Snakes on a plane II

Vietnam has seized more than a ton of ratsnakes found aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight from Bangkok, the second time in about a month such snakes were found in air cargo to Vietnam.

The snakes - scientific name Ptyas Mucosus and a protected species - were found in more than 60 boxes that arrived in Hanoi's Noi Bai airport on Thursday, the Vietnam News Agency quoted officials as saying.

"There is a great possibility that Vietnam is only a transit point of the cargo," it said, adding that the snakes were transferred to an animal caring station nearby.

Last month, the airport authorities also seized 1,550 pounds of snakes aboard a Thai Airways flight to Hanoi, it said.

The Street With No Name

It might not appear in any A to Z or guide book, but that hasn’t stopped tourists arriving in droves at the Street With No Name.

Staff at Levenshulme station say a growing number of visitors to the city have been stopping off at the unnamed Levenshulme street to have their picture taken with its infamous sign.

Despite being created more than 160 years ago the street has never had an official title. Neighbours began to refer to it as The Street With No Name and over the decades it stuck.

As recognition of its unique status, nearby residents put up a sign bearing the curious moniker last May. Sadly, it disappeared later in the summer but at the end of last year was replaced with a new larger sign installed 12 feet off the ground to discourage thieves.

Steve Lambert, supervisor at Levenshulme station, said that dozens of people had turned up at the site to see the sign for themselves.

He said: "It was really funny seeing people crowding round and smiling when they get their pictures taken. It is nice too to think that Levenshulme is on a tourist trail. Now that we’ve got a new sign, people are starting to come back again so hopefully we can get more who want to come. It’s a one-off really and I’ve not heard of anywhere else like it, so who knows, maybe we could even have a tourist shop or cafe one day. It’s great to have the new sign because the last one being stolen was a real loss to us. It’s going to put us back on the tourist map again because we used to get lots of people coming to have their picture with it - even Japanese and Chinese tourists.

Tuk-tuk demise

A fleet of 12 motorised rickshaws that were launched in the Sussex city of Brighton and Hove two years ago are to be taken off the roads for good. TucTuc Ltd director Dominic Ponniah said they had become impossible to run due to "archaic legislation".

He said the system where the tuk-tuks had to run to a timetable had proved to be too rigid for the company.

"We have decided to resign our licence as the current situation is just not workable," he said.

"We have really pushed for new legislation to be put in place to accommodate alternative types of vehicles." He added: "There is obviously a market for them, but they can't be licensed in the appropriate way."

Wood you believe it!?

Thousands of pieces of timber have been washed up on the beaches across southern England after a cargo ship sank off the Dorset coast. Coastguards said the timber, several feet deep on the tide line, now stretched along the Sussex coast and was moving east towards Kent's coast.

The Greek-registered Ice Prince sunk about 26 miles (42km) off the coast after a storm. More than 2,000 tonnes of timber have drifted 100 miles through the Channel. Solent coastguard said timber had washed up all the way from Littlehampton in West Sussex to Beachy Head in East Sussex.

He said: "What's there on the beach will stay until it is removed by contractors authorised by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Any other wood in the Channel will move to and fro with the tides."

He said coastguards were unable to predict where timber in the water would drift, because it could depend on whether it was affected by the wind.

Dover coastguard used an aircraft on Monday to assess how far the timber had travelled. West Sussex County Council said there were unconfirmed reports of minor damage to sea defences.

It said people taking the wood had become a "serious problem".

A spokesman said: "Lots of people have been turning up, including men in vans taking a load - a significant number of people."

Sussex Police have issued a warning to say removing the timber is unlawful, and if people continue to take the wood, they could be liable to prosecution and arrest under the Merchant Shipping Act.

Worthing beach was closed at the weekend to allow heavy machinery to remove the washed-up cargo.

Street Jury

WELD COUNTY, Colo. -- Some folks who just happened to be out on the streets of Greeley got a surprise Wednesday morning. They were handed a subpeona for jury duty.

Court officials say they summoned 200 people to report for jury duty on Wednesday, but only 39 people showed up. The court had to improvise. "It's sad when we as citizens don't accept our obligations," said Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck.

Weld County officials said this is the second time this week they've had a problem seating a jury.

"It is a great inconvenience for the prosecution, the defendant, the defense counsel, the staff, the judge, witnesses, many of which have come in from out of town to testify in the case, so it's a huge inconvenience to a lot of people when jurors don't show up and for the jurors summoned forthwith off the street, it's an inconvenience to them as well," said Buck.

