Armed Santa Claus robs US bank

A US bank has been held up by an armed man dressed as a Santa Claus.

Santa threatened to come back and ‘kill everyone’. Photo: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES

According to Metropolitan Nashville Police, a man wearing a Santa Claus suit – including hat, beard and moustache and dark sunglasses – robbed a SunTrust Bank, demanding money from a member of staff at gunpoint.

After the teller handed over the cash, the man fled in a grey car.

According to witnesses, the bank clerk had asked the robber to remove his sunglasses but he refused, reached into his sack and pulled out his gun.

He demanded money and told staff if they put dye bombs with the cash he would come back and "kill everyone".

He stashed the money in his sack and fled, telling staff and customers he needed the cash because "Santa needed to pay his elves".

Police have refused to reveal how much money was taken by the suspect, who is described as white, with brown hair and about six feet tall.

A police spokeswoman said it was the first time a Santa suit has been used to pull off a robbery in the area in recent years.

The clothing of choice is usually sweatshirts and sunglasses or a Halloween mask, she added.

It is not unheard of for robbers to wear Santa suits as a disguise.

In the most notorious case, a gang including a man dressed as Santa shot and killed six people and injured several others in a robbery in Cisco, Texas, on December 23, 1927.

Story by www.telegraph.co.uk

Brown bears in spectacular wrestling duel

Two brown bears have been pictured fighting in front of a snow-topped mountain range in Alaska.

 

The duel was photographed by Scott Cromwell during a bear spotting trip to Hallow Bay, part of the Katmai National Park, in Alaska.

Photo: SOLENT NEWS AND PHOTOS

Despite one of the bears holding a definite weight advantage, the giant animals grappled and exchanged blows.

But after 15 minutes of combat they seemed happy to call it a draw and went hunting for salmon in a nearby river.

The duel was captured by amateur photographer Scott Cromwell during a bear-spotting trip.

He flew for six hours from Homer, Alaska, to Hallo Bay, which is part of the Katmai National Park, also in Alaska, to see the animals.

Cromwell, 38, said: "The guide and pilot flew us over a known area and we spotted a few bears so we landed on the beach a few hundred yards away from them.

"We walked up to about 250ft from them and stood and watched from a dry part of the river bed.

"They instantly quit fishing for salmon in the river and ran out in the open in between us and the mountains.

"The smaller bear came out into the open first but then the bigger one galloped after it making a lot of noise.

"They circled around the whole large area a couple of times and then started wrestling right in front of us – we were no more than 100ft away.

"I couldn’t believe what was happening – we had only just got off the plane and this all seemed to have happened instantly."

TV repairman Scott said the bears battled for 15 minutes before getting bored or hungry and returning to hunting for salmon.

He added: "I was leaning over the whole time while shooting, trying to get as close to the ground as possible without including any grass in the foreground.

"It truly was the most enjoyable 15 minutes of my life. In fact the whole trip was the best six hours of my life.

"Seeing bears this close really is incredible."

Article from www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ robot goes walkabout in Mexico

A remote-controlled dinosaur robot worth about £60,000 has been stolen from Australia’s "Walking with Dinosaurs" show in Guadalajara, event organisers said on Monday.

 

Photo: CHRISTOPHER PLEDGER

"Only in Mexico! How it happened, we don’t know. We don’t even know if whoever stole it knows its value," said Karla Arroyo, a spokesman for the show.

It was the first time an exhibit has been stolen from the show, which has toured worldwide and been seen by more than four million people, she said.

"Walking with Dinosaurs" opened in Guadalajara on Friday, and staff discovered that one of the smaller robots was missing after the show closed that same day.

The missing reptilian is five feet tall and moves by remote control. At around £60,000, it is the least expensive of its fellow robots at the show, which measure up to 42 feet and cost up to £600,000, Ms Arroyo said.

Despite the robbery, she said the show "did not stop".

"Everything went on as usual," she added.

‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ robot goes walkabout in Mexico – Telegraph

Scientists create the world’s smallest ’snowman’

Scientists have created the world’s smallest ’snowman’, measuring about a fifth of the width of a human hair.

 

The snowman is made of two tiny tin beads, normally used to calibrate electron microscope lenses, which were welded together with platinum Photo: Dr Cox / National Physical Laboratory

Experts at the National Physical Laboratory in West London made the miniature figure which is just 0.01mm across.

