Australian to investigate halal, kosher food certification
Canberra: The Australian government is slated to conduct an inquiry into the certification of halal, kosher and genetically modified food after a motion was moved by a senator who described the process as a “racket”.According to sources, the six-month inquiry will investigate all food certification schemes, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.Cory Bernardi, a Liberal Party senator, said he wanted to “establish the facts” about all certification schemes.”There seems to be a number of concerns about some certification schemes that are operating and in the interests of transparency and establishing the facts and being able to act in the national interest I think it’s wise for the parliament to consider all certification schemes and how they operate,” Bernardi said in parliament on Wednesday. (PTI)
Police critically wound man wielding hammer
New York: A man suspected of attacking four people with a hammer this week was shot and wounded by police today after he pulled a hammer from a bag and lunged at officers who approached him on the street near Penn Station, police said. Manhattan Chief of Detectives William Aubry said the officers were responding to an unrelated assault when they noticed the suspect and approached him. “When he turned around, he violently started swinging,” Aubry said. One officer fired four times, striking the suspect twice. Police said the man was in critical but stable condition at a hospital. A hammer lay in the middle of the intersection at 37th Street and Eighth Avenue. Police Commissioner William Bratton said investigators have copious video of the incident. He commended the officers. Police said the man is the same person who attacked four people with a hammer this week. (AP)
Beijing police warn against bizarre dress in subway
Beijing: Passengers taking the Beijing subway were today asked by police in the Chinese capital to shun strange outfits as they might jeopardise public safety.
According to Liang Jianwei, vice head of the Beijing municipal traffic administration corps, costumes and masks are likely to attract the attention of other passengers. When a lot of people stop to watch, the risk of stampedes increases, he said. He also suggested that passengers avoid forming flash mobs in the underground.
“Although such behavior is not banned by law, passengers should not be too willful,” said Liang. Police will warn against problematic behavior when they come across it, he said. “Beijing subway carries more than 10 million passengers each day,” added Liang. “Everyone should be aware of safety.”
Law enforcement teams began patrolling Beijing subway stations and trains on May 1. (PTI)
Rare ‘pigeon blood’ ruby sells for record-breaking $ 30 mln
Geneva: A rare “pigeon blood” ruby has fetched a record-breaking USD 30.33 million at an auction here while a rare pink diamond that may have originated from the famous Golconda mines in India has sold for USD 15.9 million. The 25.59 carat ruby sold for USD 30.33 million, more than twice its estimated price, to an anonymous telephone bidder, Sotheby’s auction house said. The gem from Myanmar, part of a collection of Cartier jewels up for auction, had been expected to sell for between $12 million and USD 18 million. It set a record for a ruby and was also a record for a Cartier jewel at auction, Sotheby’s said. At the spring Magnificent Jewels and Nobel Jewels auction, an “extremely rare” fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 8.72 carats sold for USD 15.9 million. The stone, known as “The Historic Pink”, is believed to have been part of the collection of Princess Mathilde, niece of French Emperor Napoleon I. The exquisite 8.72 carat stone only recently resurfaced, having been kept in a bank vault since the 1940s. While origins of the stone remain unclear, it may have been found in the famous Golconda mines near Hyderabad, according to David Bennett, head of Sotheby’s international jewellery division. (PTI)
UK cat sets new Guinness world record for loudest purr
London: A UK feline has set a new Guinness World record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat, with its sound measuring almost 68 decibels – as noisy as an air conditioner and nearly as loud as a shower.
Merlin, aged 13, who was adopted from an animal rescue centre in Kingskerswell by its owner Tracy Westwood and her daughter Alice from Torquay, Devon, was crowned king of the purrs during recent filming of a Channel 5 TV show. With a Guinness World Records adjudicator on hand to verify, Merlin registered a purr measuring 67.8 decibels, beating the previous record of 67.68 decibels set in 2011 by Smokey – another British cat. “Occasionally when he’s really loud I have to repeat myself. When you’re watching films you have to turn the telly up or put him out of the room, if he’s eating he’ll purr loudly.
I can hear him when I’m drying my hair,” Tracy said. (PTI)
Giant squid washes up on New Zealand beach
Wellington: A giant squid measuring seven metres in length from top to the tentacles, washed up on a beach in New Zealand’s South Island on Thursday.
The giant squid was spotted at Kaikoura town’s South Bay, The New Zealand Herald reported.
According to Kaikoura Marine Centre and Aquarium, the giant squid has a body over two metres long and eyes measuring 19 cm in diameter.
Photos of the marine animal were posted on Facebook by the centre, which said it moved the find “before the birds got to it”.
“We got help to move it to the aquarium where it is safe inside a freezer,” they added.
They have the squid in a freezer with glass windows so it can be viewed by the public. (IANS)
