Phuong now looks like a septugenarian after the rapid aging affliction took hold following an allergic reaction to seafood.

Her sad story began in 2008, when her youthful beauty began to fade over the course of just a few days, leaving her with sagging, wrinkled skin all over her face and body.

Until now she has been forced to wear a mask in public to hide her appearance from prying eyes, but now doctors are attempting to establish what caused her sudden and horrifying aging.

Her husband, carpenter Nguyen Thanh Tuyen says his love for his once beautiful wife has not faded while Phuong, now 26, says her condition has only worsened since she was first struck with the condition.

The couple, from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, in Vietnam, have agreed to talk to the media for the first time in order to ask for help.

Some have argued that the condition is lipodystrophy - a rare syndrome that causes a layer of fatty tissue beneath the surface of the skin to disintegrate while the skin itself continues to grow at a startling pace.
The syndrome with no cure leaves its victims with loose folds of skin all over their bodies, wrinkled faces and the gaunt features of people decades their senior.
The condition is extremely rare and out of around seven billion people on the planet, only 2,000 are thought to have lipodystrophy.
Displaying photos of a beautiful 21-year-old woman on her wedding day in 2006, Phuong said: "Five years ago, I was rather pretty and not so ugly like this, right?"
Phuong explained she has long been allergic to seafood and that she had suffered a particularly bad reaction in 2008.
She said: "I was really itchy all over my body. I had to scratch even while sleeping."
Phuong said she took some medicine bought at a local pharmacy instead of going to the hospital because her and her husband Tuyen, now 33, were too poor to afford it.
She said: "After one month of taking the drugs, I became less itchy but hives remained on my skin.
"Then I switched to traditional medicine and all the hives disappeared, together with my itching. However, my skin began to sag and fold."
Phuong then took another kind of traditional medicine to treat her rapid-aging skin problem - but to no avail.
The couple do not remember what the medicine was or which pharmacy they got it from.
Phuong said: "We considered that it was our destiny and I quit treatment in 2009. Now I always wear a face mask whenever I go out.
"The skin on my face, chest and belly have folds like an old woman who has given birth several times although I have never had a child.
"But the rapid-aging syndrome hasn't affected my menstrual cycle, hair, teeth, eyes and mind."
In 2010, the couple migrated to the southern province of Binh Phuoc's Bu Dop District where they rent a small wooden house.
Tuyen continued to work as a carpenter while Phuong got a job at a cashew-nut processing factory.
Both earn a total of VND3 million - less than £92 a month - which means they cannot afford an examination at a major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tuyen said his wife's disease has not affected his love for her or their relationship.
He said: "I married Phuong when she was a beautiful woman. I have followed her through her disease and have never been shocked at all.
"It's not easy to talk about one's own marital affairs. Just simply understand that I still love her very much."
Phuong said her husband's love is the reason she is able to persevere in the face of adversity.
She said: "He still loves me like before despite the fact that I look old and ugly. With him, I feel more confident to live and work."
On October 2, doctors from Nguyen Dinh Chieu Hospital in Ben Tre Province said they would examine Phuong for free and send her to the HCMC Dermatology Hospital if they failed to diagnose her condition.
Meanwhile, stories about Phuong in the local media have prompted a variety of diagnoses from local doctors. Many of them do not believe that Phuong has lipodystrophy, saying instead that Phuong may be suffering the side effects of too much steroid medication.

California woman cuts off husband's penis

Catherine Kieu Becker allegedly laced her husband's dinner with a drug

A US woman drugged her estranged husband, tied him to a bed and cut off his penis, police in California say.

The woman then threw the penis into the waste disposal and told police who attended the incident in Garden Grove, near Los Angeles: "He deserved it."
Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, has been charged with poisoning and assault with a deadly weapon.
The 51-year-old victim, who has not been named, is in a serious condition following surgery.
Lt Jeff Nightengale, of Garden Grove police, said the two are going through a divorce.
He said the woman had drugged the man's dinner on Monday night.
"He believed something was wrong with his food," he said.
"The victim went to lie down and he woke up tied to the bed with his wife tugging his clothes off.
"The female cut off his penis with a knife... tossed the penis in the garbage disposal and turned the disposal to the 'on' position.
"The suspect called 911 and told responding officers that he 'deserved it'."
He added: "Officers arrived and located a male victim tied to the bed and bleeding from his groin area."
Ms Becker was arrested on suspicion of aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning and spousal abuse.

World Conker Championships cancelled because of high winds

Conkers ready for use at a past World Conker Championships, which have been held since 1965. 

