Car wash finds $500,000 diamond pendant

Car cleaners at a Russian firm got a surprise when they cleaned out a vacuum cleaner this week: a diamond pendant worth up to 300,000 euros ($475,400).

"I didn't know how much it was worth at first so I got a jeweler to come around and he said it was worth as much as 300,000 euros," Vladimir Shapiro, owner of the car cleaning firm in Russia's northern city of St Petersburg, told Reuters.

"When I heard the value my jaw dropped to the floor," he said. "You would have to notice losing something like this."

He said he was not going to disclose much about the pendant so that he could return it to its true owner.

Source: Reuters

Parrot Spreading the F-word

A foul-mouthed parrot, who once told a vicar to f*** off, has been teaching other birds how to swear.

Barney the macaw has refused to clean up his act despite being taken to a language specialist, reports Metro.

His most shocking outburst was when he told a mayoress, a vicar and two police officers to 'f*** off' and called them 'w******' when they visited Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuneaton.

And the seven-year-old macaw has now been spreading his obscene vocabulary to two other parrots, Sam and Charlie, at the centre.

Owner Geoff Grewcock said: 'It sounds like a builders' yard sometimes when we come in here, what with all the abuse flying about.

"They just sit there swearing at each other now, all kind of foul language - it's unbelievable."

He said the terrible trio's favourite rude words were 'f*** off', 'b*****ks' and 't**s'.

Mr Grewcock added: "These birds can live until they are 70 so there are potentially another 60 years of this to contend with."

Parrot expert Rob Harvey said birds usually talk to get the attention of their owners.

He added: "This case is so unusual because parrots are copying another parrot."

Source: Ananova