A goldfish in Australia is recovering from surgery after a life-threatening tumour was removed from its brain in a “high-risk” operation.
George, whose owner lives in Melbourne, was put under general anaesthetic for the $200 dollar procedure, the BBC reports.
Dr Tristan Rich, who carried out the operation, told Melbourne’s 3AW radio station that the fish was now “up and about and swimming around”. Vets say the 10-year-old fish is now expected to live for another 20 years.
App to catch spider in your house
An app has been launched to help people identify the house spiders that scuttle indoors in autumn.
The number of spiders seen indoors increases suddenly at this time of year as the males go on the hunt for a mate, often leading them into homes where people encounter them in the bath or scurrying from under the sofa.
The Society of Biology is launching a Spider In Da House app with photos, identification tools and information to help people identify and learn more about 12 of the most common spiders which become temporary house guests.
Delete button for free U2 album
Apple has introduced a one-button tool to remove the U2 album it gifted to customers, after a backlash from iTunes account holders.
At the iPhone maker’s live event, as well as introducing new versions of its mobile handset, chief executive Tim Cook announced all 500 million of Apple’s iTunes customers would receive a free copy of the Irish band’s new album, Songs Of Innocence, five weeks ahead of its release.
The Cupertino-based firm has now had to create an option for users who wish to remove the album from their library in the wake of a public backlash.
Pavement lane to walk and talk
The Chinese city of Chongqing has created a smartphone pavement lane, seemingly offering a path for those too engrossed in messaging and tweeting to watch where they are going.
But a spokesman said it is intended to be ironic – to remind people that it is dangerous to tweet while walking in the street.
“There are lots of elderly people and children in our street, and walking with your mobile phone may cause unnecessary collisions here,” said Nong Cheng, the marketing official with Meixin Group, which manages the area in the city’s entertainment zone.
Meixin has marked a 50-metre stretch of pavement with two lanes: one that prohibits mobile phone use next to one that allows pedestrians to use them – at their “own risk”.
Nine-foot snake recaptured
A nine-foot Columbian boa constrictor named Trinity that escaped from its cage in the US has been found after two days on the loose.
Trinity did not appear to have travelled far after being spotted in the garage that holds the snake’s cage in Nampa, Idaho.
Worried neighbours with small pets and children went on alert after the owner reported to Nampa police that the snake had disappeared and had not eaten for three weeks. The owner says he plans to buy a better cage.
Gangs shy away from true colours
US law enforcement officials say street gangs are shying away from wearing their colours and are covering up or even altering their tattoos to avoid detection by police.
Police Sergeant Johnmichael O’Hare, of Hartford, Connecticut, said gone are the days when the Bloods wore red from head to toe. All you will see now, he said, is maybe a red handkerchief sticking out of a back pocket.
Police say gangs have learned from past mistakes and are responding to stronger laws. LA detective William Nunn said there is another reason gangs are not so flashy these days – they are committing more credit card and identity theft crimes and do not want to be easily identified.