However, far from the thrill of rolling balls of snow around a field to build their masterpiece, it was assembled using tools designed for manipulating nanoparticles.

The snowman is made of two tiny tin beads, normally used to calibrate electron microscope lenses, which were welded together with platinum.

A focused ion beam was used to carve the snowman’s eyes and smile, and to deposit a tiny blob of platinum for the nose

It was put together by Dr David Cox, a member of the Quantum Detection group at the laboratory, who also took the picture.

However, Britons searching for the real thing will have to head for the northern hills of Scotland, where forecasters say there is a chance of snow falling over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Alps have seen heavy snow falls in the past week allowing the ski season to get under way at many resorts. Andermatt in Switzerland has received nearly 40 ins (100cm) of fresh snow.

The NPL is one of Britain’s leading science facilities and research centres. It is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate measurement standards.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Japanese man ‘marries’ computer game character

A Japanese man infatuated with a character in a computer game has married the object of his desires in a solemn ceremony in Tokyo.

Wedding Party: SaL9000(left), Nene on the DS being held by the best man

The Bride, Nene Anegasaki, from Konami’s Love Plus Photo: Konami

The groom – who calls himself SAL9000 – says he fell in love with Nene Anegasaki from the Nintendo DS game Love Plus after a string of failed romances with girlfriends from other animated games.

The wedding took place at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and was presided over by a priest. The groom, dressed in a white suit and tie, read his vows before Ms Anegasaki flashed hers up on the touch screen of his red Nintendo.

The event was broadcast live on the Nico Nico Douga website, with the groom’s best man giving a speech and Ms Anegasaki’s maid of honour – also imaginary – posting an on-screen message expressing her happiness at the first union of a man and computer character.

The reception included a disco and the entire event attracted thousands of online comments before SAL9000 and his new wife jetted off to the Pacific island of Guam for their honeymoon.

In an online message, SAL9000 said: "I had heard before that the groom is very busy during a Japanese wedding, but it was much more than I expected.

"Both the actual wedding space and the live web site were full on the day and I’m so happy that so many people were able to witness this.

"Now that the ceremony is over, I feel as if I have been able to achieve a major milestone in my life," he wrote. "Some people have expressed doubts about my actions, but at the end of the day this is really just about us as husband and wife.

"As long as the two of us can go on to create a happy household, I’m sure any misgivings about us will be resolved."

The message included photos of the groom shopping in Tokyo with his bride in his hand, as well as photos from their honeymoon – including one of SAL9000 playing on the beach watched by his new wife, a tropical flower resting gently on her screen.

There may be trouble ahead for the newly-weds, however, as SAL9000 has not informed his parents that he has got married. The couple plans to visit his family over the New Year holidays to announce their betrothal.

Japanese man ‘marries’ computer game character – Telegraph

By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
Published: 2:32PM GMT 03 Dec 2009

Penguin searches for winter coat

A lone adult penguin looks like it is searching for a warm winter coat as it wanders among dozens of fluffy chicks on an island in the southern Atlantic.

 

An adult King penguin wonders amongst chicks on South Georgia Island Photo: David C Schultz/SOLENT

The black and white king penguin waddled into the crowd of chicks – known as woolies – as they fattened up on the shoreline of South Georgia Island.

The birds pictured are among 400,000 king penguins living in the world’s largest colony.

Photographer David C Schultz named his shot "Penguin Day Care" because the adult is supervising the brown chicks playing in the stream.

The chicks lose their brown down feathers after a year.

Schultz spent several days on the island trying to get a shot of the penguins where they were not huddled together too closely.

He said: "In conditions like this there is complete chaos and constant movement.

"Most of the penguins tend to be so tightly packed together that isolating a point of interest is a challenge.

"I was watching this group of woolies all standing around the stream when one adult wandered into the mix, so I started shooting.

"I like this photo best because the adult is leaning out and seems to be peering around the chicks.

"’Penguin Day Care’ came to mind as a title almost immediately and it is the one shot in my gallery that everyone stops at for a closer look.

"They’re usually trying to figure out, what are these things that look like ‘kiwis on legs’, as one person put it."

He added: "South Georgia Island is, in my opinion, the jewel of any trip to this southern region of the world.

