German mathematician who died 450 years ago gets letter demanding TV licence fees

Adam Ries, a German mathematician who died 450 years ago, has been sent a letter demanding that he pay long-overdue television licence fees.

Germany's GEZ broadcast fee collection office sent the bill to the last home address of the algebra expert, who bought the property in 1525.

"We received a letter saying 'To Mr Adam Ries' on it, with the request to pay his television and radio fees," said Annegret Muench, who now heads a club honouring the mathematician, which uses the house as its headquarters.

Miss Muench returned the letter to the GEZ with a note explaining the request had come too late, as Ries had died in 1559, centuries before the invention of television and radio. She nonetheless received a reminder a few weeks later.

This was not the first time the GEZ had sent a bill to those in the afterlife.

Last year, a school named after the poet Friedrich Schiller received a reminder asking him to declare all radios and televisions in his home and pay the corresponding fees. Two notices were delivered by GEZ, which threatened to mount legal action against the literary hero, who is best known for his poem Ode to Joy, which was put to music by Beethoven, unless he quickly settled his monthly €17 (£16) bill. The German poet and philosopher died in May, 1805.

In December last year, the collection office extended its list of potentially delinquent customers to include a cat called Winni. One month earlier, they had targeted a beagle called Sam in the Bavarian town of Amberg.

source:The Daily Telegraph.

Plane Drops Engine Parts on Queens Rooftop

A Chicago-bound American Airlines plane flying out of LaGuardia Airport dropped engine parts on the roof of a Queens business before landing at JFK Airport, according to an airline spokesperson.

American Airlines Flight 309 took off at 8:17 a.m., but was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport at 8:35 a.m. after an engine failed, American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely said.

Port Authority crash crews responded and discovered metal fragments in the fuselage of the plane.

Debris from the plane fell on the roof and damaged some cars at Varsity Plumbing in College Point. Workers heard an explosion around 8:20 a.m. before debris began hitting the roof. Some of the pieces were so hot they melted into the roof.

"I think it's a turbine.... I've seen it before," said American Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Jim Causa.

Federal officials collected a five gallon bucket of debris, according to Bob Bellini, owner of the business.

The plane's pilot heard a loud noise as the plane was climbing out of LaGuardia. The plane was landed safely and no injuries were reported among the 88 passengers and five crew members on board.

Police and aviation investigators photographed the debris, which was taken to LaGuardia for inspection. The bulk of the engine remained attached to the plane's wing, Peters said.

On Jan. 15, Flight 1549 ditched into the Hudson after it hit a flock of Canada geese less than 2 minutes after taking off from LaGuardia. All 155 people aboard that aircraft survived.

In Wednesday's incident, the plane took off from LaGuardia in the northeast corner of Queens, turned north over Long Island Sound and made it as far as Stamford, Conn., before turning south again and heading for Kennedy Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the cause of the engine failure.

By JIm Scott and Glenn Zimmerman
NBCNewYork.com

Chinese police offices hand out chillis to keep drivers awake

Police officers in Chongqing, China's biggest city, have started giving sleepy drivers raw chillies in order to stop them falling asleep at the wheel.

According to the Chongqing Evening News, a local newspaper, more than three pounds of chillies have been handed out in just nine days.

The inhabitants of Chongqing, and of the neighbouring provinces of Sichuan and Hunan, are famous in China for their insatiable appetite for spice.

Some dishes in Chongqing are so fiery that patrons remove their shirts in order to cool down while eating them.

Yuan Qinglai, an official with the Chongqing motorway police, said the free chillies scheme was hatched after two sleepy drivers from Hunan asked police to give them peppers after being pulled over.

"We also provide menthol balm, cold water and places for them to sleep, but some drivers have complained the balm is not effective enough for them," said Mr Yuan.

He said the chillies were cheap and readily available, besides being a traditional cure for being dull-headed. "When Chairman Mao got tired late at night while he was writing, he would take some peppers to keep his spirit up," he said.

He added that the scheme had started after Chinese New Year because of a traditional belief that people feel more sleepy in spring.

"Because of the change of weather recently, more and more drivers got tired and sleepy easily, especially in the afternoons, and accidents seemed to increase," he explained.

Chen Jun, a van driver, told the Chongqing Evening News: "It feels great to have a chillie. The police try to tell me to only eat a few, but I tell them to relax. I can eat peppers!"

However, one anonymous Chinese blogger said: "The best cure is to sleep properly. Why should they need to eat anything to stay awake?"

Roads in rural China are notoriously dangerous, and China has the second highest road accident toll in the world, behind India.

According to Xinhua, the state news agency, about 73,500 people died in crashes last year, a ten per cent drop from 2007.

source:www.telegraph.co.uk

Iraqi jailed for three years for shoe attack on Bush

Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi who threw his shoes at former George W. Bush has been jailed for three years.

The 30-year-old television reporter, had pleaded not guilty at the hearing in the Iraq Central Criminal Court to assaulting the US president during his farewell visit last year.

