The Express Tribune T2 - December 24

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 24, 2011

Ho ho ho!

Maze

Explore

Kids, it’s that time of the year when many children all over the world are waiting in anticipation… waiting for Santa Claus, waiting for their presents, and waiting to decorate the Christmas tree!

So, what exactly are the legends associated with Christmas?

Keep reading!

Santa Claus

SOURCE: PRINTACTIVITIES.COM

ha ha ha

What do monkeys sing at Christmas ?

Christmas is incomplete without the mention of Santa Claus. There has hardly been a Christmas when children have not waited for their beloved Santa. The stories related to Santa Claus have managed to gain much popularity amongst people all over the world. Santa Claus, the noble saint with his big belly and red outfit, wanders around homes spreading the message of love and prosperity. He is depicted with a long white beard which is a sign of his worldly wisdom. All over the world, Santa Claus is known by different names. In Germany, he is known as ‘Christindl’ or the ‘Christ Child’; ‘Father Of Christmas’ in England, ‘Shengdan Laoren’ in China and ‘Pere Noel’ in France. Children are Santa’s favourites and he ensures that he gets gifts for them every Christmas. As per American legend, Santa lives in the North Pole while other legends also suggest that he stays in Finland.

Children, from all over the world, often write a lot of letters to him depending on what they believe Santa’s permanent abode is.

Rudolph So how does Santa transport gifts? He has a sledge drawn by reindeer! And without doubt, his favourite reindeer is Rudolph. It might be because he has a red nose! His glowing nose helps to light the way for Santa during his trips and therefore, he was made the lead reindeer.

Christmas tree The tradition of bringing and decorating a Christmas tree is timeless. On Christmas eve, the whole family decorates the tree with ornaments and tinsel and candy canes.

Jungle Bells, Jungle bells.. !

Did you know?

What is the most special part of your body at Christmas?

— Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.

— The word Christmas is Old English, a contraction of Christ’s Mass.

— In Greek, X means Christ; that is where the word “Xmas” comes from!

— The world’s largest Christmas present was the Statue of Liberty. The French gave it to the US in 1886. It is 46.5 meters high and weights 225 tons!

— The world’s tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.

— The Greeks celebrate Christmas on January 7, according to the old Julian calendar, while Xmas presents are opened on New Year’s Day. — Krampus is a mythical creature recognised in Alpine countries. According to legend, Krampus accompanies Saint Nicholas during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children.

Mistle-toe What’s a child’s favourite king at Christmas?

A stocking!

Which of Santas reindeer has bad manners?

Rude-alph!

What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas?

Sandy claws.

It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner,”What are you charged with?”

It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner,”What are you charged with?”

“Doing my Christmas shopping early”, replied the defendant.

“That’s no offence”, said the judge. “ It is if you do it before the shop opened”, countered the prisoner.

PHOTO: FILE

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 24, 2011

Teen spirit health tips

The joy ride Think that school vans are smelly and stuffy? I don’t!

MAHNOOR ALI

Less than perfect GOHAR WARRAICH

If we count all the hours that we spend examining our noses in the mirror, they will surely add up to at least a couple of days. From the dotted blackheads, the nose hair, the tip, the bulb, to the slightest hint of a bump, nothing escapes our eye while we crane our neck as close to our reflection as possible. Some people attach a lot of importance to the shape of a nose — a crooked one suggesting dishonesty, an aquiline nose pointing to ambition. Thus shapes not only address the obvious facet of aesthetics, but are said to be reflective of different personality traits too.

Few people realise that a hooked nose is not just aesthetically unpleasing, it also causes a medical problem in the thin wall (septum) separating the two sides of the nasal passages, known as a ‘deviated nasal septum’.

This internal issue can give rise to a typical constellation of symptoms depending on severity. First and foremost, is nasal blockade, which makes breathing difficult especially during a flu or allergic congestion of the nose. Headaches might also be experienced. The person may keep his or her bunk buddy up at night by snoring. Nosebleeds can occur, not because of heightened emotions, but the drying out of the nose. And finally, the nasal passages being relatively clogged lead to poor ventilation and frequent infections.

For these disabling symptoms, medications might help provide only temporary relief, serving to open the airway, mitigate allergies and keep in check the runny nose. For a permanent solution, surgery will be necessary.

