A British explorer who became the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon has been named European Adventurer of the Year.
Former Army officer Ed Stafford, 35, reached the mouth of the river in Brazil in August last year, 859 days after setting off from its source high in the mountains of Peru. He trekked more than 6,700 kilometres.
Along the way Mr Stafford, from Mowsley, Leicestershire, encountered venomous snakes, electric eels and piranhas, as well as being wrongly accused of murder and chased by tribesmen armed with machetes, shotguns and bows and arrows. He received the award at an event called the Wilderness Fair in Stockholm. (PA)
Prying tourists
Just off the Amazon River, lies the village of Nazareth. But don’t think about dropping by as the indigenous people have banned tourists.
The Colombian Amazon, a peninsula sandwiched between Brazil and Peru, is famed for its spectacular flora and fauna and last year 35,000 tourists poured into the region.
But now guards armed with their traditional sticks stand ready to deter unwelcome visitors. Nazareth elders say the indigenous people, composed some 80 per cent of Ticuna indians, do not benefit from the growth in tourism across the region.
“What we earn here is very little. Tourists come here, they buy a few things, a few artisanal goods, and they go. It is the travel agencies that make the good money.”
The Ticuna people are one of the most endangered communities on Earth, with the UN having counted their remaining numbers at only around 30,000. (AFP)
Naked rower
An ambitious rower plans to set a new world record by becoming the youngest male to cross the Indian Ocean on his own.
But Kildare man Keith Whelan will be completely naked when he tackles the 6,000 kilometre crossing from Western Australia to Mauritius in a 23ft-long boat.
The 30-year-old will row 12 hours every day –two hours on and two hours off – for up to 120 days, completing 1.8 million gruelling oar strokes in searing heat, up to 50 foot ocean swells, hurricane force winds and raging storms. Mr Whelan will be naked because salt would get into his clothes and cause chafing. He will only wear sun block and will sit on a sheep skin rug. (PA)
Hamper trap
A man is in custody after police say he broke into an Arizona home and got stuck in a clothes hamper beneath the window he climbed through. Mesa police say 20-year-old Michael Trias was arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage. The East Valley Tribune reported that a resident inside the home heard the commotion of Trias becoming entangled in the hamper. The home owner restrained Trias and called police. (PA)
Long overdue
A rare library book has finally been returned – after more than 30 years of globetrotting with an Australian naval attache.
Former Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Commander Ron Robb, who was posted to London in 1980, borrowed the volume of Samuel Pepys’ Diary in 1981 from his local library to help his daughter with a project.
He rediscovered the book while moving house in New South Wales and Sutton Libraries waived the fine which, based on the current daily rate of 15p per day, would have mounted up to more than £1,600. (PA)
US taxes
Prostitutes, cat food, trips to Africa: There are few limits to the expenses Americans believe should be tax deductible, but given the complexity of the tax code they may be forgiven.
To file taxes in the US is to enter a Byzantine labyrinth replete with pitfalls and potholes. The system is so complex that ahead of the tax deadline this April 18, millions of Americans – including the head of the Internal Revenue Service – will hire professional help to complete their filings.
And choosing which expenses are deductible might be the most fiendish task.
In the past the US tax court ruled that a man who spent $65,934 on prostitutes in one year could not mark it down as a medical expense while an exotic dancer “Chesty Love” successfully claimed for the costs of enlarging her bust size to 56FF. A court ruled that her “freakishly large breasts” were indeed part of a costume that was “useful only in her business.” (AFP)
Royal couple cake
Cake maker Michelle Wibowo spent more than 80 hours creating her own masterpiece in honour of next month’s royal wedding, featuring likenesses of Prince William and Kate Middleton.The result is a traditional English fruit cake, carved into 3D busts with an armature inside, covered with apricot jam, ten kilos of marzipan and ten kilos of icing sugar.The icing was sculpted with details then airbrushed with colours to make it look more realistic. (PA)