When you can't seat a jury, court cases can't move forward, he said.

It delays the entire judicial process and Buck believes it's everyone's duty.

"It's an obligation to sit on our jury because our judicial system guarantees justice," said Buck.

This isn't the only time there has been a problem with jurors showing up. It also happened in December.

Bull

It was quite a traffic stop for officers in South St. Paul, Minn. Friday as a bull was loose on Interstate 494. A traffic management camera showed police as they were trying to round up a bull.

The bull jumped three pens to get out of the Central Livestock Association then it wandered onto I-494. Officers tried to keep the bull from jumping the median with the help of a driver in a tow truck.

The bull also tried to ram one officer who got out of his car to try to stop the bull.

The animal weighs nearly 1900 pounds. The bull eventually wandered into a neighborhood, where police said they had to shoot and kill it to make sure it didn't hurt anyone.

Rabbit adopts kittens

Six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit. Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home.

The kittens seemed to think Summer the rabbit was their mother and began to climb all over her and try to feed from her. Efforts will be made to find the four males and two females permanent homes in the coming weeks.

Melanie, 29, told the BBC Scotland news website: "The abandoned kittens were handed in when they were about three weeks old and I took them home. Summer the rabbit was taken inside on Bonfire Night because of the fireworks and the kittens seemed to really like her and thought she was their mother."

She added: "They were trying to get milk from her and climbing over her. And Summer was not bothered by them at all. Summer is five months old and she's gigantic. It is lovely to see them all together. They are all doing well and Cats Protection will re-home them."

What's in a name?

MIGRANTS who come to the UK are abandoning more than just their homeland. Thousands of new arrivals are adopting common British names to avoid discrimination or just poor pronunciation.

Arabic names such as Karim and Muhammad are being changed to Kevin and Michael, while Indians bearing the surname Shital prefer to be known as Sheet.

The trend is part of a boom in name changing, fuelled by websites that allow people legally to rename themselves by deed poll within a few hours, usually for about £30.

Chinese people have anglicised their names by adding prefixes such as John, Jason and Sue.

In one instance, a refugee from Uzbekistan called Avlar Jon Akherov became Adrian Barry Roberts. In another case, a young Polish woman with an 18-letter surname opted for the brevity of one of Britain’s most common names - Hall.

“We saw a lot of Muslims change their names after the 9/11 attacks, but in the past few years it’s become much more widespread,” said Mike Barratt, chief executive of the UK Deed Poll Service.

“Often people are just sick and tired of having their names mispronounced. We’re seeing a 20% increase, year-on-year.”

About 70,000 people will change their name using either the UK Deed Poll Service or the Name Change Company this year, two of the most popular services in Britain. In 2001, it was fewer than 20,000.

Black just got blacker

US researchers say they have made the darkest material on Earth, a substance so black it absorbs more than 99.9 per cent of light.

Made from tiny tubes of carbon standing on end, this material is almost 30 times darker than a carbon substance used by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology as the current benchmark of blackness.

And the material is close to the long-sought ideal black, which could absorb all colours of light and reflect none.

"All the light that goes in is basically absorbed," said Pulickel Ajayan, who led the research team at Rice University in Houston.

"It is almost pushing the limit of how much light can be absorbed into one material."

The substance has a total reflective index of 0.045 per cent - which is more than three times darker than the nickel-phosphorous alloy that now holds the record as the world's darkest material.

Basic black paint, by comparison, has a reflective index of 5 per cent to 10 per cent.

The researchers are seeking a world's darkest material designation by Guinness World Records.

Spiked muffins

Repentigny, Quebec. - Seven students and a teacher are recovering in hospital after consuming baked goods that may have contained a strong concentration of cannabis.

Police in Repentigny, near Montreal, say the class was celebrating the end of a course at a trade school this morning when students began to fall ill. Police spokesman Guy Belair says an 18-year-old student brought the muffins to class.

Belair says the student could face a wide range of charges including drug-related accusations.

The eight people, the majority of them between 16 and 18, were taken to Pierre-Le-Gardeur Hospital in Repentigny, but officials say they're doing well.

Belair says the muffins will be analyzed to determine what exactly the students and teacher ingested.

Teen spree

A teenager who posed as a wealthy playboy and went on a spending spree at a Japanese area nightclub has been arrested after trying to skip out on his bill.

Authorities say that over the course of six hours Wednesday night the 16 year old boy ordered two bottles of Dom Perignon champagne as well as 60 glasses of whiskey, beer and cocktails.