This year's World Conker Championships have been cancelled because setting up the event would "simply be too dangerous", organisers said.
The annual competition was due to go ahead on Sunday but will not take place this year because recent high winds have made it impossible to set up the conker playing area and marquees.
A statement on the Ashton Conker Club's website said: "It's with great sadness that we have therefore decided to cancel this year's event. It would simply be too dangerous to try to proceed.
"Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. We will be in touch with all competitors to discuss the 2012 World Conker Championships."
The event usually takes place on the second Sunday in October every year at New Lodge Fields in the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire, and has been running since 1965.
Competitors play on eight white podiums in the playing arena and go through rounds until the winner emerges and is led to the Conker Throne and crowned with conkers.

Stay-sober pill a step closer

A stay-sober pill may be a step closer after scientists discovered a new way alcohol affects the brain.
Australian scientists found that a type of immune response in the brain is linked to how we respond to alcohol, and it's this response that's behind the 'behavioural changes' associated with drinking too much, such as stumbling and slurred speech.
The research paves the way for a 'stay-sober' pill that will put an end to alcohol-induced embarrassing incidents by limiting the effects of alcohol.
In the study, scientists from the University of Adelaide treated mice with a version of the drug naloxone, before injecting them with alcohol, while others were given alcohol alone.
The drug blocks the actions of toll-like receptors on glial cells, a cell type involved in the brain's immune response.
Compared with the 'tipsy' mice, those given the naloxone had better motor skills in walking and balancing tests, and recovered more quickly from the alcohol's effects.
The researchers also repeated the experiment, but this time using mice that were genetically altered to lack functioning toll-like receptors, with similar results.
"The results showed that blocking this part of the immune system, either with the drug or genetically, reduced the effects of alcohol," said Dr Mark Hutchinson, one of the study authors.
He said he believed a similar treatment could work in humans.
"Medications targeting this specific receptor - toll-like receptor 4 - may prove beneficial in treating alcohol dependence and acute overdoses," he said.

Gorilla and tiny duckling become unexpected friends at New York zoo

This huge gorilla and tiny duckling became unlikely friends after the bird escaped into the ape's zoo enclosure.

This huge gorilla and tiny duckling became unlikely friends  

Visitors to the zoo were stunned when the baby duck suddenly appeared inches from the primate.

Fearing the 90kg western lowland gorilla might react badly to the feathered visitor, onlookers held their breath to see what would happen.

But rather than give the duckling a hard time, the 4 and a half foot gorilla became fascinated with the bird and inspected its new friend with a nearby stick.

The 15 year old female ape, called Fran, happily let it waddle about before the duckling was removed by zookeepers.

Although gorillas are frequently portrayed as aggressive, dangerous killers, they are shy, peaceful vegetarians.

Photographer Tom Warren, 51, captured the intimate scenes at Bronx Zoo, in New York.
He said: "I went to the zoo and quickly became aware of a commotion in the gorilla exhibit, as many of the school children were yelling 'ducky, ducky!'
"We all watched with amazement as the little duckling wandered around the exhibit, while the gorillas either backed away from it or inspected it with curiosity.
"Then I spotted the duckling on the log next to a seemingly, amused gorilla.
"The duckling did not seem the least bit intimidated and for good reason, as Africa's gentle giants eat mostly fruits and plants.
"How fortunate I was to witness a wonderful moment between two unlikely friends.
"I held my breath and was able to fire off a few frames, knowing that the moment that I was witnessing was a very special one.
Tom, from New York, added: "I was relieved when I got home and that the scene was in focus despite the fact that the photograph was taken through a thick piece of plexiglass."

World's hottest chilli contest leaves two in hospital

A 'world's hottest chilli' competition at a curry restaurant left two people in hospital.

Competitors taking part in the chilli eating competition at Kismot Restaurant on St Leonards Place,  

Emergency services were called to Kismot Restaurant's curry-eating challenge, on St Leonards Place, Edinburgh, after competitors started writhing on the floor in agony, vomiting and fainting during the contest.

One participant, Curie Kim was so ill after sampling the "Kismot Killer" that she had to be taken by ambulance to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary twice in a matter of hours.

Today, the Scottish Ambulance Service said it wanted the restaurant to review the way the event was managed.

Paramedics attended the event on Saturday - the busiest day of the week for the ambulance service - costing the service several hundred pounds.

Participants were required to sign a legal disclaimer prior to taking part in the competition, and two members of the British Red Cross were on hand, but they could not cope with the nature of the injuries sustained.

