Author Archives: ankakh

Strewth! Police in Sydney TRIPLE on-the-spot fines for swearing to £270

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սիդնեյ

 

Australians are known for their use of fruity language, but those living in Sydney may wish to clean up their vocabulary after police decided to triple the on-the-spot fine for swearing.

Using a profanity in the state capital of New South Wales will now cost $500 (£270) – more than the penalty for jumping a red light or damaging a property.

The amount is far greater than in other states including Victoria ($250) and Queensland ($100).

Lawyers tried to block the hike on grounds swearing is so common in Australia that even the most profane words can be said to be part of the vernacular.
The New South Wales Police Association said fines were usually issued only for aggressive swearing in public spaces, such as schools, parks or shopping centres.

 

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2 dead in French train derailment, mayor says

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Ֆրանսիա,ալպեր

 

At least two people were killed and seven others were injured in a train derailment in southeastern France on Saturday morning, a local mayor said.

The train, which carried 35 passengers, was traveling on a route between Saint-Benoit and Annot in a mountainous area of the department of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Annot Mayor Jean Ballester said.

The derailment took place when the train hit a rock that had fallen on the railway, Ballester said in an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV.

An emergency plan was launched by regional authorities. Dozens of firefighters and a rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene, Ballester said.

 

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The penguins who need p-p-p-Prozac!

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պինգվիններ

Seabirds in Yorkshire aquarium are fed anti-depressants – because the miserable British weather is giving them the blues

Penguins are being fed ‘happy pills’ at a Yorkshire aquarium – because the miserable English weather is making them depressed.

The South American seabirds are said to be so glum, thanks to the relentless rain and wind, they have all been put on a course of anti-depressants.

The animal welfare team at at Scarborough Sea Life Centre push the medication into the gills of dead fish, which are then fed to the penguins.

 

pill - fish

It is the first time the dozen Humboldt penguins at the centre have needed such medication because of the British climate.

Misery can lower the body’s natural defences in penguins even more easily than in humans, experts say.

Staff say that is why the penguins have been prescribed the sporanox pills to try and head off any more serious symptoms

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Scientists Find 800,000-Year-Old Footprints in UK

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Footprint hollows on the beach at Happisburgh, Norfolk

 

Scientists say they have discovered human footprints in England that are at least 800,000 years old — the most ancient found outside Africa, and the earliest evidence of human life in Northern Europe.

A team from the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the University of London uncovered imprints from up to five individuals in ancient estuary mud at Happisburgh on the country’s east coast.

The scientists say the humans who left the footprints may have been related to Homo antecessor, or “pioneer man,” whose fossilized remains have been found in Spain and who died out 800,000 years ago.

The find was announced Friday, and published in the journal PLOS ONE.

 

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Australian authorities destroy $630 million worth of heroin

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The Australian navy has destroyed nearly 353 kilograms (780 pounds) of heroin after intercepting the drugs on a smuggling vessel off the coast of Tanzania, the Australian Department of Defense said Friday.

Authorities estimate the street value at 706 million Australian dollars ($630 million U.S.).

A team from the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne boarded the smuggler ship Wednesday during a sweep, according to a prepared statement.

It tested the substance on board, determined it to be heroin, then confiscated it. Members then extracted samples and destroyed the rest.

Syrian Government to Take Part in Peace Talks

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The Syrian government announced Friday it will take part in a second round of peace talks in Geneva next week, as a first batch of civilians prepared to leave besieged rebel-held areas in a battleground Syrian city under an evacuation deal struck with the United Nations.

The Syrian opposition has also said it will take part in the second round of talks. The first was adjourned with no signs of progress on Jan. 31.

The negotiations aim to broker a political solution to Syria’s civil war. The nearly three-year conflict has killed more than 130,000 people, forced more than 2.3 million to seek refuge abroad, and sent sectarian tensions soaring across the region.

State TV quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying that the government delegation will head to the talks scheduled to resume on Monday in Geneva.

