World Briefs

Organisers of the Antiquities Theft in Israel exhibition could not have chosen a more fitting name for their display.

Burglars on Wednesday broke into the Ashdod Museum where hundreds of artefacts recovered from the black-market were on show and snatched several valuable items, including a silver ring belonging to Alexander the Great and gold earrings.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said the popular exhibition had been running for four years. (Reuters)

Teenage trivia

Teenage schoolchildren think oats grow on trees and bacon comes from sheep, a survey showed.

Many children and young adults also believe eggs were a key ingredient in bread, the researchers said.

The survey showed 26 per cent of children thought bacon came from sheep, 29 per cent thought oats grow on trees, while 17 per cent of both children and adults under the age of 30 believed eggs were a core ingredient in bread. The survey was conducted online by OnePoll and YoungPoll during November, prompting almost 3,000 replies. (PA)

Man plans church bombing

Slovak police said yesterday they had foiled a home-made bomb attack on a church, charging a man in what they said was the country's first ever terrorism case.

"We have arrested a 33-year-old man from eastern Slovakia who had produced an explosive, planned to plant it in a church and set if off during a mass," police chief Jan Packa told reporters.

The suspect, a pharmacology graduate with a criminal record for theft and narcotics offences, allegedly wanted to discourage people from going to church, dubbing religion a "way to control people and slow down progress," Mr Packa said.

About 70 per cent of Slovakia's 5.4 million people are Catholics.

If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison. (AFP)

Illegal but heroic

A 12-year-old girl drove her grandfather's car more than a dozen miles through the mountains of West Virginia after he began feeling dizzy and faint.

George Scheuering, who is diabetic, stopped and handed over the wheel to Anna when he became unwell.

She was able to get them to a service station where Mr Scheuering was picked up by ambulance. He made a full recovery. (PA)

Yoga for free

Prisoners in an Indian state who attend yoga classes will be freed early because the lessons improve self-control and lessen aggression, authorities said yesterday.

For every three months spent doing sun salutations, deep breathing exercises and balance postures, a prisoner will get 15 days off their sentence, Madhya Pradesh state's inspector general of prisons said.

"Yoga is good for maintaining fitness, calming the behaviour, controlling anger and reducing stress," Sanjay Mane said.

Attending literacy classes and earning college degrees would also bolster a prisoner's case for early release, Mr Mane said. (AFP)

Wears stolen necklace in court

A woman accused of burgling socialite Paris Hilton's house faces new charges after appearing in court wearing a necklace belonging to actress Lindsay Lohan.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles charged Courtney Leigh Ames with two counts of receiving stolen property.

An amended complaint accuses Ms Ames of wearing a necklace taken from Ms Lohan's home to a December court hearing where she pleaded not guilty to burgling Ms Hilton's home.

Ms Ames's lawyer, Robert Schwartz, said his client did wear the necklace but may not have known it was stolen. She is not charged with the August break-in at Ms Lohan's house. (PA)

Disabled turtles

Five severely disabled patients are on the final stage of a 4,700-mile journey to a long-term care home - at a marine park.

The Florida sea turtles, whose injuries range from paraplegia to shells damaged in collisions with boats, have all lost the ability to dive.

They are now set to receive intensive care at a Sea Life park in Dorset, having travelled for 24 hours from The Turtle Hospital in Florida, where space was needed for new patients. (PA)