Snakes on a plane: Passenger manages to smuggle two parrots, a squirrel and FOUR snakes on eight-hour flight

A passenger was arrested after security officials discovered he had carried snakes, birds and a squirrel in hand luggage on a long-haul flight.

In a thankfully less-dramatic version of the 2006 thriller film Snakes On A Plane, fellow passengers were blissfully unaware of the man's box full of pets.

However, police arrested the suspect at Abu Dhabi Airport after the Etihad Airways flight from Jakarta, Indonesia when the animals were found with him.



The snakes were identified by an expert as being non-venomous reticulated and blood pythons.
It was unclear how he managed to get the animals past security in Indonesia.

Khamis al Marar, the acting director general of security affairs and ports in Abu Dhabi, stressed that carrying animals on board is strictly prohibited.
In this case, other passengers' safety was at risk, he said.

He added that licensed animals had to travel in specially designed boxes, which should be stored in the aircraft's hold.
The unidentified passenger was travelling on Etihad Airlines flight EY471.

No-one from the airline was available for comment.
Last year a Qantas flight was grounded after four pythons being carried in the hold escaped in flight between Alice Springs and Melbourne.

Baywatch star claims she was singled out for a TSA full body scan because of her looks

Former Baywatch beauty Donna D’Errico claimed she was singled out for a full body scan because of her looks.

The actress and former Playboy Playmate says she was humiliated by a smirking airport security guard who picked her out of a line in Los Angeles and ordered her to go through the ‘naked’ scanner.

‘After the search, I noticed that the male TSA agent who had pulled me out of line was smiling and whispering with two other TSA agents and glancing at me. I was outraged,’ she said.



Now 42, Miss D’Errico appeared in ‘Baywatch’ for three seasons at the height of its success and was a cover girl Playmate in 1995.

‘I’m not sure whether they had recognised me or not. However, it is my personal belief that they pulled me aside because they thought I was attractive.

‘My boyfriend looks much more like a terrorist than either I or my son do, and he went through security with no problems,’ she claimed.

Miss D'Errico is dating Merv Griffin Entertainment president Roy Bank.

She also told AOL News she wasn’t offered the alternative of a body search when she left Los Angeles Airport en route to see a sick relative in Pittsburgh.

‘I must have overlooked the clause in both my Playboy and 'Baywatch' contracts stating that once appearing in that magazine, or on that show, I would forever be subject to being seen naked live and in person by anyone, at anytime, under any conditions, whether I agree to it or not, and for free,’ she said sarcastically.

‘I posed for Playboy 15 years ago. I was on 'Baywatch' 13 years ago. Both of those were controlled environments, with proper lighting, makeup, etc., and were jobs.

‘I contractually agreed to do both of those jobs. I could have stopped or changed my mind at any time.

'None of those conditions are present when TSA decides for you that you will consent to being scanned or felt up, or you simply won't be allowed your constitutional right to travel from one place to another freely,’ she added.

‘This could, and I'm sure does, happen to other women. It isn't right to hide behind the veil of security and safety in order to take advantage of women, or even men for that matter, so that you can see them naked.

'It's a misuse of power and authority, and as much a personal violation as a Peeping Tom. The difference is that Peeping Toms can have charges pressed against them.’

The public outburst is the latest from disgruntled travelers unhappy about their privacy being trampled by stricter security practices – including the full body scans and pat-downs – to foil terrorists at the nation’s airports.

But federal safety chiefs remain unmoved by the complaints, arguing that the tougher measures are necessary to keep air passengers safe.

Costa Rica is world's greenest, happiest country

Costa Rica is the greenest and happiest country in the world, according to a new list that ranks nations by combining measures of their ecological footprint with the happiness of their citizens.



Britain is only halfway up the Happy Planet Index (HPI), calculated by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), in 74th place of 143 nations surveyed. The United States features in the 114th slot in the table. The top 10 is dominated by countries from Latin America, while African countries bulk out the bottom of the table.

The HPI measures how much of the Earth's resources nations use and how long and happy a life their citizens enjoy as a result. First calculated in 2006, the second edition adds data on almost all the world's countries and now covers 99% of the world's population.

NEF says the HPI is a much better way of looking the success of countries than through standard measures of economic growth. The HPI shows, for example, that fast-growing economies such as the US, China and India were all greener and happier 20 years ago than they are today.

