Daily News

[Jimbuna]

Highland Games trophy missing for 90 years returns home to Scotland

A Highland Games trophy missing for almost 90 years has returned home to Scotland.

The Rose Bowl silverware was traditionally awarded to the top-performing athlete at the Cabrach Picnic and Games in Moray.

The event - once a staple of the Highland Games calendar - ran annually from 1877 to 1935. It was revived in 2022 by The Cabrach Trust following an 87-year hiatus, but without the trophy.

Following a public appeal last summer, the silverware was eventually tracked down 585 miles away in Axminster, Devon.

Adrian Taylor found the Rose Bowl in his house during a clear out and discovered the trust was seeking its safe return after Googling to find out more about the trophy.

The 73-year-old said: "My grandfather Charles Taylor was the last winner of the Rose Bowl.

"He was a brilliant athlete as well as a fine musician, being particularly talented in the bagpipes.

"Though it's been nice to have the silverware in the family for the past few decades, it is fitting that, with the return of The Cabrach Picnic and Games two years ago, it returns home."

The Rose Bowl was gifted to the community in 1926 by John Harper, a native of upper Cabrach and a high-ranking officer in the Hong Kong police force.

The Cabrach Trust said Charles Taylor claimed the prize in its first year but lost out in 1927. He went on to reclaim the trophy in consecutive years to be awarded the bowl outright.

A previous search traced the silverware to Coventry in the possession of Charles' eldest son, Ron. However, it was not until Adrian got in touch that the mystery unravelled.

The Rose Bowl is now once again the grand prize for the best-performing competitor.

Jonathan Christie, chief executive of The Cabrach Trust, said: "I could not believe it when I unsuspectingly answered the phone and found myself speaking with Adrian Taylor.

"We are beyond delighted to welcome the Rose Bowl back to its rightful home and are indebted to Adrian for recognising its significance to the Cabrach's rich culture and history."
https://news.sky.com/story/highland-...tland-13076061

[Moonlight]

Previously
EXCLUSIVE Supermarkets go to war: Aldi parks its tanks on Tesco's lawn as it tries to open three new stores directly opposite its rival
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...&postcount=219

Supermarket Wars Are Hotting Up.
EXCLUSIVE Supermarket WARS: Now Lidl AND Tesco go to war against Aldi as budget supermarket plots to open new stores on rival turfs

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...new-store.html

The residents of Horncastle, Lincolnshire could get two stores for the price of one, it can only mean one thing for these lucky residents, a choice of shop and possibly even cheaper prices, that's the way to go Horncastle.
At least 40 or maybe even 80 jobs could be on offer too, these Supermarket Chains don't pay much but it beats Job Seekers Allowance any day, because they pay so little they'll still be able to claim their Housing Benefit, Prescriptions and possibly every other Allowance that they were entitled to when they claimed JSA as well.
Crikey, that must be worth a few thousand quid at least, can you imagine the looks of surprise on their faces when a rival Supermarket worker comes shopping in their store, they can swap stories of who's bosses are the Meanest Tightest Bastards upon gods green earth, fun times, new friends and a good moan ahead me thinks.
The only thing that can beat the above is a bloody good Payrise, are you listening you Tight Bastards.

[Moonlight]

Rise of the Therians: People who identify as animals claim they 'shift' into feral impulses, prefer to walk on all fours and show off their lives on TikTok wearing masks and tails
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...-shifting.html

These bleeding idiots need to be taken to a vet and put down.

[Jimbuna]

Cape Town: Foul stench sweeping across South African city blamed on cattle ship

A foul stench engulfing the South African city of Cape Town is coming from a ship carrying cattle that is docked in the port, officials have said.

"We are in hell," one resident wrote on X.

Another posted: "Cape Town absolutely reeks today. The ship is 8km away, and I can still smell it...

"I hope this situation can be sorted out swiftly. Not just for the personal comfort of Cape Town residents but for the poor cattle being kept in these horrible conditions."

City authorities launched an investigation and inspected sewage facilities for leaks before the source of the smell was discovered: a ship docked in the harbour carrying 19,000 live cattle from Brazil to Iraq.

