113-year-old woman fudges date of birth to join Facebook
New York: Anna Stoehr, one of the oldest living people in the world at age 113, has finally got herself a Facebook account. What she had to do was to lie about her actual age as the earliest birth year listed on Facebook to create a new profile is 1905. Stoehr, the oldest resident of Minnesota, decided to fudge her age by 15 years and submitted her age as 99 to get through, KARE-TV reported. Born Oct 15, 1900, she is set to celebrate her 114th birthday next week. For her social media exposure, she is thankful to a Verizon sales representative who befriended her to teach her how to e-mail and Google. Referred to as the ‘oldest teenager’ in the online community, Stoehr is now using iPad to get connected with family members and friends on the social networking site. (IANS)
Airbus says China to buy 70 A320 planes worth USD 6.6 bn
Paris: Airbus said on Saturday that China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) has signed an agreement to buy 70 A320 family aircraft, an order worth USD 6.6 billion (5.2 billion euros) at list prices.
The order reflects the strong demand from Chinese carriers for single-aisle aircraft for domestic, low cost, regional and international operations, the European aircraft manufacturer said.
“We are grateful to China for its strong vote of confidence in our leading A320 family aircraft, and are happy to see them assembled at our Chinese facilities,” Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said in a statement. Airbus has already assembled and delivered 190 A320 aircraft from a facility in China’s Tianjin Free Trade Zone. It said it had also signed a letter of intent with its Chinese partners to build a similar facility for A330 family aircraft, wide-body planes that can carry over 400 passengers.
“In its 30 years history the Airbus partnership with China keeps on growing and expanding,” Bregier said.
The letter of intent was signed today in Berlin with the heads of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China in a ceremony witnessed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. “The intended establishment of an A330 Completion and Delivery Centre will add a new exciting chapter to our longstanding track record of mutual achievements,” added Brieger. (AFP)
Ebola may be popular horror-theme among some US party-goers this Halloween
NEW YORK: If Halloween is supposed to be spooky, at least some costumes worn this year by party-goers in the United States promise to be terrifying.
Some of the more ghoulish trick-or-treaters will be dressed as emergency responders to people sick with Ebola, head to toe in protective clothing, according to costume previews in social media.
Ghosts, vampires and fairy princesses will likely continue to be the most popular costumes for the Oct. 31 fancy dress party. But every year, it seems edgier costumes emerge from news headlines.
Costumes are meant to lampoon, “but the world is getting more serious. This is scary stuff,” said Tony Bianchi, manager of New York Costumes in Manhattan.
In past years, the store has sold such ripped-from-the-headlines costumes as White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Princess Diana after her fatal car crash and the Chilean miners trapped underground in 2010.
The Ebola virus that has killed nearly 4,000 people in west Africa seems to be this year’s favorite among some planning for Halloween.
“If you wanna scare the hell out of people this #Halloween just dress up as #Ebola,” tweeted @samkalidi.
Photos on Twitter have shown costumes based upon Ebola workers clad in goggles, rubber gloves and full-body protective suits.
Bianchi predicted costumes related to Ebola would be homemade, and said that no manufacturer had produced them. “There are certain things – you just don’t go there,” he said. Some people on social media appear to be contemplating costumes based on militants from the group Islamic State, also known as ISIS, although many said it was a tasteless choice.
“Note to idiots: don’t dress up as #ISIS for #Halloween unless you want a realistic bullet wound as part of your costume,” tweeted @sandykaren. (Reuters)
Mississippi frat prank turns deadly for flamingoes
Mississippi (Reuters): A late-night fraternity prank at a zoo turned deadly for two pink flamingoes, authorities said, and left a Mississippi freshman in jail on Thursday, facing felony charges.
Devin Nottis, a 19-year-old at the University of Southern Mississippi, was charged with grand larceny, trespassing and two counts of animal cruelty after he and nine other students sneaked into the Hattiesburg Zoo early on Tuesday and stole a female flamingo, authorities said.
“My understanding is that they were on a scavenger hunt from the fraternity and were told to take a picture with a swan,” said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which oversees the zoo’s operations.
But Nottis “thought it would be humorous to take a flamingo back to the fraternity house,” he added.
Security video footage from the zoo shows a man throwing his T-shirt over the bird and taking it.
After a brief appearance at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house, the bird later was released on a local bike trail where it was found by a jogger, Taylor said.
It suffered severe injuries and had to be euthanized.
A male bird also suffered internal injuries while attempting to protect the female, which was its mate. He died the next day, Taylor said.
Each flamingo had cost the zoo $1,700. They were part of a new exhibit opened only one year.
Other students involved in the prank are cooperating with investigators but still could face conspiracy charges, said Hattiesburg Police Lieutenant Jon Traxler.
The university indefinitely suspended both Nottis and the fraternity’s local chapter, said university spokesman Van Arnold.
The national chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha also suspended the local fraternity, officials said in a statement, adding that the international organization and its local alumni “would like the community to know how disgusted and outraged they are by the actions of these undergraduate members.” (Reuters)
Man faces charges over reclining airline seat squabble
BOSTON: A Haitian man who authorities say got into a heated dispute on a flight bound from Miami to Paris over a reclining seat has been charged with assaulting a flight attendant, U.S. prosecutors in Boston said on Friday.
Edmond Alexandre, 60, was charged in federal court with interfering with flight crew members after becoming enraged when a woman passenger sitting in the seat in front of him reclined the seat, encroaching on his space.
Officials said he argued with the other passenger, grabbed a flight attendant by the arm and then was restrained and arrested by federal air marshals aboard the plane. The incident caused the American Airlines flight to be diverted to Boston.
Alexandre, who lives in Paris, could be sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison if convicted of one count of interference and attempted interference with a flight crew, though prosecutors noted that it is rare for such a severe sentence to be imposed. (Reuters)
