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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Ever wondered what an ostrich sounds like? Video reveals bizarre noise bird makes by inflating its neck


Ever wondered what an ostrich sounds like? Video reveals bizarre noise bird makes by inflating its neck

The male ostrich can make a 'booming' sound by inflating its long neck
Only males can make the noise as females can just hiss
The video was filmed by Motie Shirinkam at an ostrich farm in Iran


While humans can talk, dogs bark and lions roar, ostriches can make no vocal noise.
However, a video has captured a ostrich 'booming', something only a male can do.
Motie Shirinkam, from Taybad, Iran uploaded the video which seems to be filmed at an ostrich farm.
The long necks of two ostriches stick up over a fence as they look out into the distance. While one remains silent, the animal in the foreground emits an interesting 'boom' as its neck inflates.



Its mouth remains shut but it appears to be taking a breath in between making the noise.
Ostriches in fact inflate their neck to three times its normal size during this process.
While a loud sound that can be heard at a great distance, the 'boom' is at a very low pitch so some might not be able to hear it.


Males use this 'boom' as mating technique whereas female ostriches can only hiss.
Mating rituals are complicated for these flightless birds.
The male alternates wing beats until he attracts a mate and then he will drive away any intruders in the mating area.



They graze until their actions become synchronised at which point the ritual aspect of the procedure begins and feeding ceases to be important.
The cock will return to excitedly flapping his wings and poking the ground with his bill, before symbolically clearing out a nest in the dirt by violently beating his wings.
The hen than runs around him in a circle with wings lowered as the male winds his head in a spiral motion. When this is over he will mount her.
Unlike most birds male ostriches have a retractable 20cm copulatory organ.
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OSTRICHES?
The world's largest bird, an ostrich can grow up to 9ft tall and their powerful, long legs can cover 10 to 16ft in a single stride
they are the fast runners of any birds or other two-legged animal and can sprint at over 43mph
Their long necks and keen eye-sight help them see into the distance
They has the largest eye of any land animal, measuring almost 5cm across
Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand
In fact, if they sense trouble is near they press their necks to the ground in an attempt to be less visible
Their plumage blends well with sandy soil so it can seem from a distance that their heads are buried in the sand
Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living bird. They are 15cm long and weigh as much as two dozen chicken eggs
However they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird
The birds have no teeth so swallow pebbles to grind their food
An adult ostrich carries about 2lbs of stone in its three stomachs



11 people are sentenced to 300 lashes and prison in Saudi Arabia for having a party


Six women and five men are sentenced to 300 lashes and a year in prison in Saudi Arabia after neighbours reported them for having a party at a beachside villa

Group charged with obscenity after police found drink and indecent images
Officers from country's vice squad called after complaint from neighbours
Women are not allowed to mingle with men in Saudi Arabia unless related


Six women and five men have been jailed and sentenced to 300 lashes after holding a drunken beach party in Saudi Arabia.
The group were charged with 'obscenity' after police found alcohol and indecent pictures during a raid on a villa in the city of Jedda.
Some were drunk and resisted arrest after officers from the vice squad were called to the property following complaints from neighbours.
Under Saudi law, women are not allowed to mingle with men unless they are related.



The group were initially given jail sentences ranging from eight days to a year and 150 lashes, it was reported by Breitbart.
But their prison terms were increased and their flogging sentence raised to 300 lashes after a failed appeal.


Saudi Arabia has some of the strictest Islamic laws in the world.
Drinking is banned and women must cover themselves in public and not mix with the opposite sex.



Last week, the country's morality police reportedly barred women from a Starbucks and told to send 'their driver' to get a coffee for them instead after a 'gender barrier' wall had collapsed.
Signs in Arabic and English were put up on doors to the coffee shop telling women not to enter.
The posters read: 'Please no entry for ladies, only send your drivers to order. Thank you.'
Yesterday it was also reported that a man had been arrested by Saudi Arabia's morality police for wearing a cartoon costume of a woman showing skin.
British grandfather Karl Andree, 74, was also sentenced to 378 lashes for brewing homemade wine.



But he was finally spared after spending more than a year in jail following a public appeal by his family who feared the punishment would kill him.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, as it is officially known, is responsible for ensuring Islamic laws like those are not broken in public.
But it has repeatedly been accused of human rights violations.
In 2002, the committee refused to allow female students out of a burning school in the holy city of Mecca because they were not wearing correct head cover.
The decision is thought to have contributed to the high death toll of 15.


