Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Better Earth

Young Whale Found in New York Harbor

Marine biologists were standing watch on Tuesday over a young whale that lost its way in New York harbor and nearly wandered into a narrow waterway notorious for industrial pollution.


Bulb

UK: Thousands call in sick and enjoy the sun

The lure of holiday sunshine was too much for thousands of workers yesterday, who swapped suits for shorts and "pulled a sickie".

A specialist legal advisory service for businesses said more than 60 per cent of its calls were from employers concerned about absenteeism.

Britain's beaches recorded higher than normal numbers of visitors and those who did venture into the office found themselves able to find a seat on trains and buses that are usually packed.

With cool fronts expected to bring temperatures down to about 64F (18C) over the next few days, it seems that some workers could not resist taking advantage of the continuing hot spell, with temperatures reaching 77F (25C) in the Solent yesterday.

Magic Wand

Jail For 'Witch' Pensioner

A pensioner dubbed the "original neighbour from hell" has been jailed for six months.

Dorothy Evans - who said she was a witch and threatened to cast spells on her victims - will serve a minimum of three months before being freed.

The 81-year-old was jailed today for harassment and six breaches of her Asbo.

Judge Roderick Denyer QC said the punishment was reduced because of her age.

He said: "In spite of your age and infirmities, over a period of 10 years you made life a misery for your neighbours."

Evans had a string of previous convictions involving neighbourhood disputes: four for harassment and eight for breaching a restraining order, between 1999 and 2005.

Arrow Down

Asians rate sex lives so-so: survey

Asia's lovers rate sex far less highly than those elsewhere around the globe, spend less time having intercourse and are less likely to reach orgasm, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Coffee

Seattle Man Charged in Bizarre Duck Case

EVERETT, Wash. - A Seattle man has been charged with a slew of crimes that involved an alleged shoplifting, assaults and a pet duck named Mr. Peepers. Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Stern on Thursday charged Kenneth Blaine Quinlan, 35, with two counts of third-degree assault and one count each of vehicular assault and hit-and-run.

Heart

Bullet removed from Vietnamese soldier's heart 39 years after war

Doctors have removed a bullet from the heart of a Vietnamese soldier nearly four decades after he was shot by U.S. troops during the Vietnam war, doctors said Monday.

Le Dinh Hung, 60, underwent surgery at a Hanoi hospital on Friday and is recovering quickly, said Dr. Nguyen Sinh Hien, who spent three hours operating on Hung.

"It is the strangest case that I have ever seen,'' Hien said. "Normally a person with a bullet in his heart would die immediately if they didn't have surgery right away.''

Hung said he feels much better now, and the pain in his chest had eased.

"I was very lucky to survive,'' he said from his hospital bed. "People believe in their fate and I do too.''

Black Cat

Prozac maker launches antidepressant for dogs

Eli Lilly and Co., which built its reputation on insulin and the antidepressant Prozac, launched its first prescription medicine for pets on Friday.

The company will market Reconcile, a beef-flavoured chewable tablet that helps treat dogs for separation anxiety, in the United States.

The medicine is supposed to be used in combination with behaviour management training to help dogs that have difficulty being separated from their owners or family members.

Sheeple

Hungarian motorway blocked by escaping rabbits

Hungary's busiest highway, connecting Budapest with the Austrian capital Vienna, was closed early on Monday after a truck carrying rabbits crashed, letting 5,000 of the animals loose on the road, police said.

The M1 motorway was closed around 40 km (25 miles) west of Budapest and could remain closed for hours while police try to capture the escaped animals, highway police spokeswoman Viktoria Galik said.

Bomb

Great Turtle Race Staged in Pacific

Slow and steady might win a race among 11 leatherback turtles tagged with GPS transmitters and engaged in a heated swim contest from Costa Rica to the Galápagos.

Display

Computer To Help Orangutans Learn

Researchers Give Video Games To Primates

ATLANTA -- Zoo Atlanta is using 21st century techniques to study the way orangutans think and learn.