"He was sentenced to three years in jail," defence lawyer Yahia Attabi told reporters outside the Baghdad court.

"We expected the decision because under the Iraqi criminal code he was charged with assaulting a foreign leader on an official visit," Attabi said, adding: "We will appeal this decision."

Zaidi, whose shoe-hurling gesture is considered a grave insult in the Arab and Muslim world, had risked up to 15 years in jail on the charge of aggression against a foreign head of state during an official visit.

The former US president, deeply unpopular in the Arab world for ordering the 2003 invasion of Iraq, had been at a globally-televised media conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki when Zaidi let rip with his shoes, zinging them at Mr Bush, who managed to duck just in time.

When Judge Abdulamir Hassan al-Rubaie asked Zaidi if he was innocent, the journalist responded: "Yes, my reaction was natural, just like any Iraqi."

After the verdict, his 25-strong defence team emerged to scenes of chaos outside the court, where several family members screamed: "It's an American court... sons of dogs."

Wearing a light-brown suit, brown sweatshirt and thin-framed glasses, Zaidi had been brought into the packed courtroom under a heavy police escort.

Chief defence lawyer Ehiya al-Sadi had argued that his client's motives were "honourable."

"He was only expressing his feelings. What he could see was the blood of Iraqis at his feet when he watched the US president speaking about his achievements in Iraq."

He also argued that although Iraqi law considered it an attack on a visiting head of state, "his throwing of the shoe did not cause any injury or damage.

"The president did not lose a leg or hand or finger. It was not an attempt to murder but an attempted assault.

"But it was not a real assault because he wanted to insult the president. The way he did it was buy throwing a shoe not a mortar or bomb.

"His goal was to insult Bush for the pain Iraqis have suffered.

He asked for the court to consider Zaidi innocent and take note of the fact that he had already been in jail for three months.

The trial first opened on February 19 but was adjourned to determine the nature of Mr Bush's December 14 visit. The judge told the court that government ministers had declared it official.

There was standing room only on Thursday at the courtroom on the edge of Baghdad's high security Green Zone as some 200 family members, reporters and lawyers crowded in.

One of Zaidi's brothers, Uday, had told AFP he expected Muntazer to be found guilty, describing the trial as a "farce."

The Baghdadia television reporter told the court in February that he had been outraged and was unable to control his emotions when Mr Bush started speaking at the December media conference.

"I had the feeling that the blood of innocent people was dropping on my feet during the time that he was smiling and coming to say bye-bye to Iraq with a dinner.

"So I took the first shoe and threw it but it did not hit him. Then spontaneously I took the second shoe but it did not hit him either. I was not trying to kill the commander of the occupation forces of Iraq."

As well as throwing the shoe, Zaidi also insulted Mr Bush verbally, shouting: "It is the farewell kiss, you dog," before security forces wrestled him to the ground.

Zaidi said he had been beaten and tortured while in custody.

His brothers said they wanted to bring torture charges against Mr Bush, Maliki and his bodyguards at a human rights court in either Belgium or Spain.

A Syrian lawyer said she was preparing to file a complaint.

FDA approves new, cheaper female condom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Female Health Co has won U.S. approval to market its newer, less expensive female condom, which could help it win over American women as well as boost use in developing countries, the company said on Wednesday.

The company's FC2 Female Condom is made with a softer material for quieter use. Its original version failed to gain a foothold in the male condom-dominated U.S. marketplace in part because it was noisy to use as well as more expensive.

Its new condom is made using a less-costly process that company officials have said should lower its shelf price as well as allow health organizations to distribute more of the birth control device to women in Africa and other areas where AIDS is a major concern.

The approval "is an important development in efforts to deliver affordable access to woman-initiated HIV prevention in the United States and around the world," Female Health Co's strategic adviser Mary Ann Leeper said in a statement.

Female Health's initial Female Condom was approved in 1993 to prevent pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases but has not been widely used in the United States, which made up just 10 percent of its 34.7 million unit sales in 2008.

The product competes with other birth control methods, most notably male condoms, which can cost as little as 50 cents each amid a variety of competing brands. The original Female Condom costs between $2.80 and $4 a piece.

It was not immediately clear how much the new version would cost or when it would be available. Female Health Co earlier said it was looking for another company to partner with and help market the FC2.

FDA's approval also allows the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to buy the FC2 Female Condom and distribute it to global programs that aim to prevent the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, the company said.

Dozens of health advocacy groups had urged U.S. approval of the new version, which the company said is already distributed in 77 other countries.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Crocodile devours shark in battle Down Under

A crocodile took on a shark in a clash of the titans Down Under, but the reptile came out on top.



The 15ft saltwater crocodile began to eat the shark only metres from a boat of fisherman.

Craig Van Lawick was aboard the commercial barramundi boat on the Wildman River, east of Darwin, in the Northern Territory when the crocodile started eating the shark.

He said: "There was not a whole lot of sound. All we could hear was the crunching sound."