Curry house owner Abdul Ali admitted that he would have to "tone down" the contest, but said the challenge had raised hundreds of pounds for charity CHAS.
He added that half of the 20 people who took part in the challenge had dropped out after witnessing the first 10 diners vomiting, collapsing, sweating and panting.
Previously the restaurant's Kismot Killer dish has caused diners to suffer nose bleeds and one elderly man had to go to hospital.
Curie, 21, a Korean exchange student at Edinburgh University, came second in the competition, but she admitted the accolade "came with a price".
She said: "I've always enjoyed spicy foods and thought this was for a good cause. But it came with a price, I had to be taken to the ERI twice.
"I first went to hospital at around 4pm and the second time was at 9pm. It got really bad. I have never endured such pain in my life."
Mr Ali said he felt the competition had gone well, but that he had overestimated how much heat the competitors could take.
Beverly Jones, from Newington, was crowned curry queen after she managed to finish nine spoonfuls of the chilli-filled dish.
Mike Lavin, from Polwarth, came fifth, but he, too, had to be taken to the ERI.
Local councillor Gordon Mackenzie branded the event a "shambles" and said: "The owners owe a debt to the ambulance service, and I hope they'll find some way of making it up to them."
A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "We would urge the organisers to review the way in which this event is managed in future in order to avoid another situation where emergency ambulances are required to treat their customers."

They've cracked it: Delia was right after all about how to boil an egg

It is a question which has divided the culinary world and prompted more than the occasional grumble at the breakfast table: how long is too long to boil an egg?

Bethany,Iram and Nicky from Sherbourne Girls school in Dorset, carry out the experiment 

Now a group of schoolgirls believe they have finally found the answer after a series of experiments, backed by no less a scientific authority than the Royal Society of Chemistry.

They concluded that the optimum cooking time for a soft boiled egg suitable for dunking toast soldiers in is a full six minutes.

It proves that Delia Smith, the television chef, was right all along.

She prompted some controversy in the nation’s kitchens by advocating leaving eggs in gently boiling water for six minutes without fear of the “cardinal sin” of over boiling.

Jean-Christophe Novelli, the Michelin-starred chef, is on record as advocating a mere three minutes boiling time.

Meanwhile Mrs Beeton, the Victorian authority on all matters domestic, lays down strict instructions for no more than three and a quarter minutes.
But a group of sixth form pupils at Sherborne Girls school in Dorset, backed Delia after carrying out a series of experiments in their school laboratories overseen by Prof Hal Sosabowski, a lecturer at Brighton University under the auspices of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The knack , they found, was to get the water just to boiling point before gently dropping the eggs in and leaving then for six minutes.
The method requires large sized eggs which have been stored at room temperature before boiling.
Prof Sosabowski said: “I was particularly impressed by the pupils’ diligence in generating results but not believing what they saw upon first inspection; checking and rechecking their results; scrutinising their own experimental design to eliminate variables and error.”
Having successfully navigated the controversy over egg boiling times, the girls then moved on to a potentially even more vexed issue: what makes the best toast soldiers.
They concluded – against the prescriptions of nutritionists – that white bread is better than brown for the purpose.
They also found that margarine makes stronger soldiers than traditional butter, that the optimum toasting time for soldiers is two and half minutes and that they should be sliced no wider than 1.5cm (0.59in).
Rosanna Younger, 17, said she had been surprised by the results.
“I love butter on my toast but I might just have to swap over to margarine in future to ensure strong soldiers,” she remarked.

Lawyers guilty of having dirtiest desks

Lawyers and accountants are among the most unhygeinic office workers in country, a survey has found.

Just over half of office workers were not aware that bacteria could be lurking on their keyboards

Dirty office desks are harbouring germs which can quickly spread among staff as firms are braced for an outbreak of sickness absence through colds and flu, a new report said.

A study of desks by office supplies firm Viking in hundreds of offices across the country found poor levels of hygiene.

Germs were found in almost two-thirds of computer keyboards, while some even had mould growing underneath.

Phones and desks also had germs, Viking found after analysing swabs sent in by hundreds of office workers.

Lawyers, accountants and computer workers were said to be the most unhygienic office workers in the country, while social workers were more likely to have mouldy food on their desks.

Just over half of office workers were not aware that bacteria could be lurking on their keyboards, phones and screens.
Viking said a ''staggering'' two-thirds of office workers admitted to eating lunch at their desks and not cleaning their workstation afterwards.
Dr Lisa Ackerley, a chartered environmental health practitioner, said: ''This research has shown that there are some very unhygienic desks right now in the UK, which is very worrying as those who work in open-plan offices tend to start coming down with illnesses this time of year.
''Keeping equipment such as keyboards, phones and desks as germ- free as possible is even more important during the cold and flu season.''

