Exasperated Canadian air safety officials Thursday told passengers "to leave their water pistols and toy guns at home" because they were triggering big delays at airport security.
Screening staff found nearly 3,000 toy guns, water pistols, toy grenades and other items resembling real weapons between January and June of this year, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority said.
"Through an X-ray machine, those items look like a threatening object. We cannot take any chances," said the authority's Kevin McGarr.
"Canadian travelers have to know what they can and cannot bring on board an aircraft. The consequence is a stressful wait for other passengers and a misuse of resources meant for a real emergency," he added in a statement.
Last year, the interception of prohibited items at Canadian airport security checkpoints caused delays totaling 15,000 hours, the authority said.
20050728
Man's finger just makes the train
A German man's severed finger traveled 60 kilometers by rail after its owner trapped his hand in the door trying to board a train at the last minute, police said Tuesday.
Passengers traveling from Freiburg to Cologne Sunday noticed the finger lying on the carriage floor and alerted police.
Officers collected it at the next station.
Doctors said they were confident they could reattach the finger to its 34-year-old owner after it was rushed back to Freiburg in an ambulance.
Passengers traveling from Freiburg to Cologne Sunday noticed the finger lying on the carriage floor and alerted police.
Officers collected it at the next station.
Doctors said they were confident they could reattach the finger to its 34-year-old owner after it was rushed back to Freiburg in an ambulance.
20050727
Man donates blood for record 350th time
An elderly South African broke his own Guinness world record Tuesday when he donated blood for the 350th time, inspired by the enduring memory of a terrible accident he witnessed as a child.
The South African National Blood Service said in a statement that 79-year-old Maurice Creswick had cracked his own record for the fourteenth time and that he donated 480 ml of his blood every 56 days.
"When I was 11-years-old I witnessed a horrific accident when a tram smashed into a motor vehicle," Creswick was quoted as saying.
"Five passengers were critically injured. I decided then to never just stand by and do nothing if there was a way to help others in a time of need," he said.
South Africa has some of the world's most dangerous roads and sky-high rates of violent crime.
The South African National Blood Service said in a statement that 79-year-old Maurice Creswick had cracked his own record for the fourteenth time and that he donated 480 ml of his blood every 56 days.
"When I was 11-years-old I witnessed a horrific accident when a tram smashed into a motor vehicle," Creswick was quoted as saying.
"Five passengers were critically injured. I decided then to never just stand by and do nothing if there was a way to help others in a time of need," he said.
South Africa has some of the world's most dangerous roads and sky-high rates of violent crime.
Noisy school kids have mouths taped
Australian educational authorities are investigating claims that noisy school children had had their mouths taped shut to keep them quiet, officials said Tuesday.
Police said the children, from a Catholic primary school at Wollongong, about 50 miles south of Sydney, had been at rehearsals for a school concert when a volunteer working in the school hall asked them to be quiet.
When the noise continued, the unidentified volunteer then cut up 20 pieces of masking tape and told the children to put them on their mouths.
Police investigated the incident after the parents of one of the children complained but said it was unlikely they would take any further action.
The New South Wales (NSW) state Catholic Education Office is conducting its own investigation, NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt said.
"If the incident occurred as it is reported, it is very, very concerning," Tebbutt told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Police said the children, from a Catholic primary school at Wollongong, about 50 miles south of Sydney, had been at rehearsals for a school concert when a volunteer working in the school hall asked them to be quiet.
When the noise continued, the unidentified volunteer then cut up 20 pieces of masking tape and told the children to put them on their mouths.
Police investigated the incident after the parents of one of the children complained but said it was unlikely they would take any further action.
The New South Wales (NSW) state Catholic Education Office is conducting its own investigation, NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt said.
"If the incident occurred as it is reported, it is very, very concerning," Tebbutt told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Farmer killed by falling cow
A Croatian farmer was killed when a cow he was about to milk fell and crushed him, local media reported Tuesday. The unfortunate 61-year-old farmer, from the village of Cadjavacki Lug in central Croatia, went into the stable where his family keeps nine cows, as he had every morning for the past 20 years, the Vecernji List newspaper reported.
