A two-headed turtle with five feet is raising eyebrows in Slovakia after the bicephalic reptile hatched in Zilina seven weeks ago, local news agency SITA reported.
“I call it Magdalena or just Magda and Lena. Magda, is the larger head and the smaller one is Lena,” explained owner Roman Gresak.
The African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) still fits neatly in the palm of Gresak’s hand, but it could grow to 90 centimetres.
Magdalena’s fifth foot sticks out between the two heads, which move independently.
Mr Gresak insisted the turtle can thank its lucky stars that it was born in captivity. It would likely perish among predators in the wild as there is not enough room inside the shell for both Magda and Lena to hide their heads at once, he said. (AFP)
Trump’s card
Donald Trump can set aside any lingering doubts about his chances of becoming president – at least if it’s the presidency of ex-Soviet Georgia he wants.
In the midst of flirting with a 2012 White House run, the developer and brash reality TV star won an unexpected vote of confidence Thursday during a New York meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
“If he decides to run for president in Georgia, he might win,” Mr Saakashvili joked in answer to a reporter’s question to Mr Trump about his will he/won’t he US presidential plans.Mr Trump, sitting next to Mr Saakashvili in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, was more coy, saying that he is seriously considering a bid to unseat President Barack Obama. (AFP)
‘Hamburger tax’
Hungary’s government said yesterday it is considering a novel way of tightening the public belt – the introduction of a hamburger tax.
“The ministries concerned are examining the effects of the introduction of a so-called ‘hamburger tax’,” Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy said on the Hungarian parliament’s website.
Food-related health problems, which are on the rise among adults and children, were primarily due to an overconsumption of salt and fat, he noted.
However, if the “hamburger tax” is approved, fast food chains in Hungary might however lodge a complaint for discrimination. (AFP)
iPad peers
The House of Lords has agreed to allow peers to use devices such as iPads to access parliamentary papers during debates.
The new rules would ban laptops and stop peers searching the internet to find information “not generally available to participants by other means” but allow “hand-held electronic devices” to be used for a one-year trial period. (PA)
Software glitch
A woman notified by the Ohio tax department that she would receive a $200 million (€150 million) refund cheque was later told it was a mistake due to a software glitch.
Denise Bossetti was among 9,700 taxpayers statewide who received notices.
Ms Bossetti says she and her boyfriend had a “big laugh” over the letter.
Another letter dated a week later explained there had been a software error. (PA)
Sword play
Police arrested a man accused of trying to rob a pharmacy twice in the same day – once while wielding a sword.
Officers in Lynchburg, Virginia, arrested 27-year-old Michael Edward Towler and charged him with robbery, brandishing a weapon and attempted robbery.
His first bid ended when he fled after the pharmacist told him they had set off an alarm and police were on their way.
But he returned later, and drew a samurai-style, three-foot-long sword before getting away with drugs. (PA)
Massage strain
Two former beauty therapists who developed repetitive strain injuries through giving massages to air travellers have won a total of £300,430 damages from Virgin Atlantic.
Jayne Evans and Michelle Hindmarch worked in the Clubhouse Lounge at Heathrow, giving frequent prolonged treatments, until they developed pain in their wrists, shoulders and backs.
They had to give up their careers, which gave them great job satisfaction and for which they had trained since they left school, and find other work, as well as get help with daily tasks around their homes. (PA)