Is this the world's oldest living man? Ethiopian farmer says he is 160 and can remember Italy invading his country in 1895

Many people won't be aware of Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1895, but one man doesn't just know about the battle - he claims to have lived through it. Retired farmer Dhaqabo Ebba, from Ethiopia, says he is a staggering 160 years old, which would make him the world's oldest living man. He claims to have clear memories of Italy's invasion of his country in the 19th century - however, there is no birth certificate to prove his age.
In a statement to Oromiya TV, he provided so much detail on the history of his local area that reporter Mohammed Ademo became convinced that Mr Ebba must be at least 160 years old.
This would make him 46 years older than the oldest ever recorded man. 'When Italy invaded Ethiopia I had two wives,and my son was old enough to herd cattle', said Mr Ebba.
He then recounted his eight-day horseback rides to Addis Ababa as a child - a journey that takes only a few hours today. As Mr Ebba grew up in an oral society, there is no paper trail and no living witnesses to verify his age. However, if his claim can be medically confirmed, he would oust 115-year-old Misao Okawa, who is currently recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person. He would also overtake French woman Jeanne Calment as the oldest person to have ever lived. Ms Calment died in 1997 at the age of 122.
The last man confirmed to have lived in the 19th century was Jiroemon Kimura, who was born in Japan on April 19, 1897. He died in June this year at the age of 116 - making him the longest-living man in history. Mr Kimura, who lived in Kyotango, Japan, left behind seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren. According to 2011 government data, Japan has more than 50,000 centenarians, reinforcing its reputation for longevity.

30 fact you need to know

1 A goldfish's attention span is three seconds. 2 Animals that lay eggs don't have belly buttons. 3 Beavers can hold their breath for 45 minutes under water. 4 Slugs have four noses. 5 Camels have three eyelids. 6 A honey bee can fly at 15mph. 7 A queen bee can lay 800-1,500 eggs per day. 8 A bee has five eyelids. 9 The average speedofa housefly is 4.5 mph. 10 Mosquitoes are attracted to people who just ate bananas. 11 Flamingos turn pink from eating shrimp. 12 Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backward. 13 Cats have over 100 vocal chords. 14 Camel's milk does not curdle. 15 All porcupines float in water. 16 The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1. 17 A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. 18 A jellyfish is 95% water. 19 Children grow faster in the spring. 20 Broccoli is the only vegetable that is also a flower. 21 Almonds are partofthe peach family. 22Alaska has the highest percentageofpeople who walk to work. 23The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile national monument. 24 The stateofMaine has 62 lighthouses. 25 The only food that does not spoil is honey. 26 The Hawaiian alphabet only has 12 letters. 27 A ballofglass will bounce higher than a ballofrubber. 28Chewing gum while peeling onions will prevent you from crying. 29On average a human will spend up to 2 weeks kissing in his/her lifetime. 30 Fish have eyelids.

10 InterestingFacts About Russia

Russia, located in Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia), is one of the most popular countries in the world. The official languageis Russian but there are 27other languages co-official in various regions throughout the country. Most people are aware of where Russia is located and what types of people live there, but there are many little known facts about this country and its culture that are really quiteinteresting. Here are 10 cool facts about Russia: 1. World’s Longest Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway spans almost all the way across the county,making it the single longestrailway in the world. The 9200 kilometer (or 5700 mile) railway departs in moscow (located in European Russia) and crosses into Asia. It then makes its way to the PacificOcean port of Vladivostok where it reaches the end ofits incredible journey. The entire journey non-stop will take you 152 hours and27 minutes to complete.2. World’s Largest McDonalds If you’re a fan of the famous golden arches, Russia is the place to go. The country is home to the largest McDonalds restaurant in the world. With 700 seats. A larger building, seating 1,500, was constructed for the 2012 Olympics in London, England but it was a temporary location and wasdissembled six weeks afterthe doors opened (once theOlympics had come to an end)3. Women vs. Men There are approximately 10 million more women in Russia than there are men. The imbalance was initially believed to the result of somany men dying during World War II.4. Wedding RingTradition For many Russians, it is tradition to wear your wedding ring on your ring finger of your right hand. Countries like Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Germany, Spain, Austria, India and Greece have a similar tradition of wearing the wedding ring on the right hand.5. Flower Superstition A dozen roses? No thanks!In Russia, men never give an even amount of flowers to a women. It is consideredbad luck and is associated with funerals.6. Largest Country by Area Russia is the largest country in the world by area. It’s total area is 17,075,400 square kilometers and it covers more than a ninth of the Earth’s land area. The area of the land in Russia is 1.8 times larger than the total size of the United States.7. Home to Many Billionaires Moscow has more billionaireresidents than any other city in the world. There area total of 74 billionaires living in the popular city, which is exactly 3 more than the second-place city,New York.8. Second-Largest Oil Producer in the World As of 2012, Russia is second largest producer ofoil in the world, producing an average of 9,900,000 barrels of crude per day. Saudi Arabia landed the topposition with 10,900,000 barrels per day, however, it is estimated that the US will surpass both Russa and Saudi Arabia by 2020 to become the world’s largest oil producer (the USis currently in third position).9. Fastest Means of Transportation Moscow’s amazing metro system is the fastest means of transport. During rush hour, trains are scheduled for every 90 seconds. It is estimated that over 9 million passengers ride the Meto every day. The Metro of St.Petersburg is also the deepest subway in the world, clocking in at a whopping 100m deep.10. Shaking Hand Superstition Russian’s will never shake hands over a doorway. It isbelieved to be a bad omen and most Russians are convinced the action will lead to an argument.Source:escape here

