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Canadian Helicopter Jailbirds Back In Custody After James Bond Moment

JOURNAL DE MONTREAL, METRO MONTREAL (Canada), CTV NEWS, CNN (USA), AP

Worldcrunch

MONTREAL - Two inmates have been recaptured early Monday morning, only one day after their daring escape from a jail northwest of Montreal, in the Canadian Province of Quebec.

Quebec provincial police told the AP they had arrested four people about 30 miles north of the Saint-Jerome jail from which the inmates escaped on Sunday: 36-year-old inmate Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau, arrested Sunday; 33-year-old inmate Danny Provencal, who surrendered peacefully after a brief stand-off with the police; and two other suspects involved in the spectacular getaway.

On Sunday, two men posing as tourists reportedly commandeered a helicopter from a Canadian tour company, ordered the pilot to fly over the Saint-Jerome detention center, hoisted two inmates using cables or ropes into the hovering aircraft – and zipped away, in broad daylight and in full view of incredulous witnesses, CNN reports.

An eyewitness told CTV News that the brazen escape was a real "James Bond moment."

Police quickly managed to locate the helicopter and the pilot about 85 kilometers away in Mont-Tremblant. The Journal de Montréal reveals the pilot was held at gunpoint and forced to execute the A Team-style maneuver.

“As far as I know, it’s a first in Quebec,” Yves Galarneau, the correctional services manager who oversees the Saint-Jerome jail, told Metro Montreal. “It’s exceptional.”

The Saint-Jerome jail has been receiving complaints of overcrowding and reduced staff on weekends.

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Society

Tales From A Blushing Nation: Exploring India's 'Issues' With Love And Sex

Why is it that this nation of a billion-plus has such problems with intimacy and romance?

Photo of Indian romance statues

Indian romance statues

Sreemanti Sengupta

KOLKATA — To a foreigner, India may seem to be a country obsessed with romance. What with the booming Bollywood film industry which tirelessly churns out tales of love and glory clothed in brilliant dance and action sequences, a history etched with ideal romantics like Laila-Majnu or the fact that the Taj Mahal has immortalised the love between king Shahjahan and queen Mumtaz.

It is difficult to fathom how this country with a billion-plus population routinely gets red in the face at the slightest hint or mention of sex.

It therefore may have come as a shock to many when the ‘couple-friendly’ hospitality brand OYO announced that they are “extremely humbled to share that we observed a record 90.57% increase in Valentine’s Day bookings across India.”

What does that say about India’s romantic culture?

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