World Briefs

Suspect your significant other might be cheating on you? In Mexico, numerous laboratories are now offering a way to find out for sure - DNA tests.

"If someone thinks they are the victim of adultery, they can bring us underwear, a sheet, chewing gum," which provide testers with traces of sperm, saliva or hair, said Jorge Guillen, director of one of the labs offering the service.

The test determines whether the DNA found on the sample corresponds to the client or someone else.

The process can take between four and six days and costs anywhere from $200 to $500, Mr Guillen said.

DNA tests for private use are legal in Mexico.

"Demand for infidelity tests is growing in Mexico. I get 50 requests in a single day," Mr Guillen added.

A 2008 study by a private research institute in Mexico found one in six Mexicans suspects their partners may be cheating on them. (AFP)

Garlic, onion to beat swine flu

Moldovan soldiers have been issued with an extra ration of onions and garlic to ward off swine flu, according to the defence ministry's chief doctor.

"We have introduced an extra 25 grams of onion and 15 grams of garlic in their daily ration," Sergiu Vasilita said.

So far, 24 soldiers have completed treatment for swine flu, while 19 are in hospital with acute respiratory infections, he said.

Moldova has registered more than 900 cases of the A(H1N1) virus infection.

This week, most schools and universities reopened after a quarantine period was lifted, but five schools and one university remain closed. (AFP)

Men demand end to feminine bias

Hundreds of men in south India joined forces to mark World Men's Day, voicing their protest against "biased" laws favouring women.

Men in Chennai demanded that the government set up a national men's commission to protect them from false complaints under the anti-dowry law.

They assembled in front of Memorial Hall in Chennai yesterday, most claiming to have been harassed by women, particularly their wives.

A divorced software professional, M Francis, said: "All laws are concerned about women and nobody is bothered about the pains of men."

President of the Association for Protection of Men in Tamil Nadu D Arulthumilan told Indian newspaper the Deccan Chronicle: "Our main aim is to get a national commission for men."

Participants in the demonstration also opposed the introduction of all-women police stations.

They allege that women often misuse laws to extort money from their husbands. (PA)

Collector finds Galileo's tooth, fingers

An art collector has found a tooth, thumb and finger of the renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who died in the 17th century, Florence's History of Science museum announced yesterday.

The body parts, along with another finger and a vertebrae, were cut from Galileo's corpse by scientists and historians during a burial ceremony held 95 years after his death in 1642.

The newly-found relics had passed from one collector to another until they went missing in 1905. The remaining finger and the vertebrae have been conserved since 1737 in a mummified state in museums in Florence and Padua.

"All the organic material extracted from the corpse has therefore now been identified and is conserved in responsible hands," the museum said in a statement.

They will be exhibited from early 2010, when the museum will re-open after current renovation work and will change its name to the Galileo museum.

Galileo, born in Pisa in 1564, is considered one of the fathers of modern science due to his studies in physics, mathematics and particularly astronomy, where he led great advances in developing the telescope. His body now lies in Florence's Santa Croce church, opposite the tomb of Michelangelo.

The picture shows a finger from Galileo's right hand, removed in 1737 from the great Tuscan scientist's corpse as it was being translated to the monumental tomb in the Basilica of Santa Croce. (Reuters)

Disaster for dog eaters

Meat traders in the southern Nigerian city of Calabar are counting the cost after a truck carrying more than 100 dogs overturned, crushing scores of canines and triggering a scramble to snatch up survivors.

Dog meat is a delicacy in Calabar and the animals were destined for the popular Ika Ika Oqua market.

Dog is usually cooked with local gin, leaves, pepper and spices before being served in special dog bars, or "joints", usually with palm wine. A dog's head drawn on a board or the sign "404 is ready" outside a shack indicates meat is available.

Ordering the "telephone" gets you the tail and large intestine, a particular favourite among connoisseurs, while the legs are referred to as "gear box". Some dog traders said they had lost their entire capital in the accident, but others managed to salvage what they could from the road kill. (Reuters)