Man demands kidney from ex-wife

A New York surgeon who donated a kidney to his wife has gone to court to get it back after they split up.

Dr Richard Batista, 49, gave up the organ eight years ago when his wife Dawnell fell ill, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But he claims she repaid his kindness by having an affair before filing for divorce, and is demanding compensation for risking his life.

"There's no deeper pain you can ever express than to be betrayed by the person you devoted your life to," he told reporters.

His lawyer Dominic Barbara said he wanted $1.5 million in compensation for the kidney as part of a matrimonial break-up which has dragged on for three years.

"In theory we are asking for the return of the kidney. Of course, he wouldn't really ask for that, but the value of it. This has never been done before in the State of New York," said Mr Barbara.

Dr Batista volunteered to donate his kidney after he was found to be a suitable match.

"She was my wife. My first priority was to save her life and future of our children and hopefully with that in mind keep the marriage alive. To this day I would still do it again," he said.

His wife survived but their relationship did not and the doctor claimed his wife had an affair before filing for divorce in 2005. Mrs Batista's lawyer has made no comment.

Legal experts said the case was unlikely to succeed because donating an organ is considered a gift and cannot be bought or sold.

Kids have distorted ideas about Hitler

One in 20 British schoolchildren thinks Adolf Hitler was a German football  manager, that’s  according to a new survey.         

One in six youngsters believed Auschwitz was a theme park - and one in 12 thought the Blitz was a European clean-up operation following World War II. The embarrassing findings are contained in a poll for the veterans' charity Erskine, which asked 2,000 kids aged nine to 11 about the two world wars. One in four said they did not think about soldiers who died then, and 40% had no idea when Remembrance Day is. Erskine chief executive Major Jim Panton said: "Some answers to this poll have shocked us and show we have a part to play, not just in caring for veterans but in educating society. "Children are the future of the country. It is important we help them learn about our history." The Erskine charity, which provides nursing and medical care for veterans, will now take part in a national scheme to educate kids about the world wars.

A Saudi woman is seeking a divorce after discovering her husband had nicknamed her 'Guantanamo' on his mobile phone.

The woman made the discovery while examining the list of contacts in her husband's phone when he left it at home one day, the Al-Watan newspaper reports.

The Riyadh newspaper did not name the woman or her husband, who may live to regret comparing life with his wife with the US detention centre in Cuba. His wife has since decided to end their 17-year marriage and is seeking a divorce.

But the newspaper suggested she might settle for "substantial" financial compensation from her husband and stay married to him.

Priset advises couples to pray before sex

                                                Newly-wed Roman Catholic couples are being encouraged to say a  special prayer together before having sex.

The specially-composed Prayer Before Making Love is aimed at 'purifying their intentions' so the act is not about selfishness or hedonism. It appears in the 64-page Prayer Book for Spouses which has been published by the London-based Catholic Truth Society, reports the Daily Mail. The prayer implores God 'to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes'. It adds: "Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will." The group has close links to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. The Rt Rev Paul Hendricks, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark and sits on the charity's board, said he thought the prayer's inclusion was 'brave but good'. "I suppose it is a bit idealistic but it is recognising that God is at the heart of the marriage relationship between husband and wife," he said. "It is important for the Church to affirm the value of marriage and family life and I suppose this is a particular way of doing that." The book contains prayers for every stage of marriage and family life, including engagement, planning for parenthood, pregnancy and caring for children and elderly parents.

Boy, 11, reincarnate of holy man

A US boy is not going back to school - after he was declared the reincarnation of a Buddhist holy man who first died in 1250.

Boston-born Jigme Wangchuk, 11, has now moved to India where he has been made the head of a Buddhist sect in the country's eastern Darjeeling city.

His parents say they discovered their son was not like other children two years ago when he started talking about his "past life". At first, they dismissed it as a childish fantasy, but began taking it seriously during a trip to a monastery in Mysore, southern India.At one point, he went into a trance in which he described a celebrated Buddhist monastery with a 35ft dragon on the roof.

After hearing his description of the temple he had never visited, the monks proclaimed he was the reincarnation of the 'Rinpoche' or high priest Galwa Lorepa, the founder of one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism.Now he will spent the next ten years in virtual seclusion and only be able to communicate with his former school friends by email."It has been a very difficult period for us over the past two years. I have been crying for the past five months, but have, at last, come to terms with it," said his mother Dechen."When we were in New Delhi on our way to Darjeeling, I asked him whether he would like to go back to Boston. He said he has to fulfil his responsibilities to his people."But for 'His Holiness' Jigme, there's no regrets: "I will miss my school days but I am happy in my new role. I like it here," he said.

Largest Cruise Squeezes under bridge

KORSOER, Denmark – The world's largest cruise ship cleared a crucial obstacle Sunday, lowering its smokestacks to squeeze under a bridge in Denmark.

The Oasis of the Seas — which rises about 20 stories high — passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link with a slim margin as it left the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Bridge operators said that even after lowering its telescopic smokestacks the giant ship had less than a 2-foot (half-meter) gap.

Hundreds of people gathered on beaches at both ends of the bridge, waiting for hours to watch the brightly lit behemoth sail by shortly after midnight (2300GMT; 7 p.m. EDT).

"It was fantastic to see it glide under the bridge. Boy, it was big," said Kurt Hal, 56.

Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than theTitanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot (487-meter) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Oasis of the Sea, nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.

It was built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International and left the shipyard in Finland on Friday. Officials hadn't expected any problems in passing the Great Belt bridge, but traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes as a precaution when the ship approached, Danish navy spokesman Joergen Brand said.

Aboard the Oasis of the Seas, project manager Toivo Ilvonen of STX Finland confirmed that the ship had passed under the bridge without any incidents.

"Nothing fell off," he said.

The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater — modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater — doubles as aswimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot (10-meter) high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.

Once home, the $1.5 billion floating extravaganza will have more, if less visible, obstacles to duck: a sagging U.S. economy, questions about the consumer appetite for luxury cruises and criticism that such sailing behemoths are damaging to the environment and diminish the experience of traveling.

It is due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida.