عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Fake Traffic Cameras in Germany to Slow Down Speedy Cars

The transportation and use of radar warning devices are now punished by a fine of 1.500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN
The transportation and use of radar warning devices are now punished by a fine of 1.500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN
    Cologne, Germany - Majed Al-Khatib
TT
TT

Fake Traffic Cameras in Germany to Slow Down Speedy Cars

The transportation and use of radar warning devices are now punished by a fine of 1.500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN
The transportation and use of radar warning devices are now punished by a fine of 1.500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN

The German city of Cologne has allowed people to install fake cameras in order to reduce the risk of speed and noise near residential areas.

One month ago, the traffic department discovered these fake cameras in the neighborhood of Holweide. It was a wooden version of traffic cameras which a family has made and set at the crossroads near its house. The trick was not only to reduce the speed of cars, but also to reduce the number of cars passing near the house.

Yannick Young said he managed to put an end to the noise and cars, which exceed a 30-kilometer-speed per hour, near his house. He and his children made a wooden camera and set it up in the park located at the intersection near the house.

Young noticed how motorists press the brakes automatically when they approach his home. He also hanged a written warning that to keep children and pedestrians from approaching and detecting the fake camera.

Young said the intersection near his house used to see an accident or two every week, because motorists always neglected the speed limit for residential areas, and public transport buses ran at a speed of 50-60 km/h near his home. However, this is over now thanks to the home-made "fake" camera.

The municipality of Cologne said there is about 30 similar cameras in the city. Robert Fox, mayor of the Holweide district, recognized the effectiveness of these “fake” camera, but asked what would happen if every citizen decided to set up a fabricated camera near his home.

In a poll conducted by the Cologne-based newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 57% of readers supported the idea of fake cameras saying it was effective, while 32% of participants saw that nothing can deter the street "hooligans" from driving quickly in neighborhoods.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

America's Official Mammal, the Bison, Gets Bronze Tribute for Country's 250th Birthday

Bison statues cast in bronze are on permanent display outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. The Washington Monument is in the background. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Bison statues cast in bronze are on permanent display outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. The Washington Monument is in the background. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
TT
TT

America's Official Mammal, the Bison, Gets Bronze Tribute for Country's 250th Birthday

Bison statues cast in bronze are on permanent display outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. The Washington Monument is in the background. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Bison statues cast in bronze are on permanent display outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. The Washington Monument is in the background. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The national mammal of the United States is getting in on America's 250th birthday celebration.

Three bison statues cast in bronze have taken up a permanent display outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The pieces — which are larger than real-life bison — made their public debut in the nation's capital on Friday, The Associated Press reported.

The bison earned its official status as the nation's mammal under a law signed by former President Obama in 2016. Millions of bison once roamed the Great Plains but were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s.

“It’s a wonderful story of conservation working, it’s a story of people seeing a need and getting behind that to conserve an animal that is specific to North America,” said Gary Staab, a paleoartist who made the statues.

Staab designed and sculpted the statues in Kearney, Missouri, where he works full-time to create sculptures of animals and historical artifacts for museums around the world. For the bison, Staab sculpted the full-size statues in foam and clay before they were cast in bronze and assembled at a foundry in Colorado. The three statues depict a bull, a cow and a calf.

He said it took about four months to complete the sculptures — a time frame he called “lighting fast” given the size of the pieces.

“They really represent a really unbelievably beautiful and unique thing about North America,” Staab said.

Varieties

Minecraft to Come to Life with UK Theme Park

An in-game screenshot of Minecraft is seen in this undated publicity image. (Reuters)
An in-game screenshot of Minecraft is seen in this undated publicity image. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Minecraft to Come to Life with UK Theme Park

An in-game screenshot of Minecraft is seen in this undated publicity image. (Reuters)
An in-game screenshot of Minecraft is seen in this undated publicity image. (Reuters)

Britain is to welcome the world's first Minecraft roller-coaster and attractions with the opening of "Minecraft World" in 2027, the studio behind the video game announced Saturday.

"Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios have today announced Minecraft World, the world's first fully immersive Minecraft theme park land," the Sweden-based video game developer and UK theme park company said.

The £50-million ($66.6 million) project will be part of the Chessington World of Adventures Resort, a theme park complex southwest of London.