"The HPI suggests that the path we have been following is, without exception, unable to deliver all three goals: high life satisfaction, high life expectancy and 'one-planet living'," says Saamah Abdallah, NEF researcher and the report's lead author. "Instead we need a new development model that delivers good lives that don't cost the Earth for all."

Costa Ricans top the list because they report the highest life satisfaction in the world, they live slightly longer than Americans, yet have an ecological footprint that is less than a quarter the size. The country only narrowly fails to achieve the goal of what NEF calls "one-planet living": consuming its fair share of the Earth's natural resources.

The report says the differences between nations show that it is possible to live long, happy lives with much smaller ecological footprints than the highest-consuming nations.

The new HPI also provides the first ever analysis of trends over time for what are supposedly the world's most developed nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

OECD nations' HPI scores plummeted between 1960 and the late 1970s. Although there have been some gains since then, HPI scores were still higher in 1961 than in 2005.

Life satisfaction and life expectancy combined have increased 15% over the 45-year period for those living in the rich nations, but it has come at the cost of a 72% rise in their ecological footprint. And the three largest countries in the world – China, India and the US, which are aggressively pursuing growth-based development models – have all seen their HPI scores drop in that time.

The highest placed western nation is the Netherlands. People there live on average over a year longer than people in the US, and have similar levels of life satisfaction – yet their per capita ecological footprint is less than half the size. The Netherlands is therefore over twice as environmentally efficient at achieving good lives as the US, Nef says.

The report sets out a "Happy Planet Charter" calling for an unprecedented collective global effort to develop a "new narrative" of human progress, encourage good lives that don't cost the earth, and to reduce consumption in the highest-consuming nations – which it says is the biggest barrier to sustainable wellbeing.

No end in sight to U.S. economic crisis as 'scariest jobs chart ever' shows post-recession unemployment is at its worst since World War Two

As unemployment in the U.S. nears the dreaded 10 per cent mark, it is a chart to chill the bones of any job hunter.

Comparing previous recoveries from all 10 American recessions since 1948 to the current financial crisis, the stark figures show almost no improvement in employment figures in the past year.

Some commentators have described the comparison as 'the scariest jobs chart ever', pointing to the fact that only the 2001 recession took longer to bring employment back to pre-crisis levels.



Even then, the total percentage of jobs lost bottomed out at two per cent, compared with six per cent this time round.

The job chart will heap further pressure on Barack Obama's attempt to stimulate the economy as plans were drawn for a temporary extension of the Bush-era tax rates for all taxpayers.

The bipartisan economic package would also extend jobless benefits for millions of Americans.

Differences remained over details, including White House demands for middle and low-income tax credits.

But Republicans and Democrats appeared to come together yesterday, raising the possibility of a deal in Congress by the end of the week.
Some Democrats continued to object to extending current reduced tax rates for high earners.

The action is needed to prevent the delivery of a tax hike to all taxpayers at the end of the year when the current rates expire and revert to higher pre-2001 and 2003 levels.

Negotiations between the Obama administration and a bipartisan group of lawmakers centered on a two-year extension of current rates.
The 9.8 per cent unemployment rate has also heaped pressure on Republicans to accede to President Obama's demand that Congress extend jobless benefits for a year.

Republican congressional leaders had opposed an extension of benefits without cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.

'I think most folks believe the recipe would include at least an extension of unemployment benefits for those who are unemployed and an extension of all of the tax rates for all Americans for some period of time,' said Senator Jon Kyl, the Senate's Republican negotiator in the talks.

'Without unemployment benefits being extended, personally, this is a nonstarter,' said Senator Dick Durbin, the second-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership.

Republicans have insisted that any extension of jobless aid be paid for with cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.



The White House opposes that, saying such cuts are economically damaging during a weak recovery.

About 2m unemployed workers will run out of benefits this month if they are not renewed, and the administration estimates 7m will be affected if the payments are not extended for a year.

Any deal would require the approval of the House and Senate, and the president's signature.

President Obama told Democratic congressional leaders that he would oppose any extension of tax rates that did not include jobless benefits and other assistance his administration was seeking.

The short-term tax and spending debate is unfolding even as Congress and the Obama administration confront growing anxieties over the federal government's growing deficits.

A presidential commission studying the deficit identified austere measures last week to cut $4 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade.