$15 million yacht can be controlled by an iPad

With her curved 'wings,' long pointed nose, and gleaming underbelly proppedhigh above the waves, this space-age yacht might be better suited to the sky than the sea. Just a few square meters ofthe futuristic vessel -- valued at $15 million -- actually touch the surface ofthe water, allowing it to skimacross the waves with ease. The innovative design, along with high-tech features such as an iPad-controller, helped glossy "Adastra" win three prizes at last week's prestigious ShowBoats Design Awards in Monaco, including Best Naval Architecture. The yachting world is clearlyimpressed. The honor follows a prize for the Most Innovative Design at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards earlier this year. So could this alien shape -- resembling something between a spaceship and the Concorde supersonic plane -- be the future of superyacht design? "The superyacht industry ispretty traditional," designer John Shuttleworth, told CNN."But the establishment has given a 'yes' to this idea which is a huge step forward." "Inevitably, there has to be a trend for reducing fuel consumption -- and I think superyachts will have to look something like this in the future. Initially I don't think economics will drive it -- these are wealthy owners and cost isn't an issue. Instead, it will be froman ethical, environmental point of view." Billionaire's toys Billionaire shipping magnate Anton Marden is believed to be the proud owner of the plush 42.5-meter vessel, which took more than five years to design and build. The Hong Kong-based moguland wife Elaine will be able to remotely control their luxury yacht from up to 50 meters away, simply by sweeping their hand over an iPad. If you want to appeal to the mega rich, such flashy gadgets -- and room to house them -- are now an essential part of superyachtarchitecture. "We have recently seen an increase in new and excitingsuperyacht toys on the market and clients are increasingly looking for more space to house these," said co-exterior designer Orion Shuttleworth. "Our new designs incorporate lots of space to accommodate jet skis, sailing boats, kayaks, paddle boards and other toys." Speed machine With just 20% of the enormous 52-ton boat submerged in water, Adastra is able to glide along the waves without thesame drag as traditional superyachts, hitting up to 43 kilometers per hour. It also means the vessel, made from a super-light glass and carbon material, consumes a lot less fuel -- around 14% of a conventional superyacht thesame size. "Adastra's longer, slender main hull has extremely low drag, which is why she is sofuel efficient," explained Orion. "The smooth, seamless, unbroken surfaces also helpto reduce weight," he said of the boat, which can travelup to 6,400 kilometers -- the same distance from London to New York -- without refueling. In fact, the three-pronged design -- featuring a slim hull and two 'wings' -- is similar to the world's fastestsailboat Hydroptere, which broke the speed record in 2009 at 95 kilometers per hour. Source: http://cnnmobile.com/primary/fullarticle?topic=newsarticle&category=tech&pageSize=10&pageNo=1&articleId=urn:newsml:CNN.com:20130701:is-this-space-age-ipad-superyacht:1

Journalists keep up Mandela reports

Johannesburg - It was quiet on Mondayafternoon outside the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital, in Pretoria, where former president Nelson Mandela remains in acritical condition. Passers-by took pictures of get-well messages left on thewall of the hospital on Celliers Street in Sunnyside. International journalists, who have set camp along the street, continuedto broadcast live from there. Residents in nearby flats moved up and down the street trying to get the latest news on Mandela from journalists. "How is he [Mandela] doing? I thought you guys will be the first to know," said Angie Makge. She said she wanted to know whether the former president's health was improving. Media reports on Monday were not clear about Mandela's condition, she said. On Monday, which was Mandela's 24th day in hospital, the presidency said his condition was still critical, but stable. "We remind all South Africans to begin planning for Madiba'sbirthday on 18 July,"President Jacob Zuma said in a statement. "We must all be able to do something goodfor humanity on this day, in tribute to ourformer president." Zuma thanked everyone who had kept Mandela and hisfamily in their thoughts and prayers.. http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/Journalists-keep-up-Mandela-reports-20130701