World Briefs

A new arrival among the gargoyles grinning down from Lyon’s majestic St Jean Cathedral has perturbed some hardliners.

A Muslim stonemason who worked on the edifice’s latest renovation has himself been immortalised in stone – in this case, as a new gargoyle named Ahmed, perched over the inscription “Allahu Akbar”. But the “God is Great” inscription underneath, in both French and Arabic, has been take as a slight to certain Christian worshippers and it was attacked by Jeunesse Identitaire Lyonnais, a right-wing group which defends the region’s traditional ethnic and cultural identity.

“While in many Muslim countries Christianity is forbidden and Christians persecuted, in Lyon Muslims take over our churches at their leisure with the complicity of Catholic authorities,” the group complained on its website. (AFP)

Cockroach medicine

Cockroaches have long been regarded as an unwanted pest but they could hold the secret to treating the most resilient of superbugs, scientists said.

Tests have found tissue from the brains and nervous systems of the insects can kill off more than 90 per cent of MRSA and E-coli infections without harming human cells.

Until now, cockroaches have been seen as a health hazard, to be found in dank and dingy hotels. (PA)

New Zulu dictionary

Oxford press said yesterday it has published a new Zulu-English dictionary, four decades after the last such reference book was released for one of South Africa’s most widely spoken languages.

Zulus are South Africa’s largest ethnic group, accounting for 24 per cent of the population, and their language is the most commonly spoken home language in the country, although English is generally used in business and politics.

More than 2.8 million pupils take Zulu as a language subject at school, according to Oxford.

Oxford’s publishing manager for dictionaries, Megan Hall said the dictionary would help pupils and teachers keep up with the changes in the language. (AFP)

Santa withdrawn after Muslim complaints

A Malaysian TV station has withdrawn an advertisement after complaints from Muslim viewers because it featured flying objects resembling Santa Claus.

They said this was against Muslim teachings and inappro-priate to be used for Hari Raya (Day of Celebration) to mark the culmination of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (TV3) apologised to viewers. Some also questioned the reason for featuring “amithaba” or the lotus flower because of its links with Buddhist teachings. (PA)

Killed by hay bale

A founding member of rock group Electric Light Orchestra was killed when a giant bale of hay tumbled down a hill and crashed on to his van.

Cellist Mike Edwards, 62, died after the 600-kilogram bale careered down a steep Devonshire field before it smashed through a hedge and on to the road.

He died instantly in the accident. (PA)

EU potato lovers

Residents of the three Baltic states and Poland are the biggest potato-lovers in the European Union, Estonia’s statistics office said yesterday.

“Latvian residents eat 274 grammes of potato a day, Poles 248 grammes, Lithuanians 234 grammes and Estonians 188 grammes,” senior statistician Piret Tikva said, citing EU-wide research.

Potatoes have long been a staple of the region’s cuisine, and the consumption compared with an average 134 grammes per day across the 27-nation bloc, she said.

Italians came bottom of the table, eating just 76 grammes a day.

“Eating potatoes is very traditional in this region, and potatoes are eaten a lot because they are also a cheap food,” she added. (AFP)

Nappy-happy robber arrested

Japanese police have arrested a suspected armed robber who wore a nappy on his head as a makeshift balaclava, the force and local media said yesterday.

The 55-year-old South Korean is accused of holding up a store with a knife in late August and getting away with 141,000 yen (€1,320), police said.

The robber was masked in incontinence pants with eyeholes cut out, the Sports Hochi tabloid reported.

He made off on foot with his haul but had to remove the nappy as he was running – revealing his face to witnesses – as he had failed to cut breathing holes in it, the report said. (AFP)