World Briefs

A toilet is the centrepiece of a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, based around the traditional Korean belief that emptying your body also means cleansing your mind.

For centuries the Korean people believed that going to the toilet was a cathartic experience and considered it to be highly spiritual. That has inspired the Hae-woo-so garden, named after the Korean word for a traditional toilet.

In Korea, it used to be normal for the toilet to be located in the backyard, far from the house, so the garden has an untouched appearance with wildflowers dominating. Even the pathway to the toilet is significant, as the process of emptying your mind starts with the walk through the centre of the peaceful garden.

Jihae Hwang, who is believed to be the first South Korean garden designer to exhibit at Chelsea, said, “I wanted the audience to feel that they are stress free and when they see the garden they want to empty their minds of worries. (AFP)

Beast beached

US President Barack Obama’s heavily armoured Cadillac, nicknamed The Beast, became stuck on a ramp at the US embassy in Dublin, RTE state radio reported yesterday.

The first cars in the presidential motorcade emerged up the ramp from the car park beneath the complex in Ballsbridge and passed through the gates without incident, but The Beast ran into trouble and got beached. The car appeared to have got its low underbelly caught on a piece of metal sticking up that a gate might lock into.

Mr Obama and his wife Michelle stayed in the car while security officials went running over to the stranded vehicle. After a while, the Obamas switched to another car to drive to the Marine Force One helicopter waiting to whisk them to Moneygall, where one of Mr Obama’s great-great-great-grandfathers came from.

The Beast is designed to withstand all manner of attacks. (AFP)

Loud mouthed

A young woman who insisted on noisily chatting on her cell phone throughout a marathon 15-hour train ride was forcibly removed by police following numerous passenger complaints.

The woman was travelling on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, which runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, Washington, and was speaking loudly enough to annoy surrounding passengers, said Amtrak spokesman Vernay Graham.

“I guess she got into some sort of confrontation with others passengers that were sitting around her,” said Mr Graham, adding that the train had almost reached its destination when the conductor decided to call local police after the train pulled into the station at Salem, Oregon. (AFP)

Sword fight

A woman in the US is facing criminal charges after she brandished a sword during an argument at a restaurant.

Wynika Mason produced the weapon at Pizza Hut in Louisville, Kentucky, after a disagreement with other customers and staff.

Police found the sword on the front seat of her car. Ms Mason faces first-degree disorderly conduct and menacing charges. (PA)

Corpse medicine

British royalty dined on human flesh, a new book on medicinal cannibalism reveals. The well-off and well educated in Britain and Europe swallowed parts of the human body, including its flesh, blood and bones, as medicine right up until the end of the 18th century, it is claimed.

Durham University academic Dr Richard Sugg, from the university’s department of English Studies, publishes the claims in his book Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires which will be published next month. (PA)

Caterpillar plague

A pest control manager sought to reassure the public after thousands of caterpillars invaded a popular park, stripping some trees of all their leaves.

The caterpillars have been identified as ermine moth larvae and have formed large communal webs covering railings and tree trunks in the park at Shipley Fields Road, Bradford. The infestation is not dangerous, but has caused local people to stay clear of the park. Dennis Shipway, Bradford Council’s pest control manager, said the recent prolonged period of warm weather had created “ideal temperatures” for the larvae to grow. The council believes the trees will blossom again either later this year or next. (PA)