"I think he slipped, grabbed the milking machine and knocked it over. That must have frightened the cow, which slipped and fell on top of him," his distraught daughter-in-law, who was in the stable with him, told the daily.
"It took me and the rest of the family almost three minutes to get the cow off him."
She said the cow, named Lara, had been very meek and that even children could milk her without fear. The newspaper did not say what had become of the cow.
20050725
Blair Spent $3,130 on Makeup in Six Years
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has spent more than 1,800 pounds (US$3,130) of taxpayers' money on makeup and cosmetic artists over the past six years, according to the government.
In a written answer to Parliament, the government revealed Blair's Downing Street office had spent 1,050.22 pounds (US$1,826.66) on cosmetics for the prime minister's media appearances since 1999. In the past two years, a further 791.20 pounds (US$1,376.14) had been spent on makeup artists.
The details were released by government official Lord Bassam in a written response to a question tabled by Lord Hanningfield, a member of the main opposition Conservative Party.
In a written answer to Parliament, the government revealed Blair's Downing Street office had spent 1,050.22 pounds (US$1,826.66) on cosmetics for the prime minister's media appearances since 1999. In the past two years, a further 791.20 pounds (US$1,376.14) had been spent on makeup artists.
The details were released by government official Lord Bassam in a written response to a question tabled by Lord Hanningfield, a member of the main opposition Conservative Party.
20050720
Dark chocolate can not only soothe your soul but can lower blood pressure too
The study, published by the American Heart Association, joins a growing body of research that show compounds found in chocolate called flavonoids can help the blood vessels work more smoothly, perhaps reducing the risk of heart disease.
"Previous studies suggest flavonoid-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and chocolate, might offer cardiovascular benefits, but this is one of the first clinical trials to look specifically at dark chocolate's effect on lowering blood pressure among people with hypertension," said Jeffrey Blumberg of Tufts University in Boston, who led the study.
"This study is not about eating more chocolate," Blumberg added. "It suggests that cocoa flavonoids appear to have benefits on vascular function and glucose sensitivity."
Scientists are far from being able to make specific recommendations for patients based on their research on chocolate, and nutritionists have urged people to be cautious because chocolate is high in fat, sugar and calories.
Blumberg and colleagues at the University of L'Aquila in Italy studied 10 men and 10 women with high blood pressure.
For 15 days, half ate a daily 3.5 ounce (100 gram) bar of specially formulated, flavonoid-rich dark chocolate, while the other half ate the same amount of white chocolate.
Then each group "crossed over" and ate the other chocolate.
"White chocolate, which has no flavonoids, was the perfect control food because it contains all the other ingredients and calories found in dark chocolate," Blumberg said.
"It's important to note that the dark chocolate we used had a high level of flavonoids, giving it a slightly bittersweet taste. Most Americans eat milk chocolate, which has a low amount of these compounds."
Writing in the journal Hypertension, Blumberg's team said when the volunteers ate the special dark chocolate, they had a 12 mm Hg decrease in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) and a 9 mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) on average.
Blood pressure did not change when the volunteers ate white chocolate.
"This is not only a statistically significant effect, but it's also a clinically meaningful decline," Blumberg said. "This is the kind of reduction in blood pressure often found with other healthful dietary interventions."
Eating dark chocolate also seemed to improve how the body used insulin, and reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol by about 10 percent on average.
"The findings do not suggest that people with high blood pressure should eat lots of dark chocolate in lieu of other important blood pressure-reduction methods, such as medication and exercise," Blumberg said. "Rather, we are identifying specific flavonoids that can have a benefit on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity."
"Previous studies suggest flavonoid-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and chocolate, might offer cardiovascular benefits, but this is one of the first clinical trials to look specifically at dark chocolate's effect on lowering blood pressure among people with hypertension," said Jeffrey Blumberg of Tufts University in Boston, who led the study.