Zahid Badroodien, the official in the mayor's office in charge of water and sanitation, said the ship is due to depart soon - likely to the relief of residents who had an unpleasant start to their working week.

The 190m-long (623ft) Al Kuwait is a Kuwaiti-flagged livestock vessel, according to the Marine Traffic website.

It docked in Cape Town to load feed for the cattle, the NSPCA said.

The animal welfare charity has launched an investigation and said one of its veterinary consultants had been on the ship to assess the conditions.


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"We acknowledge the concerns raised by members of the public regarding the noticeable stench emanating from the ship, reaching the city centre and surrounds," it said in a statement on its website.

"This smell is indicative of the awful conditions the animals endure, having already spent two-and-a-half weeks on board, with a build-up of faeces and ammonia.

"The stench onboard is unimaginable, yet the animals face this every single day."

The NSPCA's Grace de Lange told Eyewitness News: "We've had to euthanise about five of the cattle due to injuries.

"The smell is absolutely horrendous so you can just imagine what those animals must be going through, and they still have to endure a long time at sea to their final destination."
https://news.sky.com/story/cape-town...-ship-13076038

[Jimbuna]

Guinness World Records' 'oldest dog' Bobi stripped of title

Bobi, who was crowned the world's oldest dog, has had his title stripped from him following controversy around his real age.

Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was said to have been 30 years and 268 days old when he was named the world's oldest by Guinness World Records (GWR) last February.

In October 2023, he died at the reported age of 31 years and 165 days.

But last month the GWR launched an investigation into the Portuguese canine after doubts were raised over his real age.

The probe came despite his birth apparently being confirmed by the Portuguese government's pet database and the National Union of Veterinarians.

Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of livestock guardian dog with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.

When Bobi was crowned the world's oldest canine, it broke a record held since 1939 by an Australian cattle dog that died at 29 years and five months.

The GWR has now said it has no conclusive evidence that Bobi lived that long.

Mark McKinley, director of records at GWR, said in a statement that microchip data sourced from the official Portuguese database had been central to Bobi's evidence, but it turned out the chipping did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008.

"With the additional veterinary statement provided as evidence for Bobi's age also citing this microchip data, we're left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi's date of birth," he wrote.

"Without any conclusive evidence available to us right now, we simply can't retain Bobi as the record holder and honestly claim to maintain the high standards we set ourselves."

Bobi lived his entire life with Leonel Costa and his family in the rural village of Conqueiros in Portugal.

Mr Costa did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

In an emailed statement in January, his owner defended the title, saying Guinness World Records had spent a year checking the record claim.
https://news.sky.com/story/guinness-...title-13078220

[Jimbuna]

Brunell: Isle of Skye's lost village unveiled after tree-felling operation in Glen Brittle

Records showed the settlement - referred to as Brunell - was once bustling with around 2,250 people, who farmed cattle, sheep and horses.

The ruins of a lost village, dating back to the 17th or 18th century, have been unveiled following a special forestry operation on the Isle of Skye.

The remains of houses, byres, barns and corn-drying kilns in Glen Brittle had been hidden from view by a commercial Sitka spruce plantation planted in 1977.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) commissioned an archaeological survey of the site before the trees were harvested.

Records showed the settlement - referred to as Brunell - was once bustling with around 2,250 people, who farmed cattle, sheep and horses to "pay their rents and supply themselves with necessities".

In a later census, the population had decreased to 1,769 and continued to drop.

It is believed the site eventually fell into ruin due to the system of incorporating smaller farms into "one large tack for sheep-grazing".

FLS said the township was deserted by the time of the first Ordnance Survey, which depicted only two unroofed buildings and a field on the 1881 map.

The Scottish government agency said 28 buildings were recorded by AOC Archaeology's survey and part of the settlement had been "partially masked by windblown trees".

It said the survey was used in the "careful planning and delivery" of the tree-felling operation, with small tracks laid out to allow the machinery to work around the ruins to avoid causing damage as the area was cleared.