Mr Van Lawick added that he was unsure about the type of shark involved, saying it was eaten too quickly for him to work out.

Crocodiles have been spotted eating sharks in Australia on a number of occasions.

Last year an 8ft crocodile was photographed dragging a shark from the Daly River in the Northern Territory to finish its prey off on land.

And the year before a croc took on a deadly bull shark, responsible for numerous fatal attacks on humans around the world.

The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living crocodiles and reptiles. It is found in suitable habitat throughout Southeast Asia, Northern Australia and surround waters.

They are among the most aggressive predators in the world and can grow up to 23 feet in length and weight more than a tonne.

About a dozen people have been killed in crocodile attacks in Australia in the past 20 years.

Population to reach 7 billion people by 2012

Author : DPA

New York - The world population is expected to reach 7 billion by 2012, from the current 6.8 billion, with the additional population increase coming mostly in developing countries, the United Nations said Wednesday. By 2050, the world population is projected to reach over 9 billion people based on an annual average gain of 78 million people. Most governments depend on UN studies in world population to map socioeconomic policy.

On average, fertility rates are expected to decline from 2.56 children per woman in the 2005-2010 period to 2.02 children in 2045- 2050. But even if the fertility rate drops further, the population would continue to grow, with the population reaching 8 billion by 2050, even if women have an average of 0.5 children less.

"Consequently, population growth until 2050 is inevitable even if the decline of fertility accelerates," the UN said in revising its annual projection.

However, if fertility rates were higher, the population could increase to 10.5 billion by 2050, the report said.

Most of the 2.2 billion additional people by 2012 will be in developing countries, where people of working age and those aged 60 and over are expected to increase. Developing countries now make up 5.6 billion people of the total world population of 6.8 billion.

The current population in developing countries is still young, with children under 15 accounting for 29 per cent of the population and those aged 15 to 24 accounting for 19 per cent of total population. There are now 1.7 billion children and 1.1 billion young people in those countries.

"In fact, the numbers of children and young people in the less developed regions are at an all time high, posing a major challenge for their countries, which are faced with the necessity of providing education or employment to large cohorts of children and youth even as the current economic and financial crisis unfolds," the UN said.

The number of people aged 60 and over is expected to grow globally from 739 million in 2009 to 2 billion by 2050, with the majority of them - up to 79 per cent - living in developing nations by 2050.

The picture is different in rich regions, however. The number of children under 15 will remain close to 200 million and youths 15 to 24 will decrease from the current 160 million to 134 million by 2050. Most developed countries have had below replacement fertility - below 2.1 children per woman - in the past two to three decades, the UN said.

The UN said world population growth would continue in the most populous countries. Nine countries in the world will account for half of the projected world population growth during the period from 2010 to 2050: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, China and Bangladesh.

Man survives Niagara Falls plunge, resists rescue

Associated Press Writer

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (AP) -- A man jumped into Niagara Falls on Wednesday and survived the 180-foot plunge, then resisted rescue attempts before he eventually was pulled from the icy water to safety, police said.

The man, believed to be in his late 30s, was semiconscious when he was taken to a hospital. He lapsed into unconsciousness and was listed in critical condition.

Niagara Parks Police Chief Doug Kane said the man "voluntarily entered into the water and refused medical assistance at the bottom."

He said the man was suffering from hypothermia and a head injury. Police were unable to get any information from the man because of the effects of the near-freezing water.

A witness called police shortly after 2 p.m. and told them a man had climbed over a retaining wall and jumped into the rapids above the Horseshoe Falls, one of Niagara Falls' three waterfalls. A short time later, the man was seen near the base of the falls.

Specially trained falls rescue crews tried to assist the man, but he swam away from them toward the middle of the river, Kane said.

A private helicopter was called in and got close enough to the victim so that wind from its blades forced him close enough to shore for rescuers to reach him.

"He wasn't cooperative," pilot Ruedi Hafen, owner of Niagara Falls Helicopter, told The Associated Press. "He didn't try to be helpful. We had a sling on him and he got out of it."

Rescue crews said the man was in the water for about 45 minutes and spent much of that time resisting attempts to help him.

Firefighter Todd Brunning and another rescue worker swam about 60 yards from shore, grabbed hold of him and hauled him in, Niagara Fire Capt. David Belme said.

Brunning said the man was floating on his back and got caught in an eddy, allowing Brunning to swim up behind him and wrap his arms around his chest.

"I was surprised he was still conscious when we got to him," Brunning said. "I guess he was lucky."

Brunning said the man was responsive to verbal commands but unable to talk.

"He was on a suicide mission, I assume," Hafen said. "I've never, in my career, seen someone so tough, swimming between the ice."

The last person known to survive a plunge over the falls was a Michigan man, Kirk Jones, who climbed down a small embankment and jumped into the Niagara River on Oct. 20, 2003. Jones said he had been depressed and had been drinking.

At least 17 people - not including suicide attempts - are known to have gone over the falls.

Niagara Falls' three waterfalls are the American Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.