World Briefs

An Armenian sweet factory has made a chocolate bar that Guinness World Records has certified as the world’s biggest.

The chocolate bar produced by the Grand Candy factory in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, weighs 4,410 kilos.

Guinness World Record’s representative Elizabeth Smith presented factory owner Karen Vardanyan with an official certificate during a ceremony yesterday. She said she was glad to witness what she described as an “incredible event”.

Ms Vardanyan said that the chocolate bar was produced to mark the company’s 10th anniversary.

The chocolate bar is 560 centimetres long, 275 centimetres wide and 25 centimetres thick. (PA)

Arnie and Palin in Twitter duel

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Palin traded lighthearted digs via Twitter.

Flying over Alaska on his way to Asia, California Governor Mr Schwarzenegger could not help but take a lighthearted jab at the state’s former governor.

His Twitter message said he was “looking everywhere but can’t see Russia from here”, a reference to a remark from Republican then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign.

That prompted a pointed response from Mrs Palin.

The former Alaska governor said in her own Twitter message that “Arnold should have landed” so she could explain to him her state’s multibillion dollar budget surplus. California has a $19 billion budget deficit.

Mr Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, was leaving for a week-long trade mission to China, Japan and South Korea. (PA)

Man in court over assassination tweet

A Venezuelan man was arraigned on suspicion of using Twitter to incite the assassination of President Hugo Chavez.

The man, Jesus Majano, is an employee of the state electricity corporation and was arrested earlier last week for a message he posted on Twitter.

The man’s lawyer, Luis Rodriguez, told the Venezuelan television channel Globovision that his client was freed after appearing in court, where prosecutors accused him of “instigating public hatred”.

He said Majano is required to appear in court every 15 days as his case proceeds. He has yet to be formally charged. (PA)

Former premier is foreign minister

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was made Australia’s new foreign minister.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who scraped victory in elections last month just weeks after she toppled Mr Rudd in an internal ruling party revolt, made the appointment as part of Cabinet changes announced yesterday.

Mr Rudd is a former diplomat who speaks Mandarin fluently. (PA)

Leaders plot dynasty

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin reportedly joked during a meeting with Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi that they could hang onto their jobs until they are 120 years old.

Mr Berlusconi visited Mr Putin at his residence west of the Russian capital Moscow after attending a world policy forum in the Volga River city of Yaroslavl.

Referring to an offer by Mr Berlusconi to help sponsor research on extending an average lifetime to 120 years, Mr Putin jokingly sug-gested in remarks carried by Russian newswires that they both could stay in their jobs until that age. (PA)

Man convicted of ‘Xbox murder’

Jurors convicted a 23-year-old man of killing a mentally impaired adult to steal his Xbox 360 gaming system.

An El Paso County judge sentenced Derek Lee Hernandez to two mandatory terms of life in prison immediately after the Colorado jury’s verdict.

His co-defendant, Kyle Sebastian Stott, is already serving a life sentence after being convicted earlier.

Prosecutors said 22-year-old Jason Holley was nearly beheaded with a double-edged blade in January 2009. Authorities found his decomposed body four months later in a ravine. (PA)