A delay in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) and his wife moving into their official residence, the site of past assasinations, has revived talk of ghosts in the corridors, prompting the government to deny any knowledge of haunting.

Abe has not moved into the Prime Minister’s official residence for five months since he took power.

Asked by an opposition lawmaker about the reported hauntings, the government issued a formal statement on Friday saying it was not aware of ghost sightings, Asahi newspaper and other media reported.

The residence, formerly the Prime Minister’s office, was built in 1929 and was the site of military rebellions, including in 1932 when then-Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was assassinated.

Talk of ghosts has long haunted the building, remodelled in the early 2000s. It has served as the official residence for the Prime Minister and the premier’s family since 2005.

Abe has given no explanation for the delay in moving in, but it is not uncommon for the premier to take some time before taking up residence. (Reuters)

French soldier stabbed in Paris

A French soldier patrolling a business neighbourhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck yesterday by a man who quickly fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said.

The soldier was patrolling in uniform with two other men as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan when he was approached from behind around 6pm and stabbed in the neck with a knife or a box-cutter.

Pierre-Andre Peyvel, police prefect for the Hauts-de-Seine area, said the soldier had lost a considerable amount of blood but would survive, and was being treated in a nearby military hospital.

French daily Le Parisien cited a police source as saying the suspected attacker was a bearded man of North African origin about 30 years old, and was wearing an Arab-style garment under his jacket. (Reuters)

Cockroaches are getting smarter

Cockroaches have been losing their sweet tooth to survive, scientists have found.

US researchers discovered that some cockroaches underwent a genetic mutation to develop a dislike for the sugary corn syrup used to disguise bait.

In as little as five years, the sugar-rejecting trait had become so widespread that the bait had been rendered useless.

The findings, reported in the journal Science, illustrate the evolutionary prowess that has helped make cockroaches so hard to stamp out that it is jokingly suggested they could survive nuclear war.

The research focused on the small German cockroach. (PA)