A bird briefly knocked out part of the world's biggest atom smasher by causing a chain reaction with a piece of bread, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) said yesterday.
Bits of a French loaf dropped on an external electrical power supply caused a short circuit last week, triggering fail-safe devices that shut down part of the cooling system of the giant experiment to probe the secrets of the universe.
The system was restored several hours after the incident while the multi-billion dollar Large Hadron Collider was barely affected.
The 27 kilometre-long particle collider, which runs in a circular tunnel under the French-Swiss border near the city of Geneva, has been plagued by problems since it was briefly started up in September 2008. Designed to shed light on the origins of the universe, the LHC at CERN took nearly 20 years to complete and cost six billion Swiss francs (€3.9 billion) to build. (AFP)
Record-breaking fish roll
Hundreds of amateur sushi chefs at the University of California, Berkeley, made a 330ft record-breaking fish roll. They say the rice-and-seaweed monster is the largest ever rolled, surpassing a 300ft one made in Hawaii in 2001.
Students used 200lb of rice, 80lb of avocado, 80lb of cucumber and 180lb of fish. In recognition of the school's vegetarians, the final 15ft contained tofu instead of seafood. (PA)
Passes driving test on 950th attempt
A 68-year-old woman in South Korea has passed the written test for her driving licence after 950 attempts. Cha Sa-Soon finally scored the 60 per cent required after sitting the exam nearly every day since April 2005, said officials at the drivers' licensing agency in Jeonju,.
Yonhap news agency said she had spent more than five million won (€2,800) in the process.
But it's not over yet for Ms Cha, who now has to take the road driving part of the test before she can be given a licence.
"I felt so ashamed of myself for failing so many times but I simply could not give it up," Ms Cha said, adding that she needed a driver's licence for her vegetable-selling business. (AFP)
Giant pigeon
A giant pigeon has been spotted landing on the UK capital.
The fibreglass bird was dropped next to London's City Hall before it landed near the Houses of Parliament, to promote the launch of a compact camera with a big zoom.
Five artists spent two months constructing the 5ft-high and 10.5ft-wide bird which weighs 440lb. The pigeon will make Neal Street, in Covent Garden, central London, its home for the next two weeks. (PA)
Online auction site for rich and famous
Millionaires down on their luck now have a place to sell their mega-yachts, super-cars and family jewels without having to resort to the pawn shop.
An internet auction site devoted to millionaires, launched officially yesterday, is likely to profit from the worst recession in decades, which has extended its reach to the rich and famous in the US, BillionaireXchange said.
The company said its website aims to exploit a market niche between internet sales sites such as eBay, which are available to the general public, and auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's for fine art and collectibles.
The site aims for privacy and exclusivity, requiring of prospective members a minimum of $2 million in verifiable net worth. (Reuters)
Lame duck
Firefighters "went beyond the call of duty" during the six-hour rescue of a pet duck from a water pipe, its grateful owner said.
Brownie, a four-month-old Aylesbury cross khaki-Campbell, was found wedged in the overflow tube at her home in Chalford Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Chris and Karen Hutchens dialled the county fire service's out-of-hours number after their daughter Ellen, 13, begged them to get Brownie out. (PA)
Communist binge drinking
A Chinese Communist Party official has become the third to drink himself to death this year.
Drink is an important part of business and political life in the country but the government is making attempts to moderate its use.
The latest victim died in bed after attending a state banquet in Anhui province. (PA)