Steve's News

Well, this is certainly one way to log off.

Lost an Amazon package? Need to call your airline because your flight got canceled? Then you need to pay extra attention when trying to find a customer service contact.

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s a paper airplane!

We leave behind our fears of monsters under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhoods, but one can follow us into adulthood and loom over our heads.

The 16kg twin was removed from the teenager’s abdomen (Picture: Getty) Doctors in India have successfully removed a 16kg ‘parasitic twin’ from a teenage boy following an intensive surgical procedure. Parasitic twins are an extremely rare medical phenomenon which occurs when a foetus stops developing but remains attached and dependent upon its twin. Fewer than 50 such cases have been recorded in medical literature, and the condition is thought to affect less than 1 in 100,000 people worldwide. Prior to his surgery, the boy had lived with two fully formed legs, buttocks and external genitalia protruding from his abdomen, which doctors said could feel touch, pain, and changes in temperature. The boy, from the remote village of Uttar Pradesh, said he had been shunned socially because of his condition and that ‘a new world has opened up’ to him following the surgery. Speaking to the Indian Express, he added: ‘I couldn’t travel anywhere or do any physical activity. ‘I now hope to study and get a job. A new world has opened up to me.’ Less than 50 recorded cases exist of the phenomena (Picture: Getty Images) Due to the lack of medical knowledge and case studies on the topic, doctors said they had to rely on their ‘intuition, skill and knowledge’ to successfully complete the procedure. Doctors first carried out scans which revealed the parasitic twin was attached to the teenager’s breastbone and was receiving blood from a vessel in his chest – but did not have a significant connection with other major organs such as the liver or kidneys. From there they carried out the surgery in two parts, the first if which involved removing the parasitic limbs while the second saw them remove a large cyst from the teenager’s abdomen. ‘One of the major concerns was the possibility of involvement of the host kid’s internal organs, which fortunately there was none,’ Dr Krishna of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences told

Furious Belgians have protested the banning of an ancient fish-drinking festival tradition (Picture: Shutterstock) Belgian festival-goers are furious after the government banned an ancient tradition which involves drinking from a goblet of wine containing live fish. For over 600 years the town of Geraardsbergen has celebrated the arrival of spring by hosting the Krakelingen festival, an annual celebration involving costumed parades, ancient rituals and a series of bizarre local traditions. The centrepiece of the festival, which began in 1413, involves local druids throwing ring-shaped bread crackers off the top of the historic Oudenberg Hill following a colourful parade. But just before they commence with the tossing, the druids drink wine from a goblet containing live fish swimming around, which has now been banned by the government under a new animal welfare law. The Krakelingen festival sees local druids drink from a goblet containing live fish (Picture: Shutterstock) Locals have protested the ban (Picture: Shutterstock) The ban, which came into effect last summer, has sparked fury among traditionalists, who took to the streets this weekend waving placards reading ‘I want fish’ and accusing the authorities of destroying a centuries-old cultural tradition without consultation. ‘The regulation was approved without us ever being heard,’ local alderman Ann Panis told the Sunday Times while dressed in traditional garb. Geraardsbergen’s mayor Fernand Van Trimpont also joined the protest in his ceremonial attire, vowing to fight to reinstate the practice. ‘Flanders must take into account cultural-historical arguments. We therefore hope that our protest will be picked up so that the regulation can be changed,’ he told the outlet. The festival has taken place every year since 1413 (Picture: Shutterstock) Animal rights groups have threatened to report anyone caught drinking fish at the festival (Picture: Alamy) The tradition has long faced opposition from Gaia, Belgium’s largest animal rights organisation, who claim the practice is cruel and have promised to take legal action against anyone caught drinking the fish. ‘Traditions are no excuse