A British adventurer and his team of polar explorers have smashed the record for the fastest crossing of Greenland’s ice cap.
A “worn out but absolutely ecstatic” Tom Avery, along with team mates Patrick Woodhead and George Wells plus South African-born Andrew Gerber, clinched the coast-to-coast record in a time of nine days, 19 hours and 40 minutes.
This expedition swiped more than eight days off the previous record of 17 days, 21 hours and 30 minutes to complete the 350-mile trip. These figures were set by Brit Matt Spenceley and his Luxembourg team mate Patrick Peters in 2008. (AP)
Barons and bishops on trial in UK
A group of barons and bishops in Britain are set to stand trial on treason charges 800 years after their alleged crime, the Supreme Court has announced.
They will face judgment in a two-hour mock trial in the Houses of Parliament before three of the world’s top judges to help mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta.
The show trial is to feature modern-day barons and bishops while lawyers from the across the Commonwealth will argue the defence and prosecution cases. One of the key issues is set to be whether the barons and bishops were acting lawfully when they refused to surrender London to King John as they had agreed. (AP)
Midwives bare breast in protest
Midwives in Argentina bared their breasts in protest over government plans to restrict home births.
About 50 women joined the demonstration in Buenos Aires organised by Argentina’s Midwives Association against a Health Ministry proposal to cap home births. Midwives, pregnant women and doctors joined the demonstration in favour of a practice that has been increasing in Argentina and the rest of the world.
Some protesters had their backs painted with a sign reading: “I’m free and I choose to give birth at home,” while carrying toddlers in their arms. Traffic in some areas of the famous 9 de Julio avenue came to a halt as surprised drivers watched marchers who bared their breasts painted in colours and shook their hips to the beat of a drum. (AP)
Police advice: don’t chase bears
Police in Massachusetts issued some sage advice: don’t go chasing after bears while drunk and armed with nothing more than a blunt blade.
North Adams police said on their Facebook page that someone did just that. “Chasing bears through the woods drunk with a dull hatchet is strongly not advised,” the department posted, noting that the man was taken into protective custody “due to his incapacitation from the consumption of alcoholic beverage”.
Officers said anyone who sees a bear should leave it alone and call authorities, adding: “We certainly don’t need anyone going all Davy Crockett.” (PA)
Greek tragedy in jail courthouse
Uproar erupted in a Greek jail courthouse after authorities managed to schedule the trial of members of an extreme right-wing group at the same time as a hearing for left-wing activists.
Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos and other leaders of a group accused of being neo-Nazis are among 69 defendants accused of running a criminal organisation in a closely watched case held in a special courtroom in the country’s largest prison, Korydallos, in Piraeus.
A separate case against suspected members of the left-wing Nucleii of Fire group, which is accused of several bombings, is also being heard there. Nucleii suspects heading to their own courtroom managed to open the Golden Dawn courtroom door and threaten the defendants, throwing a bottle before police intervened. Lawyers representing Golden Dawn demanded a change of venue for security reasons. (PA)