It will be inspired by the "biomes, mobs and items" of the beloved Minecraft universe, according to a press release, and will feature a coaster, "block built playscapes" and themed retail and dining.

The attraction builds on the popularity of one of the best-selling video games of all time in which players build a three-dimensional world.

Minecraft was first made available on computers in 2011 and has since been released on mobile phones and several gaming consoles.

"A Minecraft Movie" proved a box office hit last year, becoming the most successful film adaptation from a video game in North America and generating memes and TikTok trends that went viral worldwide.

UK cinemas had to restrict audiences from partaking in a viral "chicken jockey" trend arising from the film.

"Minecraft World represents a meaningful milestone in our ongoing journey to expand the Minecraft universe," said Torfi Frans Ólafsson, senior creative director for entertainment at Minecraft.

Universal is also to build its first European theme park in Britain, with its first year planned for 2031.

Varieties

Models with Down Syndrome in Romania Strike a Pose for World Down Syndrome Day

Antonia Voicu laughs before the SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala, an event organised by the Down Plus Bucharest, an NGO supporting youngsters with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, ahead of the World Down Syndrome Day, on March 21. (AP)
Antonia Voicu laughs before the SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala, an event organised by the Down Plus Bucharest, an NGO supporting youngsters with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, ahead of the World Down Syndrome Day, on March 21. (AP)
TT
TT

Models with Down Syndrome in Romania Strike a Pose for World Down Syndrome Day

Antonia Voicu laughs before the SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala, an event organised by the Down Plus Bucharest, an NGO supporting youngsters with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, ahead of the World Down Syndrome Day, on March 21. (AP)
Antonia Voicu laughs before the SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala, an event organised by the Down Plus Bucharest, an NGO supporting youngsters with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, ahead of the World Down Syndrome Day, on March 21. (AP)

Dozens of models with Down syndrome strutted down a catwalk at a fashion show in Romania’s capital for an evening celebrating style, “atypical beauty” and courage to mark World Down Syndrome Day.

The SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala in Bucharest brought together designers from across the country, who created garments “with great kindness, care and creativity” for young people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities.

Georgeta Bucur, the president of Down Plus Association Bucharest, which organized the event held on Wednesday at the Romexpo center, said 50 seamstresses each created a costume for a youngster they had never met.

“The costumes were created without anyone trying them on," she said. “But the most important thing is that the people gathered together again. This event is really special ... it’s the most beautiful thing that could happen.”

For 19-year-old Antonia Voicu, who wore a puffy green netted dress and a crown of red roses, taking the stage was like a dream come true.

“I feel like I’m always fashionable, and I like to strike a pose, so I like to do like this,” she said, before stepping on the runway. “I’m not nervous at all.”

Antonia’s caretaker, Diana Negres, said the event was “a big step” for Antonia, who had always dreamed of “being a star” parading on stage. “This event gives her exactly this,” she said. “This is her first time, we did no preparation at all, so everything will be spontaneous.”

Cristina Bucur, a seamstress and one of the organizers, said the idea for the fashion show came to her because she has a child with a disability.

"I wanted the other children to see what it’s like to wear a costume during a fashion show, what it’s like to be cheered on stage,” she said. “They enjoy it enormously because they see that someone looks at them, that someone does something for them.”

In Romania, about 12,000 people have Down syndrome, and over 6 million worldwide, according to the Romania Down Syndrome Federation. In 2022, the Eastern European country reported that a person with Down syndrome was born per 847 births.

“On stage, us children go on a parade, and today I’m dressed in a nice dress and try to do some modeling,” said nine-year-old Marusika Burlaca, who took to the stage wearing a pink dress studded with little pearls after having her hair done up.

“Maybe they get a bit nervous at times, it’s the emotions, but they really like to be the center of attention,” said Larisa Bucur, one of the organizers. “We know that they want to be in the spotlight. I think it’s a very good opportunity for them.”

World Down Syndrome Day celebrates the lives of people with Down syndrome to make sure they have equal freedoms and opportunities, and to raise awareness. In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 as the official day of observation.

This year’s theme is combating loneliness, which the World Down Syndrome Day website says can have an outsized impact on people living with Down syndrome.

“Everyone feels lonely sometimes,” it states. “But for many people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, loneliness is a more common and painful experience.”