The king penguin, or Aptenodytes patagonicus, is the second largest species of penguin, after the Emperor Penguin.

They grow up to 90cm (3 ft) tall and weigh between 11 and 16 kg (24 to 35 lb).

King penguins eat small fish and squid.

Published: 9:52AM GMT 03 Dec 2009 by www.telegraph.co.uk

Va mai amintiti de Susan Boyle, eroina showlui “Britain Got Talent’? Iata ca Susan a scos deja primul ei album, intitulat ‘I Dreamed A Dream‘.

Media vuieste zilele acestea in legatura cu o presupusa criza nervoasa, produsa de emotie, prin care Susan ar fi trecut in timpul turneului ei de promovare in Statele Unite, atunci cind, la New York,  fanii i-au facut un cadou impresionant.

Evident, asa cum era de asteptat, organizatorii turneului au negat ca aceasta criza ar fi avut loc, explicind ca Susan a fost doar foarte emotionata de gestu fanilor. In acelasi timp, Susan  si-a intrerupt turneul de promovare, ceea ce ne face sa credem ca zvoonurile au cel putin o oarecare subatanta. Organizatorii, din nou, explica intreruperea turneului prin faptul ca succesul acestui albom este asigurat si promovarea lui nu mai este necesara.

Nu toata lumea nu este insa de acord cu aceste explicatii cusute cu ata alba. Astfel, jurnalistul  Tom Meighan afirma:

Look at Susan Boyle. It is appalling what they have done to her. She doesn’t know, does she, bless her. Poor thing. They are making her into this massive star and it is ridiculous. It will torture her for the rest of her life. She is not ready for it and she is not made for it. She is being manipulated. It’s horrible.

Se pare ca Susan este o noua victima a nemiloasei industrii de entertainment, care nu are niciun Dumnezeu si niciun fel de scrupule. Si aici, ca si in politica, it’s all about money.

Lady Gaga always puts extra on everything that she does.  When Lady Gaga wants to be a ‘blank slate’ at a photoshoot, she arrives naked.  Seriously.  These pics and video are from Lady Gaga’s photoshoot for Vogue.  Check them out.  Nice spin on ’Hansel and Gretel’. 

source, source

Stowaway cat Pharaoh survives two-week voyage to Britain from Egypt

Pharoah the cat has survived after stowing away in a container on a merchant ship that arrived at the British port of Felixstowe after a 3,000 mile journey from Egypt.

Pharaoh: Pharoah the cat has been put into quarantine in Stanway, Colchesters Par Air Quarantine Cattery after it was found in a container at the docks in Ipswich Photo: ARCHANT

The hungry animal was found in a container after two weeks on board the MV Maersk Batam which travelled from the Port Said in Egypt to the Suffolk port.

John Biscoe, of GMA Freight, said: "We opened this container that had just arrived from Egypt to ensure that it was all in order and I was with the forklift operator and became aware there was something in there.

"It was a container with wire coils and I said there was a cat in there.

"The other chap wondered if it was a lion or something but then this little thing jumped out and started rubbing around my legs."

Two RSPCA officers collected Pharaoh and he is now being looked after a quarantine cattery near Colchester, Essex.

"He was very scrawny and we gave him a bowl of water and one of my colleagues gave him his sandwich ~ he ate the meat very quickly," said Mr Biscoe.

"He must have been someone’s pet in Egypt – he was very happy to see us."

Pharaoh will be kept at the cattery for five and a half months because of rabies quarantine regulations.

A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said it had been "touch and go" for the cat when it was found two weeks ago.

She said: "He was not in a very good state and at first it was thought he might not survive.

"He has been taken to a quarantine centre at Colchester, checked for rabies and other problems, fed and been looked after and now looks much better.

"Pharaoh will have to stay in quarantine and then it will be re-homed here."

By www.telegraph.co.uk

I am a BzzAgent and finally the day arrived when the box containing Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste arrived. I had been talking about how I was a BzzAgent to my family (Wife,Mum,Sister,Brother and Mother in Law) and how I was going to receive Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief to try so when the box arrived I phoned them to come round and pick up a tube each. On previous occasions we had been talking about sensitive teeth and the problem the family had with it so everybody was very keen to try Colgate Pro-Relief.