"This study is not about eating more chocolate," Blumberg added. "It suggests that cocoa flavonoids appear to have benefits on vascular function and glucose sensitivity."
Scientists are far from being able to make specific recommendations for patients based on their research on chocolate, and nutritionists have urged people to be cautious because chocolate is high in fat, sugar and calories.
Blumberg and colleagues at the University of L'Aquila in Italy studied 10 men and 10 women with high blood pressure.
For 15 days, half ate a daily 3.5 ounce (100 gram) bar of specially formulated, flavonoid-rich dark chocolate, while the other half ate the same amount of white chocolate.
Then each group "crossed over" and ate the other chocolate.
"White chocolate, which has no flavonoids, was the perfect control food because it contains all the other ingredients and calories found in dark chocolate," Blumberg said.
"It's important to note that the dark chocolate we used had a high level of flavonoids, giving it a slightly bittersweet taste. Most Americans eat milk chocolate, which has a low amount of these compounds."
Writing in the journal Hypertension, Blumberg's team said when the volunteers ate the special dark chocolate, they had a 12 mm Hg decrease in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) and a 9 mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) on average.
Blood pressure did not change when the volunteers ate white chocolate.
"This is not only a statistically significant effect, but it's also a clinically meaningful decline," Blumberg said. "This is the kind of reduction in blood pressure often found with other healthful dietary interventions."
Eating dark chocolate also seemed to improve how the body used insulin, and reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol by about 10 percent on average.
"The findings do not suggest that people with high blood pressure should eat lots of dark chocolate in lieu of other important blood pressure-reduction methods, such as medication and exercise," Blumberg said. "Rather, we are identifying specific flavonoids that can have a benefit on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity."
20050714
Man Tries to Rob Same Calif. Bank 5 Times
Stephen Holloday has a familiar face — at least to tellers at one downtown Oakland bank. Police say he robbed the same bank four times between March 9 and May 23, but on his fifth attempt this month, a teller recognized him and alerted another co-worker who had been robbed previously by Holloday.
The two confronted the man, who panicked and fled, Oakland police Sgt. George Phillips. He was arrested a short time later on a street not far from the Summit Bank, the evidence — a demand note — still in his pocket.
"He was a creature of habit," Phillips said. "He had a penchant for doing the same bank over and over."
Holloday also is a suspect in at least seven San Francisco bank robberies, including one branch he allegedly hit five times, authorities said.
20050707
Church Has 1 Million Bees, Honey in Walls
One could say that St. Mark United Church of Christ is bee-deviled. The church in Clarion County, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh, has been infested with bees in its walls for about seven years. The church tried an exterminator and that didn't work. Now the problem has gotten so bad that honey oozes through its walls.
The church has hired McCool's Wildlife Removal of Rocky Grove to remove the honey, seal the damaged walls — and relocate an estimated 1 million bees to a local bee keeper.
Eric McCool, who owns the business, said it typically takes about a day to remove bees from an infested building, but the church is so badly infested it will take three or four days.
The bees aren't crazy about the move. McCool has been stung more than 100 times this week.
"I ended up going to the emergency room. Even though I'm not allergic, any time you have a large amount of venom, you have a toxic reaction," McCool told The Derrick of Oil City for Thursday's editions.
Church maintenance man Lee Stroup said the congregation plans to worship as normal Sunday.
"We've never had to hold church elsewhere. We'll have church this Sunday," said Stroup. "We just wanted them gone so no one gets stung."
The church has hired McCool's Wildlife Removal of Rocky Grove to remove the honey, seal the damaged walls — and relocate an estimated 1 million bees to a local bee keeper.
Eric McCool, who owns the business, said it typically takes about a day to remove bees from an infested building, but the church is so badly infested it will take three or four days.
The bees aren't crazy about the move. McCool has been stung more than 100 times this week.
"I ended up going to the emergency room. Even though I'm not allergic, any time you have a large amount of venom, you have a toxic reaction," McCool told The Derrick of Oil City for Thursday's editions.
Church maintenance man Lee Stroup said the congregation plans to worship as normal Sunday.
