World Briefs

John Lennon’s toilet and one of his rarest albums will be among the highlights of an auction of Beatles memorabilia this week.

A mono-sound copy Two Virgins, which he recorded with Yoko Ono, is expected to fetch at least £2,500. When the avant-garde LP was released in 1968 it was notable for being sold in brown paper bags because the sleeve controversially featured a naked picture of the famous couple.

The auction is also inviting bids for Mr Lennon’s toilet from Tittenhurst Park, his Berkshire home between 1969 and 1972. John Lennon told builder John Hancock to keep the porcelain lavatory and “use it as a plant pot” after he installed a new one. It was stored in a shed at Mr Hancock’s home for 40 years until he died recently. The toilet carries an estimate of £750 to £1,000.

Beatles expert Stephen Bailey said: “The toilet might be worth something, and it might not, but it is certainly one of the more unusual items we’ve sold.”

Britons mind their language

Bashful Britons forego attempts at foreign languages when abroad through fear of sounding foolish, according to a survey.

As many as 61 per cent do not try the local language as they worry about embarrassing themselves, the poll by Hotels.com found.

Three in four of the 1,246 people surveyed reckon “hello” and “thank you” are the most essential phrases to know when abroad.

Yet the majority of those polled could not recognise the words for hello from a range of languages presented to them in the survey.

The poll also showed that Londoners are the least likely to try a local language when overseas, while those from southwest England are the most likely to make some attempt. (PA)

Hooked on vodka

UK Police were yesterday hunting armed thieves who made off with five lorry-loads of vodka in a warehouse raid.

The masked gang attacked a security guard with a knife when they targeted the depot in Warrington, Cheshire. The guard was tied up as the gang used five curtain-sided HGVs to empty the warehouse of its contents.

The stolen vodka includes bottles destined for Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Cooperative shops as well as brands Royal Czar, Imperial and Moskova.

Cheshire Police said the robbery was planned well in advance and when they arrived on the scene of the crime they found the security guard still tied up.

He was taken to hospital badly shaken by the incident but not seriously injured. (PA)

Bears go for pot

Police who uncovered two marijuana fields near Canada’s border with the US had to tread carefully: 13 black bears were wandering around the crops.

The fields of about 2,300 plants were found near Christina Lake. Royal Canadian Mounted Police corporal Dan Moskaluk said that the bears were docile and obviously used to humans.

The property’s two owners were arrested on charges of production and possession of a controlled substance. It is unclear if they used the bears to guard the pot fields or just liked having them as pets. (PA)

Now you see it...

A missing kangaroo is keeping searchers in Austria on the hop.

Sumsi disappeared from a private zoo in Preding about two months ago and keeps popping up only to vanish again. Tourists can now buy T-shirts with the slogan “No kangaroos in Austria” because it is sometimes confused with Australia, where the animals are native.

Firefighters sealed off a corn field after a sighting - but to no avail. Not even a feeding station set up by kangaroo-crazy kids has done the trick. Zoo operator Magrid Brauchart said she was convinced the five-year-old male was stolen. (PA)

Woman smashes text message record

A British woman was feeling “GR8” yesterday after she smashed the world record for typing the fastest text message.

Melissa Thompson, 27, wrote “the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human”, in 25.94 seconds.

The official Guinness World Record is currently held by American Franklin Page, 24, who wrote the same passage in 35.54 seconds in March this year. Ms Thompson, from Greater Man­chester, was using Samsung’s new Galaxy S smartphone when she shaved a huge 9.6 seconds off Mr Page’s record, also achieved on a Samsung device. (PA)

‘Go ahead, make my day’

The Clint Eastwood one-liner “Go ahead, make my day” has been voted the most iconic film catchphrase in a poll published yesterday.

One in five people taking part in the survey said the line in the 1983 film Sudden Impact was their favourite.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “I’ll be back”, from The Terminator, was voted second most iconic film line, with “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” from Dirty Dancing third.

The survey, to coincide with the launch of the Russian Standard Vodka Originals Film Festival, found lines from classic films were favoured by cinema goers. The survey also found that drama was the favourite genre for both men and women. (PA)