Burning mum runs out to protect sleeping kids

MUMBAI: A mother is a mother forever and her children are her topmost priority, no matter what the situation. The 25-year-old Shehnaz Datedar proved it when she was set ablaze by her husband and in-laws in the bedroom while her children lay asleep in the same room. She ran out of the room to protect her children, reports The Times of India.

The mother of two received 100 per cent burns and died. But before she died, the gutsy woman pointed the finger at her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. The police have arrested the trio.

The incident took place at her residence at night. She was killed by her in-laws as they wanted her father to give them more money as dowry. Once she was set on fire and the flames engulfed her, she ran out from the room so that her children did not get singed. The neighbours heard her screams and came out to help her.

The woman has left a two-year-old son and a two-month-old daughter behind. The children are being looked after by her father.

3-year-old McNugget sold for $10,000

US: A Nebraska resident makes her pile on eBay as her three-year-old McNugget that resembles George Washington fetches $8k.

The bite-size piece of fast food has received 71 bids from 23 bidders, reports Herald Sun.

The fried chicken piece is three years old. She came across it when she had taken her kids for a meal to a McDonalds outlet and when they had received their order of McNugget, she immediately spotted the similarity between the chicken piece and America's first president.

The mother stored it in the freezer until she came up with the idea of auctioning it to raise some money for a church camp.

 Pole-dancing robots gyrate suggestively to the music provided by 'DJ' robot

GERMANY: Of all the weird and wacky futuristic gadgets and inventions at this year's CeBIT, the world's biggest high-tech fair, few have turned heads like a pair of pole-dancing robots.

The sleek, white, life-sized humanoids, with camera-shaped lights as heads, gyrate suggestively to the music provided by a third "DJ" robot, with a megaphone for a head, who bops around the stage in time to the beat.

The stand was already proving one of the most popular at the CeBIT, which threw open its door to exhibitors on Tuesday.

The trio were manufactured from old car parts, explained Julian Hangschlitt, 19, who described himself as "event manager by day and part-time DJ by night."

"Last year, we had a pair of real dancers. This year, we thought, 'well, we're coming to CeBIT, it's a tech fair, we should have some robots instead'," he added.

The "dancers", designed by British robot-maker-cum-artist Giles Walker, are driven by old car motors and their moves are controlled by computer via wireless technology.

But despite being made from scrap, the robots don't come cheap. If you want to hire these very exotic dancers for your next party, it will set you back around 30,000 euros (S$50,000).

CeBIT is the world's top IT fair, this year pulling in 4,200 exhibitors from 70 countries ranging from tech giants like Microsoft, Facebook and Google to single entrepreneurs with a bright idea.

The two main themes of the fair, which runs until March 10, are cloud computing - or storing your data remotely - and "managing trust", the hot-topic of Internet security.

Cake car achieves speed record

US: The unusual car which was made of mostly cake and confections, broke a world record by running up to 28mph in Kansas City.

The car, if you can call it that, was made of 95 per cent edible materials and participated at KC CakeFest in Kansas City, the Kansas City Star reported.

After the car won the contest and the world record, it had to be cut up and served to those who came and cheered for it. The cake car was modelled after a 1930's Indy car replica.

The cake weighed 716 pounds, 70 pounds of which was the total weight of the chassis pan, steering, brakes and wheels.

The seat was made of cake, the speedometer was just a sugary imitation made of icing, and helmet was crafted with chocolate and sugar.

The car and the attempt at a Guinness record were all part of the CakeFest.

Principal killed in school shooting

JACKSONVILLE: A gunman shot and killed a Florida high school principal Tuesday, before turning the weapon on himself in an apparent murder-suicide, officials and sources said.

The Episcopal High School in Jacksonville said it was "deeply saddened" that head of school Dale Regan had been killed on Tuesday afternoon.

Our deepest sympathies are with her family and we ask for your support and prayers at this time," the school said in a statement.

Sources at the school told AFP the shooter was a disgruntled Spanish teacher who had fired successive shots from an assault rifle, which had been smuggled onto campus hidden in a guitar case. Police would not immediately confirm the identity of the shooter.

None of the school's 900 students at the school were harmed. "All students and faculty are safe and our campus is secure," the school said, adding "the entire school mourns the loss of our friend and leader."

An unidentified caller alerted police just after 1:00 pm, saying shots had been fired at the school, Jacksonville Sheriff Office spokesperson Melissa Bujeda said.

Police arrived to find the unidentified former teacher and Regan dead. The sheriff's office alerted parents "to respond to the normal pick up location." A subsequent email said "the situation is under control."

The private fee-paying school, where tuition costs around US$17,000 (S$21,500) to US$18,000 a year, said it would remain closed through the already scheduled spring break until March 19.

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