Police say when it was time to pay the bill, which had ballooned to $3,490, the boy told the staff he had no money.

A police spokesman says staff at the club were shocked to learn the boy's age because he seemed mature and experienced when ordering drinks and talking with hostesses.

The spokesman says the teen was dressed in casual clothes, but obviously successfully gave staff the impression of a rich young man.

Alcohol consumption is prohibited for those under 20 in Japan.

Russians shoot "small" missile into house

A homeowner in Russia got a fun surprise, when the Russian military accidentally fired a missile into his house.

Russia's military offered compensation to him on Thursday, after the missile veered off course during a training exercise. The fact that is was described as a 'small rocket' is presumably a relief to the man.

Russian Internet chatrooms were buzzing late Wednesday after local news agencies reported that 'an unidentified flying object dropped two bombs near Moscow.'

A defense ministry official told Reuters two rockets had gone astray during a military exercise near Moscow on Wednesday afternoon. One hit the roof of an unoccupied house 2.2 miles away.

'The damage is estimated at 60,000 rubles (£1,250). It will be compensated for in two days,' said Yevgeny Konashenkov, spokesman for Russian land troops.

'The owner of the house treats the incident with understanding. He has no legal claims.'

Luckily for the nearby compound of cottage houses, the rockets had disconnected at launch from the load of explosives which they normally carry to clear minefields.

Toothpaste killed girl

A British couple say their daughter died of a severe allergic reaction to toothpaste, although a coroner's inquest ended with an open verdict.

Francesca Sanna's parents, who live in Oswaldtwistle, England, say she had complained for some days before her death that her gums hurt, the Daily Mail reported. She went into anaphylactic shock just after brushing her teeth.

Coroner Carolyn Singleton refused to blame the toothpaste, saying only that Sanna, 19, died of shock and an allergic reaction.

"She must have come into contact with or ingested something that caused her death," Singleton said. "She was a young lady who was very careful. She knew what she could and could not touch."

Sanna's mother said after the verdict that she thinks the Aquafresh Mild & Minty toothpaste, which has redesigned packaging, might have added something that triggered the reaction. A spokeswoman for the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said the formula has not changed.

Sanna's mother said her daughter, who suffered from multiple allergies, might have developed a new sensitivity.

Wrong place, wrong time

A would-be Canadian robber picked the wrong place at the wrong time this week, attempting to hit a liquor store -- right across the street from a police station in the midst of a shift change.

Police in the western Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta, said a man wearing a ski mask walked into the liquor store and demanded cash. The clerk refused to co-operate and the man, unable to fill his pockets, fled the store.

The clerk called the police just as the station was packed with officers preparing for the shift change.

Several of them just walked to the store parking lot and arrested the man there.

The 37-year-old has been charged with attempted robbery.

Mitterand's wardrobe up for sale

The widow of late French President Francois Mitterrand is putting many of his clothes and personal effects up for sale 12 years after his death, including silk suits, top hats, crocodile-skin cases and a shapely piggy-bank.
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The January 29 auction throws a spotlight on the Socialist leader's love of luxury and an apparent penchant for hoarding.

Among the 367 lots that the Tajan auctioneers expect to sell are around 100 shirts, some 60 suits and a selection of gifts from international leaders, such as Cuba's Fidel Castro.

Much of Danielle Mitterrand's own wardrobe is also going under the hammer as she aims to raise up to 100,000 euros ($146,600) for her human rights charity.

The sales organiser Benedicte Blondeau-Wattel told Reuters it was hard to tell if Mitterrand, who governed France from 1981-1995, had accumulated more clothes than other presidents.

"It is the first time that we have auctioned the wardrobe of a president of the republic. I haven't had access to any of the others' (wardrobes) so I can't make any comparisons," she said.

Mitterrand died in January 1996 and Danielle has stored all his clothes in her Paris flat ever since.

$10m note

The central bank of the southern African country has a issued a 10million Zimbabwe dollar note. The move increases the denomination of the nation's highest bank note more than tenfold.

Even so, a hamburger in an ordinary cafe in Zimbabwe costs 15 million Zimbabwe dollars. The hope is that such a move will help end chronic cash shortages and disperse long, chaotic lines at banks and automated teller machines.

Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono said in a statement the 10 million Zimbabwe dollars notes will be issued along with 1 million and 5 million Zimbabwe dollars bills. Previously, the highest existing note, introduced last month, was for 750,000 Zimbabwe dollars.