The main surgery is septoplasty which aims to correct the defect in the septum. This might be done by removing the excess or adding, as the need be, and positioning the septum centrally. This will fend against the headaches, nosebleeds and regular resident germs. Altering the shape of the nose externally can also be necessary for a complete resolution. This procedure is known as a rhinoplasty or commonly known as the nose job. The two may be combined into one procedure. The patient can go home the same day with a dressing. Either an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist can be sought or a plastic surgeon can do the job. Essential to discuss with your doctor is to decide the approach which fulfills cosmetic parameters as well.

The nose can also be in a cast to maintain the shape of the nose and protect it from injury, which may stay in place for a week. Applying appropriate pressure on the nose as instructed by the surgeon is vital, as is the follow up at the clinic to ensure that the nose is healing and it does not revert to being deviated.

For those, who have neither heard or experienced these problems, know that generally the cause of this misshapen nose, inside and out, is injury, whether it happens in childhood when the bones are more pliable or later, fracturing the nasal bones. Therefore, stay safe to enjoy the pleasures of breathing easily.

Ah! What comes to your mind when you think of the word “van”? A stuffy, congested and smelly vehicle? Well for me, it’s a joy beyond words. Yeah! Yeah! I know you’re thinking I am crazy? Well, maybe I am but I’ve had numerous interesting experiences on the van that picks and drops me to school and I will share some of those with you all.

You must have seen a van jam-packed with kids in school uniforms zoom past your suave air-conditioned car and wondered how terrible it would be to commute that way. But all vans are not the same. I travel to school in a Suzuki van, which is comfortable and clean, unlike those high roof types. But that’s not what actually makes the experience

of traveling in a van great; it’s the unexpected adventures and entertaining company which do so.

But apart from these adventures, even the journey of traveling in a bus comes with small joys. As the vehicle speeds down the main roads, the strong gush of wind gets my heart racing and my hair starts flying. It’s the perfect adrenaline rush in the morning!

And who can really stay in a rotten mood when your fun-loving, mischievous friends are around you? Even the crabby van driver ends up laughing at our misdemeanors and condones them by saying, “koi baat nahin (it’s no issue)”.

A few days back as I and my friends were giggling and chatting in the van, enjoying the cool wind from the rolled

down window, a guy on a motor-cycle sped right next to us. He was wearing huge aviator sunglasses and his gelled hair was styled in spikes.

But his attempt to look like a cool dude just made us randomly burst into a laughter. The boy glared at us angrily but we just giggled uncontrollably.

Then my friend stuck out her tongue at him (which had turned a greenish-blue colour because she had been endlessly sucking on a lollipop).

Thus the guy got seriously irritated then and hurled an apple at her from a bag which was tucked at the back of his motorcycle. But unfortunately, the fruit bounced off the roof and hit my van driver on the head instead. And then all hell broke loose. The driver

and the motor cyclist had a heated argument for a good twenty minutes or so, while we just laughed incessantly from inside our van.

And the liberties we take with the grouchy van driver also make him experience similar bouts of anger. Every day, as we race towards the van after school, munching on unhygienic French fries and sucking on multicoloured gola gandas, he scolds us. But then he then just sighs and says in a resigned tone, “koi baat nai.”

Kids going to school in comfortable air-conditioned cars don’t know the fun they are missing out on. Loud music blaring from expensive woofers can’t ever substitute the camaraderie and adventures of the van.

DESIGN: JAMAL KHURSHID

Enterteenment!

Sizzling snippets from Hollywood

Selena Gomez cancels concerts

Angelina Jolie learning French

Puerto Rican singer, Spanish model have their first child

LONDON

LONDON

Singer-actress Selena Gomez cancelled two concerts after her mother reportedly suffered a miscarriage.

The 19-year-old had been scheduled to appear at the B96 Jingle Bash 2011 in Chicago and 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Bell Bash in Seattle, but cancelled both commitments.

According to E! Online, Gomez pulled out of the shows after learning her mother, Mandy Teefey, had lost her unborn baby.

Selena learned of the family emergency during Power 106’s Cali Christmas 2011 concert in Los Angeles and immediately left to be with her mother and stepfather Brian Teefey. (IANS)

Actress Angelina Jolie is learning French as all her six children can speak the language fluently.

The 36-year-old has children — Maddox, ten; Pax, eight; Zahara, six; Shiloh, five; and three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

“I’ve been writing and staying with the kids.