BA offers passengers courses in surviving plane crashes

British Airways is offering its frequent flyers the chance to trade in their air miles for a place on a course instructing passengers how to survive plane crashes.

British Airways is offering its frequent flyers the chance to trade in their air miles for a place on a course instructing passengers how to survive plane crashes.

Members of the airline’s Executive Club will be able to benefit from a four-hour session on air safety, when the scheme begins next year.

For around £125 – roughly the same cost as a return trip from London Gatwick to Rome – those who sign up to the courses can learn techniques to increase their chances of surviving a crash.

Andy Clubb, the BA manager running the course, told the Independent: “It makes passengers safer when travelling by giving additional skills and information, it dispels all those internet theories about the ‘brace position, and it just gives people so much more confidence in flying.”

Research into emergency evacuations by the Civil Aviation Authority in 2006 found that a significant number of passengers struggle with the most basic of tasks such as releasing the seat belt.

BA developed a passenger-training programme at the request of BP, which sends staff into remote regions of the world where safety standards are less rigorous.

The course covers basics such as practising releasing the seat belt and checking the location of the life jacket and concludes with a simulated emergency evacuationown the escape slides.

Kennel Club suspends testing dogs for banned substances amid widespread 'cheating'

The Kennel Club has suspended random testing of dogs for banned substances – such as hairspray – following a revolt by owners who say some of the practices are endemic and do not represent cheating.

Owners will go to great lengths to achieve canine beauty 

With sports governing bodies clamping down on cheats using performance-enhancing substances, this was the canine equivalent.

In a battle against the use of hairspray and other grooming products to enhance the appearance of dogs at its shows, the Kennel Club introduced random laboratory testing for banned substances at its flagship Crufts event this year.

However, the crackdown is now in disarray following a revolt by dog owners who do not consider the tactics to be cheating.

Every dog to be checked at the event tested positive for banned substances, but, under pressure from owners, the Club has agreed not only to take no action against the offending dogs or their handlers, but also to suspend the entire testing regime.

The opposition has been led by a group of owners – nicknamed the "Elnett revolutionaries", after the popular hairspray brand – who are trying to force a changes in the rules to legalise some of the banned practices.

Owners of several breeds are suspected of using hairspray to keep their animals' fur in place and some openly admit to doing so.
Owners of some white-coloured dogs also apply chalk to cover blemishes on their pets, while silicone gels are also suspected of being used to add lustre of the animals' coats.
The testing regime introduced at Crufts was similar to that used in athletics, with competitors selected for testing at random and escorted from the competition area – in this instance the parade ring – to provide a sample.
Rather than provide a urine sample, hairs were taken from the dogs by veterinary surgeons and were then sent to a forensics laboratory to be tested for traces of banned substances.
Of the four dogs tested at the event, in March, two miniature poodles - Glayvar Got Wot It Takes and a Swedish dog, Sandust Market Master - tested positive for the presence of lacquer (hairspray) and two West Highland white terriers - Karamynd Play The Game and Alfie The Prince of White Gallardo, from Holland - tested positive for chalk, or a similar substance.
But around 2,500 owners signed a petition against the testing regime and at a Kennel Club meeting on the issue attended by 300 members, a clear majority backed calls for it to be halted.
The suspension will be discussed at another club meeting later this month at which owners and breed clubs are to push for relaxation of the rules on some banned substances.
As well as calling for greater leniency in what is permitted, they believe the testing regime is flawed because animals could become "contaminated" by other dogs, and "humiliating" for those who are escorted from the parade ring to undergo checks.
Sandy Vincent, secretary of the Standard Poodle Club of Great Britain, said: "The bottom line is that we've always used hairspray.
"We know it is against the rules but everyone has done it and done it very carefully. There are lots of different breeds that do it.
"Whether you like it or not, dog shows are beauty competitions of sorts. (The ban on hairspray) is like Miss World going in without her make up on."
Fredaricka West, honorary secretary of the West Highland White Terrier Club of England, said: "We don't want people to think excessive use of chalk is acceptable but a little bit from a chalk block should be permitted at the show for last minute cleaning treatment – to tidy your dog up."
Jennie Griffiths, from Leebotwood, near Shrewsbury, and Anita Kuik, from Dalfsen, Holland, whose terriers failed tests, said chalk was used, not for cosmetic purposes, but as a recognised and approved part of the grooming process - as in many other wire-haired breeds - and that it was impossible to remove all traces before shows.
“It is not to alter the natural colour, substance of the coat or any of those things,” Mrs Griffiths added. “Inevitably they were going to find grains of chalk, any scientific test would.”
Christina Johansson, from Sweden, whose poodle Sandust Market Master tested positive for hairspray, insisted she had not used the substance, and believed the animal's coat could have been contaminated by spray used by other competitors in the backstage area, or by material passed from other dogs via the judge's hands.
"If someone uses lacquer, it ends up on all the dogs. I saw a lot of people using spray, from all breeds. I do not use spray," she added.
The owner of the fourth dog declined to comment but is understood to also deny any suggestion of cheating.
One possible compromise would be to allow hairspray to be used only on the heads of the animals and for small amounts of chalk to be permitted.
However, Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club secretary, said its general committee would have to approve any permanent change in the rules.
She acknowledged that the use of lacquer and chalk powder were common among certain breeds. She added: "We believe it is cheating. The dog is not showing its natural coat.
"A lot of owners feel this way as well and we have to take in all views. We agreed to suspend testing but the regulations are still in place."