I asked them had any one heard of Colgate Pro-Relief but they all said they did not know that Colgate made sensitive teeth toothpaste. We agreed to meet in 4 days time to report our findings. Well I did not have to wait the full 4 days until I had my first report from my sister she was amazed her actual words were ” It was the first time in many years that I was able to drink a cold well known fizzy drink without pain” I asked her did she think it would have worked so quickly and she said she was surprised it did. I asked her how many times she used Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief per day and she said twice a day and had really noticed a difference.

My sister is a nurse and said she was going to tell her Ward Sister about Colgate Sensitive as she suffers badly with sensitive teeth. I will report back shortly about myself and the rest of my family when we meet on Sunday and how we found Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief. I have a funny feeling the reports are going to be good!

Will let you all know how the rest of the family got on in a later report but I have to write a second Bzz report first!

Best websites: Fun

From time-wasting tips to laugh-out-loud funnies through puzzles, the best websites to make you smile and train your brain.

 

The memory of Michael Jackson is safe forever thanks to the thousands of people who’ve contributed to the hypnotic eternalmoonwalk.com Photo: REUTERS

1. If you’ve ever lived with a food hoarder or neat freak you’ll appreciate the strained tones of the messages on Passive-Aggressive Notes (passiveaggressivenotes.com).

2. Smartkit (smart-kit.com) is home to all sorts of puzzles (jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, cryptograms) to help you train your brain.

3. Letters of Note (lettersofnote.com) is a stylish site with scans of letters, telegrams, faxes and memos: Einstein encouraging Roosevelt to pursue atomic research, the Museum of Modern Art turning down a gift from Andy Warhol in 1956.

4. OMGPOP (omgpop.com) is full of time-wasting games like Tetris-a-like Blockles, and Pictionary clone Draw My Thing. Requires Adobe Flash Player 10.

5. IAmA (reddit.com/r/IAmA) is a place where people invite others to ask them questions based on something they reveal about themselves, be it ‘I am an expert cabinetmaker’ or ‘I attended a taping of The Price is Right’.

6. Low Culture (lowculture.co.uk) is the premier site for dissections of the latest episode of The Graham Norton Show or passionate defences of the eighth season of Spooks.

7. Ffffound (ffffound.com) is one of those nebulous sites – a design/photography ‘image bookmarker’ – that shows you pretty pictures of lovely things.

8. The memory of Michael Jackson is safe forever thanks to the thousands of people who’ve contributed to the hypnotic Eternal Moonwalk (eternalmoonwalk.com).

9. The now legendary FAIL Blog (failblog.org) lowlights humanity in all its dumb idiocy, from placard typos to wedding day slapstick.

10. spEak You’re bRanes (ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com) brings together the best – or rather, worst – user comments from news websites.

11. The Daily Mash (thedailymash.co.uk) is a brilliantly satirical news site. Typical headline: ‘BNP Question Time to replace Christmas for Guardian readers.’

12. You Can’t Please Everyone, part of the Cynical-C blog (cynical-c.com), is a collection of one-star Amazon reviews of classic films, books and albums.

Best websites: Fun – Telegraph

Shruthi Haasan is ready to tread her father Kamal Haasan’s path towards glam-sham and success. She started off with a promotional song for her father’s film ‘Eenadu’ and now getting ready to stand on her own feet.

Shruti hassan with ram charan

Shruthi- the musician and lyricist, was signed by Prakash Kovelamudi to star with Siddharth in a fantasy flick. Now that Charan-Bhaskar’s tentatively named ‘Orange’ is getting ready to go on floors, Shruthi is said to have secured a place in it. Under the able guidance of Bhaskar it wouldn’t scare her at all. According to the current plans, November 30 to December 15 would see her busy shooting.

It is supposed to be a flashback sequence. Shruthi would surely strive for recognition in this big Anjana Productions flick. Language will surely not be a barrier to her hard work and determination. Her audacity to act in Telugu even with less command over the language shows her passion for cinema, especially Telugu Cinema.

Snake pictured slithering across car windscreen

This is the moment two engineers were left seriously rattled when a giant snake slithered across their car windscreen.

 

The 4ft albino snake slithering across car windscreen Photo: SWNS

James Denton and Morne Aspeling were driving back to their office when the 4ft giant albino snake emerged from the under the bonnet.

