London: In a bid to reduce her carbon footprint, the British Queen is planning to power her Windsor castle by generating electricity from the nearby Thames river, a media report said.
Underground cables will carry electricity directly to the castle from hydroelectric turbines at Thames’ Romney Weir, one of the largest weirs on the river, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.
As well as improving the castle’s green credentials, the scheme will mean the Queen can sell any unused power back to the UK’s National Grid to help pay bills at her favourite home, the report said. “The Queen has already installed low-energy light bulbs and other power-saving measures throughout the castle to save money.
But this project will generate enough energy for 300 local households on her land and one-third of that for Windsor Castle. “She hopes to double that amount in future. It is a very shrewd way to save money and carbon,” a castle source was quoted as saying.
A spokesman for the scheme’s developers, Southeast Power Engineering, which specialises in developing difficult hydropower sites, said: “Windsor Castle will be the primary customer for the electricity generated by the system, with any excess power entering the National Grid.”
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman added: “We are keen to continue with generating our own renewable energy from this scheme. The hope is that the project will be built by the end of the year and generating power soon after.” (PTI)
Briton faces jail after gifted gun on wedding
London: A man is facing jail in Britain after he received a Kalashnikov assault rifle as a wedding gift from his wife.
John Wallace, 47, bought parts for the deactivated gun that was gifted to him by Angie, reported The Sun.
Though the weapon was legal to own, but he did not have the necessary permission for the extras like a barrel.
The High Court in Glasgow was informed that Wallace wanted to turn the rifle into an “ornamental feature”. (IANS)
British couple wins $260 mn jackpot
London: A British couple is on cloud nine after winning Britain’s biggest lottery jackpot of 161 million pounds (about $260 million).
Colin and Chris Weir, who live in a modest three-bedroom detached house in the Scottish seaside town of Largs, will earn 9,323 pounds a day in interest alone!
The euphoric couple startled the nation by coming forward to claim the record-breaking prize which has catapulted them among the ranks of Britain’s super-rich.
The jackpot, Europe’s biggest-ever single win, has instantly propelled the couple to 430th on the Sunday Times’ Rich list.
They couple admitted that revealing themselves to the world would let them have the time of their lives as they revel in the huge scoop with family and friends, Daily Express reported.
Chris, 55, a retired psychiatric nurse, said: “We’re not afraid of this. It seems mammoth, it seems absolutely fantastical. I woke up on Tuesday morning and everything was normal. I woke up on Wednesday and the world was totally different for us.”
She said they considered staying anonymous after becoming the only people in Europe to match the numbers in Tuesday’s EuroMillions draw. (IANS)
Dog bites shark!
London: An incredible video on ‘YouTube’ shows the moment a dog rounds on a group of sharks, and even dives under the water and gives one a nip.
The film, shot by an unknown Australian, who gives an hilarious running commentary, shows the two dogs as they take a paddle in clear blue waters. But lurking ominously beneath the waters, the spooky silhouettes of several sharks can be seen blocking the mutts’ path to the safety of the shore.
Undeterred, one of the dogs rounds on the sharp-toothed marine monsters, dives under the water and, with a fierce nip, scares the whole school away, the ‘Daily Mail’ newspaper reported.
Describing the heroic hound’s antics, the excitable cameraman narrates: “Here they come. He’s going down. He’s giving him a bite! The dog’s biting the shark! The dog is underwater with the shark! What the hell! “That is unbelievable. I’ve seen everything now.” (PTI)
Ambulance! bring me a steamed bun
Beijing: A man in China called for an ambulance as he complained of chest pain. And when the ambulance arrived, he asked the staff to go and buy him two steamed buns.
Beijing’s 120 Emergency Medical Center said that 30 percent of emergency ambulance calls were unnecessary.
“This month, for the ambulance I’m assigned to, 30 to 40 runs were from timewasters out of 140 in total,” a doctor, Zhao, said.
Zhao said one man called for ambulance, and when it arrived he said he was hungry and asked the crew to go out and buy him two steamed buns, the People’s Daily reported.
“There were drunks asking for a ride home, and a man who said he was dizzy and actually wanted us to settle a fight with his wife. So we don’t waste limited emergency resources, we really hope that we can get some legislation established,” said Zhao.
Li Jianren, an official, told the Global Times that they usually have 100 ambulances on duty out of a fleet of 400. “We receive a lot of calls about people who had fainted by the roadside, but actually they are just sleeping in the shade,” Li said. (IANS)