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Moscow Zoo to Hold Snake Beauty Pageant
The Moscow Zoo plans to hold a "beauty pageant" for snakes from March to May to mark the year of the snake.
The zoo has allocated about 2 million rubles ($66,000) for the event's organization, according to information on the official state procurement website, where conditions for the tender to select an organizer of the event are posted.
One of the conditions is that the event be held in a pavilion with a total area of nearly 300 square meters.
Missing British teen backpacker found in Australian Outback
British teen backpacker found in Australian Outback after going missing for three days survived on contact lens fluid in 40C heat until aboriginal trackers found his footprint.
The mother of lost British teenager Sam Woodhead today revealed her son survived three days in the Australian Outback by drinking contact lens solution and his own urine.
Speaking from Australia, where she had flown to join the search for her son, Claire Derry said she burst into tears when she received the news mid-flight, ending 'the worst three days of my life'.
Valuable 16th Century plate found hanging on cottage wall
Plate from the 16th century showing King Herod celebrating execution of St John the Baptist and left hanging precariously in woman's cottage sells for £570,000
A decorative plate which hung precariously on a wall behind a door on a flimsy piece of wire has sold for almost £570,000 after it turned out to be an ancient relic.
The woman who owned it had no idea of its true value and had kept the Italian pottery plate on her kitchen wall in her cottage home for many years.
She only realised its importance when she invited an antiques expert to her home in Somerset to value some items.
A two minute history lesson
This short video is amazing. It is a pity we cannot could slow it down. You will need to watch it at least twice. It's a final project by an American high school student.
50-year-old French Spiderman Conquers Cuban Hotel
Alain Robert, a Frenchman known as “Spider-Man” for his death-defying climbing exploits, scaled Cuba’s iconic Habana Libre hotel on Monday in a perilous ascent accomplished without benefit of ropes or a safety net.
Hundreds of awed onlookers held their breath then cheered from the streets below as the 50-year-old Frenchman gained the roof of the 27-story, 413-foot-tall (126-metre) hotel in the latest episode of a daredevil career that has seen him repeatedly risk his life to conquer some of the world’s tallest buildings.
Briton makes record-breaking New Zealand run
A British ultra-runner has completed a record-breaking run the length of New Zealand – despite being struck by a debilitating infection during his journey.
Jez Bragg completed the 1898-mile route from the northern tip to the southern tip of the country in 53 days, nine days faster than any previous attempt.
He set out from Cape Reinga in December, aiming to run the length of the Te Araroa trail, a long distance trekking path that opened in late 2011.
Having completing the first section ahead of schedule, he was forced to slow his pace due to difficult conditions underfoot.
Don't mess with senior citizens...
A married couple is travelling by car from Victoria to Prince George. Being seniors, after almost eleven hours on the road, they were too tired to continue and decided to take a room. But, they only planned to sleep for four hours and then get back on the road.
When they checked out four hours later, the desk clerk handed them a bill for $350.00.
Ten Years Ago: Columbia shuttle disintegrates killing seven
The US space shuttle Columbia has broken up as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board.
This is the first time there has been an accident on landing in the 42 years of American space flight.
President George Bush told a nation in shock: "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors."
Six of the seven astronauts were US citizens. They were Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, and female astronauts Laurel Clark and Indian-born Kalpana Chawla.
New Lord Lucan twist: Missing peer fled to remote Scottish island,
The playboy peer hid near the ruins of a monastery on the tiny island of Eigg, 10 miles off the west coast of Scotland, according to a police report
Lord Lucan may have fled to a remote Scottish island as detectives hunted him for the murder of a nanny, it emerged yesterday.
Playboy peer Richard Bingham – the 7th Earl of Lucan – hid near the ruins of a monastery on the tiny island of Eigg, 10 miles off the west coast of Scotland, according to a police report seen by victim Sandra Rivett’s son.
Sandra, 29, was found bludgeoned to death at Lucan’s posh London home in 1974.
Russia to mark 70 years since Battle of Stalingrad
Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead tributes to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.
The city of Stalingrad, which was renamed Volgograd in 1961, will regain its wartime name for the event, following a council decision.
Around one million people are thought to have died in the battle, as Soviet troops defeated the Germans.
It is considered one of the major turning points of World War II.
The vast death toll is not the only reason why the battle has huge significance in Russia, the BBC's Moscow correspondent Daniel Sandford reports.