Elephants get their feathers ruffled by a flock of angry birds

Flock and awe ... birds spook elephants

Caters News Agency

DETERMINED to keep their favourite roosting spot free from unwanted intruders, this is the incredible moment a giant cloud of tiny birds spook a herd of elephants.

Thousands of starling-sized queleas come together to form an imposing barrier which prevents the thirsty beasts from reaching a watering hole.

The five-ton giants soon concede defeat to the possessive flock of tiny birds — and leave to quench their thirst elsewhere.

Photographer Antero Topp, 60, was at the Satao Camp waterhole in East Tsavo, Kenya, when the mayhem broke out.

Wall of wings ... queleas keep control of their territory

Caters News Agency

He said: "The birds spent most of the time feeding somewhere close to the waterhole but every morning and evening they gathered in huge flocks close to the water.

"There are big trees close to the waterhole where the birds landed and at that time we suddenly heard a strong crack.

"A huge branch had been broken by the weight of these tiny birds despite them only weighing about ten grams each.

"All the birds took off and you could hear an unbelievable whoosh and after that birds' ear breaking calls.

Spooky ... queleas are the world's most abundant bird species

Caters News Agency

"Despite their size faced with the huge flocks of birds I was surprised to see the elephants actually back away maybe 50 metres, and some even ran.

"I think the elephants were afraid of the size and shape of the flocks and the almost supernatural whoosh noise made as they all took to the air."

Red-billed queleas are the world's most abundant wild bird species, with an estimated breeding population of 1.5billion pairs.

On top of the world – the climber who felt like he was walking on clouds

Climber ... Remi looks like he's on top of the world

THIS is the moment a climber felt truly on top of the world as he scaled a 4,744-foot volcano.

Surrounded by clouds Remi McMurtry is photographed by his climbing partner from another part of the Snffellsjvkull glacier.

Remi and pal Will Copestake ventured to the Icelandic peak after craving an adventure and pulling the name out of a hat of destinations.

The climb was part of a 27-day hike across Iceland and the pair had to endure the coldest June in Iceland for 59 years.

Will said: "We set off around midday, in summer in Iceland the sun shines 24 hours, so you're not really constrained by light.

"We spent the entire climb in the clouds, not really able to see what we were doing, once we got to the top we had to wait 20 minutes before the clouds cleared enough.

"We both love climbing and the local people said it was a nice mountain to climb as it was quite rounded and not very steep.

"When I looked at the photograph of Remi I thought 'that looks like a stairway to heaven', with the rock pointing out of the clouds he could have been at the pearly gates."

Snffellsjvkull is Icelandic for "snow-fells glacier" or "snow-mountains glacier" and is 700,000 year old stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit It's a famous location in Iceland, primarily due to the novel 'A Journey to the Centre of the Earth' by Jules Verne, in which the characters find the entrance to a passage leading to the centre of the earth on Snffellsjvkull.

Both of the 21-year-old fearless hikers, who are based in Stirling, were told about the mountain by locals in the nearby city of Reykjavmk The climb was a break from the duo's country crossing fundraising attempts for little known charity, Made in Ullapool, a small social enterprise aimed at providing for vulnerable adults.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Ferrari has unveiled the fastest road-car it has ever produced, ahead of the vehicle’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18)

The F12 Berlinetta can streak from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and continue up to 200km/h in just 8.5 seconds, thanks to a host of powertrain and design changes.

A futuristic bodyframe made out of new alloys has helped bring weight down to 1,525kg, less than the previous V12 Fiorano model, as well as increasing the structural integrity of the vehicle.

Underneath the hood is a 6.3-liter V12 that generates about 740 horsepower, Ferrari confirmed, more than its serious rival the Lamborghini Aventador.

Extensive time in the wind tunnel has helped Ferrari boost downforce by 76 percent and significantly reduce drag, thanks to a hood design to channel air away from the top of the car and ‘Active Brake Cooling’, which only opens the guide vanes to the brake cooling ducts at high operating temperatures, reducing drag.

The automaker’s attempt to jump on the environmental bandwagon has resulted in a reduction in fuel consumption of 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions of 350 g/km — not bad for a high-performance sports car, but unlikely to win any green prizes anytime soon.

Surat Khalifah Abu Hafs kepada Pope dipamerkan

SEPUCUK surat daripada Khalifah Abu Hafs dipamerkan di Capitol Hill, Rom kelmarin.

ROM, Itali - Sepucuk surat daripada Khalifah Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada dari Maghribi kepada Ketua Gereja Roman Katolik, Pope Innocent IV dipamerkan di sini kelmarin.

Surat itu bertarikh 10 Jun 1250 dari Marrakesh, Maghribi. Abu Hafs memerintah sebahagian kawasan di Maghribi dari tahun 1248 sehingga 1266 Masihi.

