Comedian and television presenter Griff Rhys Jones has ruled himself out of becoming Cardiff University’s new figurehead following the shambles over his appointment.

The star was set to become the institution’s new chancellor earlier this month, but officials blocked the move moments before he was due to be unveiled after academics questioned why the current incumbent and Nobel Prize-winner Sir Martin Evans was not offered a second term in office.

But now Mr Rhys Jones – who made his name in Not The Nine O’Clock News – has said: “I can’t say that I am offering my resignation. I haven’t yet been appointed. But I do not want to be further considered for this post.”

Now that’s vorsprung dirt technik

Relief for those reluctant to clean their cars could soon be on the way. Nissan has begun tests on a “self-cleaning” vehicle which would wash away the worries of those weary of doing the job themselves.

At Nissan’s European technical centre in Switzerland studies are being carried out on innovative paint technology that repels mud, rain and everyday dirt.

The specially engineered super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint, which repels water and oils, has been applied to the all-new Nissan Note model.

Lady gave two hoots for baby owl

A baby owl has been saved from a cat’s clutches after falling out of its nest.

A member of the public spotted the six-week-old tawny owlet in woodland in Bearsden, outside Glasgow. Now the Scottish SPCA is looking after the bird until he has grown enough to be released back into the wild.

Animal rescue officer Stephanie McCrossan said: “The lady who contacted us said she saw two cats trying to attack the owl but thankfully he hadn’t sustained any injuries.

“At his age he would have been starting to wander along tree branches so it’s likely he’s taken a tumble and gotten lost.”

City slickers too big for the saddle

Wranglers in the US west have for decades cashed in on the allure of getting on a horse and setting out on an open trail as portrayed in the film City Slickers.

But they say they have had to add bigger horses to their stables to help carry larger tourists over the rugged terrain.

Draft horses, the diesels of the horse world, are being used in ever greater numbers to make sure wranglers do not lose out on income from potential customers of any size who come out to get closer to the west of yesteryear.

Ranch operators say they began adding the bigger horses in the 1990s, but the pace has picked up in recent years. Horses of 1,800lb now hit the trail, giving riders of more than 300lb an opportunity to experience life in the saddle.

Two-week breather in spice air row

A cooling-off period has been called in the fight between the makers of a popular hot sauce and the US city that says its air is too spicy to bear.

The Irwindale City Council in southern California has delayed a decision for two weeks on declaring the Sriracha plant a public nuisance. Irwindale’s city attorney requested the delay, saying he is in settlement talks with lawyers for Sriracha maker Huy Fong Foods.

Two weeks ago, council members tentatively but unanimously voted the two-year-old plant was a nuisance. If the council had finalised its vote, Huy Fong would have had 90 days to stop releasing the spicy emanations that neighbours say are burning their eyes and throats.

Cat Charlie is her darling . . . again

A cat that went missing five years ago has been reunited with its owner thanks to an implanted microchip.

The 10-year-old pet named Charlie showed up at Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control in Indiana on Monday. Workers there scanned the cat and discovered Charlie had a microchip that identified Virginia Fryback as his owner.

Ms Fryback says Charlie disappeared from her home five years ago and she thought she would never see him again.

She thanks the vet who convinced her to get a microchip when Charlie was a kitten.