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Japanese octogenarian becomes oldest to reach Everest summit

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:53:00 +0200

An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber who has had four heart surgeries reached the top of Mount Everest yoday becoming the oldest person to conquer the world's highest mountain. Yuichiro Miura, who took the standard southeast ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay 60 years ago, reached the top of the 8,848 metre (29,028 feet) mountain at about 9:00 a.m.. He was accompanied by three other Japanese, including his son, and six Nepali sherpas. "This is the greatest feeling in the world," he told family members and supporters gathered in Tokyo, speaking from the summit by satellite phone. "I never thought I'd get to the summit of Everest at the age of 80. It was the best feeling to get here, but now I'm completely exhausted." Miura, who first climbed Everest in 2003 and repeated the feat five years later, takes the oldest climber record from Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan, who reached the summit at the age of 76 in 2008. "The record is not so important to me," Miura told Reuters in April, before setting off for Everest. "It is important to get to the top." Miura spent the night at 8,500 metres (27,887 ft) at the Balcony in the so-called death zone before...

Russian animal astronauts return to Earth

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:31:00 +0200

A Russian space capsule containing mice, sand eels, geckos, gerbils, snails, fish and plants has returned to Earth after a month-long mission in space. The Bion-M craft performed a parachute-assisted landing on a field in the Orenberg region, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) southeast of Moscow. The capsule containing animals, attached to a Soyuz rocket, was blasted into space from Kazakhstan in April 19 with an aim of studying the effects of microgravity on animals' bodies. The rocket spun at an orbital height of 575 kilometers (360 miles) above Earth, surpassing that of the International Space Station. While scientists performed tests on those who made it back to Russia, about a half of 53 mice died in space, as did eight gerbils. All 15 geckos survived.

Sleep chore-ing

Press Association — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:30:00 +0200

A mum has developed a bizarre condition in which she cleans and tides the house in her sleep, The Sun reports. Claire Bartlett, 50, of Newport, south Wales, does the dishes, dusts and even shines the windows in a deep slumber. The odd habit started last October but because she does such a good job neither she or her husband Crispin, 63, want to find a cure. She said: "I think it's every housewife's dream and every husband's. I don't feel tired afterwards. If anything, I'm relieved when I wake up and everything is done. This happens about three times a week."

Silver coffee pot could set $6 mln record at auction

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:10:00 +0200

An 18th century silver Rococo coffee pot is expected to become the most valuable piece of English silver ever sold at auction when it goes up for sale in July, auction house Christie's said. The ornate George II pot made in 1738 by one of the greatest silversmiths of his day, Paul de Lamerie, is expected to fetch up to 4.5 million pounds ($6.8 million) when it goes to auction on July 4 in London, Christie's said. That sale would trump the silver wine cistern of 18th century diplomat Thomas Wentworth, which sold for 2.5 million pounds in 2010 but went instead to a British museum which won time to raise funds when the government deferred export approval. "He (Lamerie) is the greatest name in English silver," said James Lomax, retired curator at Temple Newsam House in northern England which eventually bought the Wentworth piece. The fluted three-legged pot is decorated with silver reliefs, including "putti" - cherub-like figures - holding coffee bush branches, a lion's mask, shells and foliage. It has a carved wooden handle. The pot has a history which celebrates the rise of coffee's popularity in England and the Protestant Huguenot exile community who fled to Britain from...

Octogenarians race in Everest duel

PA — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:33:00 +0200

An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit of Mount Everest five years ago is back on the mountain to make another attempt at the title. Unfortunately for him, the slightly older man who nabbed the record a day before he could in 2008 is fast on his heels. Today, Yuichiro Miura was already in the oxygen-deficient "death zone" and hoped to reach the 8,848 metres summit tomorrow. His 81-year-old Nepalese rival Min Bahadur Sherchan was at the base camp preparing for his own attempt on the summit later this week. On his expedition's website, Mr Miura says he hopes a successful climb will raise the bar for what is possible.

Rare 'Harry Potter' first edition fetches record auction price

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:40:00 +0200

A unique first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" annotated by author J.K. Rowling has sold for a record 150,000 poundsat a London charity auction, Sotheby's said. The 1997 book, featuring handwritten notes, 22 original illustrations and a 43-page "second thoughts" commentary by the author, fetched the highest price to date for a printed book by Rowling, Sotheby's said in a statement. The auction house said the sale room fell silent on Tuesday as buyers engaged in a bidding war for the coveted book, which eventually went to a unidentified buyer bidding over the telephone. The full sale featured 51 first editions, all unique one-offs featuring annotations and commentary from authors, as part of the "First Editions, Second Thoughts" sale to benefit charity organization English PEN, which promotes freedom of expression. Other top sellers included Roald Dahl's "Matilda" with new illustrations by Quentin Blake for 30,000 pounds ($45,470), Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" for 18,000 pounds ($27,278) and Julian Barnes' "Metroland" for 14,000 ($21,216). The total sale fetched 439,000 pounds ($665,410). "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was the first in...