"We've never had to hold church elsewhere. We'll have church this Sunday," said Stroup. "We just wanted them gone so no one gets stung."
Cancels "Whorehouse days" Festival
Organizers of the first-ever "Whorehouse Days" festival in Gilbert had big plans: a four-poster bed race, a beer mug-sliding contest, a showdown for best-dressed madam.
Now, they're looking for a lawyer, after the City Council's refusal to rent out public buildings effectively killed the festival that was supposed to start this weekend in the small northern Minnesota town.
Almost one-third of the city's businesses signed a petition against the event and dozens of residents protested at council meetings.
"The City Council's acting like it's the Moral Majority or something," said lead organizer Bob Cap. "They really played a number on us."
Gilbert Mayor Bob Garrity said the council did nothing wrong. Council members weren't satisfied with the answers they got when they questioned organizers about the event, he said.
The organizers, Gilbert After Hours, Inc., plan to try again next summer. Meanwhile, they are looking for a lawyer. Their Web site said they want an attorney who is "not afraid of (or connected to) the city government of Gilbert."
The weekend festival, which also was to include a performance of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Gilbert," had attracted almost $50,000 in sponsorships and area hotels were starting to fill up with reservations. Organizers had promised all the events would have been rated G or PG.
Gilbert's history actually includes a period when it was known as a place of saloons and prostitution, in the early years of the 20th century when mining and timber-cutting were in full swing. But Cap acknowledged the name was picked as a marketing tool.
"We figured the shock value would cause some people to say, 'Hey, let's go check that out.'"
Now, they're looking for a lawyer, after the City Council's refusal to rent out public buildings effectively killed the festival that was supposed to start this weekend in the small northern Minnesota town.
Almost one-third of the city's businesses signed a petition against the event and dozens of residents protested at council meetings.
"The City Council's acting like it's the Moral Majority or something," said lead organizer Bob Cap. "They really played a number on us."
Gilbert Mayor Bob Garrity said the council did nothing wrong. Council members weren't satisfied with the answers they got when they questioned organizers about the event, he said.
The organizers, Gilbert After Hours, Inc., plan to try again next summer. Meanwhile, they are looking for a lawyer. Their Web site said they want an attorney who is "not afraid of (or connected to) the city government of Gilbert."
The weekend festival, which also was to include a performance of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Gilbert," had attracted almost $50,000 in sponsorships and area hotels were starting to fill up with reservations. Organizers had promised all the events would have been rated G or PG.
Gilbert's history actually includes a period when it was known as a place of saloons and prostitution, in the early years of the 20th century when mining and timber-cutting were in full swing. But Cap acknowledged the name was picked as a marketing tool.
"We figured the shock value would cause some people to say, 'Hey, let's go check that out.'"
Burgers from a lab
Laboratories using new tissue engineering technology might be able to produce meat that is healthier for consumers and cut down on pollution produced by factory farming, researchers said on Wednesday.
While NASA engineers have grown fish tissue in lab dishes, no one has seriously proposed a way to grow meat on commercial levels.
But a new study conducted by University of Maryland doctoral student Jason Matheny and his colleagues describe two possible ways to do it.
Writing in the journal Tissue Engineering, Matheny said scientists could grow cells from the muscle tissue of cattle, pigs, poultry or fish in large flat sheets on thin membranes. These sheets of cells would be grown and stretched, then removed from the membranes and stacked to increase thickness and resemble meat.
Using another method, scientists could grow muscle cells on small three-dimensional beads that stretch with small changes in temperature. The resulting tissue could be used to make processed meat such as chicken nuggets or hamburgers.
"There would be a lot of benefits from cultured meat," Matheny said in a statement. "For one thing, you could control the nutrients."
Meat is high in omega-6 fatty acid, which is desirable, but not in large amounts. Healthful omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in walnuts and fish oils, could be substituted.
"Cultured meat could also reduce the pollution that results from raising livestock, and you wouldn't need the drugs that are used on animals raised for meat," Matheny said.
