World Briefs

Spanish shepherds are leading flocks of sheep through the streets of Madrid in defence of ancient grazing, migration and droving rights threatened by modern life.

Jesus Garzon, president of a shepherds council established in 1273, said about 5,000 sheep and 60 cattle crossed the city yesterday to exercise the right to droving routes that existed before Madrid grew from a rural hamlet to an urban capital.

Following an age-old tradition, a chief herdsman paid 25 maravedis – coins from the 11th century – to use the crossing.

Shepherds have a right to use 78,000 miles of paths for seasonal livestock migrations from cool highland pastures in summer to warmer grazing in winter. (AP)

Jimmy Savile dies

The veteran DJ and broadcaster Sir Jimmy Savile has died.

The 84-year-old was found dead at his home in Roundhay, Leeds, just after midday yesterday.

The star, who presented the first episode of Top Of The Pops as well as his long-running show Jim’ll Fix It, was admitted to hospital suffering from a bout of pneumonia in September.

Sir Jimmy started his working life as a miner in his native Yorkshire before running a series of clubs and working as a wrestler and DJ. He has raised millions for charity and for many years was a regular marathon runner in support of good causes.

Sir Jimmy, who was knighted for his services to charity, worked “tirelessly” to raise funds for various causes. (PA)

Slither swoop

Malaysian authorities have rescued nearly 450 endangered cobras and tortoises headed for cooking pots in Thailand.

The 302 Asiatic cobra, 145 tortoises and a macaque monkey were found at a house in Kedah state, near the Thai border.

Two men have been arrested and could be charged with having protected wildlife, which carries a penalty of up to five years in jail and a fine. Authorities believe the animals were to be sold to restaurants in Thailand specialising in exotic meat. (PA)

Drunken ‘Yoda’

German police called to a traffic incident early yesterday were astonished to find themselves face-to-face with Jedi master Yoda from Star Wars.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, a 42-year-old male driver, resplendent in his Yoda costume, had a minor collision with a pedestrian and sped off in his car, only to be collared by a police vehicle two minutes later.

The pedestrian was left with only light injuries following the accident, but the Jedi master look-alike found himself on the wrong side of the law and, despite his green mask, was left decidedly red faced. (AFP)

Sun vs women

Men put weather before women when it comes to choosing a holiday destination, it was revealed yesterday.

Males also reckon having sporting events in their chosen resort is more important than the quality of food available, a survey of men aged 18 to 30 by travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk found.

The weather in a destination was the most important factor for 57 per cent of men in making a holiday booking, with only 23 per cent listing the likelihood of bikini-clad women as a concern.Just eight per cent put food as a priority compared with 12 per cent who said having sporting events in the destination was important. (PA)

Naked driver

A Moscow driver smashed into 17 cars in the Russian capital yesterday on a drunken rampage while naked behind the wheel of his car.

A police spokesman said the man “was in a state of insobriety behind the wheel of the car, lost control” and smashed into 13 civilian cars and four police vehicles. When the man was arrested after a chase, he stepped out of the car clearly drunk and completely naked.

“I was flying on the wings of love... The day before my loved one said she was no longer ready to have a serious relationship,” he said, adding he had gone on the rampage out of frustration as the world seemed to be against him. (AFP)

Defunct power plant

German artist Anselm Kiefer said yesterday he planned to snap up a mothballed atomic power plant in the belief that Germany’s nuclear history should be preserved for future generations.

Mr Kiefer said he was buying “at least the cooling tower” at the Muelheim-Kaerlich facility near the French border. The site was mothballed in 1988 after just 13 months in operation, with the head of energy company RWE.“ I am now certain to get at least the cooling tower. That’s not radioactive,” said Mr Kiefer.

In the wake of the nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, Japan, the German government has decided to shut down all of its reactors by the end of 2022. (AFP)