German pigeon flashed by speed camera goes viral

It was a quiet afternoon in Bocholt in western Germany when a pigeon broke the calm and the speed limit, flying down a residential street at 45km/h (28mph) in a 30km/h zone.

A mobile speed camera flashed as soon as the pigeon flew past.

Authorities in the town, a short distance from the Dutch border, published the picture last week, and it has since gone viral.

Under normal circumstances the penalty for speeding would be €25 (£21;$28).

The town said that even with a 3km/h margin allowed in speeding cases, the pigeon had been going 12km/h too fast and was "on a collision course with vehicles and pedestrians".

One local said it was clearly a racing pigeon, while another suggested an appropriate punishment would be community service as a carrier pigeon.

The Bocholt Facebook page said philosophically: "Whether and, above all, how the fast bird can and will pay its €25 on-the-spot fine remains to be seen."

Source: www.bbc.com

People are embracing nostril hair and getting thick extensions in bizarre new trend

It's the beauty trend nobody asked for, but it's here nonetheless.

While men and women have been fighting against unruly nostril hair for generations, the latest fad seems to be incorporating nostril hair extensions into your life.

Yes, you can now kiss goodbye to the eye-watering pain of plucking and the fiddliness of trimming your nose hair.

The brave new look was first championed by Instagrammer @gret_chen_chen.

She used false eyelashes to achieve the avant guard aesthetic but we imagine if you're blessed in the nose hair department, you won't need to resort to falsies .

It did not take long for others to seize upon the look and - voila - the tag #nosehairextensions was born.

A quick glance at this tag will show you just how popular it's become.

As an aside, we're not sure how advisable it is to use eyelash glue up your nose, so that's something to be aware of.

If you're happy to just leave your nostril hair as is, here are some interesting facts.

It grows at a rate of 0.35mm per day and it's actually our friend, as it acts as one of the body's first lines of defence against environmental nasties such as spores and germs.

So, where nostril hair is concerned, could it be a case of more is more?

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Thailand: Tropical bay from 'The Beach' to close until 2021

A Thai bay that was made famous by its appearance in the film The Beach is to remain closed until 2021.

Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, was temporarily closed last year after officials said a sharp rise in visitors had severely damaged the environment.

Before it closed, up to 5,000 people were visiting the bay every day and most of its coral died as a result.

Authorities have now extended the ban on visitors by two years to give more time for Maya Bay's ecology to recover.

The beach featured prominently in the 2000 film of that name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Since the bay closed last year, blacktip reef sharks have been sighted swimming in the waters of the bay.

Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, who advises the Thai department of national parks, told the BBC in January that when the park reopens the number of visitors will be restricted and boats will be banned from mooring within the bay's waters.

Local tourism operators have said they rely on the beach.

The head of the local tourism association, Wattana Rerngsamut, told AFP that there should be public hearings "so that local people can earn a living".

Source: www.bbc.com

Fire on Saipem pipe-layer in Caspian Sea injures 14

A pipe-laying vessel working in Azerbaijan for Italian oilfield service provider Saipem reportedly caught fire on Wednesday, May 8.

According to local Azerbaijani news outlets, the accident which occurred on a pipe-laying vessel in the Caspian Sea resulted in injuries for 14 people. The reports claim that the fire on the vessel was extinguished.

Saipem reportedly told the Azerbaijani news agency Trend on Thursday that the pipe-laying vessel Israfil Huseynov, which was carrying out work for Saipem, caught fire on May 8, at about 18:30.

The company was also cited as saying that that fourteen people got burn injuries of various degrees. The injured workers were transported to the Baku coast by the Citadel platform supply vessel.

As for the vessel in question, it is a pipe-laying barge owned by Caspian Marine Services. The vessel was built in 1988 in Mantyluoto, Finland.

Offshore Energy Today has reached out to Saipem seeking more info on the reports. A Saipem spokesperson said the company didn’t have any additional information to add to what has already been circulated.

Source: www.offshoreenergytoday.com

F1: Ferrari presents 2019 race car

(ANSA) - Maranello, February 15 - Ferrari presented its 2019 Formula One race car - the SF90 - at its Maranello headquarters on Friday. Ferrari President John Elkann, CEO Louis Camilleri, new team principal Mattia Binotto and drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were present, along with Piero Ferrari, the son of late founder Enzo Ferrari.

"I can't wait to get in the car and start," said Germany's four-time world champion Vettel.

"Each time the excitement is incredible.

"As a team we are on the right road. Let's hope we keep improving". Ferrari have drafted in talented youngster Leclerc to replace Kimi Raikkonen this season as they seek to end a long drought of world titles. Leclerc said that: "I prepared the maximum I could during the winter break, physically and mentally". Ferrari's last constructor's championship win dates to 2008 and the last drivers' title goes back to when Raikkonen won in 2007 during his first of two stints with the team.

"In 2018 we got really good achievements," said Binotto. "This car is a development of last year's car, it's not a revolution. "We've tried to push the bar, try to be some extreme as we could. "Some changes like the front wing for the regulations. "If you look at the details, we've tried to push hard, be innovative. "If you look at the bodywork at the back, it's very slim.

"It's thanks to the entire job we've done. A lot of effort has been done. We like it".

One of the most striking aspects of the new car is its colour - a red that is slightly less bright than the hue Ferrari usually go for.

The name SF90 refers to the fact that this year is Ferrari's 90th anniversary.

