Life as a lion whisperer: Breathtaking video footage shows the fierce predators pouncing, being stroked and chasing after cars

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They’re fierce predators that rip flesh from bones using razor sharp teeth and strangle their prey, yet new video footage shows lions being as playful as household cats.

Captured by lion whisperer and zoologist Kevin Richardson, 39, in Pretoria, South Africa, the footage was filmed using GoPro camera fitted to his back.

Richardson even managed to attach the camera to the back of a lioness to give a unique viewpoint of the large cats’ prowl.

 

 

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In an exclusive interview, Richardson told MailOnline he’s been working with the big cats for 16 years.

 

‘I’ve always been passionate about animals of all shapes and sizes. I got the opportunity to work with two male lion cubs 16 years back and was bitten by the bug.

 

The lions caught on camera are 10 years old, according to Richardson. As he gets out of the car at the start of the video, Richardson shouts ‘Maggie’ and one of lions bounds towards him before leaping into his arms.

 

‘If you give them a chin scratch they’re very happy, content cats. As I lie beside them I just think they’re beautiful’, explained Richardson.

 

‘There are two vital messages that need to be conveyed to the greater mass of people out there’, said Richardson.

 

‘The first is that lions are under tremendous threat in the wild and their numbers are not sustainable; numbers have dropped from around 300,000 to around between 15 and 25,000 in less than 70 years.

 

 

‘The second message is the sick and sinister exploitation of captive bred lions for the ‘cub petting’ industry and the ‘canned’ hunting industry, whereby lions are seen as just a commodity to enrich certain businesses. ‘

 

According to Richardson, cubs are farmed to be taken away from their parents and hand raised to tame them, making it possible for people to interact with them. To tackle these issues, he has set up The Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary.

 

 

Turkish security detains man suspected of wearing explosives outside PM’s offices

Թայիփ ԷրդողանTurkish security guards captured a person suspected of wearing explosives after the individual attempted to enter Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s offices in Ankara, the Anadolu News Agency reported.

The suspect was detained while the bomb squad investigated the possible explosive device.

Intense security measures were taken around the building in the wake of the incident, Anadolu reported

 

Pipeline explosion kills 22 in China, report says

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An oil pipeline exploded Friday in eastern China, killing at least 22 people, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Authorities were still trying to determine the number of those injured, after the pipeline caught fire near the port city of Qingdao, about 300 miles north of Shanghai.

The oil line sprung a leak in the pre-dawn hours, Xinhua said, citing the city government. The oil flow was cut off, and workers went out to repair the breach. The explosion occurred in the late morning.

The pipeline, which is 176 kilometers (109 miles) long, belongs to Chinese petroleum giant Sinopec and connects the oil port to chemical plants further inland.

Maritime authorities are checking the coastline for possible oil leaks, Xinhua said. None have been reported so far.

 

President Serzh Sargsyan visited the E. Charents Museum of Literature and Arts

 Սերժ Սարգսյան, Ե. Չարենցի անվան գրականության և արվեստի թանգարան

 President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the E. Charents Museum of Literature and Arts where he observed the new exhibition of the Museum. According to the Director of the Museum Karo Vardanian, the exhibition encompasses the Armenian literature, dramatic and cinema art, and music of the 18-20 centuries. The exhibited pieces are relating not only about the hundreds of devotees of the Armenian literature and arts but also about educational, scientific and cultural, literary, musical establishments and theater groups, unions and editorial staffs of prominent periodicals which had their imprint on the Armenian reality.

After observing the exhibition, the President of Armenia at the Komitas Hall of the Museumawarded Volkmar Gantzhorn (Germany) with the Movses Khorenatsi Medal for his remarkable work in presenting to the world the Armenian carpet weaving craft and promotion of the international recognition of the Armenian carpets. Volkmar Gantzhorn has arrived to Armenia to participate at the presentation of the Armenian translation of his book “The Christian Oriental Carpet: a presentation of its development, iconologically and iconographically, from its beginnings to the 18th century” which is organized in the framework of the “Armenian Knot: Traditions of Carpet Weaving Art” international conference. The Director of Armenia’s Museum of History Anelka Grigorian presented to Serzh Sargsyan and other guests of the exhibition the author of the mentioned above book and his work. She noted that the book of 534 pages which has an encyclopedic value is unprecedented in its demonstration of over a thousand of samples and drawings. Besides being reprinted twice in German language, it has been printed in thousands copies in English, French, and Italian. The inauguration of the Armenian translation is a cultural event; the book is a unique manual of the carpet weaving art, a single invitation to the contemporary and future scientists to bring forward and explain various issues existing in the Armenian history and culture. Anelka Grigorian also quoted the author, Doctor Volkmar Gantzhorn, “The ornamental treasury of the oriental carpets is part of the Armenian identity and should be treated as such.” The German scientist expressed gratitude for such a high award and spoke about the motives behind this significant undertaking.