Egyptian minister says it's safe to swim despite German tourist being eaten by a shark (and some people actually believe him)

Egyptian officials have insisted it is safe for tourists to go back into the water despite a 70-year-old German woman being killed in Sharm el-Sheikh after another shark attack.
While many holidaymakers have steered clear of the water and British travel companies halted all boat trips and diving excursions, others were pictured swimming and snorkelling in the Red Sea despite the killer fish still being on the loose.
The latest attack has echoes of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws, where hunters capture a shark they claim is behind a fatal attack only for the fish to strike again when officials said it was safe to go back into the water.



The German pensioner died after her arm was torn off by the shark. Four other tourists suffered horrific injuries in similar incidents.
Just days before authorities had reassured tourists that they had captured two sharks - an oceanic whitetip and a mako - and the water were safe again for swimming.
Witnesses told how the woman screamed for help after a whitetip tore off her arm and part of her thigh. She is said to have died within minutes.

But officials again played down the danger and said they had called in experts to help determine what type of shark they were looking for.
Tourism minister Zuhair Garana said: 'We are not allowing people to swim in deeper water and we are flying in a marine biologist from Florida to identify exactly what kind of shark we are dealing with.
'We have had attacks before but we have never had this number of attacks over just a few days.
'Diving is being allowed. We are advised that sharks will not attack divers.
'I cannot say that deep waters are completely secure but shallow waters are 100 per cent secure.'

Briton Ellen Barnes, 31, from Horsham, West Sussex, has described how she frantically swam for the shoreline after describing the water around her turning red with blood when the German pensioner was attacked.
She told The Sun: 'I have never felt pure terror like that. The water was churning like I was in a washing machine.
'The shark was thrashing and tearing at this poor woman and I could barely keep my head above the water it was so choppy.
'And the swimmer was screaming "Help me! Help me!" in English. It was spine-chilling. I just threw myself on to the beach.'
Mrs Barnes had been in the water with her daughter Grace, five, and four-month-old son Eden just minutes before the attack.
‘Suddenly there was a scream for help and a lot of violence in the water,’ said Jochen Van Lysebettens, manager of the Red Sea Diving College at the Sinai Peninsula resort.
He said the victim, who was pulled from the water by a lifeguard, was a regular visitor to the luxury Hyatt Regency Hotel, one of the world’s most popular scuba diving destinations.
Oceanic whitetips – once described by late marine expert Jacques Cousteau as the most dangerous of all sharks – are not usually found so close to shore.
The beaches were immediately closed again and tourists were warned to stay out of the water. But there were claims last night that the authorities had been too slow to react to the initial danger.
The earlier attacks had seen three Russians and a Ukrainian injured.
In one of those incidents, an elderly woman had her hand ripped off and another female swimmer had her leg severed.
Tourist Agnieszka Gogolewski, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, who has just returned from the resort, said holidaymakers were given little information about the dangers.
‘We saw a diver being brought out of the water after being attacked by a shark,’ she told Sky News.
‘Only an hour after the attack we saw people were still swimming. It is terrible that no one was warning tourists. The hotels were saying nothing and people were diving and swimming about unaware of the danger.’



The attacks will deal a serious blow to Egypt’s tourist industry.
Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the country’s most popular holiday spots, attracting more than four million visitors a year, including thousands of Britons.
Tony Blair has holidayed with his family several times at the resort.
Environmentalists warned the attacks may have been caused by overfishing in the region, which has brought sharks closer to shore to feed.
One diving expert said the sharks could have been drawn to the coastline by dead cattle – being brought in for the Islamic feast of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha – being dumped in the water.
‘It is unusual to have four attacks in a week,’ said Rolf Schmid, manager of the Sinai Divers’ Centre.
‘The area hasn’t had sharks for the past ten to 15 years.
‘A possible reason for these attacks is cattle and sheep imported from Australia die on the long voyage and are thrown in the water before the ships reach the harbour.’
Concerns have also been raised that unscrupulous dive operators have been encouraging sharks during trips by throwing offal into the water, or that overfishing in the Red Sea has forced the sharks to hunt for food closer to the shore.
U.S. shark expert Samuel Gruber said the spate of incidents recalled Steven Spielberg’s 1975 movie Jaws.
He said: ‘It seems the shark in one day bit more than one person. In all my years reading about shark attacks and writing about them you never hear about sharks biting more than one person.
‘Then for it to happen again is almost like a Jaws scenario.’
In the film, fishermen capture a tiger shark after one attack and the mayor of Amity declares it is safe for people to go back into the water, with disastrous results.
The Foreign Office has warned holidaymakers to be on their guard following the string of shark attacks.
Thousands of British tourists flock to Sharm el-Sheikh each year, attracted by its balmy temperatures and crystal clear waters.
British holiday companies have responded to the attacks by today cancelling all water sports and boat trips.
Thomson and First Choice also advised holidaymakers to stay out of the water.
A statement on the Foreign Office website read: 'Attacks by oceanic white tip sharks are extremely rare and shark attacks of any kind are very unusual in the Red Sea.
'If you are considering diving or snorkelling in any of the Red Sea resorts be aware that safety standards of diving operators can vary considerably.
'A basic rule is never to dive or snorkel unaccompanied. Where possible make any bookings through your tour representative.
'Unusually cheap operators may not provide adequate safety and insurance standards.'

