World Briefs

Government wire-tapping of opposition leaders may conjure up images of Soviet-bloc police states, but in the Venezuela of President Hugo Chavez it's the stuff of state TV commercials.

The Chavez government has turned a barrage of tapped conversations into tongue-in-cheek advertisements slamming the leftist leader's rivals before tough regional elections on Sunday in which a handful of his allies are likely to lose governorships.

One set of state TV spots features recordings of opposition leader Manuel Rosales discussing campaign finance or the purchase of expensive jewellery along with slapstick sound effects and pictures of rings and a Cartier watch.

Another state TV ad replays a conversation of Mr Rosales negotiating the purchase of cattle to a backdrop of mooing sounds and cartoon pictures of coins.

"They use shameful systems to get information, but that's their problem - I'm relaxed," said Mr Rosales.

'Meh' enters English dictionary

"Meh", a word which indicates a lack of interest or enthusiasm, became the latest addition to the Collins English Dictionary yesterday. The word, which beat hundreds of other suggestions from members of the public, will feature in the 30th anniversary edition of the dictionary, which is to be published next year.

Though the word apparently originates from North America, Collins said it is now widely used on the internet, and is increasingly encountered in British spoken English.

The dictionary entry for "meh" will say it can be used as an interjection to indicate indifference or boredom, as an adjective to describe something as boring or mediocre, or to show an individual is apathetic or unimpressed.

The word was popularised by the US comedy animation series The Simpsons, where characters Bart and Lisa use it to express indifference when their father Homer suggests a day trip.

Aircraft naming competition

An internet contest to name the new M-346 combat jet trainer has elicited more than 2,000 ideas. First prize includes a free ride.

Manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italy's aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica, is not revealing any names, but aviation buffs at internet forums have proposed choices like the Pizza Pie, Italian Stallion, Turbo Pigeon and Pompeii.

In-house aircraft naming competitions are common enough. But the month-long internet contest, taking entries until Saturday, has drawn far-flung responses from countries such as Britain, the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Bahrain, Turkey, the Philippines and Slovenia. About 70 per cent are from Italy.

Fat pets compete in slimming contest

Eight of Britain's fattest pets are to embark on a 100-day diet and fitness regime in a bid to crowned this year's pet fit club champion.

The seven dogs and one cat, which are all more than 30 per cent overweight and weigh a combined total of 191 kilos, were picked by veterinary charity PDSA who are running the slimming contest. The animals, which need to lose a total of 74 kilos to reach their ideal weight, will be put on specially tailored diet and exercise programmes.

The pet that achieves the biggest percentage weight loss and best follows their new regime will be crowned champion, winning their owner a pet-friendly holiday.

PDSA statistics show around 30 per cent of Britain's dogs are overweight or obese, amounting to around 1.95 million fat dogs. "Alongside their daily portions of pet food, owners often show their affection by giving unhealthy human treats such as cheese, buttered toast and biscuits. They don't realise they are actually killing their pets with kindness," said Sean Wensley, a veterinary surgeon at PDSA.

Paying €160 for 'special' samosas

A Dutch couple on a visit to the eastern Indian state of Bihar paid 10,000 rupees (€160) for four samosas, a spicy deep-fried snack that usually doesn't cost more than a few rupees, a newspaper reported yesterday.

After the tourists ate the snacks, a stall owner at the Sonepur cattle fair last week told them his "special" samosas cost more because they were made of herbs and had aphrodisiac qualities, the Hindustan Times said.

After an argument, the couple paid the shopkeeper. But they later complained to a policeman. Police forced the shopkeeper to return the change - 9,990 rupees.

Burglars rob police HQ

Thieves broke into the Norwegian criminal police's headquarters in Oslo, making off with several computers, police said yesterday.

"I can confirm that we were the victim of a robbery overnight Saturday to Sunday," Pia Solhaug, a mouthpiece for Norway's criminal police Kripos, said. "Several computers were taken," she added.

According to tabloid Verdens Gang (VG), the intruders smashed a window to gain entry into the building. The robbery was discovered three hours later.

Oslo police have launched an investigation.