Tornado in Oklahoma
Survivors pulled from Oklahoma tornado debris as toll lowered
Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials on Tuesday sharply lowered the number of deaths caused by the storm. Full Article
Reuters Showcase
Reuters India Mobile
Get the latest news on the go. Visit Reuters India on your mobile device. Full Coverage
Russia's Putin says world will only end in 4.5 bln years
 |
Chelsea Flower Show
The Queen, Prince Harry as well as garden gnomes turn up at the 100th annual Chelsea Flower Show. Slideshow
Russia's President Vladimir Putin gestures during his annual news conference in Moscow, December 20, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
MOSCOW |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin is not worried by prophecies the world might end on Friday because he knows it has another 4.5 billion years left.
"I know when the world will end ... In about 4.5 billion years," the Russian president said in response to a question about the timing of his annual news conference, held on the eve of what according to New Age prophecies might be doomsday.
He explained his calculation by saying the world was at the centre of the Sun's "functioning cycle" of seven billion to 14 billion years, and this meant the Sun would turn into a white dwarf in 4.5 billion years.
"What is there to be afraid of if it's inevitable?" he said.
An era in the Maya Long Count calendar is due to end at sunrise on December 21, an event interpreted by some groups as the end of days.
(Reporting by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Sophie Hares)
- Tweet this
- Link this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Reprints
Follow Reuters