China's High-Speed Train Breaks Own Record

The China-built high-speed CRH-380A has set a new world rail speed record of 486.1 kilometers per hour on a test run between Shanghai and Beijing, according to China's Ministry of Railways.



The train hit the record speed on a section between Zaozhuang City in Shandong and Bengbu City in Anhui, part of the world's longest high-speed rail line connecting Beijing and Shanghai. The line is expected to open in 2012.

The train's previous record was 416.6 km/h set on Sep. 28 during a test between Shanghai and Hangzhou.

"This not only marks a milestone in the construction of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway but also is a major achievement of China's technological innovation," said Wang Yongping, a railway ministry spokesman.

As of this year China has 7,055 kilometers of high-speed railway in service, the most in the world, with trains running between 200 and 350kph between major provinces and cities. The first high-speed line linking Beijing with the neighboring port city of Tianjin was opened during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The Chinese government is to spend RMB800 billion (US$120 billion) to double the length of high-speed track in its bid to cut travel time between almost all of China's major cities to less than eight hours, increase traffic capacity and boost regional economic ties, according to Shanghai Daily.

Travelers will be able to slash the travel time from the capital to Shanghai to four hours by the bullet trains.

Concerns have been raised over ticket prices however, with ticket prices on Shanghai's high-speed links more expensive by up to 50 percent than older trains, drawing criticism from some travelers, especially those in lower-income groups.

The advent of the high-speed railways has meant some express trains running on older track have been reduced or cancelled, leading to fewer rail travel alternatives for those who struggle to afford the more costly new trains.

At the opening of the Shanghai-Hangzhou line in October, rail operators offered a free return trip between the two cities for one day. Critics doubted however that many working class people would be able to afford the 160 yuan (US$24) return ticket on a daily basis.

10 fun jobs that pay well

Job satisfaction can be measured in a lot of ways: benefits, job security, career advancement and work-life balance. Even earning a salary of $75,000, which a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found is the income level at which people are happiest, doesn't guarantee you'll be happy at work.

But a fun job that you can look forward to going to every day, that's a job everyone wants. The "funnest" job may not necessarily equate to the most satisfying — a recent survey by CareerBliss found that Disney theme park workers rank lower than members of the Army when it comes job satisfaction.

But if you're looking for fun and a chance to make some good money — both of which we hope will lead to job satisfaction — here are 10 jobs worth considering. Our list isn't based on a survey, but on unscientific criteria that includes job satisfaction, having fun at work, independence and a good work environment.

Ferrari driving instructor
Annual salary: $120,000
Yes, it's a niche, but that's why it pays so well and is so much fun. Anthony Lazzaro, a former NASCAR driver who still races professionally, earns $500 to $1,000 a day as a Ferrari instructor, he told WalletPop in an e-mail. Even at the low end, that adds up to $120,000 for 12 months of work.

The classes can cost $9,000 or so, and if you can't afford that and still want to see and hear what it's like to be in a Ferrari at 150 mph, a YouTube video gives an idea. The classes, whether through him or someone else, are not for the meek.

Astronaut
Annual salary: $100,000
What could be more fun than floating in space? According to NASA, salaries for civilian astronaut candidates are based on the federal government's general schedule pay scale for grades GS-12 through GS-13. Each person's grade is determined by academic achievements and experience. Currently, a GS-12 starts at $65,140 per year and a GS-13 can earn up to $100,701 per year. Military astronauts remain in an active duty status for pay, benefits, leave, and other similar military matters.