Raising livestock requires million of gallons of water and hundreds of acres of land. Meat grown from tissue would bypass those requirements.
The demand for meat is increasing worldwide, Matheny said. "China's meat demand is doubling every ten years," he said. "Poultry consumption in India has doubled in the last five years."
Writing in this month's Physics World, British physicist Alan Calvert calculated that the animals eaten by people produce 21 percent of the carbon dioxide that can be attributed to human activity. He recommends people switch to a vegetarian diet as a way to battle global warming.
"Worldwide reduction of meat production in the pursuit of the targets set in the Kyoto treaty seems to carry fewer political unknowns than cutting our consumption of fossil fuels," he said in a statement.
The Kyoto treaty is a global agreement aimed at reducing production of so-called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that help fuel global warming.
While NASA engineers have grown fish tissue in lab dishes, no one has seriously proposed a way to grow meat on commercial levels.
But a new study conducted by University of Maryland doctoral student Jason Matheny and his colleagues describe two possible ways to do it.
Writing in the journal Tissue Engineering, Matheny said scientists could grow cells from the muscle tissue of cattle, pigs, poultry or fish in large flat sheets on thin membranes. These sheets of cells would be grown and stretched, then removed from the membranes and stacked to increase thickness and resemble meat.
Using another method, scientists could grow muscle cells on small three-dimensional beads that stretch with small changes in temperature. The resulting tissue could be used to make processed meat such as chicken nuggets or hamburgers.
"There would be a lot of benefits from cultured meat," Matheny said in a statement. "For one thing, you could control the nutrients."
Meat is high in omega-6 fatty acid, which is desirable, but not in large amounts. Healthful omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in walnuts and fish oils, could be substituted.
"Cultured meat could also reduce the pollution that results from raising livestock, and you wouldn't need the drugs that are used on animals raised for meat," Matheny said.
Raising livestock requires million of gallons of water and hundreds of acres of land. Meat grown from tissue would bypass those requirements.
The demand for meat is increasing worldwide, Matheny said. "China's meat demand is doubling every ten years," he said. "Poultry consumption in India has doubled in the last five years."
Writing in this month's Physics World, British physicist Alan Calvert calculated that the animals eaten by people produce 21 percent of the carbon dioxide that can be attributed to human activity. He recommends people switch to a vegetarian diet as a way to battle global warming.
"Worldwide reduction of meat production in the pursuit of the targets set in the Kyoto treaty seems to carry fewer political unknowns than cutting our consumption of fossil fuels," he said in a statement.
The Kyoto treaty is a global agreement aimed at reducing production of so-called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that help fuel global warming.
20050704
Estonians snatch world wife-carrying title again
SONKAJARVI, Finland (Reuters) - Estonia reigned supreme once again in the wife-carrying world championship on Saturday, as Margo Uusorg sprinted home to win the Baltic country's eighth straight title in the offbeat competition.
Forty couples from 10 countries gathered in the remote Finnish village of Sonkajarvi to complete a 253.5-meter-long obstacle course. A man must carry a woman, not necessarily his spouse, through a pool and across hurdles.
The few rules require a minimum weight of 49 kg (108 lb) for the "wife" and state that all contestants must have fun.
Uusorg, 25, completed the course in 59 seconds with friend Egle Soll, 23, clinging to his back in the trademark "Estonian Carry" -- hanging upside down with her legs clenched around his neck.
Uusorg's prizes were his partner's weight in beer and a high-tech mobile phone.
It was his fourth victory, and the third in a row for his family. Brother Madis won in 2004.
"We don't have a secret, we just try to run fast and hope the legs work," said Uusorg, who works in Stockholm as an embassy driver. He warned that the family would be even stronger contenders next year when brother number three, Urmet, takes part.
"He holds the Estonian record for the 800 meters," Uusorg said.
Uusorg and Soll received first prize from the hands of visiting U.S. basketball legend Dennis Rodman, who declined to compete, saying he lacked both a wife and proper training.
"I'm not in shape ... It could hurt the back," said the former Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons forward. But he promised to train for next year.