Violent video games 'reduce crime'

Violent video games may actually reduce crime as aggressive players are "too busy" shooting virtual enemies to cause trouble in the real world, experts claim.

Grand Theft Auto IV: It states that rather than violent crime rates soaring when new violent video games are released, they actually drop as gamers are too busy at home playing the games 

Games such as Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto - where gamers rack up points or cash for killing or savagely attacking victims - are routinely blamed for a rise in violent crime.

A spate of high profile murder cases have heard evidence that various games were 'to blame' for a string of killings.

But a report, called 'Understanding the Effects of Violent Video Games on Violent Crime' by three respected academics has said it doesn't believe there is a link.

The report, by Benjamin Engelstätter, of the Centre for European Economic Research, Scott Cunningham, of Baylor University in Texas, USA, and Michael Ward, of the University of Texas, argue that gamers are 'too busy' playing to cause much trouble in the real world.

The report , released earlier this year, states: "Psychological studies invariably find a positive relationship between violent video game play and aggression.

"If violent video games can be shown to cause violence, then laws aimed at reducing access (to the games) may benefit society at large.
"Yet to date, though there is evidence that violent video games cause aggression in a laboratory setting, there is no evidence that violent video games cause violence or crime."
It adds: "We argue that since laboratory experiments have not examined the time use effects of video games, which incapacitate violent activity by drawing individual gamers into extended gameplay, laboratory studies may be poor predictors of the net effects of violent video games in society.
"Consequently, they overstate the importance of video game induced aggression as a social cost. "
It states that rather than violent crime rates soaring when new violent video games are released, they actually drop as gamers are 'too busy' at home playing the games, adding: "Time spent gaming cannot be spent on other activities, both legitimate activities and illicit violent activities."
In conclusion, the study states: "Regulation of the video game industry is usually predicated on the notion that the industry has large and negative social costs through games' effect on aggression.
"Many researchers have argued that these games may also have caused extreme violence, such as school shootings, because laboratory evidence has found an abundance of evidence linking gameplay to aggression.
"Yet few studies before this one had examined the impact of these games on crime.
"We find that the social costs of violent video games may be considerably lower, or even non-existent, once one incorporates the time use effect into analysis."
It adds that if new laws are brought in to reduce the violence of video games it could 'potentially cause crime to increase in the short-run if the marginal player is being drawn out of violent activities'.
It ends by stating: "Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime."

Kabul: Streets with no names

There are few formal street names or house numbers in Kabul - so just how does a postman deliver the mail?

For the postmen of Kabul, navigating the maze of the city is a daunting task. It is a city of more than four million people and one in which hundreds of homes and streets are being developed every year.
There are few street names and house numbers, and the Central Post Office has yet to introduce a full postal code system.

 

There is often little information to work with

 

So how does a letter find its way to the correct recipient?
At one of Kabul's Post Office distribution centres, you could see more than 30 private and official letters. None had an exact address - just a series of vague directions.
One, which had been sent from America, simply states, "Hamid Jaan, behind Darul-Aman palace".
Another directs the postman to a destination "behind Omar Jan Mosque", while the addressee of another apparently lives close to "Alauddin school".
"The receiver's address is always vague. They write the address as though I am a friend of the receiver," says Ahmad Omid, who has been working with Afghan Post for more than two years.

"They write the address as though I am a friend of the receiver"

Ahmad Postman

 

"Sometimes, it takes hours to deliver a letter." 