I think I should learn French and be a better cook — basic really good life stuff. I’m always doing something. I never shut my brain off.

I always have something going on,” contactmusic.com quoted Jolie as saying.

“I’ve been studying French on and off my whole life, and I figured, my kids can speak it, and it’s embarrassing that I can’t as well as they can, so now...” she added. (IANS)

MIAMI

Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and Spanish model Agueda Lopez have had their first child together, a girl they named Mikaela.

“Both Agueda and Mikaela are in perfect health,” said Fonsi, who added that he felt “very emotional and proud to begin this new chapter in ... life as a father”.

The couple expressed their gratitude “from the bottom of our hearts (for) the lovely wishes and messages of support (we) have received”, although they also asked for “privacy to ensure that mother and daughter have a quick recovery”.

(IANS/EFE)

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 24, 2011

Chips, heal thyself!

Geek Guide

Self-repairing electronic chips are now one step closer, says a team of US researchers. Scientists have created a circuit that heals itself when damaged, due to the release of liquid metal which restores conductivity. The process takes less than an eye blink to bring the circuit back to use.

The researchers said that their work could eventually lead to longer-lasting gadgets as well as solving one of the biggest problems of interplanetary travel.

The work was carried out by a team of scientists and engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is published in the journal Advanced Materials. The process works by using the stress that causes the initial damage in the chips to break open tiny reservoirs of a healing material that fills in the resulting openings and thus restarting electrical flow.

Cracked circuits To test their theory, the team patterned lines of gold onto glass to form a circuit. They then either placed tiny microcapsules wide directly onto the lines or added a thin laminate into which they embedded relatively larger microcapsules.

In both cases the microcapsules contained eutectic gallium-indium — a metallic material chosen for its high conductivity and low melting point. This device was then placed between another layer of glass and acrylic and connected to electricity.

The researchers then bent the circuit until it cracked causing the monitored voltage to fall to zero. They said the ruptured microcapsules then healed most of the test circuits within one millisecond and restored nearly all of the measured voltage.

The smaller capsules healed the device every time but were a little less conductive than the larger ones which had a slightly lower success rate. The team suggested that a mix of differently sized capsules would therefore give the best result.

The devices were then monitored for four months during which time the researchers said there was no loss of conductivity.

Games Gratis

Safe space travel

Subscription free gaming is on the rise PETER ROLPH

If there is a king of online gaming, it is World of Warcraft (WoW) — Blizzard Entertainment’s multiplayer world that has achieved a state of ubiquity when discussing massively multiplayer games. But the king’s subjects are moving away to other lands; last month, the BBC reported that WoW has lost nearly two million subscribers to date since its peak of 12 million in 2010. And WoW is not alone — games requiring a paid subscription are generally losing ground online, but gamers are finding new worlds to explore as more and more titles change to become free-to-play.

Ironically, gaming titles which shift to a free model often find themselves more profitable and successful than before. Several big names in gaming have made this transition in 2011. Age of Conan — Funcom’s online world based on the books by Robert E Howard reported getting 300,000 new play-

ers in August — the first month after going free. Sony claimed last month that DC Universe: Online had over one million new players since its switch to a free model in October. Whereas, earlier in the year Team Fortress 2, Champions Online and City of Heroes can now be used without any fee.

Other brand names are following suit. At the end of November, both Star Trek Online and Earthrise announced they would remove subscriptions at the beginning of 2012.

Subscription free gaming isn’t itself new, although in the past it has been associated with titles that were initially developed with the intent of not charging a price. Often lacking the same amount of development and detail as the more expensive, premium titles, free games have been looked down upon by avid gamers. However, the more recent movement of previously commercial subscription titles to subscriptionfree gaming is adding a new stan-

Ironically, gaming titles which shift to a free model often find themselves more profitable and successful than before dard to what players expect from free content.

Probably the most high profile shift was of Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO), developed by Turbine and released in 2006. By 2009, its playerbase was dwindling, but the game was given a new lease of life when the transition was made, and thus it managed to attract hordes of new players — especially because of the extra appeal of it previously being a “premium” game. Numerous fea-

tures of the game were made inaccessible, as were certain choices that could be made during character creation. But the game also added an online shop allowing these things to be bought individually if and when players wanted, as well as items that might be needed during play.

