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Monday August 6, 2018

A FIELDS MEDAL, regarded as the Nobel prize for mathematics, was stolen minutes after it was awarded to a Cambridge profes-sor Wednesday.

Caucher Birkar, an Iranian Kurdish mathematician, was one of the four joint winners of the prestigious honor at the Interna-tional Congress of Mathematics, which was held for the fi rst time in crime-ridden Rio. Yet within minutes of receiving the award, Dr. Birkar noticed that his brief-case containing the gold medal, his wallet and his cell phone was missing, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported.

Security offi cials at the con-gress venue found the empty briefcase under a bench in a nearby pavilion. Police have identifi ed two potential suspects from security camera footage.

The organizing committee of the event, held every four years, said it “profoundly regrets” the incident. “Images recorded at the event are being analyzed. The organizing committee is cooper-ating with local police authorities in their investigation,” it said in a statement.

Dr. Birkar, who was born and raised in Kurdistan Province in northwestern Iran, moved to England in 2000, after applying for political asylum while fi nish-ing his undergraduate degree in Tehran.

He completed a doctorate at the University of Nottingham, and developed theories that have solved long-standing con-jectures, according to the Univer-sity of Cambridge, where he now holds a professorship.

While studying at Tehran Uni-versity, Dr. Birkar would look up at pictures of Fields Medal win-ners on the walls of his math club, he told Quanta magazine in an interview.

Dr. Birkar is Cambridge Uni-versity’s 11th Fields medalist.

In his lifetime, the Kurds, a sizable minority in several coun-tries, have suffered the ravages of war in Iran, Iraq and Syria.

(SD-Agencies)

A COLLECTION of rare Rolls-Royces, including vehicles used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prin-cess Diana, is to be auctioned off in the U.K.

The eight cars are expected to attract combined bids of up to ￡4.9 million (US$6.4 mil-lion) when they go under the hammer next month, according to estimates from Bonhams auc-tion house.

Among the most anticipated lots is a 1953 Rolls-Royce Phan-tom IV State Landaulette, used by the Queen on state occasions and kept by the British royal family for more than 40 years. The vehicle, which has a top estimate of US$2.6 million, is the same model as the one used by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on her wedding day in May.

“There were only 18 of the Phantom IVs built, and they were bought by heads of state or dignitaries,” said Bonhams’ co-chairman, Malcolm Barber, in a phone interview. “None are exactly the same, and they’re

all built to special order. Even if you are a Rolls-Royce collec-tor, you wouldn’t have anything similar, because each has its own identity.”

Rolls-Royce has been a carmaker of choice for British royalty since the 1950s. Another three of the eight vehicles on auction were either owned or used by members of the Wind-sor household, according to Bonhams.

Among them is a rare 1960 Phantom V State Limousine, which has attracted an estimate of US$1.3 million to US$2 mil-lion. A 1985 “Centenary” Silver Spur Saloon used by Princess

Diana is expected to sell for US$197,000 or less.

Billed as a “Heritage Fleet” by Bonhams, the cars are being made available by Bentley, the luxury British manufacturer that split from Rolls-Royce in 1998.

Barber claimed that it is “very rare to see royal household cars come on the market.” But other notable Rolls-Royces will also be available in September’s auction, including a vehicle with the custom license plate “RR1” and a number of cars that were the last of their type to be built at Rolls-Royce’s historic factory in Crewe, Cheshire.

The vehicles are among more than 50 being auctioned off by Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival motoring festival near Chichester in West Sussex. Other lots include a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, which is estimated to attract bids of up US$2 million, and a Bugatti Type 30 dating back to 1922.

(SD-Agencies)

A HERO cat was honored for saving the life of his owner, just a week after his own tragic passing.

Theo, a kitty from Redditch, Worcestershire in England, was named Cat of the Year at an awards ceremony Friday for heroically keeping his owner awake after she suffered a poten-tially fatal blood clot.

