World Briefs

The largest gold coin in the world - measuring 53 centimetres in diameter and weighing 100 kilograms - will go on sale on June 25 in Vienna, auction house Dorotheum said yesterday.

The Maple Leaf coin, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and carries a face value of one million Canadian dollars (€800,000), was minted in Canada in 2007. The auction price is expected to comfortably exceed the face value due to the current high price of gold. If melted down, the gold would be worth around 3.9 million dollars (€3.2 million).

One side of the coin carries the image of Queen Elizabeth II, the official head of state of Canada, while the other side bears three maple leafs, the national symbol. (AFP)

Fined for Scooby Doo number plate

A motorist who was prosecuted for having a Scooby Doo logo on his number plate has been fined £175 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Thomas Edwards, 22, was also ordered to pay £50 in costs after being convicted of failing to comply with the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act. The charge against him stated that his Subaru Impreza had failed to conform to regulations "in that the registration mark front and rear had a Scooby Doo cartoon character logo to the left of the lettering" while parked in Wolverhampton.

Mr Edwards said that he regarded his prosecution as totally unfair.

"I only owned the car for a few months. The Scooby logo was three inches by two inches - it was on when I bought it and the signs did not obscure the registration number." (PA)

One tonne contraband of French fries

Swiss customs officers have seized one tonne of contraband frozen chips near the French border.

The French fries were being transported by a Swiss company for resale in the country. The vehicle was stopped in the Val-de-Ruz district in Neuchatel canton after crossing the French border. The driver's unconvincing explanation about the vehicle's contents had raised eyebrows among customs officers, who set up a surveillance operation. (AFP)

Into the snakepit

It took 12 people to clean a giant snake's enclosure.

Bali, a 22-foot reticulated female python, was coaxed out of her home by Chester Zoo's Richard Gibson using a tube for her head - and a bin lid for protection.

The tube makes the snake feel comfortable, as if it is in a cave.

The team yesterday spring-cleaned Bali's enclosure and checked her health.

Bali weighs 88 kilos and came to Chester three years ago, though her age is not known. (PA)

Boy detained for microwaving hamster

A teenager who microwaved his brother's hamster was sent to a young offenders institution for four months yesterday, the RSPCA said.

The 16-year-old boy from Northamptonshire, who cannot be named, was also banned from keeping animals for four years.

The one-year-old female golden hamster had to be put down after suffering severe burns. One of its feet was burnt through to the bone.

RSPCA inspector Clint Davies said: "This is an extremely shocking case. I don't think we can have any idea how much pain an animal goes through when it's put in a microwave and cooked alive. This hamster's leg was burned to a crisp and as microwaves cook from the inside, the organ damage to this tiny animal must have been horrific." (PA)

State officials' wealth on internet

The website of Serbia's Anti-corruption Agency was shut down on Thursday after internet users flocked to see a report listing the riches of 700 top officials.

The link to the report on the property and income of public officials on the internet "was broken due to enormous interest of the public and should be fixed during the day," Beta news agency stated.

The report of the agency includes the property and income of the state's most senior officials, including President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic. (AFP)

Protest denied

A US animal-rights activist said he was prevented by police from staging a one-man protest in a chicken suit at a KFC outlet in Singapore.

Edward Basse, a campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said he was whisked away in a police car after he arrived by taxi outside the restaurant in a working-class district.

"The questioning took a long time, perhaps a couple of hours. I was scared, but that is what I have to do for the chickens," Mr Basse said. (AFP)