In short, while the game can be legitimately described as playable for free, playing totally for free also introduces some inconviences — players often pay for some of the convenience to be returned.

Alternatively, some choose to continue paying a monthly subscription rate to have all the locked content made accessible. These three concurrent approachs — free but limited, paying piecemeal, and subscribing for all content — have become the standard with the formerly-premium games changing.

However, it is a model that works well, and when Turbine announced the same change for it’s title Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) in 2010, many

gamers were surprised. Unlike DDO, LotRO was seen as still successfully running on subscriptions. However, 2010 was a pivotal year — games journalism website Eurogamer recently highlighted an industry report by analysts Screen Digest that it was the first recorded year that income from game subscriptions had fallen. However, in the same time the income from “free” gaming had risen considerably, indeed more than making up the amount lost.

So what does the future hold?

Subscription-only titles are becoming rarer, though there are still several titles holding on strong such as Eve Online and Rift, as well as the granddad of MMOs, Ultima Online which is still running on subscriptions 14 years after its release. But even the king WoW itself has acknowledged the attraction of being free-to-play, having started providing a limited amount of free content.

The leader of the group said the theory could prove advantageous for the space industry.

“The only avenue one has right now is to simply remove that circuitry when it fails and replace it — there is no way to manually go in and fix something like this,” aerospace engineering professor Scott White told the BBC. The research team hope to adapt the process to create longer lasting rechargeable batteries.

“I think the real application area that you’ll see for something like this is in electronics which are incredibly difficult to repair or replace — think about satellites or interplanetary travel where it’s physically impossible to swap out something.”

The research is an offshoot of the university’s research into extending the lifetime of rechargeable batteries.

The reason current systems fail after repeated use is often because microdamage inside the devices has disrupted the conductive flow of electrons from one end of the batteries to the other.

The team said that if they could solve the problem electric car batteries might last 10 years or more making vehicles much cheaper to maintain. BBC NEWS

Facebook to boost privacy after Irish probe

Tech Society

Next Generation Inventions These futuristic gizmos take creativity to the next level:

Body power Researchers are devising ways to rechannel the body’s natural energies to power electrical devices. Breakthroughs in silicon nano wire based converters allow people to charge a cell phone with body heat or charge an iPod through walking.

Scientists at the Joseph Fourier University of Grenoble have built a biofuel cell, which uses glucose and oxygen at concentrations found in the body to generate electricity.

This gadget can potentially

kick-start a revolution in artificial organs and prosthetics that would transform tens of thousands of lives.

Learning to “feel the force”

Star Wars fans can finally realise their dream of mimicking Darth Vader. Next generation toys, which are already in the market, read brain waves. Sensors touch the the user’s forehead and reads the brain’s electrical signals, then sends them to a wireless receiver which triggers an action like switching on a light. NeuroSky Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is the leader in an emerging industry that allows people to gain insights into their brain at a level previously only available to medical and brain researchers. The company hopes to create sophisticated devices that could revolutionise the way people play with their minds — literally.

Miniaturised medical equipment Super tiny implants that can test, diagnose, and also alert doctors of problems with their patients can potentially replace costly routine visits. Medical technologies are rapidly miniaturising as a consequence of three factors.

First, the development of the new, high density “digital chip” allows the combining of multiple

functions into one, small electronic module.

Secondly, the expansion of medical research and diagnosis of symptoms that is available to the doctor. Third, the economic focus that is on cost containment in the medical services provider.

Facebook agreed to overhaul privacy protection for more than half a billion users outside North America, after a threemonth investigation found that its privacy policies were overly complex and lacked transparency. The probe by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) at the US group’s international headquarters in Dublin said users were at risk of unknowingly publicising personal details. For example, users might not be aware that uploading their photos made them publicly searchable until they change the setting on their Facebook page.

Facebook’s Ireland office handles all of its users outside of the United States and Canada. The group operates the world’s largest social networking website with 800 million users, the majority of them outside of North America. The improvements include giving users more information about how Facebook and third party apps handle their personal information, deleting certain details more promptly and giving users a clear warning that it uses facial-recognition technology that automatically tags them in photographs. Facebook said making the changes would require intense work.