"I'll carry the kids around the house or something," he said.
Some 9,000 people came to view the event, set deep in forests and lakes a couple of hours' drive from the Arctic Circle. It began in 1992 as a purely Finnish contest based on local legend, according to which wife-stealing was once commonplace in the region.
Forty couples from 10 countries gathered in the remote Finnish village of Sonkajarvi to complete a 253.5-meter-long obstacle course. A man must carry a woman, not necessarily his spouse, through a pool and across hurdles.
The few rules require a minimum weight of 49 kg (108 lb) for the "wife" and state that all contestants must have fun.
Uusorg, 25, completed the course in 59 seconds with friend Egle Soll, 23, clinging to his back in the trademark "Estonian Carry" -- hanging upside down with her legs clenched around his neck.
Uusorg's prizes were his partner's weight in beer and a high-tech mobile phone.
It was his fourth victory, and the third in a row for his family. Brother Madis won in 2004.
"We don't have a secret, we just try to run fast and hope the legs work," said Uusorg, who works in Stockholm as an embassy driver. He warned that the family would be even stronger contenders next year when brother number three, Urmet, takes part.
"He holds the Estonian record for the 800 meters," Uusorg said.
Uusorg and Soll received first prize from the hands of visiting U.S. basketball legend Dennis Rodman, who declined to compete, saying he lacked both a wife and proper training.
"I'm not in shape ... It could hurt the back," said the former Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons forward. But he promised to train for next year.
"I'll carry the kids around the house or something," he said.
Some 9,000 people came to view the event, set deep in forests and lakes a couple of hours' drive from the Arctic Circle. It began in 1992 as a purely Finnish contest based on local legend, according to which wife-stealing was once commonplace in the region.
20050702
Man who lived in Kenyan airport gets UK citizenship
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A man who has lived for more than a year at Nairobi's international airport to protest being denied entry to Britain has finally been granted U.K. citizenship and plans to fly there within days.
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In a real-life African version of Tom Hanks' 2004 Hollywood hit "The Terminal," Sanjai Shah, 43, has been eating cafeteria food, sleeping on plastic transit lounge chairs, and showering in arrival hall toilets since May last year.
His morning alarm is the dawn announcement advising the safe landing of the first flight.
"It's like a second home here. All the staff know me, they're very friendly," Shah told Reuters.
"But it hasn't been easy. The chairs are uncomfortable to sleep on. And the food is bad."
Shah obtained a British Overseas Citizen passport since he was born in Kenya when it was under colonial rule.
But when he flew to England without a return ticket or sufficient funds, he was deported with "prohibited immigrant" stamped in his passport -- negating the document.
By then he had renounced Kenyan citizenship because local law prohibits dual nationality, so found himself in limbo and decided to stay at the airport outside Nairobi.
Now, however, Shah's ordeal -- which British authorities say was largely self-inflicted -- looks to be over.
The High Commission has decided in principle to grant him full UK citizenship, pending a "citizenship ceremony." With that scheduled for July 12, he could be on a plane out the next day.
SEPARATED FROM FAMILY
"I am very happy of course. I think my stance helped," he said. "But I am not moving from here until July 12 when I will go directly from the airport to the High Commission."
British Embassy spokesman Mark Norton confirmed the decision to grant Shah citizenship, but said his protest had actually slowed the procedure to grant him full citizenship.
"For reasons best known to him, he decided to stay at the airport when he could have come back into Kenya. He was there entirely of his own volition," he said.
In the 2004 film, Hanks' character is stranded in a New York airport after his eastern European homeland erupts into civil war, leaving him stateless, unable to return home but not allowed officially to enter the United States.
It was inspired by the true story of an Iranian-born man who has lived in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport for 16 years.
"I heard a story about the film. I have asked so many people to bring the film so I can see it, but no one has," Shah said.
He said it was tough being separated from his wife and 15-year-old son, who have been bringing him money and a plate of his favorite Indian food once a week.
"Now I will go to stay with my sister in Hounslow (London) and look for a job. Then I will bring the family to start a new life," he said.
