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Stroke leaves man speaking Welsh

LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- An 81-year-old Englishman is recovering from a stroke that left him communicating fluently in Welsh but unable to speak his native language.

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Alun Jones of Bath said he did learn to speak Welsh as a child because he spent four years during World War II living in Wales, The Independent reported Thursday. His relatives there were Welsh speakers.

But he had forgotten most of his Welsh until the stroke.

"It gave my wife the shock of her life when I started speaking Welsh," he told the newspaper in Welsh. "After the stroke it was hard going. I've managed to remember English but I've almost forgotten Welsh again."

Strokes often leave victims unable to speak or struggling to recall words they once knew, a condition known as aphasia. But experts say a few victims uncover hidden abilities.

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"We believe the damaged brain finds new pathways, which unlock memories or knowledge that is latent but not expressed," Joe Korner of the Stroke Association said.


4,000 new comic books released in France

PARIS, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The French association of comic strip critics and journalists said more than 4,000 new comic book titles were released in France during 2012.

The group, known as ACBD, said the figures show France experienced its 17th year of growth for the comic book industry and had more comics produced in its market than in the United States, Radio France Internationale reported Friday.

Didier Pasamonik, the editor in chief of the comics news website Actua BD, said 2012 was marked by a high quantity of high quality comics released in France.

"It's a sign of (a) good answer to the market because each book is targeted to a special audience. You have (comics for) girls, for people who like very artistic books, all kinds of comics exist on the market. That's why, year after year, the production is in augmentation," he said. "At the comics convention in San Diego, there is more and more French books in competition, and translations of French comics are more and more important in the world, and with big success."

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Dental drill falls into patient's lung

VASTERAS, Sweden, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A Swedish hospital said new precautions are being taken after a dentist's drill unattached during a procedure and ended up in a patient's lung.

Officials at the Vastmanland Central Hospital in Vasteras said the drill became loose and fell into the mouth of a 60-year-old woman, who was undergoing dental implant surgery last September, The Local.se reported Friday.

"She tried to spit it out, and was made to cough, but she'd already swallowed," said Per Weitz, the hospital's medical chief.

Weitz said an X-ray revealed the drill was lodged in the woman's right lung and a bronchoscopy was performed to remove the object.

"A pinky-sized tube was sent into her lung with a small camera and pliers to grab hold of the drill," Weitz said.

Doctors said the woman made a full recovery about a month after the incident.

The incident was reported to the National Board of Health and Welfare and Weitz said new precautions are being adopted to prevent further occurrences.


69 cows vanish on slaughtering day

STJARNHOV, Sweden, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Police in Sweden said they are searching for 69 cows that vanished from a farm on the day they were to be slaughtered.

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Farmer Claes Roempke, 47, of Stjarnhov, said he was baffled by the disappearance of the cows, which he valued at about $107,600, Swedish news agency TT/The Local.se reported Friday.

"When I opened the gate, I saw the animals were gone," Roempke said. "I have no idea where they've been taken. I hope they are alive and are OK."

Police said they are investigating the incident.

"We have the ID number of all the cows and will match them with the Jordbruksverket (the Swedish Board of Agriculture) register," police spokesman Thomas Tellebro said. "But it is hard to get hold of people during the Christmas holiday period."

He said it is unlikely the thieves took the cows to a slaughterhouse.

"It's not easy to get rid of cows. If someone comes with 69 cows to a typical slaughterhouse, the cows must be registered and that's how the slaughterhouse sees where the cows came from," Tellebro said.

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