Ahmad, who crosses the city by bike, says that finding addresses is based on personal knowledge and asking locals for help.
I accompanied Ahmad on his mission to deliver Hamid Jaan's letter from America.
We headed towards Darul-Aman, south of Kabul, a palace that was built 90 years ago during the reign of Amanullah Khan, the former Afghan king. It had been badly damaged during the civil war in the 1970s.
Ask for the butcher He asked almost everyone he met - from policemen to students - for help finding Hamid Jaan. One would say go straight, others would give the address of a "Hamid Jaan" they knew of - but not the one he was after.

 

References to well-known landmarks - such as the Darul-Aman palace - are often used

 

People in Afghanistan are predominantly known locally by their profession, and the Hamid he wanted turned out to be a butcher.
So, after two hours of cycling in the 32C heat, and asking about a dozen people, he arrived at Hamid Jaan's house. Mission accomplished.
Afghanistan became a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1928, but it has taken since then for the country to begin to fully make use of its status.
For example, a number of private companies now work alongside the government postal services in delivering letters and packages.
Mohammad Yasin Rahmati, head of Kabul Post Office, says most of their business is made up of government offices. Fewer people are requiring their services for personal correspondence.
"With the usage of modern technology, like the internet, people send emails," he says.
Afghan Post has also embarked on a postal code and addressing system project, with technical assistance from the UPU, in an attempt to modernise the service.
"It will take some time for [people] to get used to it," says Mr Rahmati.

 

Kabul's streets are slowly beginning to get their own names

 

However, a postcode is only complete if streets have names and houses have numbers.
Businessman Abdul Ali Haidari sells street signs and house numbers to the residents of Afshar District. He had the idea after struggling himself to find places.
"When people came to our place, they would walk around for hours to find somewhere. The Kabul Municipality hasn't put up signs. So I decided to put signs on streets and houses in this place."
The problem is compounded by the fact that Kabul doesn't even have an official street map.
Some people, however, have resorted to drawing up their own.
Laurence Leusar, head of a cultural organisation funded by the French Embassy in Kabul, has relied on information provided by local residents to compile hers.
"It is always difficult to find a place in Kabul, you must rely on the locals for information," she says.
"When I go somewhere that takes half an hour, I allocate one hour to get there. Half an hour to get there and half an hour to search and ask the locals.
"It is fun, this way you get to know many Afghans."

Heidi the cross-eyed opposum dies

Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum who became an internet sensation has died, her German zoo has said.

Heidi became an internet sensation, gaining more Facebook followers than Angela Merkel 

The animal, aged three and a half, had been treated for health problems for weeks and zoo officials decided to put her down "to spare her further pain and suffering."

"The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes for ever," said the zoo in Leipzig, eastern Germany.

Heidi's distinctive eye problem is thought to be due to a poor diet before she was abandoned in the United States, or because she is overweight, leading to fat deposits behind her eyes.

The unusual-looking opossum is the latest in a long line of animal stars to capture German hearts.

A polar bear called Knut in Berlin became a global media star in 2007, even appearing on the front page of Vanity Fair magazine, before plunging the country into shock with his sudden death earlier this year.

Then, during the last football World Cup in South Africa, an octopus named Paul shot to global stardom by correctly "predicting" the results of eight out of eight matches.
Heidi's Facebook page is "liked" by 332,963 people, compared to around 107,139 for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor

China's £1.4 million sheep

For the man who has everything, this year's prize bauble in China is a £1.4 million sheep bred in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar.

The most valuable sheep is a six-year-old owned by Majid Abdul Reyim (left) and Liu Fenghua with one of his sheep 

Only 1,000 Dolan sheep exist in the world, according to breeders, and their extraordinary features have made them the latest collectors' item for ultra-rich Chinese.

"Big bosses come here in their luxury cars and load the sheep into the back seat," said Liu Fenghua, a 48-year-old sheep breeder in the city of Aksu, in the far western region of Xinjiang.

"Usually the bosses are Uighur Muslims who have made their money in the sheep industry and want a prize sheep for a pet," he added.

The Dolan breed has a distinctive curved nose and twin tails, as well as a long floppy ears. Originally bred from sheep in Kashgar to grow quickly and to yield more meat, the breed has since become ornamental.

"The price depends on the pedigree," said Mr Liu. "The darker the fleece, the better. The bigger the ears the better. The more curved the face, the better, like an eagle's beak. The best ones have a dark body and white tail."

