World Briefs

British billionaire Richard Branson has opened the world’s first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.

The eccentric businessman, with usual flair, sported a black jacket and waves of hair flying as he inaugurated the building by breaking a champagne bottle against a hanger building, while rappelling down the side of it.

Spaceport America, as the site is called, will serve “as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgin’s astronaut preparation facilities and mission control,” said the company in a statement to the press.

About 150 people already booked for travel on the first flights to orbit attended the event, said the company. (AFP)

‘Saw attack’

US state police said a woman is accused of cutting her sleeping husband’s neck and shoulder with a power saw.

Officers in Everett, Washington state who arrived at the home said they could hear the man shouting: “You tried to cut my head off. You’re going to jail.”

The Daily Herald reported the 43-year-old woman appeared in court on a charge of domestic violence assault and a judge kept her bail at $250,000. The newspaper did not identify her. (AP)

Goat mascot found

Swiss far-right party SVP said yesterday that its mascot, a goat which was reported missing over the weekend, had been found tied to a tree and smeared with black paint.

The animal named Zottel and a fellow goat Mimu were found in the Zurich-Witikon area, said the Swiss People’s Party. Members of a group called Anti Fascist Action claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the two goats.

Zottel has been the SVP's mascot since the 2007 elections, when the party splashed posters across Switzerland depicting three white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag. (AFP)

Rig with a view

“Platform for sale in good condition: 20 rooms, panoramic sea view, plenty of space for a helicopter the oil platform Huldra in the North Sea is up for grabs.

Norwegian oil company Statoil plans to dispose of the giant installation now that the oil well is drying up, and the company published a parody of a real estate advertisement in a brochure posted on its website yesterday.

Statoil noted tongue in cheek that the platform has no carpark.

The starting bid is set at one Norwegian krone (€0.13) but the future owner would also have to pay the cost of moving the platform elsewhere. (AFP)

Stone Roses reunite

The Stone Roses, one of the seminal bands to emerge from the Manchester indie rock scene in the 1980s, said yesterday they were reuniting and announced concert dates for next year.

Band members led by singer Ian Brown had long denied they intended to get back together after splitting in 1996.

But they have put aside their differences and said they would play shows at Heaton Park in Manchester on June 29-30 next year, plus further concerts around the world.

The band were however unable to confirm rumours that they are set to headline at Glastonbury in 2013, after the festival takes a year off.

The Stone Roses recorded just two albums and their 1989 self-titled debut is regarded as a seminal work, fusing psychedelic pop with dance music. With tracks such as Fool's Gold and I Wanna Be Adored, they were one of the leading lights of the Madchester indie scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, alongside acts like Happy Mondays and The Charlatans. (AFP)

Purr-fect book

A book detailing the world’s loudest purring cat’s road to success has hit shop shelves.

Smokey has put paw to paper and, with the help of owner Ruth Adams, written the story of her life and how she secured the record earlier this year.

The 12-year-old female British short-hair cat entered the Guinness Book of World Records in May after achieving the loudest purr by a domestic cat, peaking at 67.7dB.

Ms Adams welcomed Smokey into her home in Pitsford, Northampton, after picking her up from a rescue home. The book is told from the cat’s point of view and details her life and how she came to live with Ruth and take on the record challenge.

The 128-page paperback features a review by another feline who is used to life in the spotlight, Larry, the resident cat at 10 Downing Street. (PA)