World Briefs

Police removed more than 100 passengers from a Ryanair plane preparing to leave the Canary Islands after a large scuffle broke out onboard.

La Provincia, a Spanish newspaper, said the disruption happened when low-cost airline Ryanair tried to charge one passenger extra for carry-on baggage. His friends aboard the plane “mutinied”.

A Spanish Interior Ministry spokesman said the pilot was preparing for take-off at Guacimeta airport on the Lanzarote island resort for Charleroi, Belgium, when she radioed for police assistance. He said that, of the 168 passengers, only 64 were allowed to re-board yesterday’s flight. The rest had to find other carriers and some spent the night on Lanzarote.

Ryanair confirmed the passengers “became disruptive and refused to comply with crew instructions” after a requirement to pay a gate bag fee “for outsized luggage”. (AP)

Parasailing victim

The Russian donkey whose brays of terror while parasailing won her worldwide sympathy has died.

The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda said the 18-year-old female donkey called Anapka died of heart trouble after falling ill in December.

Anapka made headlines around the world after a video of her being sent into the sky over a Russian beach for a promotional stunt was posted on YouTube and she was rescued to spend her final months on a farm outside Moscow. (PA)

No second chance

Chloe, the German shepherd pulled from the frigid waters of New York’s Hudson River last month after falling off her owner’s yacht has died in a fire on the same vessel.

Chloe died in the fire on the 42-feet catamaran, the Quid Pro Quo, at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s West Side.

Her owner, Mark Stoss, 42, tried desperately to reach the dog but was beaten back by flames. Investigators suspect a faulty electric heater may have started the 2 a.m. blaze.

Chloe made headlines in early January, when she fell into the river and was trapped under a dock. A police scuba diver pulled her from the icy waters. (PA)

Bases go green?

British military bases on the front line in Afghanistan could be run on solar and wind energy in future under Ministry of Defence plans.

The move would cut the need for expensive and dangerous convoys to supply diesel for the electricity generators at forward operating bases deep in Taliban territory.

The MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support agency has invited contractors to put forward ideas for how remote bases could switch to renewable energy sources. (PA)

Valentine hopes

Four out of 10 Brits are hoping to receive a Valentine’s Day card from a colleague, according to a new survey.

A further ten per cent even want their boss to send them a romantic greeting on February 14.

The research for Hallmark Cards also found that 80 per cent of people will send at least one Valentine’s Day card this year, and 12 per cent are keeping their options open by planning on sending several cards. (PA)

Forever together

Rhona Levy has her final resting place all sorted - next to her beloved dog and cats.

Her ashes will be be split between two plots housing her dog Snow and cats Putchke, Pumpkin, Shaina and Twinkie.

The 61-year-old New Yorker, who is among a growing number of Americans who are getting buried or reserving plots at pet cemeteries, said her “little furry kids” were her “first and foremost love”. (PA)

Slippery evidence

An Italian divorcee and her new lover are accused of killing her ex-husband by suffocating him with a block of butter shoved down his throat.

They had apparently hoped the evidence would melt away, investigators say.

The lovebirds initially told Sicilian authorities they tied up Calogero Lo Coco, 40, when he attacked them at his former home in Campobello di Licata. (PA)

Joss bares all

Singer Joss Stone has posed nude for an animal rights advert protesting against the killing of bears whose fur is used for a mili-tary hat.

The Queen’s Guards’ cap is made using the fur of the black bear which is found in parts of the US.

The ad shows the soul singer holding a teddy bear that covers her naked body and features the slogan Bear Hugs, Not Bear Caps.

Animal welfare group Peta, who are behind the ad, are campaigning against the killing of the bears for the garments.

Ms Stone, 23, said: “Too many people at the Ministry of Defence are dragging their heels on this issue, and I feel like more needs to be done to stop the murder. It’s time for the Ministry of Defence to finally make the switch and go fur-free.” (PA)

Royal accession

The Queen yesterday marked the 59th anniversary of her accession to the throne by attending church with the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen chatted to well-wishers and accepted flowers from children after attending the service at the St Peter and St Paul Church in West Newton, Norfolk.

George VI – the Queen’s father – died in his sleep while staying at Sandringham early on February 6, 1952. (PA)