Surat tersebut merupakan sebahagian dokumen yang dipamerkan pada pameran Arkib Rahsia Vatican yang diadakan di Capitol Hill, Rom.

Pameran itu dibuka kepada orang awam bermula semalam dan akan berakhir pada September depan.

- Agensi

Menara komunikasi tertinggi siap dibina

GAMBAR yang dirakamkan kelmarin menunjukkan menara komunikasi paling tinggi di dunia, Tokyo Sky Tree di timur Tokyo.

TOKYO - Pembinaan menara komunikasi paling tinggi di dunia, Tokyo Sky Tree dengan ketinggian 634 meter di sini siap sepenuhnya semalam.

Pembinaan itu lewat dua bulan ekoran kejadian gempa dan tsunami yang melanda Jepun pada Mac tahun lalu yang menyebabkan kekurangan bahan binaan.

Tokyo Sky Tree turut diiktiraf sebagai bangunan kedua tertinggi dunia selepas Burj Khalifa di Dubai yang setinggi 828 meter.

Ketua-ketua industri pelancongan di negara ini berharap menara setinggi 634 meter itu akan dapat menarik kehadiran ramai pelancong asing.

Bilangan pelancong asing menurun di Jepun selepas bencana tsunami dan krisis nuklear yang berlaku pada tahun lalu.

Pembinaan menara di timur Tokyo itu bermula pada Julai 2008 dan mengikut jadual asal ia sepatutnya siap dibina pada Disember tahun lalu.

Tokyo Sky Tree turut mengatasi Menara Canton di Guangzhou, China yang setinggi 600 meter dan Menara CN setinggi 553 meter di pusat bandar Toronto, Kanada.

Seramai 580,000 pekerja terlibat dalam pembinaan menara itu yang menelan belanja AS$806 juta (RM2.4 bilion). - AFP

Berlian milik bekas Permaisuri Perancis dilelong

GAMBAR menunjukkan sebutir batu berlian yang pernah dipakai bekas Permaisuri Perancis, Marie de Medici.

GENEVA, Switzerland - Firma lelongan antarabangsa, Sotheby akan melelong sebutir batu berlian yang pernah dipakai oleh bekas Permaisuri Perancis, Marie de Medici.

Berlian itu dipakai oleh Medici semasa hari pertabalannya sebagai Permaisuri Perancis pada 13 Mei 1610.

Batu berlian seberat 35 karat yang berbentuk seperti buah pear itu dijangka dilelong pada harga antara AS$2 juta (RM5.9 juta) hingga AS$4 juta (RM11.9 juta) pada 15 Mei depan di sini.

Ia pernah dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul berlian, Nicolas Harley de Sancy.

De Sancy membeli berlian tersebut di Istanbul, Turki pada akhir kurun ke-16.

Ekoran itu, berlian itu diberi nama Beau de Sancy.

Berlian tersebut telah beralih tangan dalam kalangan kerabat diraja Perancis, England, Prussia dan Belanda. - Agensi

Saintis India temui haiwan seperti ular

Gambar yang disiarkan www.frogindia.org semalam menunjukkan seekor chikilidae dewasa bersama anaknya yang baru menetas.

NEW DELHI - Sejak sebelum era dinosaur lagi satu spesies amfibia yang tidak berkaki hidup bebas di bawah tanah yang beriklim monsun di pedalaman utara India tanpa diketahui saintis.

Sekumpulan saintis India yang menemui spesies baharu amfibia memberikan ia nama chikilidae setelah menggali tanah untuk mencari haiwan berkenaan di hutan selama lima tahun.

Ketua kajian tersebut, Profesor Sathyabhama Das Biju dari Universiti New Delhi berkata, chikilidae tergolong dalam keluarga caecilian iaitu yang paling primitif antara tiga kumpulan amfibia termasuk juga katak dan salamander.

Disiarkan dalam jurnal Royal Society of London semalam, penemuan mereka mengukuhkan lagi bukti bahawa India dipenuhi hidupan amfibia dengan habitat yang perlu dilindungi.

Menurut Sathyabhama, chikilidae bukan sahaja tidak berbahaya tetapi ia turut membantu petani dengan memakan ulat dan serangga yang merosakkan tanaman manakala pergerakan spesies itu di bawah tanah dapat membantu menyuburkan tanah.

Namun, penduduk tempatan kerap membunuh chikilidae kerana tersilap anggap bahawa amfibia itu merupakan seekor ular berbisa. - AGENSI

The doctor will sea you now: Hospital boat could rescue victims of natural disasters

We've all heard of the flying doctors - now we could soon have the floating doctors thanks to a hospital boat developed by an Italian yacht designer.

Marino Alfani, 29, came up with the concept after talking to his childhood friend Dr Taddeo Baino, who had just returned from a medical mission in Africa.

The hospital boat would be able to come close in to shore and ferry passengers to it by ambulance and helicopter

This cutaway graphic shows how the rooms would be laid out

Mr Alfani realised that a hospital boat could treat people from coastal areas that have no or ill-equipped hospitals and could also respond to emergencies at sea like the recent Costa Concordia wreck. It could also provide relief to victims of natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami, which wiped out whole road networks.

So he designed a catamaran that would be equipped with state-of-the-art medical examination areas, operating theatres, laboratories, recovery rooms and a hyperbaric chamber (for oxygen therapy). There would be a small helipad on the bridge and a garage accessible from the stern to store an ambulance.

The boat would accommodate three crew members and nine doctors and nurses and could treat 50 people a day - which would be 1,500 a month. As a catamaran it could come close in to shore.

Ship-shape: The catamaran would accommodate three cabin crew and nine doctors and nurses

Specifications: The boat would measure 115ft in length

Speaking to L'Eco Di Bergamo, Mr Alfani said: 'The earth is surrounded by water and it is unthinkable that there is no tool that allows immediate first aid at sea.'

He added that the boat was modeled on the emergency room of the Bergamo Hospital in Italy.

The boat, made from aluminium alloy would measure 115ft long, 48ft wide and stand 25ft tall. It would be propelled by two 1200 diesel electric motors and travel at a top speed of 10knots. The boat would have a fuel capacity of 50,000l.

Mr Alfani has an architecture degree from the Politecnico di Milano as well as a Masters in Yacht Design and now has his own studio where he can tackle boat design to construction. He is also an experienced interior designer.

The hospital boat concept won a prize this month at the 2012 Millennium Yacht Design Awards.

Emergency: The catamaran could respond to natural disasters

On the open sea: The boat would travel at 10knots

Look who's flown into a rage! Meet the real-life angry birds who don't want you messing with the pecking order

Talk about being in a flap.

Someone, or something, has clearly made these birds angry.

Perhaps it was the way their feathered friends were portrayed in the hit phone app, Angry Birds - which saw them as nothing more than ammo to be catapulted at various structures.

And it probably doesn't help that the game has been downloaded 500million times.

The six birds, which were found on the Flickr photo-sharing website, come from all walks of the avian world.

This black-and-white hawk eagle, commonly found in Venezuela, Mexico and Argentina, is having a really, really bad day

Neck ache? A burrowing owl from North America - one of the irate avians found on Flickr

I'll do the mocking, you do the crying... A mocking bird from the United States

Among them is a mocking bird from the U.S. (on a twisted branch), who could well be living up to its name.

Also representing American wildlife is a red cardinal, which is, rather appropriately, seeing red - and a burrowing owl.

And heading south, there is a black-and-white hawk eagle, which is commonly found in Venezuela, Mexico and Argentina.

Perhaps we'll never know the cause of their ire... unless they decide to rant about it on Twitter.

Yeah, I'm fluffy - but don't call me cute. Or else...

Who are you calling a flying rat? I'm just colourful and pigeon-like

An American red cardinal, which is seeing red

And if they look familiar, maybe this is why...

Angry Birds, the hit game which might have upset their real-life brethren

Aerial pics are plane beautiful

Breathtaking ... colourful lake in Iceland

Solent

YOU could be forgiven for thinking these stunning photographs were taken by a satellite looming over a distant planet.

But the incredible shots were captured aboard a Cessna light aircraft flying over Iceland.

The images reveal some of the country's most incredible scenery, ranging from explosive volcanoes to colossal mountains.

Photographer Sandro Santioli said: "I had the idea while shooting Iceland from ground level.

"Aerial shots always interested me, always charmed me. From ground level these landscapes are awesome and stunning, but seeing all of them from above is such a feast for the eyes.

"In particular I enjoy different elements, like seas, lakes, mountains, and volcanoes, being at my disposal to recreate a small world."

Tree-mendous ... river branches out

Solent

Sandro racked up 70 hours of flight time as he took the extraordinary images while holding his camera out the window of the aircraft.

He added: "There were many challenges, the first was whether I was able to endure the stress of flying in a tiny, vibrating aircraft that would dip suddenly on hitting the air currents.

"All this was made worse by the fact that the windows had to be kept open for the majority of the flight.

Amazing ... overhead shot

Solent

"The air rushing into the cabin was extremely cold, particularly when approaching and flying over glaciers.

"The cold finds a way to penetrate all the way to your bones regardless of how many layers you happen to be wearing at the time.

"Meanwhile, your hands become so numb that you can barely move them. All this happens while you stomach is doing twists and turns."