Theo’s owner, Charlotte Dixon, told Sky News that the 8-year-old cat kept her awake by relentlessly batting at her before she fi nally decided to call an ambulance.

Dixon said paramedics caught the blood clot as soon as they arrived and told her that staying awake that night likely saved her life.

As Dixon said it was as if Theo was paying her back for when she saved his. Theo was just a kitten when, Dixon said, he bonded with her at a rescue, where he was orphaned and suffering from cat fl u. Dixon decided to take on the task of nursing him back to health and her work paid off.

Theo was still holding on when he was won the honor, but he died a week before the ceremony. (SD-Agencies)

A TINY duckling was the only one of his abandoned nest to survive, but has quickly made an unlikely friend — a family’s pet dog.

Brody, a 3-year-old golden retriever, and the unnamed duckling have been insepa-rable since it hatched.

“They share their meals, play, and swim and take naps,” the dog’s owner, Cindy Bentsen of Oceanside, New York, told InsideEdition.com. “He is very protective of the duck.”

She explained it all started when her 12-year-old son Tommy rescued an abandoned nest near the canal in their backyard.

After doing a little research, they decided to help them hatch.

“He ordered an incubator and began the process,” Bentsen explained. “Twenty-eight days later, we successfully hatched four ducklings. Unfortunately, only one survived.”

They consulted local wildlife experts, who said it was best to release the remaining duckling to the wild. The duckling, however, had other plans.

“We live on a canal so we are hoping that she will make some friends,” she said. “[The duckling] became so attached to our dog Brody, she keeps on returning.”

(SD-Agencies)

Ecuador whale watchingA humpback whale is photographed off Puerto Lopez in Ecuador. Humpback whales are seen along the shores of Ecuador from approximately June to September, when whale watchers come from far and wide to witness this amazing miracle of nature.

Every year 2,000 to 3,000 humpback whales make their epic migration from Antarctica to mate and spawn in the warm waters off Ecuador and Colombia. EPA via Xinhua

A U.S. judge ordered a defendant’s mouth taped shut during a courtroom hearing, and a media outlet’s video caught the scene of an offi cer duct-taping the man’s face to silence him.

The incident took place ear-lier last week, when a judge in Cleveland, Ohio, ordered Franklyn Williams, 32, to remain silent during his sen-tencing hearing, according to CNN affi liate WJW.

Despite warnings from Judge John Russo, Williams contin-ued to speak over the judge and his attorneys, according to the video.

The courtroom video, shot by

and fi rst aired on WJW, shows Russo repeatedly scolding Wil-liams for talking.

“Mr. Williams,” Russo says on the video, “I’m the judge in the matter. Shut your mouth and I will tell you when you can talk. You got it?”

Russo proceeds to tell Wil-

liams that he would like to hear from the defendant’s attorneys fi rst and then will give him a chance to speak, but Williams continues to talk.

“You are trying to take my life, and you are not letting me tell you what’s going on,” Williams says on the video.

After several interruptions, Russo then gives him a last warning. “Listen to me, if we have to, I will gag you ... you will get a chance to talk,” Russo says. “Just zip it, you will get a chance to talk, I’m going to give you a chance to talk.”

Williams continues to talk, and Russo orders for Wil-liams’ mouth to be taped

shut, according to the video.Six sheriff’s deputies walk

up to Williams and as Williams tries to get up, one of the offi -cers is shown forcing him back down. Another offi cer proceeds to tape his mouth with red duct tape.

The video quickly caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

“We cannot regard this as normal. It is humiliating. It doesn’t just deprive this person of the opportunity to speak before his life is taken away, it steals his dignity. Everything about this is wrong,” the orga-nization said in a tweet.

(SD-Agencies)

Judge orders man’s mouth taped Duckling becomes dog’s friend

Hero cat awarded honor

Medal stolen shortly after being awarded

Queen’s car to feature in Rolls-Royce sell-off

Franklyn Williams at a trial with his mouth taped. SD-Agencies

A 1953 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette, used by the Queen on state occasions. SD-Agencies