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In a real-life African version of Tom Hanks' 2004 Hollywood hit "The Terminal," Sanjai Shah, 43, has been eating cafeteria food, sleeping on plastic transit lounge chairs, and showering in arrival hall toilets since May last year.
His morning alarm is the dawn announcement advising the safe landing of the first flight.
"It's like a second home here. All the staff know me, they're very friendly," Shah told Reuters.
"But it hasn't been easy. The chairs are uncomfortable to sleep on. And the food is bad."
Shah obtained a British Overseas Citizen passport since he was born in Kenya when it was under colonial rule.
But when he flew to England without a return ticket or sufficient funds, he was deported with "prohibited immigrant" stamped in his passport -- negating the document.
By then he had renounced Kenyan citizenship because local law prohibits dual nationality, so found himself in limbo and decided to stay at the airport outside Nairobi.
Now, however, Shah's ordeal -- which British authorities say was largely self-inflicted -- looks to be over.
The High Commission has decided in principle to grant him full UK citizenship, pending a "citizenship ceremony." With that scheduled for July 12, he could be on a plane out the next day.
SEPARATED FROM FAMILY
"I am very happy of course. I think my stance helped," he said. "But I am not moving from here until July 12 when I will go directly from the airport to the High Commission."
British Embassy spokesman Mark Norton confirmed the decision to grant Shah citizenship, but said his protest had actually slowed the procedure to grant him full citizenship.
"For reasons best known to him, he decided to stay at the airport when he could have come back into Kenya. He was there entirely of his own volition," he said.
In the 2004 film, Hanks' character is stranded in a New York airport after his eastern European homeland erupts into civil war, leaving him stateless, unable to return home but not allowed officially to enter the United States.
It was inspired by the true story of an Iranian-born man who has lived in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport for 16 years.
"I heard a story about the film. I have asked so many people to bring the film so I can see it, but no one has," Shah said.
He said it was tough being separated from his wife and 15-year-old son, who have been bringing him money and a plate of his favorite Indian food once a week.
"Now I will go to stay with my sister in Hounslow (London) and look for a job. Then I will bring the family to start a new life," he said.
Going after smokers' sex lives
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government launched a series of tough anti-cigarette adverts Friday with the message that smoking is bad for your sex life because it makes men impotent and women ugly.
The campaign is designed to target young Britons' fears about their sexual attractiveness -- an area the government says is more effective than highlighting general health concerns.
One ad uses a burning cigarette end between two "fingerlegs" as a metaphor for a penis with the strapline "Does smoking make you hard? Not if it means you can't get it up."
Another targets women saying cigarettes lead to premature skin aging and warns that smoking causes "cat's bum mouth."
"We know 70 percent of smokers want to stop smoking, however, with younger people, fears about attractiveness and fertility can be a stronger motivation to quit than fears about health," said Public Health Minister Caroline Flint. The government says smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by around 50 percent for men in their 30s and 40s and that up to 120,000 British men in this age group were impotent as a result of smoking.
A recent survey by NHS Smoking Helpline also found two-thirds of young men and women, and over half of smokers, said smoking reduced sexual attractiveness.
The campaign is designed to target young Britons' fears about their sexual attractiveness -- an area the government says is more effective than highlighting general health concerns.
One ad uses a burning cigarette end between two "fingerlegs" as a metaphor for a penis with the strapline "Does smoking make you hard? Not if it means you can't get it up."
Another targets women saying cigarettes lead to premature skin aging and warns that smoking causes "cat's bum mouth."
"We know 70 percent of smokers want to stop smoking, however, with younger people, fears about attractiveness and fertility can be a stronger motivation to quit than fears about health," said Public Health Minister Caroline Flint. The government says smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by around 50 percent for men in their 30s and 40s and that up to 120,000 British men in this age group were impotent as a result of smoking.
A recent survey by NHS Smoking Helpline also found two-thirds of young men and women, and over half of smokers, said smoking reduced sexual attractiveness.
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