Also Friday, the governor of the central Syrian province of Homs said the evacuation of civilians from besieged rebel-held neighborhoods in the provincial capital is expected to begin “within hours.”

 

More than 1,100 asylum seekers rescued off Italian coast

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Իտալիա,ներգաղթյալ

 

More than 1,100 asylum seekers have been rescued off the coast of Italy, the nation’s navy said in a statement.

Patrol choppers saw the overcrowded rafts, and four navy vessels rescued those on board Wednesday.

Officials believe the asylum seekers were from sub-Saharan Africa. About 50 children were on board.

All of the passengers are en route to the port of Augusta, were they are expected to arrive Friday.

 

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Israeli President Becomes Guinness Record Holder

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Շիմոն Պերես

 

Israel’s 90-year-old president, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has added another title to his extensive repertoire: holder of a Guinness record.

Guinness official Marco Frigatti says President Shimon Peres won the record when he taught the largest online civics class in the world on Thursday.

Frigatti says Guinness liked the idea “because it combines civics, technology and a teacher who has seen the country from its origins to today.”

Peres reached out to 9,000 students nationwide. He gave the class from the office of Cisco Systems Inc. in the northern city of Netanya.

Despite his age, Peres has a busy daily schedule. He has kept on top of the latest technology, embracing social media and backing high-tech industries.

 

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3 Tons of Seized Illegal Ivory Crushed in Paris

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France is crushing more than 3 tons of illegal ivory in Europe’s first destruction of a stockpile of the banned elephant tusks.

Thursday’s pulverization is intended to send a message to poachers and traffickers that preservationists hope will help stem the illicit trade that endangers the species’ survival. Other countries to do the same recently include the United States, Gabon and China, ivory’s biggest market.

The market price of ivory is more than $1,000 a pound ($2,200 per kilogram) and has more than doubled in the past five years, said Ginette Hemley, vice president of species conservation at the World Wildlife Fund. Henley acknowledged that simply destroying seized stocks will not be enough to tamp down demand, which she said has grown exponentially since 2009.

 

Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’

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setcreasea1Botanical Name: Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’set-KREE-see-ah PAL-ih-duhSynonyms: Setcreasea purpurea ‘Purple Heart’, Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’, T. pallida ‘Purple Heart’

‘Purple Heart’ is a trailing, tender perennial with purple stems and violet-purple leaves that produces pink flowers in summer. This plant is mainly grown for its foliage (leaves can reach 7 inches in length); best color is achieved in bright sunlight and a dry, cramped root zone. It is excellent as a groundcover or in containers or hanging baskets. It grows 8-12 inches tall and 16 inches wide.
Noteworthy characteristics: Foliage may irritate skin.
Care: Provide moist soil in part to full sun. Pinch to encourage bushiness and cut back flowering stems after blooming. Water moderately and fertilize monthly during active growth.
Propagation: Insert 2- to 3-inch-long stem-tip cuttings in soil mix or water and pot up in soil-based mix.
Problems: Viruses, aphids, spider mites.

Eight bodies found after South Africa gold mine fire; one worker still missing

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Հարավ-աֆրիկա, ոսկու հանք

 

Rescuers recovered the bodies of eight workers trapped in a South African gold mine after an underground fire this week, the company said Thursday.

One more worker remains unaccounted for, Harmony Gold Mining Co. said in a statement. The company owns Doornkop mine, where the fire erupted Tuesday.

A day before the bodies were found, emergency workers rescued eight other workers and brought them to the surface of the mine west of Johannesburg.

The miners rescued were unharmed, but will be kept under medical observation as a precaution.

Seismic activity triggered the fire 1,733 meters (5,700 feet) underground, officials said.

Operations other than essential services have been suspended at the mine.