"The car embodies the latest state of the art technology, reflects the new regulations for the coming season and is the fruit of the combined enormous work and talent of everyone in the Scuderia," said CEO Camilleri.

Source: ANSA

Bill Gates has paid over $10 billion in taxes, here’s why he says he should pay more

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is worth an estimated $91.8 billion, and he pays billions in taxes to the federal government. But he says he should be paying even more.

"I need to pay higher taxes," he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria during a recent interview. "I've paid more taxes, over $10 billion, than anyone else, but the government should require people in my position to pay significantly higher taxes."

Gates' comments came on the heels of a criticism of 2017's GOP tax reform.

"It was not a progressive tax bill, it was a regressive tax bill," he told Zakaria. "People who are wealthier tend to get dramatically more benefits than the middle class or those who are poorer. It runs counter to the general trend you'd like to see, where the safety net is getting stronger and those at the top are paying higher taxes."

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is worth an estimated $91.8 billion, and he pays billions in taxes to the federal government. But he says he should be paying even more.

"I need to pay higher taxes," he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria during a recent interview. "I've paid more taxes, over $10 billion, than anyone else, but the government should require people in my position to pay significantly higher taxes."

Gates' comments came on the heels of a criticism of 2017's GOP tax reform.

"It was not a progressive tax bill, it was a regressive tax bill," he told Zakaria. "People who are wealthier tend to get dramatically more benefits than the middle class or those who are poorer. It runs counter to the general trend you'd like to see, where the safety net is getting stronger and those at the top are paying higher taxes."

Fellow billionaire Warren Buffett agrees. "I don't think I need a tax cut," Buffett told CNBC regarding reform efforts.

Buffett, who's worth an estimated $87.2 billion, specifically spoke out about the estate tax, which is levied on assets transferred from one person to another at the time of death. He said eliminating it would be a "terrible mistake" because the current system in America vastly favors the rich.

In theory, he could leave billions each to his children and grandchildren, who wouldn't have to pay taxes to inherit it. "If they were lucky enough to come out of the right womb and have the right name, Buffett, they could build tombs for themselves like Egyptian pharaohs never dreamed of," he said.

"I sure don't think it's good for a society where there's a ton of inequality to start with. I think that's a terrible mistake," he added.

In the end, the estate tax wasn't fully repealed, but it was furthered scaled back.

Left to their own devices, Gates and Buffett use their funds to give back in other ways. In 2010, the duo partnered up on The Giving Pledge, through which ultra-wealthy individuals commit to giving away at least half of their wealth to charitable causes.

Alongside his wife, Gates also works full time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which spends more than $4 billion per year fighting disease, improving education, distributing vaccines and battling wealth inequality across the globe.

"Even before we got married, we talked about how we would eventually spend a lot of time on philanthropy," Gates wrote in the couple's 10th annual letter describing the foundation's charity work.

"We think that's a basic responsibility of anyone with a lot of money. Once you've taken care of yourself and your children, the best use of extra wealth is to give it back to society."

Source: www.cnbc.com

Happy Chinese New Year 2018!

The 2018 Chinese New Year begins TODAY (Friday, February 16).

The celebrations are tipped to last for over two weeks - and if you fancy making a trip before the festivities end, read this guide for a first-timer's trip to China.

Chinese New Year takes place on a different date each year because it is based on the lunar calendar.

New Year's Day normally falls between January 21 and February 20.

The global celebrations are an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances.

Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad fortune on New Year's Day.

Traditionally, kids would be given red envelopes stuffed with 'lucky money' and positive wishes on New Year's Day.

Some teens now have red envelope apps, so their relatives can transfer cash digitally.

2018 is the Year of the Dog.

The Chinese zodiac moves in a 12-year cycle, and those born in 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018 are also known as Dogs.

According to the Asian astrology, your year of birth - and the animal this represents - determines a lot about your personality traits.

Although each of the twelve animals gets an outing every dozen years, there are different varieties - and 2018 will be the first Year of the Earth Dog since 1958.

Anyone born in an Earth Dog year will be communicative, serious, and responsible in the workplace.

The Chinese animal zodiac or shengxiao, which means 'born resembling', are arranged in a repeating cycle of 12 years.

The animal changes at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and traditionally these animals were used to date the years.

However, Chinese New Year is a movable celebration, dictated by the lunar cycle, which can fall anytime between January 21 and February 20.

This year, for example, it will be celebrated on Friday, 16th February.

The choice of animals is significant - the ox, horse, goat, rooster, pig, and dog are six of the main domestic animals raised by Chinese people.

While the rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake and monkey are all loved by the Chinese.

The animals were separated into two categories - yin and yang - depending on whether they have an odd or even number of claws, toes or hooves.

They were then arranged into an alternating yin and yang sequence.

Legend has it that, back in the ancient days, the Jade Emperor ordered that animals would become part of the calendar and that the 12 who arrived first would be selected.

At the time, the cat and the rat were good friends. When they heard the news, the cat said to the rat: "We should arrive early to sign up, but I usually get up late."

The rat promised to wake his pal up so they could go together but, because he was so excited, forgot and went alone.

On the way, the rat bumped into the tiger, ox, horse and other animals - who were all much faster than him.

He hatched a plan and convinced the ox to carry him on his back - on the condition that the rat sang throughout the journey.

The ox arrived first, but the rat sneaked in front of him and became the first lucky animal.

By the time the cat arrived, the selection was over - which is why the cat hates the rat and will always try to chase and kill him.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk