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Dracula fish, bald bird among 145 new Mekong finds: WWF

BANGKOK — Wildlife researchers said Wednesday they had discovered 145 new species in the Greater Mekong region last year, including a fish with fangs and a seven-metre (23 feet) tall carnivorous plant.

The "bald" Bulbul bird discovered in Laos' Savannakhet province

Other new finds include a frog that sounds like a cricket, Asia's only known bald songbird, and a "sucker fish", which uses its body to stick to rocks in fast flowing waters to move upstream, according to conservation group WWF.

Local fishermen in Chiang Khong, northern Thailand show off a giant Mekong catfish

With fangs at the front of each jaw, the "dracula minnow" is one of the more bizarre new species found in 2009 in the Mekong River region, which comprises Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's Yunnan Province.

Discovered in a small stream in Myanmar, it is largely translucent and measures up to 1.7 centimetres long.

It is not yet known whether the species is endemic to a single ecosystem within Myanmar, or spread throughout the region as a whole.

Other bizarre discoveries include the Bare-Faced Bulbul bird, which is bereft of feathers on the face and side of the head and has pale blue skin on the rear of the head and around the eyes. It lives in sparse forest on limestone karsts in central Laos.

Among newly recorded plants, the Nepenthes bokorensis plant, found in southern Cambodia, has a climbing length of up to seven metres, with pitchers that trap ants and other insects for food.

"The rate of discovery in the Mekong is almost without equal globally," WWF regional conservation director Stuart Chapman told AFP.

"That's attributed to the enormous geographical and climatic range within the region, going from high altitude to dense tropical forests through to some of the richest freshwater in the world," he said.

"Undoubtedly this region is one of the richest in terms of its biodiversity, but it's also one of the most threatened."

The Greater Mekong region is home to some of the planet's most endangered wild species including tiger, Asian elephant, Mekong dolphin and Mekong giant catfish, said the World Wide Fund For Nature.

WWF has warned the Mekong giant catfish -- one of the world's biggest freshwater fish -- could be driven to extinction if plans to build hydropower dams on Southeast Asia's longest river go ahead, blocking spawning grounds.

"We need to keep one of the treasure troves of the world properly conserved," said Chapman.

Sumber - AFP

Largest Yacht Ever Built in Italy Knocks Paul Allen Off the Top 10

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen no longer owns one of the world's 10 largest yachts thanks to the just-launched Serene (above) from Fincantieri. At just under 440 ft. Serene is the largest yacth ever built in Italy, and enters the list of the world's largest yachts at No. 9, according to Camper & Nicholsons – just behind the floating brothel Savarona. That knocks Allen's famed 414-ft. Octopus out of the top 10 altogether (No. 1 of course is still, by a mere 18 inches, Roman Abramovich's Eclipse). The billionaire buyer of Serene is unknown. Designed by Espen Oeino, the Serene, which took four years to complete, has seven decks, a tender hangar and two helipads. The high-tech megayacth features a large seawater swimming pool and a submarine with a diving depth of up to 100 metres. The 4,500 square meter interior boasts super-luxe accommodations and entertaining spaces designed by Pascale Reymond of London's Reymond Langton Design.

1959 Ferrari GT Sells on Ebay for $3.26 Million

A gorgeous, mint condition 1959 Ferrari GT sold on Ebay.com for $3.26 million. The car, with 52,000 miles on its odometer, was listed from an owner in Pittsburgh, Pa., and sold after 86 bids. The car's official designation is a Ferrari California Spyder 250 GT CS. It has a 12 cylinder engine, manual transmission and a cloth convertible top. Designed for export to America, the California Spyder was Ferrari's interpretation of an open-top Gran Turismo Car.
The concept was driven by California enthusiasts and a leading Ferrari dealer who prevailed on the Italian company to create a sports car for Californians who regularly drive with the top down. Of the approximately 51 Long Wheelbase (LWB) California Spyders made, at least 10 were built for competition and nine of these were made with aluminum bodies.
1627GT was one of them. This rare California Spyder features a Tipo 508 D frame, which was one of nine created. 1627GT is also one of the initial California Spyders to be equipped with disc brakes, an innovation for its time. A replica of this car was featured in the film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Rare Pink Diamond Could Be One Of The World's Most Expensive Stones

Another big pink diamond will test its luck at Sotheby's this fall. A 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond that was last seen on the market 60 years ago, when it was purchased from Harry Winston, will be auctioned off at Sotheby's Geneva on November 16, 2010. The emerald-cut stone is mounted in a ring and has been determined to be part of the type IIa classification, a rare type of stone that represents less than two percent of all of the world's gem diamonds. The stone is currently graded as VVS2 clarity, but the report from the Gemological Institute of America states that the stone may be internally flawless after repolishing. The stone is offered for sale with a pre-sale estimate of $27-38 million. Last year a five-carat pink stone sold for $10.8 million setting a new per carat record.

Wanita 107 tahun masih dara

CORNWALL - Seorang anak dara berusia 107 tahun, Clara Meadmore mengakui dia tidak pernah melakukan hubungan seks, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Perawan warga emas itu meraikan hari jadinya yang ke-107 pada Ahad lepas.

Ditanya bagaimana dia mengekalkan daranya sejak sekian lama, wanita itu menyatakan, dia terlalu sibuk dan percaya seks cuma mengganggu kehidupannya.

Menurut Clara yang berasal dari sini, England, semasa usianya remaja pada tahun 1920-an dan 1930-an, seks adalah untuk wanita yang telah berkahwin.

Dia tidak berhasrat untuk berumah tangga dan pernah menolak beberapa lamaran sebelum ini.

"Orang pernah bertanya sama ada saya homoseks dan jawapannya adalah tidak," kata Clara.

"Saya mempunyai ramai kenalan lelaki tetapi tidak berminat dengan seks atau perkahwinan," tambahnya. - Agensi