 

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Blood Drive in Armenia organized at the U.S. Embassy by the Hematology Center

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ԱՄՆ դեսպան

A blood drive, “Have a Heart, Save a Life,” was organized at the U.S. Embassy by the Hematology Center. Ambassador John A. Heffern, Deputy Minister of Health Sergey Khachatryan, and Director of the Hematology Center Smbat Daghbashyan took part in the event, offering congratulatory words.

“Giving blood is a normal part of life in the United States”, the Ambassador said. “We are proud to partner with the Hematology Center so that Armenian organizations and businesses can also take part in giving the gift of life.”

 

Volunteer donations of blood are not common in Armenia yet. Only 4% of blood donations are from volunteers. 51% of donations are from relatives, and 45% of donations are from people who are paid.

“This was a common practice in the United States until the 1960’s”, said Ellen Dempsey, Health Practitioner at the U.S. Embassy. “It eventually became clear that paying for blood was not a good use of resources. The volunteer movement started, and more resources were available for things like research, diagnosis and patient care,” she said.

 

The current system of blood donation in Armenia involves asking a relative to donate when blood is needed.   If a relative is unable to donate for some reasons, then a previous donor is contacted and asked to donate. These donors are paid.

 

արյունատվությունThe Hematology Center has sufficient supplies of blood, however the share of blood from voluntary donors is not enough, and they would like to see a significant increase in the number of voluntary donors.  This is an approach practiced in all developed countries and is recommended by the Council of Europe and the World Health Organization.

 

The blood collected today will be set aside for use by children and the needy at no charge.   If there is enough interest, the Hematology Center would be willing to organize blood drives for Armenian businesses and organizations on-site or at the Hematology Center.

 

ԱՄՆ դեսպան“We are very happy to start this initiative in Armenia,” said Professor Smbat Daghbashyan . “Our supply of volunteer blood is low, there is always need for blood and efforts should be made towards supplementing the supplies mostly through voluntary blood donations.” Anyone interested in organizing a blood drive can call the center at 010 283823.

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Olympic Threat: US Warns Airlines About Toothpaste Tube Bomb

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Սոչի, օլիմպիական ճամփորդություն

 

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to U.S. and some foreign airlines traveling to Russia for the Olympic Games to be on the lookout for toothpaste containers, which some intelligence indicates may actually hold ingredients that could be used to construct a bomb aboard a plane, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

A federal law enforcement source said the information is largely intended for foreign carriers and the generic threat is not directed at the U.S. homeland. The Russian government has been informed, the source said.

Security in Sochi, Russia, where the Olympics are scheduled to start Friday, has been high for months due to the threat posed to the Games by Islamic militants in the region. Last month Russian authorities announced no liquids would be allowed on planes to Sochi.

 

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President Serzh Sargsyan received the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group

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համանախագահներ, սերժ սարգսյան
Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA), Jacques Faure (France) and Anjey Kasperchik, the personal representative of the OSCE chairman in office.

During the meeting, the Co-Chairs shared their impressions received from the meetings held in Baku and discussed issues, pertaining to further steps to be taken toward the process of the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with the President of Armenia.

The President of Armenia and Co-Chairs also considered the recently intensified violations of the ceasefire at the Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line, stressing the incompatibility of such incidents with moving forward in the process of negotiations.

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Sealed with a kiss: French jewellery thief caught by his DNA after planting a peck on the cheek of bound-and-gagged woman

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france-kiss-thief

 

A jewellery thief who kissed his bound-and-gagged hostage on the cheek was caught by the traces of DNA he left behind.

Along with an accomplice, the unnamed 20-year-old had followed the woman, 56, from her jewellers in Paris’s 20th arrondissement to her apartment before bursting in.

They tied her to a chair before pouring what they told her was petrol over her head and threatening to set her on fire if she didn’t help them to rob her shop.

Armed with the codes for the alarm system, one of the thieves then ransacked the shop, stealing cash and jewels.

The other stood guard over the jeweller, identified by the paper only as Anne, for four hours. But before releasing her he made a terrible mistake.

He kissed her on the cheek.