He added that a Dolan can reach maturity, and weigh some 200lbs, after just six months.
The most valuable sheep is a six-year-old owned by Majid Abdul Reyim, a breeder in Kashgar. Mr Reyim said he had received offers of 14 million yuan (£1.4 million) for it, but had not yet succumbed to a sale.
"That sheep is the grandfather of all the best pedigree Dolans in the region," said Mr Liu. "I have one of its grandsons and that one is worth some six million yuan. I have 19 in total and I feed them dates and walnuts as well as grass."
Dolan breeders said that several families often clubbed together to buy a single sheep as an investment and then charge for its breeding rights. The top sheep can command fees of up to 300,000 yuan per dose of semen.
"I sold all my other regular sheep last year, around 320 of them, and could not raise enough money for just one Dolan with that," said Mr Liu. "I started breeding Dolans in 2009, buying a couple for 25,000 yuan. The next year, I had an offer of 250,000 yuan for them, and the price keeps rising."
The UK's most expensive sheep was an eight-month-old Texel tup, or uncastrated male, called Deveronvale Perfection.
It was sold at auction in 2009 for £231,000 at a livestock auction in Scotland.
China's sudden wealth has produced bubbles in all sorts of commodities, from tea to fine wine to jade. Last year, a Tibetan Mastiff puppy called Big Splash became the world's most expensive dog when it was sold for close to £1 million in the city of Qingdao.

Coffee may prevent depression, scientists say

 

Coffee must contain caffeine to have the effect, say the researchers

Women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to get depressed, research suggests.

It is not clear why it might have this effect, but the authors believe caffeine in coffee may alter the brain's chemistry. Decaffeinated coffee did not have the same effect.
The findings, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, come from a study of more than 50,000 US female nurses.
The experts are now recommending more work to better understand the link.
And they say it is certainly too soon to start recommending that women should drink more coffee to boost mood.
Caffeine lift The Harvard Medical School team tracked the health of the women over a decade from 1996 to 2006 and relied on questionnaires to record their coffee consumption.

This fits nicely with a lot of the previous work and what we know about caffeine and the brain”

Prof Bertil Fredholm Karolinska Institute

 

Just over 2,600 of the women developed depression over this time period.

More of these women tended to be non- or low-coffee drinkers rather than frequent coffee consumers.
Compared with women who drank one cup of caffeinated coffee or less per week, those who consumed two to three cups per day had a 15% decreased risk of developing depression.
Those who drank four or more cups a day cut their risk by 20%.
Regular coffee drinkers were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol and were less likely to be involved in church, volunteer or community groups. They were also less likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure or diabetes.
Even after controlling for all of these variables, the trend of increasing coffee consumption and lower depression remained.
Mounting evidence The researchers say their findings add weight to the work of others which found lower suicide rates among coffee drinkers.
They suspect caffeine is the key player - it is known to enhance feelings of wellbeing and energy.

How much caffeine?

• There is no recommended level a person should consume
• But pregnant women are advised to consume less than 200mg a day
• One mug of instant coffee: 100mg
• One mug of filter coffee: 140mg
• One mug of tea: 75mg
• One can of cola: 40mg
• One 50g bar of milk chocolate: about 25mg

Source: NHS Choices

And it has a physical effect on brain function and transmission by blocking certain chemical receptors, like adenosine. But more research is needed to show if this might mean it is useful for warding off depression.

Alternatively, it might be that people with low moods chose not to drink coffee because it contained caffeine, point out the researchers. One of the common symptoms of depression is disturbed sleep, and caffeine can exacerbate this because it is a stimulant.
Too much caffeine can also increase feelings of anxiety.
Prof Bertil Fredholm, an expert in pharmacology and physiology at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, said the findings were reassuring for coffee-lovers.
"This fits nicely with a lot of the previous work and what we know about caffeine and the brain. It blocks adenosine, which produces a similar effect to increasing dopamine production. And it's becoming increasingly clear that the dopamine-rich areas of the brain are much more important in depression that previously thought.
"Despite valiant efforts to show how dangerous coffee is for us, it is not proving so.
"This removes yet another anxiety regarding caffeine use. Drunk in moderation, the evidence is strong that it is not one of the things we do that is going to damage your health."

Overweight mothers 'give birth to fat babies', study finds

Childhood obesity appears to begin in a mother’s womb, a new study has concluded using state of the art technology to monitor fat levels in unborn babies.

Experts said the study showed that overweight mothers gave birth to fat babies.

Researchers found some babies have similar build up of fat around their abdomen that adults aged in their 50s have.