Last month, Facebook’s founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the group had made “a bunch of mistakes” in how it handled personal data. It reached a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in November over a privacy complaint. REUTERS

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 24, 2011

offbeat

The tale of the calming paw

Countdown to the apocalypse

Stewie the black cat was filmed by his owner Aaron Grant as he appeared to stroke baby Connar’s head with his paw to stop him crying. The clip shows the cat, noticeably nonchalant about his abilities, place his paw on top the crying baby and give it a number of calming strokes. Stewie then rests his paw on the child’s head for a while to maintain a soothing presence.

The video, shot in Grant’s home in Canada, has attracted nearly 350,000 views. YouTube user taliebev said: “This is brilliant.

Animals can do just as good a job as humans!”

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Pen-t up!

Indigenous Maya communities in southern Mexico have begun a year-long countdown to 21 December 2012, which will mark the end of a five-millenia cycle in the ancient Mayan calendar.

Some people have interpreted the prophecy as predicting the apocalypse.

But experts say it signifies the end of an era, not the end of the world. Maya priests have been holding special religious ceremonies, and Mexican tourism officials are preparing for a surge in visitors to the region.

Mexico’s tourism agency says it hopes to draw around 52 million visitors in 2012, with many heading to the

Maya heartland in the southern states of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Tabasco.

The Mayan civilisation, which reached its peak between 250 and 900AD, was fascinated by astronomy, mathematics and the cycles of time.

Its Long Count calendar began in 3114BC and moves forward in 394-year periods known as Baktuns.

The winter solstice in 2012 marks the end of the 13th Baktun, a date of special significance that reflects celestial alignments recognised by modern astronomers.

The idea that it could mean the end of the world — based on a Mayan text carved into a stone 1,300 years

ago — has been spread on thousands of websites.

But archaeologists and Maya experts say the prophecy predicts the return to Earth of a powerful god and the start of a new era, not a global catastrophe.

They point out that other Maya prophecies refer to events far in the future.

This has not stopped the spread of millennial fears around the world.

Tourism officials are hoping that some of those who believe the end of the world is nigh will take the opportunity to visit the Maya region before it is too late.

SOURCE: BBC.CO.UK

Buried alive, rescued by ring

PHOTO: FILE

A Polish man who shot his partner with a Taser stun gun and then buried her alive in a Yorkshire wood was found guilty of attempted murder.

Marcin Kasprzak, 25, attacked Michelina Lewandowska, 27, the mother of his child, at their home in Huddersfield and then bound and gagged her with tape.

Lewandowska, also Polish, was placed in a cardboard box and buried in nearby woodland.

She managed to cut her way out of the box using her engagement ring, and dug herself out of the shallow grave, which was covered with earth and a tree branch, before flagging down a passing motorist.

Kasprzak denied attempted murder but was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court, northern England.

Fellow Pole Patryk Borys, 18, was cleared of the same charge. Both men have admitted kidnap and Kasprzak also admitted possessing a prohibited weapon.

Tower fit for a king… Flush your or goats? money away

The jury were told that Kasprzak attacked Lewandowska because their relationship had broken down and he wanted custody of their three-year-old son. Kasprzak told the court he only meant to scare Lewandowska and did not intend to kill her.

In a statement after the verdict, Lewandowska said she now hated her former lover.

“During my time inside my shallow grave where I was buried alive, I feared that my life was at an end and I was going to die,” she said.

“The thought of my son gave me the strength to fight my way out of the box and save myself.”

“For many years I loved Marcin Kasprzak very much. But after his horrific attack upon me my feelings towards him have turned to hatred.”

“I still have nightmares that Marcin will come back to find me and kill me. My only hope is that he can accept that what he did to me was very wrong.”

“I am pleased that he is now behind bars where he belongs.” SOURCE: NEWS.YAHOO.COM

Smaller is better?

A Japanese toilet manufacturer has created the world’s most valuable loo to please the “god of lavatories”.

Toilet maker INAX teamed up with an Austrian jeweller to create the toilet — studded with more than 72,000 Swarovski crystals.

It is on display in a showroom in Tokyo’s posh Ginza shopping district until the end of December, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Kazuo Sumimiya, director of the showroom for the Lixil interior fixture company, said “In Japan, we believe a deity exists in the lavatory. That’s why keeping lavatories clean and taking good care of it has been a Japanese custom since long ago,” he said.

“If we were to sell it, it would probably be worth around 10 million yen (Rs11,564,892).”

Visitors admired the dazzling fixture, with one woman saying she’d like to invite her friends to hold a party around it.

