Yoga is the work of the devil, according to a man who claims to have banished evil spirits from 70,000 people. Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, says yoga leads to a belief in Hinduism, and "all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation," the Telegraph quotes him as saying. The elderly priest, speaking at a film festival in Italy this week, said practicing yoga leads to evil "just like the Harry Potter books," which he believes promote black magic."In Harry Potter the devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells, and curses," said Amorth, who was at the film festival to introduce a new American exorcism movie, The Rite, which stars Anthony Hopkins as a Jesuit priest. The exorcist—whose favorite movie is The Exorcist—believes the devil can even be found in the Vatican itself, pointing to the sex scandals engulfing the church as evidence. Top yoga practitioners, meanwhile, say they don't know what possessed Amorth to make such absurd statements.
A large metallic ball fell out of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia, prompting baffled authorities to contact NASA and the European space agency. The hollow ball with a circumference of 1.1 metres (43 inches) was found near a village in the north of the country some 750 kilometres (480 miles) from the capital Windhoek, according to police forensics director Paul Ludik. Locals had heard several small explosions a few days beforehand, he said. With a diameter of 35 centimetres (14 inches), the ball has a rough surface and appears to consist of "two halves welded together".It was made of a "metal alloy known to man" and weighed six kilogrammes (13 pounds), said Ludik. It was found 18 metres from its landing spot, a hole 33 centimetres deep and 3.8 meters wide. Several such balls have dropped in southern Africa, Australia and Latin America in the past twenty years, authorities found in an Internet search. The sphere was discovered mid-November, but authorities first did tests before announcing the find. Police deputy inspector general Vilho Hifindaka concluded the sphere did not pose any danger. "It is not an explosive device, but rather hollow, but we had to investigate all this first," he said.
The Beast Of Merthyr? Pet Owners Told To Lock Up Animals After Sighting Of 'Panther-Like' Creature
They are the elusive shadows that stalk the countryside, feeding on sheep and terrorising rural communities – but a big cat now appears to have found its way to one of Wales’ most densely populated areas. Experts warned pet owners in Merthyr Tydfil to lock up their animals after a “panther-like” creature was spotted prowling on the outskirts of the Valleys town. Coach driver Robert Davies, of Hirwaun, was driving home from work when he claims he saw a large black cat “bounding” across the A470 near Merthyr. The 61-year-old was turning off a roundabout near Cyfarthfa Retail Park at around 10.30pm on Saturday when he claims the animal ran across the road in front of him in the direction of Gellideg, Cyfarthfa. He said: “I had just come off the roundabout, so I was only doing about 20mph when it just appeared in the middle of the road. “It was about 25 feet in front of me and ran straight into the light from my headlights. “I used to own an Irish setter and it was definitely much bigger than that, black, with a long tail and a head a bit like a boxer dog. It bounded across from the central reservation in about three leaps. “I had to do a double take, but there was no mistaking what it was.” Meanwhile staff at the nearby retail park reported arriving at work on Monday morning to find “unusual” damage to a bin on the site and rubbish strewn around the area. A worker at the site, who did not want to be named, said: “It looks like something has got into the bin from the back and pulled rubbish out. “It’s very unusual to see that and, to be honest, the cleaner was really quite surprised.” Big cat expert Danny Nineham, who works as a consultant for UK police forces, said it was typical of many sightings. “Until they see a big cat, most people don’t believe it,” he said. “But we’re not claiming it’s Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster or that aliens have invaded Wales – it is very real and very tangible.“We have got hundreds of these things, they are everywhere.” In 2006, Wales was placed fourth on a list of “big cat hotspots”, according to the British Big Cat Society, with hundreds of sightings reported across the country in the past decade. According to Mr Nineham, who keeps a log of thousands of sightings reported to him every year, increasing numbers of big cats are being spotted in urban areas as the animals apparently follow prey, like foxes, into towns and cities. He said while most big cats will instinctively hunt, many turn to scavenging, because it is easy pickings. “When you have got these retail parks, a cat doesn’t know what it is, it only sees it as a potential source of food,” he said. “This is absolutely typical of a big cat sighting, and I would advise people living locally to keep their pets indoors as much as possible, because pet attacks make up a lot of the incidents reported to us. “As far as people themselves are concerned, there is really no need to worry. “Big cats in the UK will very rarely, if ever, attack to kill because they have plenty of other food sources. “If you are walking in the area and you come across the animal, just stand tall, look big and try and back away without taking your eyes off it, so you know where it is.” A spokesman for South Wales Police was unable to confirm if the incident had been reported to the force. But Dyfed-Powys Police Wildlife Officer Matthew Howells said: “Don’t approach the animal and don’t leave any food out for it as this could encourage it to come closer to your home. “Report the sighting to the police and give them as much information as you can, such as a detailed description of the animal, where it was seen, how far away it was, and the direction it was travelling in,” he added.
