World Briefs

In a Bolivian Carnival tradition, dozens of howling-drunk miners last weekend cut the hearts from four trussed-up llamas in a dark mine tunnel lit by a bonfire, accompanied by the deafening blare of a brass band.

"It's good luck," proclaimed Quechua Indian witch doctor Jose Morales, holding up a beating llama heart while miners streaked blood on their faces to ward off hazards in the Itos mine above the town of Oruro.

"All four hearts were beating when they came out; that means the year will go really well. It's a very good sign," miner Isaac Meneses said with relief.

Sacrifices to appease "Uncle," the capricious spirit who owns the silver, tin and zinc deposits in the Bolivian Andes are a key ingredient to Carnival celebrations this week. So are heavy drinking, gorgeously attired carnival queens in thigh-high golden platform boots, water-pistol battles, exploding firecrackers and columns of dancers in fantastic masks.

The passion of last weekend's llama sacrifices spilt over a parade, where hundreds of dancers donned devil masks representing the spirit of the mine. The parade ends with participants before a shrine to the Virgin Mary in a Roman Catholic church. (Reuters)

Prisoner makes Hollywood-style getaway

Greece's most notorious prisoner escaped from an Athens jail yesterday in a Hollywood-style helicopter getaway - for a second time.

Vassilis Palaiokostas, 44, had escaped from the maximum security prison in 2006 in an operation involving helicopters and fast cars.

He was arrested again last summer for allegedly organising the kidnap of an industrialist and was awaiting trial.

Palaiokostas and his Albanian accomplice escaped from Korydallos prison by helicopter.

The helicopter was then found in the northern Athens suburb of Kapandriti but there was no trace of the fugitives. (Reuters)

Fails driver's test 775 times

A South Korean woman who has failed the driver's exam 775 times is not about to give up on her hope of buying a truck one day to go into her own business.

Cha Sa-soon, 68, has been trying since 2005 to pass the written portion of the test to get a licence, but she has so far failed to get the 60 per cent required to clear it.

"I've looked up some guidebooks to get a driver's licence, and they were saying it takes at most five years to get this," Ms Cha said.

"It's already been four years, so I might pass the test next time.

Driving schools in South Korea offer courses to enable applicants to walk away with a licence in a week. Ms Cha has not been fortunate enough to set foot in such a class, which tends to congregate more in busy metropolitan areas, but she remains unfazed, even after having spent more than 10 million won €5,300 on test applications. (Reuters)

Dentist goes for patient's dentures

A German court has found a dentist guilty of assault for forcibly extracting the dentures from a patient who did not pay a 700-euro bill.

Chirin Kolb, a reporter for the Suedwest Presse newspaper, said the dentist, 57, apologised to the municipal court in Neu-Ulm after he was fined €6,000 for going to the woman's home and taking the false teeth from her mouth.

His lawyer said he expressed remorse and apologised, adding he just blew a fuse because he was under a lot of professional and personal stress. He was trying to collect €700 not covered by her insurance.

The woman appeared in court with no teeth and said she did not want to wear dentures again because of the distress the incident had caused. (Reuters)

Birds pilfer metal for nest

A pair of magpies has constructed a nest in a built-up part of Hong Kong using metal sticks apparently swiped from a nearby construction site, a report said yesterday.

In an example of nature's ability to improvise even in the most urban setting, a third of the nest in the city's Tuen Mun district was found to be made from metal.

The innovative construction only came to light after around 40 metal sticks appeared on the ground over the past week, with one striking a woman on the head, it said.

The Leisure Department said it believed the birds may have taken the sticks from a construction site close to the tree where the nest is located.

Cheung Ho-fai, of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, said it was the first time he had heard of a nest being built with metal, although there had been reports of construction with nylon string and plastic trash. (AFP)