World Briefs

Richard Branson challenged aviation rival Tony Fernandes to a Formula One duel yesterday with the loser having to dress up as an airline stewardess.

AirAsia's Mr Fernandes, who once worked for Mr Branson's music business, told Reuters last week that his new Malaysian-backed Lotus F1 team had to beat Mr Branson's Virgin Racing operation next season. "Number one we have to be ahead of Branson, otherwise I will retire and kill myself," said the Malaysian.

Mr Branson, speaking at the launch of his team, suggested a less painful alternative.

"Having come from a music background, I suppose we might be able to choose the music for the funeral," joked the Briton. "But I like Tony a lot so I hope he doesn't have to kill himself.

"At the same obviously we would like to beat him. Maybe we can think of another challenge. He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess.

"We will make sure that the stewardess outfit is perfect. I suspect that he might ask us to reciprocate," added Mr Branson. (Reuters)

Duomo statuette does brisk trade

Souvenir vendors reported brisk business yesterday in statuettes of Milan's cathedral like the one hurled at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in an attack at the weekend.

"Sales have definitely gone up," stall owner Mario said in the cathedral square where the attack took place on Sunday. "People are definitely buying it as a souvenir of the event, it seems to be one of the most popular Christmas gifts."

A spiky replica of the gothic Duomo was used by an Italian man with a history of mental illness to strike 73-year-old Mr Berlusconi in the face, breaking his nose, two of his teeth and gashing his lip.

The Italian conservative leader, who was hit while signing autographs after a political rally, will be released from hospital today. Doctors say he will need two weeks' rest and was badly shaken by the assault. (Reuters)

Rival gamblers to split jackpot

A French court has split the jackpot from a casino slot machine between the woman who put in the money and the man who pulled the lever, ending months of argument between the two.

Marie-Helene Jarguel walked off with over €2 million in March after a bet of €50 on a one-armed bandit, only for her gambling partner Francis Sune to contest her gain based on the fact that he activated the machine.

A court in the southwestern city of Montpellier ruled yesterday that Ms Jarguel should keep 80 per cent of the earnings while the rest should go to Mr Sune, a judicial source said.

The ruling was a legal innovation. (Reuters)

Tesco withdraws ho-ho-horrible card

Britain's biggest retailer Tesco apologised yesterday after complaints that a Christmas card it sold was offensive to people with ginger hair.

The card in question shows a child with red hair sitting on the lap of Santa Claus under the banner: "Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones."

Davinia Phillips, whose three children all have red hair, was enraged when she saw the card at one of Tesco's stores in northern England.

"It's discrimination, pure and simple. I have shown it to a lot of friends and they are all disgusted by it," she was quoted by newspapers as saying. "I just don't find it funny at all. If it had been about a black child or an overweight child the store would have been shut down by now."

Tesco said the offending card had now been withdrawn from all its stores. (Reuters)

Master's degree for 17-year-old

A high school diploma at 15 and a bachelor's degree at 16: precocious teenager Marian Kogler has now become Austria's youngest master's graduate at the age of 17.

Vienna's University of Technology (TU) announced yesterday that the young man had completed his master's degree in computational intelligence. He also holds a bachelor's degree in software and information engineering, and has now embarked on a doctorate in computer science at the TU.

The son of a writer and an administrative assistant, Mr Kogler could read and write at the age of three. (AFP)