Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis.

Satellite images of the Wilkins Ice Shelf showed that a huge iceberg, 41 x 2.5 km, about seven times the size of Manhattan, has disintegrated from the ice shelf recently.

The Wilkins began its collapse on Feb 28 (2008); a narrow beam of intact ice, just 6 km wide, was protecting the remaining shelf from further breakup as of March 23.

[More stories on National Snow and Ice Data Center and British Antarctic Survey]

[Update] The Music Idol show actually invited her, Valentina Hasan, as special guest at one of their episodes…

With the popularity of her videos on Youtube etc, Valentina might very well be more famous than the eventual winner of the competition.

(Image via Xinhuanet)

Zimbabwe is suffering from an inflation crisis. The annual inflation in the African country has rocketed past the 100,000% barrier in Feb 2008, by far the highest in the world (2nd placed Iraq has an estimated inflation of 60%).

Zimbabwe’s currency has tumbled to a record low of 25 million Zimbabwe dollars to one US dollar. 100 US dollars could exchange for nearly 20kg of local currency.

Frankly, it’s hard to imagine how a country would manage to get themselves into the troubled situation. My countrymen would be crying like babies if our annual inflation rates reached 10%… 100,000% inflation? That’s unthinkable.

Mummy in Argentine museum stolen

A 50 to 60-centimeter mummy which was made from a 2-year-old child about 900 years ago was stolen from a museum on Feb 15 in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.

Giant “Frog From Hell” fossil found in Madagascar

Scientists working in Madagascar have found what may be the largest frog that ever lived, namely the Beelzebufo, or “devil frog”.

Richest man in India builds $1billion house

Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $22 billion, is building himself the world’s most expensive home.

Stopping time in London

Great prank with hundreds of Londoners ‘freezing’ themselves at the same time.

The woman who keeps 75 hibernating tortoises in her fridges [via]

“It’s much easier to maintain a constantly cool temperature with a fridge than it is with our ever-warming climate.”

3-way chess

The more the merrier.

10 most beautiful bridges in the world

Bridges are stylish: from classical to modern, they are as much a work of art as they are marvels of engineering.

The World’s Billionaires

After 13 years on top, Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. That honor now belongs to his friend and sometimes bridge partner Warren Buffett.

While this might not be the worst injury people have ever seen on football field… this photo taken by a sport journalist that reflects the exact moment of the tackle are definitely horrifying. Eduardo’s ankle could be seen completely twisted (and broken) following the impact…

Horrible injury, but great photo. Get well soon Eduardo.

Rhys Nichols was strolling along the sands with dad Richard when he spotted the perfectly preserved nine-inch prints on a rock.

Rhys and the dinosaur footprint he spotted (Image courtesy of Mailonsunday, hat tip to Spluch)

Experts have hailed the find, saying that dinosaur footprints ‘are not normally that clear’. It’s suggested that the footprints are from a plant-eating dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic period, which would make the prints about 160 million years old.

The 150 million-year-old specimen was found on Spitspergen, in the Arctic island chain of Svalbard, in 2006. The Jurassic-era leviathan is one of 40 sea reptiles from a fossil “treasure trove” uncovered on the island.

Nicknamed “The Monster”, the immense creature would have measured 15m (50ft) from nose to tail. [BBC]

The fossil and artist illustration of the sea monster ‘in action’

The scientists collected specimens from up to 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) beneath the surface of the Southern Ocean as part of an international project to take a census of Antarctic marine life. [Nationalgeographic]

Tunicates which look like glass tubes (Image via Dailymail)

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, or PIPA, lies about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji. [AP]

PIPA was the world’s third largest marine protected area before the Government of Kiribati announced the expansion of the boundaries of the protected area on Jan 28, 2008… which now encompass an area of 410,500 square kilometres. [Phoenixisland]

World’s largest gold coin (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

The gold coin, produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, is approximately 50cm in diametre and about 3cm thick and has a purity of 99.999%.

Although the 100kg coin has a face value of $1 million, it would cost approximately CA$2.6 million (or US$2.4 million) to purchase, based on the market value of gold.

Frozen Grand Central

[VIDEO] Over 200 people freeze in place on cue in Grand Central Station in New York.

Gas pumping robot

Dutch inventors unveiled a 75,000 euro ($111,100) car-fuelling robot they say is the first of its kind, working by registering the car on arrival at the filling station and matching it to a database of fuel cap designs and fuel types.

‘Itch-free’ pyjamas dream comes true [via]

Designers have developed pyjamas that regulate body temperature, stop itching and ensure a good night’s sleep.

Monopoly Here and Now World Edition – Cast Your Vote!

Popular board game Monopoly is running a worldwide voting until the end of February 2008 to select the cities that will feature on their international edition of Monopoly.

The hypersonic plane designed to reach Australia in under five hours [via]

A hypersonic passenger plane that could fly to Australia from northern Europe in less than five hours has been designed in Britain.

The grand shaft – amazing military engineering

An incredible piece of wartime engineering in Dover; built between 1806 and 1809 during the Napoleonic wars, this triple spiral staircase was used as a rapid route for soldiers making their way from the clifftop barracks to the town of dover and its harbour below.

Earliest oil paintings found in famed Afghan caves

Buddhist murals from Afghanistan’s famed Bamian caves are the world’s earliest known oil paintings, according to a new chemical analysis.

Astronomers find galaxy far, far away [via]

Astronomers have glimpsed what may be the farthest galaxy we’ve ever seen, providing a picture of a baby galaxy born soon after the beginning of the universe.

Human viruses kill great apes

Common human viruses are killing endangered great apes. A new study reveals a dark side to research and ecotourism, both of which ironically are aimed to help the apes and which may still do more good than harm.

Poor Haitians resort to eating dirt

With food prices rising, Haiti’s poorest can’t afford even a daily plate of rice, and some must take desperate measures to fill their bellies… by eating mud.

The internet’s undersea world

[PIC] The vast majority of the world’s communications are not carried by satellites, but an altogether older technology: cables under the earth’s oceans.

Sperm cells created from female embryo [via]

Sperm cells have been created from a female human embryo in a remarkable breakthrough that suggests it may be possible for lesbian couples to have their own biological children.

World’s top 25 trains [via]

World’s top 25 trains revealed by The Society of International Railway Travelers.

The machine-animals of Nantes

French city of Nantes recently became host to extremely strange and fascinating sculptural display: “Les Machines de l’Ile Nantes”, designed by François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice.

6 incredible star forts

Star fort is a type of fortification design adopted in the early 16th century as people realised that simpler, often circular forts were pretty crap when it came to the job in hand: defense.

Kevin Rudd eating ear wax during Question Time [via]

[VIDEO] Kevin Michael Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia, is seen eating his ear wax. The video was posted before Kevin’s Australian Labor Party won the federal election in Nov 2007.