James and Morne, both telecom engineers, pulled over and jumped out of the van and called for help. The snake was safely removed from the van and taken to an animal shelter to be cared for in a special reptile-friendly tank.

Mr Denton believes the snake is an escaped pet which crawled under their bonnet to find warmth – but moved when they started the engine.

He said: "As I looked back across the dashboard I saw the head of a snake poking up from the bonnet.

"Needless to say, it was quite a shock and it took me a moment to realise it was real. "When its tongue flicked out and it moved again, we both made a pretty sharp exit from the van."

The workers, both based in Jersey, were rescued by officials at the Jersey Animal Shelter.

Ambulance driver Jonathan Hudson said the animal is either a non venomous corn or milk snake.

He said: "It’s not everyday that we get a call to come and collect a live snake from a telecommunications van, so I was curious to see what had been found.

"When I got there the snake was much bigger than I expected at a little under four feet long. I knew right away that it wasn’t an indigenous snake so had to be an escapee pet.

"From its markings we think that it is a corn snake or milk snake, both of which are non-venomous, and one of the albino varieties.

"Snakes don’t do well in the cold, so my guess is that it was attracted by the warmth of the engine and crawled in there for shelter.

"This is a mature snake that has been a pet for some time and has only recently escaped. We are very keen to see it re-united with its owner."

Snake pictured slithering across car windscreen – Telegraph

Bald baby hedgehog abandoned by mother

A bald baby hedgehog is being nursed back to full prickliness after being abandoned by its mother when it was born with almost no spikes.

 

Baldrick the hedgehog Photo: IMAGES INTERNATIONAL

The four-month-old creature, named Baldrick, was bald apart from a few prickles when he was found in a garden in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

He is now being looked after by John and Tonia Garner at Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue.

Mr Garner, 50, who is a signaller for Network Rail, said Baldrick, who was named after Blackadder’s unlucky sidekick, is very unusual.

"He’s a bit of a rarity," he said. "We’ve had 45 hedgehogs altogether, but he’s the first one without any spikes."

Hedgehogs’ wrinkly bodies normally have around 500 spikes, which protect them from predators and the elements and keep them warm. Until he grows spikes, Mr Garner said releasing Baldrick would be "pointless".

Mr Garner added: "There’s no way he would survive if he was released now. It would be like releasing a polar bear which has just been shorn like a sheep into the North Pole."

Each day, the Garners clean Baldrick using antiseptic scrub and massage baby oil into his body to soften up his skin. They hope making his skin softer will allow spikes to come through.

Mr Garner said Baldrick, one of 22 hedgehogs currently being looked after by him and his wife, was a bit of a character.

"Baldrick loves mealworms," he said. "As a treat, he gets more than his fair share and would jump through a hoop for one. You go into his room and he will go up to the edge of the cage and put his paw up. He’s not satisfied until he gets a few mealworms. He’s quite a character."

He believes Baldrick was abandoned by his mother when he was just weeks old.

He said: "I think the mother suspected he would not survive and they’re quite ruthless in the wild. If one of the babies is not keeping up it will be abandoned.

"Luckily, Baldrick was found, otherwise he would have been dead a long time ago."

When the hedgehog was brought to Foxy Lodge at the age of about six weeks he weighed 240g, but is now up to about 800g.

The animal sanctuary was only started up by Mr and Mrs Garner in May and has had just under 180 animals through its doors, including a lamb, bats, seagulls, barn owls and a kestrel.

www.telegraph.co.uk

A disturbing trend in the nightclub business is the high failure rate of many nightclubs. Most nightclubs only last One to Five years before requiring a remodel or simply closing their doors due to profit loss. So what is it that most of these clubs are doing wrong? Should they learn to spend less? Do they need to cut costs? Get the cheapest entertainment they can find? The answer to these questions is at the heart of the problem.

The Right Entertainment Brings In The Crowd

Most nightclubs think they need to cut their costs rather than learn what efforts will bring in more revenue. They cut costs on everything they can and the inexperienced Ones even cut costs on their marketing and their entertainment. This is where many of them go wrong. Your marketing efforts must be strong and consistent, furthermore your marketing message must stand out from your competitors and drive people to your venue. Your entertainment needs to be top notch, enjoyable and keep your patrons there or your marketing dollars will have been wasted in vein. Your music and entertainment choice must drive your patrons to not only come back every week but it must overwhelm their emotions to also make them spread the word about your great venue and your incredible entertainment.

