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16. 11. 12. - 17:00

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16. 11. 12. - 17:00

Blooming Marvellous

Kathryn Quinn

Nicknamed the 'Corpse flower' because of it foul smell this record breaking bloom is still packing in the visitors as it grows at the rate of a millimetre every eight minutes.

The plant is indigenous to Sumatra's rainforests in Indonesia and is extremely rare, although this one is located at the University of Basel in Switzerland. It is the largest unbranched shoot in the world and it has already reached a height of two metres. But it is also still going strong putting on around 17 cm a day.

Experts say that they are hoping it might finally bloom this weekend and although they bloom on average once in a decade this one only bloomed for the first time in 75 years last year.

When the plants are ready to pollinate, the stem heats up to release a pungent smell which according to experts smells very similar to rotting flesh, which lasts for about three days.

The Amorphophallus plant was given the name Titan Arum by Sir David Attenborough who captured it flowering on film for his BBC TV series The Private Life of Plants. But it is often called the corpse plant due to its smell.

When the plant finally blooms the Botanical centre will be open 24 hours instead of the regular hours so that visitors can have the chance to witness the rarity.

During the last bloom of the plant in April 2011 an estimated 25,000 people visited the plant.

Tragic Ski Girl Dies
A 10-year-old British schoolgirl has died after skiing into a tree at high speed during a family holiday tragedy in the Austrian Alps.

Peak Performance
Police chiefs in Hamburg, Germany, are celebrating after new crime figures showed there wasn't a single bank robbery in the city last year.

Chinese Fakeaway
Chinese property developers who've been thwarted in a bid to buy up an entire Austrian village have settled on the next best thing - an entire life-sized replica.

Austrian children help Romanian kids
A charity project run by the middle school in Hippach has been recognised with an award for its social work by officials in Tyrol.

Mother kills disabled daughter because she couldnt take care of her any longer
A Romanian woman killed her 8 year-old disabled daughter on Wednesday (yesterday)because she couldn't pay for her care, Libertatea newspaper reports.

Policeman accused of sex with the son of his girlfriend
A Policeman from Vulcan, Western Romania is currently being investigated for having sex with a minor, the son of his girlfriend, Cancan newspaper informs today (Thurs).

Serial killer survivor walks away alive after fall
An 85 year-old woman who survived the most cruel and notorious serial killer in Romania some 40 years ago, recently fell from the first floor of her apartment building and she walked away safe and sound, Cancan newspaper reports today (Thurs).

The son of Qatar Airlines BA beaten up in Romania
The son of the Board of Administration of Qatar Airlines Akbar Al Baker, was beaten up over the weekend at the launching party of a posh club in Mamaia, at the Romanian Black Sea shore, Cancan newspaper reports.

Majority starts president’s suspension procedures
A day after the Social Liberal Union (USL) legislators dismissed with a large majority of votes the two Speakers of the Parliament, the Union started today the procedures for the suspension and possible impeachment of President Traian Basescu. This is the second time when the Parliament asks for Basescu’s suspension.

Some 177 Roma repatriated by French authorities to Romania
Some 177 Romanian citizens of Roma origin were repatriated on Tuesday night from Lille, France, Romania TV news channel informs today (Weds).