World's Oldest 'Clicquot Champagne' found on Baltic seabed off the coast of Aaland, Finland

Diver Christian Ekstrom was exploring a shipwreck on the Baltic seabed when he suddenly found the 30 bottles Clicquot Champagne on 16 July 2010

He took one to the surface, where he opened it and tasted it with his colleagues. The diver who retrieved the champagne said it was an honour to drink it.

'Sweet taste' "It was fantastic," he told.

Diver Christian Ekstrom and with his colleagues have found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution on the Baltic seabed.

When they opened one, they found the wine - believed to have been made by Clicquot (now Veuve Clicquot) between 1782 and 1788 - was still in good condition.

The bottle - whose shape indicates it was produced in the 18th Century - has now been sent to France for analysis.

If confirmed, it would be the oldest drinkable champagne in the world.

"It had a very sweet taste, you could taste oak and it had a very strong tobacco smell. And there were very small bubbles."

According to records, Clicquot champagne was first produced in 1772 but was laid down for 10 years. Its production was disrupted after the French Revolution in 1789.

Champagne bottle found on Baltic seabed - 16 July 2010 Experts think the remaining bottles could fetch high prices around 500,000 Swedish kronor (£45,000; $69,000) at auction

The wine found on the seabed was perfectly preserved because of the conditions of dark and cold on the seabed.

If the bottles do come from the 1780s, that would make them around 40 years older than the current record-holder, a bottle of Perrier-Jouet from 1825.

Wine experts estimate each bottle would fetch high price at auction.

Frozen embryos ‘not human’, S. Korean court rule

Frozen embryos ‘not human’, S. Korean court rule

A South Korean court has ruled that frozen embryos are not yet human and thus may be experimented upon and destroyed at will.

The ruling was issued against a suit filed by the parents of the embryos, as well as eleven other individuals, including philosophers, ethicists, and doctors. In addition, the two embryos themselves were listed among the plaintiffs, Lifesite News reports.

Three embryos were created by in vitro fertilization and one was implanted. The other two were to remain available for implantation or to be used for scientific research.

However, the embroyos’ parents had a change of heart and, aided by a team of experts, sought to vindicate the rights of their unborn children.

“Bioethical laws that define artificially inseminated embryos as non-human bundles of cells treats them as tools for research and mandates their disposal at the end of a preservation period, and is a violation of the fundamental right to life,” the plaintiffs wrote.

However, the court ruled that before fourteen days of development, an embryo is not a human being.

“Although we acknowledge the basic rights of fetuses before birth, pre-embryos, which have been fertilized but within which the ‘primitive streak’ has not yet formed, cannot be regarded as humans,” the court wrote.

“Embryos that are less than 14 days from insemination have the potential to become a human being but have no independent humanity. They should not be granted the same constitutional rights as a human being,” said Kang-kook, president of the Constitutional Court.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul’s Life Committee denounced the decision, noting its dehumanizing premises.

“Catholics regret this decision by the Constitutional Court because we are opposed both to the artificial creation of embryos and to their use, once created, as tools for manufacture, as they are entitled to dignity as living beings.”

SOURCE: South Korean Court Rules that Frozen Human Embryos are ‘Not Human’ (Lifesite News)

Dr. Vilas Gayakwad/Wikipedia

Now Bangladesh bans Facebook after Pakistan in outrage over online competition to draw Prophet Mohammed

Protests for Social Networking Site Facebook, being blocked by BTRC Bangladesh. Bangladesh blocks social networking site Facebook By Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) acting Chairman Hasan Mahmud Delwar. The move was ordered after the website “hurt the religious sentiments of the country’s majority Muslim population” by publishing caricatures of Mohammed. Also the Pakistan government blocked the Facebook operation in its country.

 

The Students of Dhaka University protested the move and suggested that particular sites publishing the same, could be blocked not the whole as if cut the head from the body for the reason of headace. Major FaceBook users wants to lift the ban as soon as possible. Protests are raising against the blockage and demands to free the site as soon as possible.

John Travolta's Dogs Killed Tragically at Maine Airport

John Travolta

Tuesday May 18, 2010 10:45 AM EDT Maine: John Travolta's Dogs were struck and killed at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Thursday, shortly after he and members of his family landed there.

The dogs were both on leashes while being walked, and were making their way to some grass when they were hit by an airport service truck.

"At approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2010, an airplane carrying members of the John Travolta family landed at BIA. While there, two small dogs were taken for a walk by someone who is not a family member. An airport service pickup truck was approaching the airplane to service the airplane and did not see the dogs. Unfortunately, the dogs were struck and killed. The airport is investigating the accident.

Airport Director Rebecca Hupp deeply regretted the incident and told "Clearly, this is an unfortunate accident. Our deepest sympathies are with the family.” 

Travolta and Preston have one other child.

Somali Pirates Sentenced To Death By Yemeni Court

 Somali pirates sit behind bars at the courtroom of

a state security court in Sanaa September 29, 2009

Tue May 18, 9:30 am ET, DUBAI:   For hijacking a Yemeni oil tanker in April 2009, killing one Yemeni crew member and leaving another missing a Yemeni court sentenced six Somali pirates to death, the Defense Ministry informed Tuesday. Six other pirates were also sentenced to 10 years in prison in the hijacking, which also wounded four crew members of the "Qana" ship that was heading to the port of Aden. Six other pirates were sentenced to 10 years in prison in the hijacking, which also wounded four crew members of the "Qana" ship that was heading to the port of Aden. In recent days, heavily armed Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking ships in the Indian Ocean and the strategic Gulf of Aden, through which an estimated 7 percent of world oil consumption passes.

Part of Tuesday's ruling by a criminal court requires the convicted pirates to pay the company that owns the hijacked vessel, Masafi Aden, a sum of 2 million Yemen riyals ($9,200)  (US$ 1=217.00 Yemen Riyal). The Defense Ministry's online newspaper said the court would require Masafi Aden to pay a certain portion of the reparations to the Yemeni victims' families.

Somali piracy attacks have been on the rise in recent months, naval officials say, and their range is widening as pirates adapt to international efforts to thwart them.

Bret Michaels Poison Lead Singer Recovering After Suffering A Massive Brain Haemorrhage

Saturday, 24 April 2010: According to the latest news, the 47-year-old “Rock of Love” and “Celebrity Apprentice” reality star Bret Michaels, the Poison rocker is awake and under a stable condition now.

Amber Lake, the Season 2 winner of “Rock of Love” assured Bret’s friends and relatives that he is conscious and under a stable condition. Michaels was rushed to the hospital on Thursday night due to a massive brain hemorrhage.

The reality TV star was in critical condition after suffering from a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and was kept in the intensive care unit. Michaels is also diabetic and had an emergency appendectomy on April 12 in San Antonio.

While he was in good spirits, Michaels also revealed just how serious his condition was before the surgery.

“I have played concerts with broken bones, extremely low blood sugars, the flu, colds, and all kinds of things before. I tend to try to perform at all costs. But, I knew I was really sick this time when I started throwing up that morning and didn’t stop all day. I just didn’t realize how bad it was,” he continued. “After the (surgery), they told me that if I had gone onstage like I wanted to, it likely would have ruptured and I could have died. Not good.”

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu withdrawals loyality to USA

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu withdrawals loyality to USA  and made it clear that the Prime Minister should not make concessions to the US for construction of 1600 new apartments for Jewish housing in East Jerusalem. There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity in and around Israel in recent days as part of an attempt to resume the peace talks.