The study of babies at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, west London, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to investigate links between obesity in children and their mothers.

It reportedly found evidence that being overweight or obese in pregnancy could result in potentially harmful changes to a baby’s fat levels while still in the womb.

The study, led by Prof Neena Modi, one of Britain’s best experts on high-risk health problems in newborns found nearly a third of children had more fat than expected.

Of the 105 babies – 54 boys and 51 girls – a total of 31 babies had more adipose, or fat, tissue around their abdomen than normal.

Experts said the study was the first direct link that proved the weight of a mother-to-be was passed on to her child and showed that overweight mothers gave birth to fat babies.
“I was very surprised to be able to detect such a clear continuum of effect of maternal BMI (body mass index) on the baby,” said Prof Modi, head of neonatal medicine at Imperial College London.
“This is a very important finding indeed, opening the door to a new understanding of how a mother’s metabolism affects her baby.”
Newborn babies usually have about 700g of adipose tissue, but for each unit increase in maternal BMI, this increased by approximately 7g with a huge build-up in fat in the babies’ livers.
Meanwhile in adults, adipose tissue is found mainly under the skin, but also in deposits between the muscles, around the intestines and around the heart.
Prof Modi, who is also a consultant neonatologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, told the Daily Mail that all women should be aware of the effects of being obese and what this means for their child.
“This shows how sensitive the baby is to the environment experienced within the womb and how lifelong effects may be initiated before birth,” she said.
Body mass index is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres.
The World Health Organisation classes a BMI between 18.5 and 25 as normal weight, between 25 and 30 as overweight and over 30 as obese.
In adults, high amounts of fat around the stomach and in the liver impair their control of blood sugar, leading to diabetes. Problems associated with obesity are set to cost the NHS up to £6.3 billion a year by 2015.

India

A man transports used empty plastic cans on a horse cart to a junkyard at Panchkula in the northern Indian state of Haryana on 21 September.

Man 'spontaneously combusts'

Spontaneous human combustion has long been the stuff of fiction, endorsed by eccentric scientists and employed by novelists including Charles Dickens as a convenient plot twist.

Victorian doctors suggested the body could suddenly go up in flames as a divine punishment for alcoholism

But yesterday the most unlikely cause of death, in which people burst into flames without any external source of ignition, was given official sanction when Irish coroner found a pensioner had burned to death for no apparent reason.

Michael Flaherty, 76, was found dead at his home in Galway last December after a neighbour heard the smoke alarm in his house go off in the middle of the night.

But while his body had been burned to cinders, fire officers who attended the scene were astonished to find nothing else had been damaged apart from the floor below him and a patch of ceiling above.

There were no signs of any devices which could have ignited the body, and no indication of foul play, officials said – Mr Flaherty's body appeared to have simply cremated itself.

Officers who attended the scene claimed they had never seen anything like the extraordinary case, and the inquest heard fire officers were unable to give any explanation for what sparked the blaze.

Recording his verdict, west Galway coroner Dr Kieran McLoughlin was left with little option but to become the first coroner in the country's history to record the unusual verdict.
He said: "This fire was thoroughly investigated and I'm left with the conclusion that this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion, for which there is no adequate explanation."
Spontaneous human combustion was a phenomenon first described by Victorian doctors, who suggested the body could suddenly go up in flames as a divine punishment for alcoholism.
Other explanations for the unexplained combustion of the body include the influence of ghosts or other paranormal entities, the production of unusual concentrations of gas, or external factors like cigarette sparks.
In the 1850s Charles Dickens, the novelist, attracted controversy after Krook, a rag and bottle merchant, spontaneously combusted in Bleak House.
The mystique of the theory is heightened by the striking similarities between documented cases. In many instances the body is found reduced to ash while the arms, hands and legs remain, and in several others the victim is completely consumed while nearby objects such as furniture remain untouched.
In one example, a Welsh policeman who found the victim's body noted that the fire appeared to have come from within her abdomen.
The latest case bore many of the hallmarks of the classic case – the victim was found on his back by the fireplace, with his head intact but the rest of his body entirely consumed.
Fire experts said the evidence suggested the fire had not been the source of ignition.
Bob Rickard, of the paranormal magazine the Fortean Times, told the Telegraph: "It has become rare now, I have not heard of a case for a couple of decades. But what is even more interesting to me in this case is it is the first time I can remember that a coroner has come out and announced a verdict of spontaneous human combustion.
"Normally they try to leave an open verdict or try to express it in some other way."
Mr Flaherty's family said they were satisfied with the investigation, the Irish Independent reported.