DJ Craze Always Delivers

 One big mistake nightclub owners make is hiring DJs and bands based on price alone. They don’t bother to research DJs, many nightclub owners don’t ever really listen to what their DJ plays or how well they mix except for small intermittent listens as they pass by to talk to the bar manager VIP host or wait staff. If you just hired a new DJ you have to take the time to listen to his or her performance for at least the first few times. If you are going to bring in special DJs you should do your research first, don’t just bring in a DJ because your competitor has done so in the past and their show sold out. There may have been other factors involved. Make sure it is because the DJ is good. Most of all don’t choose your resident DJ only because he is the least expensive decent DJ. You need exceptional DJs if you are really going to compete and stay profitable. Hiring inexperienced DJs because they cost $200-400 less than a high quality DJ is going to cost your business way more money than the $200-400 you thought you saved. Sure you may save a few dollars on a DJ now but if it costs you 40-400 patrons and $1000-8000 it definitely is not a wise decision. 

The DJ is responsible for the entertainment of the entire establishment, they also help set the mood of all your patrons. A good DJ will keep the majority of your crowd at your establishment from opening til close. A good DJ will also make these people want to return week after week and encourage them to bring their friends. A mediocre or bad DJ can have your patrons leaving early never to return, make people restless and more prone to fight or simply bore them to death in which case your establishment may start earning a bad reputation for being a boring nightclub. You want people to be excited about your nightclub and you can only achieve this with good entertainment 

What is good entertainment worth? Usually more than what you pay for it! Good entertainment pays you back not just on the day you pay for it but well into the future. If your establishment becomes known as the spot that brings in the best talent, and the spot that has the best local talent it will usually be the One spot everyone wants to go to. It’s important to note here that many times the nightclubs that spend the most on their entertainment also tend to be the nightclubs that are the most profitable. 

DJ Emir Is An Amazing DJ that Blazes Dancefloors Around The World

You want a good balance between great entertainment and a reasonable price. The saying goes: “Don’t expect champagne if you are only paying beer prices.” Similarly, don’t expect champagne and bottle service buying patrons if your entertainment is only Pabst Blue Ribbon worthy. Pay for a higher caliber DJ, advertise your club that way and train your staff to treat your customers as VIP and you will retain and attract a higher status VIP clientele and the higher profits associated with them.

DJ Serafin Is A Great DJ That Knows How To Rock The Party

The bottom line: If you want to keep your bottom line profitable don’t try and do so by cutting back on your entertainment.  A smart budget for entertainment that doesn’t emphasis cutting back spending, but rather on getting the best entertainment you can afford will drive more customers to your door, drive your profits skyward and keep your nightclub doors open.

Unflappable Newsreader Ignores Giant Seagull

© Sky News 2009

Australian newsreader Peter Hitchiner has been upstaged by a special guest during a bulletin – a giant seagull.

 

 

• Video: Unflappable Newsreader Ignores Giant Seagull

The bird stole the show as it walked past the studio’s camera filming the Melbourne skyline.

The Channel 9 newsreader was reading a story about a 27-year-old being murdered at the time.

Peter Hitchiner told a Melbourne radio station: "I was reading away…and I suddenly thought ‘Oh gosh that seagull’s back again’, because we had a bit of a problem last night.

"About 50 seconds to six o’clock this seagull arrived and started pecking at the camera and it had the beadiest huge eyes you’ve ever seen in your life."

Luckily Hitchiner is an experienced campaigner and the bird failed to ruffle his feathers.

Mouse grounds plane at New York’s JFK

An aeroplane bound for Heathrow had to be grounded at JFK airport, New York, on Sunday after a mouse was spotted in the cabin before take-off.

By Nick Collins www.telegraph.co.uk

The possibility that the rodent could have gnawed through wires was enough for the pilot to call in a replacement aircraft Photo: GETTY

More than 300 passengers were delayed after the pilot refused to fly in a situation reminiscent of the film Snakes on a Plane.

In the film, a cargo of poisonous snakes breaks loose mid-flight and causes havoc by attacking passengers and crew as well as ripping out electrical cables, causing short circuits on the aircraft.