In a blog update, FLS said: "Some of the buildings are now readily visible in cleared areas, while some remain under trees."
https://news.sky.com/story/brunell-i...ittle-13075574

[Jimbuna]

'Thousands' of starfish wash up on beach in Margate

"Thousands" of starfish have washed up on a beach in Kent, with the local council warning residents "to keep dogs and children away from them".

The starfish were seen between Margate Winter Gardens and the lido at Margate Beach on Monday, according to Andy Freeman.

He spotted what appeared to be thousands of the dead sea creatures and posted images in a local Facebook group.

Wash-ups are common after spells of bad weather, and Margate reached low temperatures, endured spells of rain and strong winds in the days leading up to Monday, with the Met Office and Environment Agency warning those in the area of potential flooding.

The Environment Agency says marine life such as whole invertebrates, like starfish, crabs and other crustaceans can be vulnerable to wash-ups as they tend to live in or migrate to shallow water, meaning they are more likely to be swept on to beaches.

Thanet District Council said they were aware of the incident and said it was "likely to have been caused by recent rough seas and onshore winds".

"We understand the concern from members of the public when sea life is discovered on the district's beaches," they said.

"We report all dead aquatic mammals to British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who collect the remains."

Members of the public were advised "not to attempt to move any stranded sea life and to keep dogs and children away from them, as they may have infectious or transferable diseases".
https://news.sky.com/story/thousands...rgate-13082214

[Jimbuna]

Corpse flower's intense stench attracts visitors in San Francisco

People have lined up to get a whiff of the corpse flower - a plant that only blooms once every seven to 10 years.

The amorphophallus titanum gets its nickname from its stench, described by some as the smell of rotting flesh, though others detect hints of rotting food, sweaty socks or even garlic.

Crowds lined up at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), a research institution and museum, on Wednesday as the endangered tropical flower bloomed, releasing the intense scent.

The corpse flower only blooms for one to three days despite taking up to a decade to do so.

Lauren Greig, a horticulturist from the CAS, which is in San Francisco, says the smell is essentially bad by design.

"It's kind of imitating the smell of kind of a dead carcass to kind of get all the flies to come and interact with it, pick up pollen, and then take that pollen to another flower that it might investigate due to its smell," she explained.

It was the first bloom for the corpse flower named Mirage, which was donated to the CAS in 2017. It's been housed in the museum's rainforest exhibit since 2020.

Bri Lister, a data scientist who lives in San Francisco, moved some meetings and waited in line for about an hour to catch a whiff of the plant.

"In certain directions, I definitely picked up on the sweaty socks, sweaty gym clothes, but probably luckily not full-on rotting meat, but definitely a smellier plant than average," Mr Lister said.

Monica Becker took her child out of school to see the flower in person after watching it on the academy's livestream.

"When we heard it bloomed, we were like… we got to go, first thing in the morning when they open. So here we are," Ms Becker said.

"I smelled sweaty feet, sort of sweet, pungent… kind of like your shin guards after soccer," she joked, turning to her child.

The amorphophallus titanum is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with only less than 1,000 individual plants left in the wild.
https://news.sky.com/story/corpse-fl...cisco-13083562

[Moonlight]

Chaos in Haiti as 4,000 inmates break out of prison sparking jail 'massacre': State of emergency and curfew declared as gangs led by mob boss 'Barbecue' join forces in bid to overthrow PM

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-massacre.html

[Jimbuna]

Humpback whales photographed having sex for first time – and both were male

Photographers have captured images of humpback whales engaging in sexual activity for the first time – and the mammals being intimate were both males.

The behaviour of humpbacks has fascinated scientists for decades - but a study published this week features the first photos of the species having penetrative sex, its authors have said.

It was written by marine biologist Stephanie Stack and the two photographers who captured the encounter, Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano.

The whole discovery was "opportunistic," they said, as the whales "slowly approached" the photographers' boat while they were out in waters west of the Hawaiian island of Maui in January 2022.

The photos show a healthy and strong male whale penetrating another, who appears unhealthy or injured and emaciated, the study said.

