An Indian man who has just entered his 100th year and retired as a court judge 39 years ago has enrolled at university, insisting it is never too late to learn.
“There is no age limit for acquiring knowledge,” Bholaram Das said in the northeastern city of Guwahati, where he will pursue a doctorate on the role his native village played in the spread of a particular stream of Hinduism.
Mr Das, who has five sons, one daughter, 10 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, was born on October 16, 1911, when India was a British colony, and turned 99 over the weekend.
“I had a very fulfilling 100 years, having been a teacher, dabbled with politics by joining the Congress party in 1945, became a lawyer, then a magistrate, and retired as a judge in 1971,” Mr Das said.
“A 100-year-old student is indeed a rarity anywhere in the world,” Guwahati University Vice Chancellor Okhil Kumar Medhi said. (AFP)
Man gored to death by mountain goat
A US hiker was gored to death by a mountain goat in the Olympic National Park in the state of Washington.
Bob Boardman, 63, died after being attacked by the animal while hiking with his wife and a friend in the park.
Apparently the group had stopped for lunch when the goat one of 300 in the park approached them, acting aggressively. Mr Boardman attempted to shoo it away, but was gored in the thigh.
The goat stood over him as he lay bleeding on the ground before an off-duty ranger pelted it with rocks until it moved away from its victim. Rescuers attended to Mr Boardman, of Port Angeles, Washington, but to no avail.
Rangers shot and killed the goat later in the afternoon. (AFP)
Sex case settlement
Australia’s largest sexual harassment claim has been settled out of court for a fraction of the original demand of A$37 million.
Upmarket department store company David Jones announced it had agreed to pay A$850,000 to former publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk to drop her case against former chief executive Mark McInnes.
Mr McInnes resigned in June after admitting acting inappropriately towards a female staff member, and Ms Fraser-Kirk later identified herself as the person involved when she announced her intention to sue David Jones and Mr McInnes. (PA)
New UK newspaper
The Independent is to launch another national newspaper next week, claimed to be the first new “quality daily” for almost a quarter of a century.
The low-price title, to be called i, will go on sale from October 26. Independent bosses said it is “designed for readers who want a concise, quality daily paper for just 20 pence”. (PA)
Georgian mother sues TV host
A Georgia woman whose 15-year-old daughter appeared on an episode of a talk show featuring teenage sex addicts is suing the TV host for £1.9 million.
In a lawsuit filed in Atlanta, Beverly McClendon says her daughter appeared on former model Tyra Banks’ talk show without her permission and suffered damages because the 2009 show “was undoubtedly watched by sexual deviants, perverts and paedophiles”.
Banks, Warner Bros Entertainment and the producers of the show are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which claims violation of privacy and negligence. (PA)
Same winning numbers
The same winning numbers have come up twice in a month in Israel’s bi-weekly national lottery.
The results of Saturday night’s draw - 13, 14, 26, 32, 33 and 36 - were identical to those of September 21.
Chairman of Israel’s National Lottery Authority, Saul Sutnik, called the outcome a “rare probability” and said the results were checked several times to verify them. (PA)
Buckingham Palace summer success
Buckingham Palace enjoyed its best summer opening in more than 15 years attracting more than 400,000 visitors, officials said.
The crowds flocked to the Queen’s official London home to tour the historic building’s lavishly decorated state rooms and the annual royal exhibition.
Staff welcomed 413,000 members of the public during the eight-week opening, just 7,000 below the record set in 1994 - the year after the Palace was first opened to visitors. (PA)