A new breeding colony of flamingoes was discovered living in the suburbs of Abu Dhabi. Around 18,000 birds, including 600 chicks, were found near the Musaffah Channel. Flamingoes have bred in the UAE only twice before, preferring to spend their winters here before nesting on the shores of the Caspian Sea and parts of Central Asia.
More than 40,000 Japanese have now passed their 100th birthday, making the country the most rapidly ageing in the world. Figures released by the government for the forthcoming Respect For The Aged Day, showed that 87 per cent of centenarians were women, and that their numbers had grown by 10 per cent in just a year. The increase will put pressure on Japan's welfare system, where three people of working age support each pensioner. It is predicted that the ratio will rise to one to one within 50 years.
The pop star Elton John was told he would not be able to adopt a 14-month-old boy from Ukraine. Sir Elton said Lev had "stolen his heart" during a visit to an orphanage for his anti-Aids charity. However, authorities in Ukraine said the singer was not a suitable parent for Lev, who is HIV positive, because he was too old at 62 and his civil partnership with a man was not recognised as a valid form of marriage in the country.
A raid involving US forces in Somalia was believed to have killed one of the world's most wanted terrorists. Salah Ali Saleh Nabhan was wanted for attacks on a hotel and an Israeli airliner in the Kenyan port of Mombasa in 2002. American special forces were said to have taken part in an helicopter assault in the town of Barawe in the south of the country. Some reports said troops wearing French uniforms were also involved, although this was later denied by Paris. The attack on a vehicle left two dead with two more taken away by the troops.
A child bride died while giving birth in the Hodeida Province of Yemen. Fawziya Abdullah Youssef was only 11 when she was married to a 24-year-old farmer from Saudi Arabia. She died of severe bleeding after giving birth to a stillborn baby in a district hospital around 220km from San'aa. The Yemen social affairs ministry estimates around a quarter of women are married before the age of 15. An attempt to raise the minimum legal age to 17 is being challenged by a number of members of parliament.
A member of the Italian mafia told a court that he deliberately sank shiploads of toxic waste as part of an illegal operation. Giving evidence, the informant said the mafia had taken control of waste disposal operations in Calabria. He arranged for ships carrying the waste to be sunk off the coast instead of being disposed properly. Authorities say they have found one shipwreck they fear may be holding rusting drums of radioactive waste and fear there may be up to 30 more.
An Iraqi journalist imprisoned for throwing his shoes at President Bush said he had been tortured while in custody. Muntazer al Zaid claimed he had been water-boarded while serving nine months of his three-year sentence. He also said he had been subject to electric shocks and beaten with cables. The reporter, 30, is also demanding an apology from the Iraqi prime minister.
Digital pirates seized copies of Dan Brown's new thriller within hours of it publication. Illegal downloads of The Lost Symbol were available on a number of websites, including Pirate Bay. Although publishers had mounted what they described as an "unprecedented" security operation before publication, copies were immediately scanned and made available after the book went on sale in bookshops.
Keeping his promise to a fallen friend and comrade, a British soldier attended the funeral of his best friend wearing a woman's dress. Private Barry Delaney of the Black Watch Regiment had made a pact with Kevin Elliott that if either was killed in Afghanistan, the other would put on a dress for the funeral. After Private Elliott was killed on foot patrol last month, Private Delaney honoured the pledge by attending the funeral wearing a bright green dress and pink leg-warmers.
The world's tallest man was discovered living in Turkey. The existence of 2.47m tall Sutlan Kosen was revealed during the launch of the 2010 edition of Guinness World Records. Mr Kosen is 10cm taller than the previous world record holder, Bao Xishun, from China. At 27.5cm and 36.5cm respectively, his hands and feet are also the biggest in the world. Interviewed in London, Mr Kosen said: "The first thing I want to do is have a car that I can fit in but more than that I want to get married. Up until now it's been really difficult to find a girlfriend. I've never had one, they were usually scared of me. I'm hoping now I will find one."
The head of a leading Formula One team was removed from his post after it was claimed he had ordered one of his drivers to crash. Flavio Briatore, and Italian millionaire, is alleged to have told the Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash during the Singapore Grand Prix to slow down cars and let his fellow Renault driver win the race. The scandal has been described as one of the worst examples of cheating in the history of sport and had ended any hopes of Briatore taking over from Bernie Ecclestone at the top of Formula One.
The government of Abu Dhabi donated $150 million (Dh551m) to a children's hospital in Washington. The gift to the Children's National Medical Centre is one of the largest contributions to paediatric medical research and will fund the establishment of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation.
A proposal to build the world's tallest building in Abu Dhabi was reported to have been thrown out because it would have interfered with air traffic. At 224 storeys, Al Imlaq - The Giant - would have dwarfed the Burj Dubai and would have been built on an island near Saadiyat. Al Imlaq was designed by Tommy Landau, a Californian architect and would have cost US$3.5 billion (Dh12.8bn) with a giant exterior clock at the half way point, which would also have been the height of the Empire State Building. The project is said to have been vetoed after being shown to Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed, a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
jlangton@thenational.ae