The mammals - which usually range from 12 to 16 metres long - circled the vessel "several times" with the healthier whale "pursuing" the other.
https://news.sky.com/story/humpback-...-male-13084290

[Moonlight]

'Cash for care jobs' scandal EXPOSED: Vulnerable UK patients are being looked after by unqualified migrants as rogue fixers charge up to £20,000 for '100% success rate' in getting work visas, undercover probe reveals

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...vacancies.html

I'm not surprised by this scandal or any others that are yet to be uncovered, after all we are living in the Tory ****ed up UK and, if you think for one moment that the Labour Party will stop anything like this from happening you'll be sadly mistaken, they'll only make things easier for these crooks and worse for us.

Corrupt Lords and MPs and the same goes for your Local Councillors and Civil Servants too, the UK is heading down the toilet like a runaway express and there isn't anyone with the brains to stop it.
The UK headed into decline when Margaret Thatcher sold the Nations Utilities off to the highest bidders, all under the pretext that they'll deliver a cheaper service, well, how did that work out then?, what!, your bills are going through the roof!, unbelievable.
Never believe a Tory when they say things will be cheaper in the long run, as for the Labour Party, don't believe anything those muppets tell you, when you look around the House of Commons that's where the decline started and that's where it will end, not with a Roar but with a Whimper.

[Aktungbby]

TRUMP TOLD TO HALT USE OF SINEAD MUSIC USE The estate of Sinead O'Conner asked Donald Trump not to play her music at campaign rallies, saying the late singer considered the the former president a "biblical devil".ie: Gefallen Engel 666??!! Trump has played O'Conner's biggest hit "Nothing Compares 2 U" at events as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination.

[Jimbuna]

Grandmother left dangling 7ft upside down after getting stuck in shop's shutters

A grandmother was left dangling upside down after her coat got caught in a shop's security shutters.

Anne Hughes, 71, was seen on CCTV being lifted 7ft into the air outside a convenience store in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

She has been dubbed "SuperAnne" in her home village in Wales and said the incident "could only happen to me".

Speaking at her home near the Best One shop in Tonteg, near Pontypridd, Ms Hughes said her thought at the time was "flipping heck".

"It's just lucky I've got a good sense of humour," she said.

Ms Hughes was standing outside the store, where she works as a cleaner, waiting for it to open when the electric shutters were raised and her coat got stuck.

Footage showed her dangling upside down before a shopkeeper rescued her by holding her in his arms as the shutter was slowly lowered.

She said: "I've been suffering falls for the past six months or so and the doctors up the hospital think it's from low blood pressure - it was going up then."

The store shared the clip on its social media and it has been watched nearly two million times.
https://news.sky.com/story/grandmoth...tters-13087882

[Moonlight]

EU threatens to cut off Britain's weapon supply to look after itself if war breaks out with Putin

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...a-ukraine.html

Wow, the EU are already talking like they're going to lose a war against Russia, 27 EU countries against Putin's drunken criminal army should be a no contest you defeatist stinking bastard.

The EU's industry commissioner Thierry Breton needs to grow a backbone and so do all the other EU leaders as well, put your EU armies on manoeuvres just outside Russia and Belarus and you will have Putin and Lukashenko filling their generals pants as well as their own.

WTF are you waiting for?, get on with it and show some backbone.

[Jimbuna]

Quick-thinking pilot delivers baby mid-flight after mother goes into labour

A quick-thinking pilot delivered a baby mid-flight after the mother suddenly went into labour.

Jakarin Sararnrakskul was piloting a VietJet plane from Taipei, Taiwan, to Bangkok, Thailand, when he was told by cabin crew of an emergency on board.

He rushed to the aid of the woman, who was in labour in one of the plane's toilets.

"I have been a pilot for 18 years. I just helped a newborn baby on the plane," he said in a post on Instagram, sharing an image of himself holding the baby.

The father-of-one also said the crew had nicknamed the child "Sky Baby".
https://news.sky.com/story/quick-thi...abour-13087122