But Chikako Kawanami, 22, said: “It’d be hard. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable enough to use it even if I had this at home.”

A 76-year-old British woman recently had a pen removed from her stomach, and doctors were shocked to discover that after 25 years of gestation, the pen still works.

The British Medical Journal Case Reports chronicled the medical case of the woman, who has not been identified, was sent to a GI specialist after various symptoms, including weight loss. When doctors scanned the woman’s intestinal tract, they discovered, “A linear foreign body in the stomach.” After the discovery, the woman said she remembered accidentally swallowing a black felt-tip pen, more than a quarter century ago.

While the pen was corroded after two decades of exposure to stomach acid, it still contained usable ink and could be used for writing.

Even though the pen was apparently not related to the woman’s current health issues, doctors went ahead and removed it anyway.

SOURCE: NEWS.YAHOO.COM

Living in a fairytale

Couple David and Janean Richards have an incredible 331,038 fairy lights covering their property — smashing the previous world record.

The couple, from Forest Act, Australia, have 331,038 lights covering their property. David Richards, a barrister and father of three, has been working for the past four years to bring together all the decorations.

The illuminations have helped to raise money for the charity SIDS and Kids — an organisation Mr Richards said helped his family during tough times in 2002. Although their entry into the Guinness World Records and the money raised for charity have obviously gone down well with the Richards, the household don’t plan to do the same thing next year.

The couple will be passing the lights on, as a way of encouraging the new owners to raise money for charity.

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Brave Santa delivers treats for tigers

SORUCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

A devoted pet owner has built a 3 metre (10feet) tower to accommodate his South African goats as he thought they were pining for their natural hilly habitat.

Most animals are happy with a squeaky toy or some outdoor space but this takes pampering your pet to new heights.

Charles Back created the tower in his garden — and claimed it improved the goats’ quality of life.

The 55-year-old said: “People with goats aren’t usually that worried about providing their animals access to height but I think it’s necessary. The goats love the tower.”

Mr Back, who runs a vineyard and cheesery near Paarl, in the Western Cape, bought the goats to create a new range of cheese in 1981. He built the ‘mountain’ after his parents saw a similar thing while on holiday in Portugal. In the years since, the tower has inspired a tipple called ‘Goats do Roam’ and pictures of it have appeared on websites around the world. “People must find it funny,” Mr Back said. “I know it is pretty unorthodox.”

The brick tower has separate ‘rooms’ for the animals, accessed by a spiral wooden staircase. Mr Back’s creation has also sparked something of a craze, with towers now in Illinois, Memphis and Norway.

Tiny Jyoti Amge has two reasons to celebrate her 18th birthday — the obvious one, and that she’s now due to be declared the world’s shortest woman by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Amge measured in at 62.8 centimetres (24.7 inches) tall — seven centimetres (2.76 inches) shorter than the 22-year-old American Bridgette Jordan, who had held the title since September.

It’s not Amge’s first Guinness record. Until now, she was considered the world’s shortest teenager, but in turning 18, she qualified for the new title.

A teary-eyed Amge, dressed in one of her finest saris, called the honour an ‘extra birthday present’ and said she felt grateful for being small, as it had brought her recognition.

After receiving a plaque, she and her guests cut a birthday cake.

Amge said: “I have put Nagpur on the world map. Now everyone will know where it is.”

She dreams of one day becoming a Bollywood film star as well as pursuing a university degree after she finishes high school this year.

“I want to be an actor,” she said.

Guinness says in a statement Amge has grown less than one centimetre (0.4 inch) in the last two years and will grow no more due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

A brave Santa Claus has been delivered early Christmas presents to tigers at Australia Zoo. Sumatran tiger Bashii and his friend Sunita were given edible treats and toys during the visit to the zoo’s Tiger Temple attraction.

Santa was careful to avoid the claws when he got up close and personal to drop off wrapped gifts and feed Bashii with a milk bottle at the Queensland zoo.

Australia Zoo’s head of tigers and international conservation manager Giles Clark said the seasonal gifts didn’t last long.

“From the moment Santa entered the Tiger Temple, Bashii was ready to pounce on the big bag of gifts that included milk treats and blow up Christmas trees and balls for the pool,” he said.

“Like any four year old, Bashii was pretty excited to see Santa and the trees and balls didn’t last very long.”

SOURCE: XXXXXXXXX