Chinese Car-Accident Victim Has New Nose Grown on His Forehead
BEIJING: Meet 22-year-old Xiaolian. He is not wearing some bizarre special effects makeup, that is actually a real nose growing on his forehead. As strange as it looks, this is apparently a pretty common nose reconstruction technique. No too long ago, Xiaolian was involved in a car accident that damaged his nose. After he refused medical treatment, the wound became infected and in a few months time the bacteria had corroded the cartilage of the nose, making it impossible for doctors to save. But since we’re living in an age where medical miracles are possible, they decided to remove the infected tissue and grow the young man a new nose. This was done by by placing a skin tissue expander onto Xiaolian’s forehead, cutting it into the shape of a nose and planting a cartilage taken from his ribs. The organ developed perfectly and it’s almost ready to be shifted in it the place of Xiaolian’s original nose. (Agencies)
Abandoned gold bars baffle German police
BERLIN: Attention all passengers: could the person who left a stash of gold bars and a pile of banknotes in the luggage deposit at Cologne’s main railway station kindly contact German police?
That was the appeal that police in the western German city issued Friday for information to track down the owner of the several kilos (pounds) of gold and a six-figure sum of euros in cash.
The stash was found in April in a luggage locker at the station, a major European transport hub. Police said they are going public after being unable to link the haul to any crime and hearing nothing from any legitimate owner.
Whoever the owner is shouldn’t leave it too much longer. Police say that if nobody comes forward, the stash will be sold. (AP)
Private US spacecraft docks with ISS
Washington: A privately-owned cargo ship, operated by US space company Orbital Sciences Corp., completed its first rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday, Xinhua reported citing NASA TV.
The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft was grappled by a robotic arm operated by astronauts inside the space station at about 11 a.m. GMT.
Mission controllers applauded loudly following the successful rendezvous.
“Capture!!! #ISS arm grapples #Cygnus,” Orbital said in a tweet. “Smiles all around Orbital.”
The spacecraft’s arrival, which occurred a week later than planned due to a “a data format discrepancy” between the two vessels, was “flawless”, Orbital stated later in a status update on its website.
Cygnus will remain attached to the ISS for 30 days before departing with disposable cargo on board, Orbital said.
Cygnus was launched Sep 18 on a demonstration mission of proving its capability to reliably deliver cargo, only carrying 589 kg of food, clothing and other items.
Orbital is the second US company to send a commercial cargo craft to the space station.
SpaceX was the first company to send its own cargo ship with two successful commercial re-supply missions and two demonstration missions under its belt. (IANS)
600,000 pilgrims reach Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Riyadh: Some 600,000 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia so far for this Hajj season, half of them being present in Mecca and the rest in Medina, Xinhua reported on Saturday.
The Hajj ministry has assigned 40,000 workers to serve the pilgrims this Hajj season, reported Saudi Press Agency citing Undersecretary of Hajj Affairs Hattem Qadhi.
He said the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina received more than 96 Hajj flights Friday, and that the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah receives over 100 flights on a daily basis.
Saudi Arabia is expected to receive fewer pilgrims this year as it plans to cut of foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and domestic pilgrims by 50 percent due to the expansion work at the grand mosque in Mecca. (IANS)
Guy Runs 26-Mile Marathon Backward While Juggling
UNDATED: Most people couldn’t run a marathon if their life depended on it, but world-record juggler Joe Salter ran the whole 26.2-mile Quad-Cities Marathon backward, while doing what he does best, juggling.
32-year old Joe Salter can practice his juggling skills pretty much anywhere.
In the past, he swam a half-mile in the Gulf of Mexico, doing the backstroke while juggling three balls, juggled for 16.2 miles on a bike and ran and juggled for four miles.
He also holds the world records for the fastest time to run a mile backward while juggling (7 minutes, 32 seconds) and fastest juggling triathlon (1 hour, 57 minutes), but he was hungry for a Guinness World Record, so he challenged himself to run the entire Quad-Cities Marathon, in Illinois, backward, while juggling.
Unfortunately, Guinness rules are very strict and for Joe’s unique feat to qualify as a record, every second of the race had to be recorded, which was impossible as videotaping is prohibited along several miles of the course that run through the Rock Island Arsenal.
Although slightly disappointed, Salter found an upside to the whole situation. ”I actually feel better, not having the stress,” he said before the race, and indeed the lack of added pressure helped him finish the entire 26.2-mile marathon in just 5 hours and 51 minutes. (Agencies)
£16bln cash recoverd at Russian airport
London: A stash of 16.75 billion pounds in cash that could be Saddam Hussein’s secret fortune has been lying unclaimed at a Russian airport since 2007.
The 20 billion euros, all in 100 euro notes, is being stored at a heavily guarded depot. It was flown to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport from Frankfurt with no recipient. According to the Mirror, a security source said it could also be mafia or corrupt officials’ dirty money. Documents reveal that a man name Farzin Motlagh, 45, was the sender of the cash, but has yet not claimed it.
The Iranian is reportedly wanted internationally on suspicion of fraud. (ANI)