World Briefs

Dutch police have arrested two persons at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport for allegedly having hidden three kilograms of cocaine in sandwiches, authorities said yesterday.

Inspectors found the drugs last week in 33 sandwiches in the luggage of the two, a 30-year-old man from Suriname and a Dutch woman, 56. “With the unpacking of the sandwiches... it transpired that they were not fit for consumption,” said a military police statement. (AFP)

Adamant choir boy

One-man choir member David Nichol is celebrating 70 years of singing at his church.

The former British Telecom engineer joined his parish church choir on October 1, 1939, aged eight, when it boasted an ensemble of

36 choristers. But numbers have dwind­led since then – and since 1977 his has been the sole voice raised to the heavens. (PA)

Banknotes noted

Rare Australian banknotes found hidden under the lining paper of a chest of drawers have fetched more than £400,000 at an auction.

The six notes were found lying undisturbed and in mint condition and were identified as a series of 1913 Commonwealth of Australia banknotes. The owner, who is in his 80s and who wants to remain anonymous, was due to move into a retirement home and called in his local auctioneers to go through the house in Yorkshire. The sale of the bank notes was handled by specialist auctioneers Spink in London. (PA)

Revenge served on a plate

A woman angry with her ex-boyfriend fried their pet goldfish and ate them in revenge.

Police in Pasadena, Texas, say it is a civil matter and no charges will be filed. The seven goldfish were purchased together by the couple during happier times. (PA)

Schwarzenegger in red heat

A British government minister asked California governor Arnold Schw­arz­enegger yesterday to shut down a US website that allows men to rate prostitutes, including many working in London.

Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, told the ruling Labour Party’s annual conference that Punternet fuels the demand for prostitution – a vice she said degrades women. She added the website, a “very sinister development” in the trade and exploitation of women, allows guests to compare and rate services in the same way as they would a restaurant, a hotel or a holiday. Pimps put women on sale for sex on the site then clients offered their comments on line. Ms Harman said she had asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to close it down as it is based in that state.

“Surely it can’t be too difficult for The Terminator to terminate Punternet and that’s what I am demanding that he does.” (Reuters)

Cars may mimic fish

Engineers in Japan say they are a step closer to developing technology they hope will cut the risk of car crashes – by mimicking the behaviour of fish.

The experts at Nissan Motor have been studying fish and the way they are able to swim in schools and avoid colliding with each other. The result is a robot that can travel in a group of up to seven, avoiding bumps by sharing information with its peers. The firm hopes to use the technology in its vehicles in future. The three-wheeled robot uses a laser range finder, which measures the distance to an obstacle, and radio communications to recreate the behaviour of fish, which can change direction and travel side by side without colliding.

“We, in a motorised world, have a lot to learn from the behaviour of a school of fish in terms of each fish’s degree of freedom and safety,” said Toshiyuki Andou, the principal engineer in the project.

By sharing information, the group can travel safely, changing its shape as needed, Andou said. (AFP)

Modern pied piper

A Bangladeshi farmer who killed more than 83,000 rats and launch­ed a month-long campaign nation­wide to kill millions more has been rewarded with a government prize.

Mokhairul Islam, 40, won a colour television after collecting their tails for proof. “This is an exciting moment. I will continue to kill them,” he said. (PA)

Water closet mishap

A woman is suing the owners of an office building claiming a lavatory exploded when she sat on it, hurling her out of the cubicle.

Nikita Fulton, 29, says she injured her spine in the accident in Philadelphia. Her lawsuit says the toilet exploded because of “excess water pressure”. (PA)

A hot dog

A man who stole a hot dog from another man sitting under a tree in a park has been jailed for 18 months. Antonio Judd grabbed the hot dog in August after flashing what appeared to be a gun in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Police said he then ate it, spilling mustard all over his shirt. When he was arrested later he was carrying an air gun and a pocket knife. (PA)