7.3.11

7-year-old boy almost buys fighter jet via internet

SYDNEY: A seven-year-old British boy nearly bought a real-life Harrier fighter jet for $113,515 via online shopping.

The boy hit the "buy it now" button to purchase the fighter jet, which was put on sale at the online store eBay.

But his father quickly apologised to the sellers, saying his son was not able to buy the aircraft out of his pocket money, news.com.au reported Friday.

"His dad rang up and profusely apologised to us, so it's still for sale. We've put it on as an auction now so that won't happen again," said a spokeswoman for Britain-based Jet Art Aviation, which is selling the Harrier.

The elite fighting machine was part of Britain's arsenal in the 1982 Falklands War, but the government put the plane out of service in 1997.

Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and Britain over the disputed Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The US Marines still use a second-generation model of the Harrier. 

23 year old grandmother

LONDON: A 23-year-old woman from Romania has claimed to have become the "world's youngest grandmother", a media report said.

Mum-of-two Rifca Stanescu was 12 when she had her first child Maria. She urged her daughter not to follow her example -- but Maria gave birth to son Ion while only 11, 'The Sun' reported.

Rifca had married jewellery seller Ionel Stanescu when she was 11 and he was 13. They eloped because Rifca feared her father wanted her to marry another village lad in Investi in Romania. She was forgiven when she had her daughter -- making her mum, also Maria, a great grandmother at 40.

Son Nicolae was born a year later. The young mum later tried to persuade Maria to stay at school. But Maria left to wed when she was 10 and had her baby six months later, the report said.

Rifca cuddled grandson Ion, now two, and said: "I am happy to be a grandmother but wished more for Maria."

Britain's previous youngest grandmother was an unnamed 26-year-old from Yorks. Her daughter, 12, gave birth in 1999.