Deadly Sins

Australia is the most sinful nation on Earth, a study has claimed as the country ranked first overall in the seven deadly sins, which include lust, greed and pride.
"Australia has been ranked first overall in a study of the seven deadly sins, according to Courier Mail that quoted the BBC's Focus magazine. While the US topped the table for gluttony, South Korea topped the list for lust. Iceland ranked number one for both pride and sloth, and Mexico topped the list for greed. The article, which argues that people are "bad" by nature has found social data to compare nations under the seven categories.

Marathon fakes

Almost a third of the runners who finished in the top 100 of the Xiamen marathon have been disqualified for cheating. The competitors were stripped of their rankings after it emerged some had hired impostors to compete in their place and others had jumped into vehicles part way along the route, Chinese media reported.
Others gave their time-recording microchips to faster runners. Jiefang Daily, the Shanghai Communist party newspaper, said organisers caught the cheats when they scanned video footage. The paper said most of those involved had apologised, but those without a co-operative attitude would be barred from future events.

Barometer Migraine

The MET department may not be sure always. But, a the 29-year-old British woman always gets a migraine before the heavens open up. Bizarre it may appear, but Shakira Robson can predict when a downpour is on its way even without any technology. In fact, she can even tell how heavy the rainfall will be by the intensity of her headache. "It was a joke at first. I would text my friends and warn them to take an umbrella out with them as I was getting a migraine -- but when it was always correct, I thought I would monitor it. Now, I'm like a human barometer," she said.

This may be due to the inability of the brain to adjust to a drop in air pressure. It is believed that such abilities were present since the dawn of man and they helped people predict the weather. such people would have got important positions in society.  

Smarty fish

Fish can remember things for months, according to researchers, who have dismissed the myth that the animals have a three-second memory. The view that fish lack the brain power to retain memories is "absolute rubbish," said Dr Kevin Warburton of Charles Sturt University's Institute for Land, Water and Society in Australia.
He made his conclusions after studying the behavior of Australian freshwater fish such as the silver perch, which can remember a predator for several months after only one encounter. "They can learn to avoid predators after being attacked once and they retain this memory for several months," he added.

Painful Release

The governor of the US-administered Northern Mariana Islands is feeling the heat after ordering the temporary release of a jailed suspect to give him a massage. Benigno R Fitial, the most senior politician there, demanded Chinese masseuse, Qing Mei Cheng, be set free to treat him for back pain. The masseuse was taken from the local prison, where she was being held on people smuggling charges, to the governor's mansion before being returned to jail."I made this request because this was an unusual situation where I needed to address the extraordinary pain I was experiencing," Fitial said in a statement.