Cambridge student found murdered in Cairo 'had his ears sliced off and all of his fingers broken before he was killed by having his neck broken'


Cambridge student found murdered in Cairo 'had his ears sliced off and all of his fingers broken before he was killed by having his neck broken'

Italian Giulo Regeni, 28, was found dead on a highway outside Cairo, Egypt
The Cambridge student was tortured and suffered 'animal-like' violence
His ears were cut off and all his fingers broken during the brutal ordeal
Suffering bruises, cuts and burns, he only died when his neck was broken
It has been claimed Egypt's notorious security services are responsible
Mr Regeni was staying in Cairo to research Egypt's labour organisations


A Cambridge student found murdered in Cairo was killed when his neck was broken after having all of his fingers snapped and his ears sliced off.
Giulio Regeni, 28, was found dead near a highway outside the Egyptian capital, nine days after he was reported missing, having suffered 'inhuman animal-like violence'.
The Italian national, a student of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, was brutally tortured before his death, autopsies revealed.



Sources close to the investigation told Ansa news agency he was found with his ears chopped off, as well as broken fingers and toes, the International Business Times reported.
However, these injuries are just a handful of the litany of abuses Mr Regeni is said to have suffered.


Autopsies showed he was found with bruises, stabbing cuts, burns from cigarettes and had toenails torn off.
Italian media are now pointing fingers at Egyptian security services, saying the autopsy results show signs of torture which suggests that his killers believed that he was a spy, The Local reports.
The autopsy revealed that Mr Regeni's neck was twisted or struck which broke a vertebra and left him unable to breathe.
Prosecutors from Rome have opened a murder investigation into the death of the doctoral student and ministers are calling for Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to fully cooperate.
Egyptian Interior Minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar has responded to the accusations in Italian media, completely rejecting any notion that security forces were involved in the killing of Mr Regeni.
'There are many rumours repeated on pages of newspapers insinuating the security forces might be behind the accident. This is unacceptable. This is not our policy,' he told a news conference.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is under pressure to authorize a state funeral for Mr Regeni, with anger mounting in Italy over Egypt's initial claims that the student had been killed in a road accident.
Mr Regeni, a student of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, had been in Cairo for just a few months as part of his PhD research into Egyptian labour movements when he disappeared on January 25.


He had left his apartment with a plan to travel by subway to meet a friend in the city, but was never seen again.
A second autopsy in Italy shed further light into Mr Regeni's death with details so shocking that interior minister Angelino Alfano told Sky TV that he struggled to catch his breath after reading the report.
While opening details have been released, analysis of tissue and body fluid, which could help pinpoint or at least narrow the time frame when Mr Regeni died, are expected to take several days.
Mr Alfano said the student had suffered 'something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence.'
Prosecutor Ahmed Nagi, who leads the investigation team on the case, had previously said 'all of his body, including his face' had bruises, cuts from stabbings and burns from cigarettes, adding that it appeared to have been a 'slow death.'
Italian police were dispatched to Cairo on Saturday and have started working with their Egyptian counterparts on the case.
Mr Alfano said: 'I am convinced that it is in the interest of el-Sissi to work together. No one can bring Giulio back to life, but bringing the truth to the surface will perhaps be able to save more lives.'



He had left his apartment with a plan to travel by subway to meet a friend in the city, but was never seen again.
A second autopsy in Italy shed further light into Mr Regeni's death with details so shocking that interior minister Angelino Alfano told Sky TV that he struggled to catch his breath after reading the report.
While opening details have been released, analysis of tissue and body fluid, which could help pinpoint or at least narrow the time frame when Mr Regeni died, are expected to take several days.
Mr Alfano said the student had suffered 'something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence.'
Prosecutor Ahmed Nagi, who leads the investigation team on the case, had previously said 'all of his body, including his face' had bruises, cuts from stabbings and burns from cigarettes, adding that it appeared to have been a 'slow death.'
Italian police were dispatched to Cairo on Saturday and have started working with their Egyptian counterparts on the case.
Mr Alfano said: 'I am convinced that it is in the interest of el-Sissi to work together. No one can bring Giulio back to life, but bringing the truth to the surface will perhaps be able to save more lives.'


Milly Dowler's family tell of their torment since Levi Bellfield's confession


Milly Dowler was raped in broad daylight then tortured for 14 hours: Schoolgirl's family reveal their torment since Levi Bellfield confessed horrifying details of his crime

Bellfield abducted, raped and strangled 13-year-old Milly in 2002
He was convicted in 2011 but it emerged last month he'd admitted crimes
Family have now released harrowing statement setting out his confession


The family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler have spoken of their 'torment and pain' after her killer Levi Bellfield finally gave details of his shocking crimes.
In a harrowing statement, the family, who only learned of Milly's final hours 13 years after her death, said the teenager was raped in broad daylight and tortured before being strangled.
The family said they hoped Milly's 'soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace' now that the serial killer has given his account.