The Future Of Home Lighting? Glowing Bacteria Produces Firefly-Like 'Bio-Light'
We normally do everything we can to keep disease-causing bacteria out of our homes. But millions of the micro-organisms could one day be harnessed to provide a natural light source running of nothing more than recycled household waste. For electronics company Philips has devised a 'bio-light' that will provide any room in the house with a warm, cosy glow. The lamp - consisting of a series of glass chambers - provides light using the same bioluminescent method as fireflies and glow worms. The glass jars contain bioluminescent bacteria that emit a green glow when fed methane gas which, in this concept model is pumped into the lighting unit through a household waste digester.
Given the green light: The bio-light emits a green glow from living bacteria
Plant biologist Jim Haseloff of Cambridge University said the model was an important development in the search for sustainable light sources. 'It's appealing because it brings two things together which you wouldn't normally associate,' he told reporters. 'I don't think you want to imagine that everyone's going to start putting bacterial cultures into their own home for lighting, but as a way of exploring the idea it's quite interesting.
Eco-friendly: The light runs off methane gas produced from everyday home waste
'When you move out of the normal area - illuminating walkways and things like that - where things could essentially be growing and delivering light for free, that's where you're going to have applications.' Philips believes the technique could be adapted to illuminate roadside verges with glowing plants.'Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources,' Clive van Heerden of Philips Design said.'Designers have an obligation to understand the urgency of the situation, and translate humanity’s needs into solutions.'
Never-before seen pictures show new evidence that the legendary Bigfoot exists - and that they could build nests. Two pictures were snapped last month when experts on the creature - also known as the Sasquatch - came together for the first time in Russia. Dr John Bindernagel, 69 from Canada, was one of several world-renowned bigfoot experts invited to the week-long conference in Russia. He and others from the USA and Sweden met with their Russian counterparts to join forces and share evidence for the first time.
Footprint showing the tightly clenched toes of a sasquatch foot, with only the toe tips registering in the soil.
During a two-day expedition through to the Kemerovo region of Siberia, wildlife biologist Dr Nindernagel and other members of the team examined two trees apparently twisted out of shape. The area is well known for sightings of the 'Wildman' - the Russian name for Bigfoot. Dr Nindernagel, who has studied Bigfoot for 40 years and has penned two books on the creature, said the trees corroborated with a new and emerging theory from North America that the Bigfoot might build nests using branches like orangutans and gorillas. Other pictures show evidence gathered by Dr Bindernagel over the years.
"In Harry Potter the devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells, and curses," said Amorth, who was at the film festival to introduce a new American exorcism movie, The Rite, which stars Anthony Hopkins as a Jesuit priest. The exorcist—whose favorite movie is The Exorcist—believes the devil can even be found in the Vatican itself, pointing to the sex scandals engulfing the church as evidence. Top yoga practitioners, meanwhile, say they don't know what possessed Amorth to make such absurd statements.
"In Harry Potter the devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells, and curses," said Amorth, who was at the film festival to introduce a new American exorcism movie, The Rite, which stars Anthony Hopkins as a Jesuit priest. The exorcist—whose favorite movie is The Exorcist—believes the devil can even be found in the Vatican itself, pointing to the sex scandals engulfing the church as evidence. Top yoga practitioners, meanwhile, say they don't know what possessed Amorth to make such absurd statements.
