| "Dot-Com" News - Woman, 61, abandons epic swim | ||||
|
|
A 61-year-old woman has been forced to abandon her attempt to swim through shark-infested waters from Cuba to Florida. Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad had hoped to be the first to complete the 60-hour swim without the protection of a shark cage. But she was forced to give up on the record bid after 29 hours, CNN reported. "I am not sad, It was absolutely the right call," she told CNN, which had a producer on a boat accompanying her on the 103 mile swim. Ms Nyad failed in her first attempt to complete the crossing from Cuba in 1978, when she was 28. She set off from Havana on Sunday with the aim of reaching Key West in the Florida Keys on Wednesday. But the swimmer was struggling with shoulder pain, ocean swells and asthma before she was brought on board a vessel. It took more than a year of negotiations to get both countries, former Cold War enemies, to allow the epic swim to take place. It was a huge operation, with support boats carrying medical assistants, nutritionists and a shark protection team. • Trucker gets that sinking feeling A cement mixer driver was shocked in China when one of his rear wheels suddenly sank into the road. Zhang Fengyi was driving the 12-tonne vehicle to a building site in Xi'an, capital of western China's Shaanxi Province, when it happened. "I suddenly heard a 'pang' sound and then the vehicle tipped up at the front," he said. Local investigators found three deep pits under the road, which they suspect may be the result of erosion or unauthorised works. "Underneath was heating pipes carrying 3,000 tones of hot water. If broken, it could have been quite a disaster," said spokesman Zhang Jian. • Jonathan, 178, 'is world's oldest tortoise' A tortoise captured on a Boer War photograph has been declared the oldest in the world after researchers found that it is still alive. Jonathan the tortoise - who still lives on the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena where the picture was taken - is said to be at least 178-years-old. The photograph was taken around the year 1900 and shows Jonathan with a Boer War prisoner, reports the Daily Telegraph. It was discovered as part of a collection of Boer War images taken by a man named L.A. Innes who had a studio in the British territory's capital Jamestown. The pictures were recently sold at auction for £4,000. Further investigation revealed the tortoise in the picture was Jonathan who was still alive. The tortoise was already about 70 at the time the black and white picture was taken. His life has spanned eight British monarchs from George IV to Elizabeth II. Jonathan lives on St Helena, along with five other tortoises David, Speedy, Emma, Fredricka and Myrtle, in a plantation. Despite his old age, locals say he still has the energy to regularly mate with the three younger females. A spokesman for the island's tourist board said: "Jonathan is the sole survivor of three tortoises that arrived on St Helena Island in 1882. "He was already mature when he arrived and was at least 50-years-old. Therefore his minimum age is 178-years-old. "Jonathan is still very active despite his age and adores attention, he is a real poser. He seems to be sightless in one eye, but does not let that slow him down." |
| අවසන් යාවත්කාලීන කිරීම ( 2011 අගෝස්තු 13 වෙනි සෙනසුරාදා, 17:03 ) |