Any adult who is in excellent physical condition and meets the basic qualifications can be selected to enter astronaut training. But for mission specialists and pilot astronauts, the minimum requirements include a bachelor's degree in engineering, science or math, followed by three years of related experience and preferably an advanced degree. Pilot astronauts must have at least 1,000 hours of experience in jet aircraft, and they need better vision than mission specialists.

It's a tough field to get into. There are more than 4,000 applicants for about 20 openings every two years. But go ahead, fill out an application.

Winemaker
Annual salary: $93,000 per year
You don't have to buy a vineyard to be a vintner or winemaker. Many wineries hire someone to run the winemaking business and oversee production, the staff and the budget.

According to JobMonkey.com, the general requirements include a bachelor's degree in oenology (the study of making wine) or another related degree, at least five years experience in winemaking, a strong knowledge of the pertinent grape varietals, and strong technical winemaking skills. It may take awhile to get such a fun job, but taking good wine home to taste after work sounds like a pretty nice job perk.

Chocolatier
Annual salary: $90,000
This job might be too much fun if you love chocolate. As anyone who has worked at an ice cream store can tell you, you get tired of ice cream after working with it for eight hours a day. The same might be true for chocolate, but it's a chance we're willing to take.

A top chocolatier — who makes or sells chocolate — can earn $90,000 to $100,000 per year at Godiva. The average annual salary for all chocolatiers is $21,000, so you'll have to be at the top of the profession to earn the big bucks. But if you've worked as a marketing or product development manager, you could still find jobs at chocolate companies and make $100,000 or more per year, and probably still get some free premium chocolate to take home. Or eat at your desk. Your choice.

Pilot
Annual salary: $81,000
Being an airline pilot can be a stressful job, but it must be a fun one. Why? They get to fly a plane. Duh. Who wouldn't want to fly a plane, travel the world for free and make good money while doing something few people can do? The average pay is $81,000, according to Indeed.com.

Magician
Annual salary: $49,000
Entertaining people — by making them laugh or be amazed — pays well for magician Mitch Williams, who told WalletPop that he earns $400 to $3,000 per job, depending on the type of program he's doing, location, date and other factors. The median salary for a magician is $49,000 per year, according to a career website.

"I get to create my own shows, and perform them for a variety of different groups," Williams said in an e-mail. "It's such a blast seeing and hearing people respond to what I do. I'm an international award winner, and I'm known as an expert at sleight of hand and an authority on approaching magic as an actual art form. So the magic I do is somewhat unique and fairly impressive (even if I do say so myself.) It's a thrill to be able to get people caught up in the experience of wonder. And of course the real magic is that experience that we create together; performer and audience."

Park ranger
Annual salary: $47,000
Most government workers are happy with their jobs, according to a recent survey, mostly because they feel the work they do is important. A park ranger's work is important, and the work environment should only add to having fun on the job. Because most park ranger jobs are federal jobs, they're paid on a pay scale. Non-supervisory park rangers earn $47,448 per year, and supervisors earn $57,408 or more.

Video game designer
Annual salary: $46,000
Playing video games is fun, but creating them from your imagination could be much more fun. A degree in graphic design will help you get the job. Pay averages $46,000 a year for someone with less than three years of experience, going up to $70,000 a year with more than six years of experience.

Florist
Annual salary: $25,000
We know that's not a lot a money, but working around flowers all day — the smell, the beauty — at least sounds like a fun job. And the pay can go higher than the $25,000 median — to about $45,000 with 10 to 19 years of experience.

Standup comedian
Annual salary: $10,000 to millions
It's a tough gig to break into, but making people laugh can be fun and profitable. Dan Nainan earned $15,000 for a show, and made $22,000 as an actor for a day's work filming an Apple commercial.

"I get to travel around the world on someone else's dime — I've performed in Dubai, Netherlands, Tokyo, Aruba, Mexico, just to name a few — and I have an upcoming tour of the UK [November], Thailand in December and Trinidad in March," he said in an e-mail to WalletPop. "Since I fly almost 200,000 miles a year, I get upgraded to first class on every flight, and have a free lounge membership. My life is like that of George Clooney in "Up in the Air", just without the sex LOL."

If you're really good as a standup comedian, it can lead to making millions of dollars, which sounds pretty fun.