The new 10 million note is the equivalent of about £2 at the dominant black market exchange rate. A hamburger at an ordinary cafe costs about 15 million Zimbabwe dollars (£3).

That hamburger has trebled in price this month amid shortages of bread, meat and most basic goods. Zimbabwe faces the world's highest official inflation of an estimated 25,000%. Independent financial institutions say real inflation is closer to 150,000%.

Acknowledging the inflation crisis, Gono said individuals would be allowed to withdraw an increased limit of 500 million Zimbabwe dollars (£100) in a single daily withdrawal, up from 50 million (£10).

He said special arrangements were being made to pay soldiers, police and other uniformed services "because it is not desirable to see them queuing for cash".

Gono said with higher denomination bills businesses might be tempted to again raise prices of scarce goods. "If this happens the whole objective of solving the cash shortages and to bring convenience to the people will be defeated," he said.

Will to neighbours

Farmer Willis Hatch and his schoolteacher wife, Arlene, lived simply but blissfully together for 57 years before dying in an auto accident in November.

Now, about 70 of their friends and neighbors are surprised to find themselves a collective $1.6 million richer as the beneficiaries of the late couple's frugality and generosity.

The recipients of their generosity were bequeathed certificates of deposit ranging in value from $5,000 to more than $100,000. The couple's estate was valued at $2.9 million and included the CDs, the farm and some stocks.

"Isn't that something?" said Sandra VanWeelden, 72, whose family, including three grown children, received about $250,000 from the Hatches, who never had children of their own and lived into their early 90s.

Before they retired, Willis — known to his friends as "Ish" — worked their 80-acre farm just south of Lowell, and Arlene taught at Lowell Middle School.

The couple went everywhere together: church services, community pancake breakfasts, school plays. They enjoyed winter trips to Brownsville, Texas, but allowed themselves few other luxuries.

"They was normal people, good people," Harry Erickson, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Thursday. "And it didn't matter to them if you had one dollar or 10, they'd be your friend."

Judging by the amount of money they doled out, the couple had many friends, including fellow parishioners at Alto United Methodist Church, where many of the beneficiaries are members.

"We, the whole church, are obviously grateful to them, and grateful to God that he gave them to us," said the Rev. Dean Bailey.

Added Bailey's wife, Jan: "They left a lot to the people they'd loved, and I think everybody was surprised."

That included the Baileys, who were notified that the Hatches had left the church about $50,000 toward a fund trying to raise $800,000 for a new building. Their gift, said the pastor, represents "about a year's worth of our fundraising capability."

Burglar finds corpse

A Berlin burglar's break-in took an unexpected turn when he stumbled upon a corpse and felt compelled to call the police.

"He called to say he'd just broken into a flat and found a dead body," said a spokeswoman for Berlin police. "He gave the address of the place and then hung up."

Officers discovered the 64-year-old resident of the flat dead in his bedroom. The man had passed away about two weeks ago, and authorities are not treating the death as suspicious.

The burglar has not been heard of since. Local media said he fled the flat empty-handed, but police could not confirm this.

Britain's oldest triplets

Britain's longest-surviving male triplets will celebrate their 80th birthday tomorrow - and their friends still can't tell them apart. Identical brothers Idwal, Ivor and Morgan Llewellyn share a deep bond.

Morgan said: "We are as close now as when we were little boys - and we help to keep each other young. They wanted to put 240 candles on our cake and we would have no trouble blowing them out. We've still got plenty of puff!"

Retired industrial chemist Morgan recalls a fellow Welshman spotted him in a bar in Greece and shouted: "Hello Ivor".

Widower Morgan said: "It took me the rest of the fortnight's holiday to convince him I wasn't my brother."

All three have celebrated golden weddings but sadly Morgan's wife Pamela and Ivor's wife Megan have died leaving Idwal's wife Vera as the surviving spouse.

Church sign removed

A Canadian church's attempt to inspire attendance with a suggestive message on its sign has backfired and the double-entendre has been removed.

The sign at the Heart Lake United Church in Brampton read "Lying in bed shouting Oh God doesn't constitute going to church."

Nicole Cedrone told the Brampton Guardian she was glad her daughter, 11, was not in the car with her when she read the sign. Cedrone called the sign "offensive" placed outside a church.

"If it was said at a party with adults, it's funny, but our children are exposed to enough of this kind of thing," she added.

Cedrone called the church and a local official and got what she wanted. Church officials said they did not realize the sign might be offensive.