Milly was snatched from the street while on her way from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.
Her body was found in a wood in Yateley Heath, Hampshire - 25 miles from Walton-on-Thames.
Bellfield, 47, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, was given a whole-life prison sentence in June 2011 for the brutal slaughter of the teenager, but only admitted killing her after four years in prison.
It emerged today that he would only speak to female officers from Surrey Police when he decided to confess and gave them disturbing details of how he repeatedly raped, tortured and murdered Milly.


The family's statement contains the shocking details of Milly's final hours at the hands of Bellfield.
They state: 'Bellfield told the police that after abducting Milly and assaulting her at his flat a few yards from Walton Station, he then drove her to his Mother's house. He reversed down a long driveway and then raped her in broad daylight over the boot of his car.
'Bellfield then moved her to another location, where the rape and torture continued for a number of hours, until the next day when he finally strangled her to death.'



Bellfield only admitted killing Milly when an investigation was launched in to whether he had an accomplice, after he bragged to a fellow prison inmate about his crime
The family were told not to tell anyone about the information they had been given due to an investigation into a possible accomplice.
Last month Surrey Police said they had arrested a man in his 40s, but the suspect was released without charge after just 10 hours because there was no evidence.
Milly's family's statement continued: 'Hearing Bellfield's account of how Milly spent her final hours before being murdered was shocking enough, but the news that there could have been another individual involved was devastating.
'There are no words to describe the additional torment and pain we have been going through since we were told this information.'



They added: 'We had to remain silent for eight months whilst the police conducted their investigation. Finally, when they made the arrest of the suspected accomplice, the person was questioned and released without charge in less than 10 hours as there was no evidence found.
'The pressure this has put us under as a family has been unimaginable and has taken its toll on all of us. We have had to fight every step of the way to get this far.'
Bellfield was already in jail for the murders of Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell when he was convicted, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, when he went on trial accused of killing Milly.
In 2008 he had been given a whole-life term for murdering Ms McDonnell, 19, in 2003, and murdering Ms Delagrange, 22, and attempting to murder Ms Sheedy, 18, in 2004.


Former student, 21, is suing elite private school for $600,000 after he was ‘tormented, assaulted and stomped on by other pupils’


Former student, 21, is suing elite private school for $600,000 after he was ‘tormented, assaulted and stomped on by other pupils’

A man, 21, is suing a prestigious Brisbane school over alleged bulling
He claims he was severely bullied physically and verbally for three years
His nose was broken at age 10 and he was stomped on two years later
He is seeking $600,000 in damages for future loss of income due to the impact of the alleged bullying on his academic performance
The former students says he suffers ongoing mental health issues


A former Brisbane Boys College student who claims he endured physical and verbal bullying as a young pupil is suing the prestigious school for $600,000 in damages.
The legal action has been lodged against the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, trading as BBC, and relates to a period spanning February 2004 to February 2007.
In documents filed in Queensland's District Court on Wednesday, it's alleged the boy was the target of derogatory taunts as well as physical attacks.
The former student claims when he was just 10-year-old he suffered a broken nose so severe it required surgery, in an incident which allegedly occured at the school on November 15, 2005.



Court documents claim the boy finally left the school at the advice of a doctor after the student was allegedly pushed to the ground and stomped on, leaving a 'shoe-imprint shaped bruise' on his back, according to the Brisbane Times.
The complainant, who turned 21 on Wednesday, claims he now suffers from ongoing depression, anxiety and has had suicidal thoughts after being the victim of 'ongoing ridicule' from Year Five to Year Eight.
The man is seeking damages for future loss of income, claiming his experiences at BBC seriously hindered his academic performance and, as a result, have disadvantaged his job prospects.
'He suffered psychiatric injury which will likely mean time off work or being forced to cease work earlier than he would otherwise have done so,' his lawyer, Peter Black, told the court on Wednesday according to the Brisbane Times.



Mr Black's client has undergone psychological counselling to assess the extent of his distress and impact on his mental health.
The court heard that the former student and his family are extremely dissatisfied with the school's response and say the students allegedly involved were not reprimanded.
'Despite complaints by our client and his mother about this course of conduct, the school took no steps or no adequate steps to protect our client from the harmful and offending behaviour,' Mr Black told the court.
'His three years of schooling at BBC were painful, agonising and mentally draining as he endured daily torment both verbally and physically.'
The school did not have legal representation present at the brief hearing. The former BBC student will commence legal proceedings against the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association.



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