In the Museum, the President attended also the performance of the Traditional Musical Instruments ensemble.

During the tour of five exhibition halls, the Director of the Museum Karo Vardanian presented works which have been conducted in the Museum and its five branches in recent years through the state assistance, works currently underway, and spoke about permanent exhibitions.

After his visit to the E. Charets Museum of Literature and Arts, President Serzh Sargsyan will conduct a meeting at the Ministry of Culture with its leadership.

 

NATO Week in Armenia

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to congratulate Armenia on its successful hosting of the November 18 – 22 “NATO Week.” The United States values and supports Armenia’s partnership with NATO.  NATO Week highlighted Armenia’s contributions to international peace operations and launched a joint Armenia-NATO effort designed to foster integrity and reduce corruption in the military.

Armenia is working to become a greater contributor to international peace and security.  Armenia is actively seeking to expand its peacekeeping commitments, both with NATO and the UN, and is negotiating to support missions in Lebanon and Mali. We welcome Armenia’s willingness to contribute to peace operations around the world and are eager to support Armenian contributions to peace operations.

Armenia’s cooperation with NATO has opened up opportunities for joint training and exercises, and for gaining valuable experience serving together with NATO partners in peace operations.  The U.S. government has provided robust support toward the development of Armenia’s peacekeeping brigade and continues to seek opportunities to expand our support.  U.S. and Armenian soldiers are also working side-by-side in Kosovo in support of wider international efforts to build peace and stability in the area.  Armenian peacekeepers tackle a broad range of assignments withdistinction and honor.

Armenia is well on its way to developing peacekeeping brigade that is interoperable with its partners and capable to be deployed in support to various peace operations.  Armenia is making great strides towards developing this highly-trained and capable brigade and the Embassy would like to congratulate Armenia on its excellent progress.

United States/Armenia Task Force (USATF) scheduled for November 22

The United States Embassy announces that the 2013 U.S.-Armenia Task Force will take place on November 22 in Washington, DC.  The United States Government will be represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Eric Rubin, U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator Paige Alexander, and Coordinator for Assistance for Europe Daniel Rosenblum. The United States’ Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, John A. Heffern and USAID Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard will also attend.  Minister of Finance Davit Sargsyan is leading the Armenian delegation, which includes representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Justice, Energy and Natural Resources, and Nature Protection.  The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States, Tatoul Markarian, will also participate.

The USATF is an annual bilateral meeting designed to intensify the economic dialogue between the United States and Armenia with the goal of promoting trade and investment between the two countries.

These smugglers won’t be feeling quite so flush: Stash of gold bars worth £700,000 found in airplane toilet

կալկաթա, ոսկե սալիկներ

 

Cleaners working on an aircraft in eastern India have found 24 gold bars worth more than £620,000 hidden in a toilet compartment – the latest in a series of smuggling attempts uncovered at the country’s airports.

The cleaners had boarded the Jet Airways plane at Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) airport on Tuesday after it had travelled from the eastern city of Patna.

It had earlier been flying on international routes that included the Middle East.

Smugglers have been using a loophole in India’s flight schedules to attempt getting gold into the country without having to declare it to customs officials.

The gold is secretly stashed in an aircraft toilet at its international point of departure, where it remains when the plane lands at an Indian city.

Because that particular aircraft is then used to continue on as a domestic flight, a new passenger picks up the gold on the domestic leg and leaves the plane when it lands, knowing that there will be no customs checks.

India, which rivals China as the world’s biggest gold consumer, has seen a rise in smuggling after import duties were increased three times this year to try to dampen demand for the precious metal.

 

25,000 Leave Homes in South India Ahead of Cyclone

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An official says about 25,000 people have been evacuated from coastal villages in southern India as a strong cyclone approaches from the Bay of Bengal.

Andhra Pradesh state Revenue Minister Raghvira Reddy says the cyclone is expected to hit four districts of the state on Friday with wind speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour (68 miles per hour).

The India Meteorological Department said Thursday a storm surge of about up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) and heavy rainfall were expected to flood low-lying areas.