Once freed by her captors, the shop-owner immediately called for police and told them in detail what she had suffered, including the kiss.

The evidence later led them to a man who was detained in the south of France on suspicion of another crime.

The man has said he was just a lookout and that he kissed the jeweller to ‘allay her trauma’. He was remanded in custody while police were still looking for his accomplice, Le Parisien said.

 

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Afghanistan effectively legalises domestic violence with new law that bans anyone from testifying against relatives

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Աֆղանստան,նտանեկան բռնություններ

 

Afghanistan has effectively legalised domestic violence by changing a law so it will become impossible for anyone to testify against relatives.

The legislation would allow men to attack their wives, children and sisters without the fear of punishment.

It would ban relatives of the accused from bringing evidence against them.

The change to the law has been passed by parliament but still has to be officially signed off by president Hamid Karzai.

Afghanistan brought in the Elimination of Violence Against Women law in August 2009.

The law criminalised child marriage, selling and buying women to settle disputes, assault and other acts of violence and abuse against women.

President Karzai will now have to decide whether to bring the law into effect.

 

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Zut alors! New York beats Paris to become the most fashionable city in the world

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Paris - second place

 

New York, home to $1 pizza slices and Carrie Bradshaw, is officially more fashionable than Paris, home to haute couture and better cheese.

According to new research released today by the Global Language Monitor, an Austin-based data-research company that catalogs trends in word usage, New York is the reigning fashion capital of the world.

Paris finished in second place, with London and Los Angeles close behind. Asia was also well represented with Shanghai in the tenth spot followed by Tokyo (11), Singapore (19), and Hong Kong (20).

Over the course of three years the Global Language Monitor tracked 250,000 blogs, print outlets, and social media channels, looking for buzzwords associated with haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fashion.

It then looked at the frequency and contextual usage of the words, creating a set of data able to rank global fashion cities.

New York City, therefore, showed up more than Paris or London in relation to words like fashion, fashionable, best designers, street style — but it was a narrow win: New York City bet Paris by 0.5per cent.

 

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7 Die in Fire Destroying Argentine Bank Archives

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հրդեհ արգենտինայում

 

Seven first-responders were killed and nine others injured Wednesday battling a fire of unknown origin that destroyed an archive of bank documents in Argentina’s capital.

Five firefighters and two civil defense workers were killed when a wall of the building collapsed on top of a large group of first-responders on the sidewalk and street outside, Argentina’s Security Secretary Sergio Berni said.

Rescuers removed rubble by hand to reach the dead and injured. Nine people were hospitalized with serious injuries, national civil defense director Alberto Crescienti.

The destroyed archives included documents stored for Argentina’s banking industry, said Buenos Aires security minister Guillermo Montenegro.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.

“There are cameras in the area, and these videos will be added to the judicial investigation, to clear up the motive of the fire and collapse,” Montenegro told the Diarios y Noticias agency.

 

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The woman who has endured 416 hours of pain covering her body in tattoos… that she’ll never see because she’s BLIND

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An ink-addicted woman has spent 416 hours covering her entire body in tattoos, despite the fact she will never see them because she is blind.

Fran Atkinson has spent the last three years having a colourful ‘body suit’ inked on to her with no idea what it looks like.

But the mother-of-one, from Rhyl, says her husband, Ron, and tattoo artist Grez Bowman have acted as her eyes, describing details of the intricate artwork from her neck down to her ankles.

Now she thinks she could be the most inked woman in Wales, and is hoping to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records with the help of Mr Bowman, who runs North Wales Ink in Prestatyn High Street.

The 52-year-old suffers with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment and can lead to blindness.

She began losing her sight when she was a teenager and has now been left with just three to five per cent vision, but said she’s always had a passion for body art.
The tattoo has cost thousands of pounds and Ms Atkinson said the most painful parts were having her kneecaps, underarms and ankles done and said apart from some finishing touches, she won’t be going under the tattoo gun again.