Mice may not pose the same threat as mambas, but the possibility the rodent could have gnawed through wires was enough for the pilot to call in a replacement aircraft.

Andy Picken, 47, who had been to the US with his wife Jenny to celebrate her 40th birthday, told the Sun he had to wait three hours for a substitute plane to arrive at midnight.

"We thought it was a joke, but the captain said we all had to get off.

"It is amazing that something as small as a mouse disrupted a transatlantic jet."

Delta Airways reportedly described the stoppage as "standard procedure".

Albino magpie: photograph

A rare albino magpie has been spotted flying around the grounds of Dover Castle in Kent.

By Nick Collins www.telegraph.co.uk

The albino magpie spotted by Brian Hopper in woods near Dover Castle in Kent Photo: BNPS

Solitary magpies are supposed to bring bad luck, but birdspotters have not been put off flocking to see the rare albino specemin.

The odd-looking bird had been spotted in the grounds of Dover Castle in Kent and being fed by its parents, which both have the more common black and white colouring of magpies.

But although its bright white plumage might make it an easy target for predators, magpies are well known for holding their own and experts say this bird’s albino colouring will not be a disadvantage.

The photographs were taken by amateur photographer Brian Hopper who waited two weeks before getting a clean shot of the bird.

Mr Hopper, 46, from Dover, said: "I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it, it stood out like a sore thumb but was very shy because it returned to the tree canopy and I didn’t see it again.

"Over the next two weeks I kept going back time and again and I got the odd glimpse of it but not enough to take pictures. Then it broke cover with its parents.

"He looked perfectly healthy and chipper and was full of noise. I’m not sure if he couldn’t see properly because he was a bit clumsy at landing."

Graham Madge, spokesman for the RSPB, said there is no reason why the magpie couldn’t live a normal life although he was not sure if it would be shunned by others.

He said: "It is a very unusual condition. It’s hard to tell if this bird is an albino or if it is suffering from an acute case of leucism, which reduces an animal’s skin pigmentation.

"This bird is just as likely to do as well as any other magpie, although it would be interesting to see if it shunned by other magpies because of its colour.

"Magpies are very social and conspicous birds so it shouldn’t matter if this one sticks out a bit more than the rest.

Britain’s oldest newly-weds have combined age of 181

Britain’s oldest bridegroom has tied the knot aged 94 to his 87-year-old partner – a record-breaking marriage giving them a combined age of 181.

Published: 7:00AM BST 09 Oct 2009 by www.telegraph.co.uk

Britain’s oldest newlyweds Les Atwell, 94, and Sheila Walsh, 87 on their wedding day at Oldway Mansion, Paignton, Devon Photo: SWNS

Les Atwell and his girlfriend of four years Sheila Walsh married in front of friends and family to become Britain’s oldest newly-weds.

The couple, from Paignton, Devon, met after Mr Atwell’s cleaner turned matchmaker and suggested he meet her friend Miss Walsh.

They then arranged a first date at a café in a branch of Tesco and four years later Mr Atwell took her back to the same supermarket – to propose.

They are now Britain’s oldest couple to marry – beating the previous record of a combined age of 179 years.

Mrs Atwell said: "A friend told me about Les and I thought he sounded nice, but then she told me, ‘he’s 90′, and I thought ‘oh no I’m not sure’.

”But when we met, that was it, it was love at first sight.”

Mr Atwell said: ”It doesn’t sound romantic to propose at a Tesco but it was where we first met so it was only right that I should ask her to marry me there as well.

”’Once I popped the question it didn’t take us long to organise the wedding. When you get to my age you can’t hang around.”

The couple married at Oldway Mansion in Paignton in front of family members including Mr Atwell’s son Stewart, granddaughter Catherine and sister Mary.

They will enjoy a two week cruise for their honeymoon in the Mediterranean, including Barcelona, Rome and Athens.

The previous record for Britain’s oldest newly-weds was set by John Dawkins, 89, and Penny Cooper, 90, of Honiton, Devon.

They took the crown from James Mason, 93, and Peggy Clark, 84, also of Paignton, who had a combined age of 177 years.

The world record is held by French couple Francois Frenandez, then 96, and Madeleine Francineau, then 94, who married in 2002.