World Briefs

An Australian woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to steal a tiny chihuahua puppy at gunpoint, police said yesterday.

The woman produced the working replica pistol after turning up at a Sydney house for an appointment to buy eight-week-old Diego for 1,500 dollars (€890) on Sunday.

However, the 26-year-old wom-an was subdued by people at the house, who included an off- duty policeman. She was later charged with armed robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon.

"Obviously the dog was quite cute to this lady and she just wanted it... no different to someone taking a car for sale for a test drive and stealing it," a police spokesman said. (PA)

Students' tastes

Shops near universities see an increase of up to 400% in the sales of baked beans, soup and Pot Noodles as students arrive for the new term, Tesco said.

With hundreds of thousands of youngsters leaving home to fend for themselves, Tesco said its stores near universities and colleges reported a huge surge in student survival essentials.

The highest demand for stu-dent food in the UK is at the Tesco Express store in Oxford Road, Manchester. Compared to holiday times, the new term sees a 400% rise in sales of baked beans, a 360% rise in soup and 320% rise in Pot Noodles. (PA)

The return of the veteran

A Falklands veteran has come out of "retirement" to fly helicopters in Afghanistan - despite his comrades' jokes that he struggles to run to the aircraft.

Lieutenant Commander Bill O'Brien, 54, a Royal Navy Res-ervist, has volunteered for the tour with 633 Squadron Army Air Corps, flying an Apache attack helicopter.

The father of three retired from active service in 2005, having originally joined the Royal Marines in 1971. (PA)

Nutty celebration

The small town of Plains in Georgia, birthplace of former president Jimmy Carter, cele-brated his birthday with a peanut festival at the weekend.

It featured fried peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter ice cream, peanut brittle, boiled peanuts, roasted peanuts, peanut sweets, peanut sculptures, toys and antiques.

The former president, who turns 85 on Thursday, said he always goes out of his way to clear his schedule so he can preside over the annual parade. (PA)

Tajikistan says no to beards

Teachers aged under 50 in Tajikistan can no longer grow beards but are allowed to give their lessons in rain boots, according to new government guidelines published yesterday.

Tajikistan, an impoverished Central Asian state bordering war-wracked Afghanistan, says the rules are part of educational reforms and that they meet "the mentality and customs of the people."

Long beards are often greeted with suspicion by the government, which fought a bloody civil war against Islamist forces in the 1990s that left tens of thousands dead and the economy in ruins.

Galoshes, a waterproof overshoe made of rubber are popular among farmers in the rural countryside and viewed as a necessary protection from the rain that frequently pelts the mountainous state. (AFP)

Public relations on test

A graduate seeking a career in public relations turned herself into a public artwork to try to get a job.

Mairead Rodden, 26, took part in artist Antony Gormley's One & Other project, which gives 2,400 members of the public one hour each on an empty plinth in Trafalgar Square.

She wore a sandwich board to advertise for a PR job and played Dolly Parton's 9 To 5 song when she posed on the plinth. (PA)

Honey trap

A van stacked with beehives crashed into a truck, killing one person and causing the bees to swarm and attack five injured victims and their rescuers.

Around 20 people, including medical staff and police who responded to the accident, needed hospital treatment after the acc-ident near Marmaris in Turkey.

Beekeepers had to be called in to evacuate the injured and clear up the mess safely. (PA)