When will Macedonia start EU entry talks? Ask the dead composer Sibelius. The EU's Finnish enlargement chief, Olli Rehn, invoked his national composer in a rambling anecdote yesterday when asked at a news conference to predict whether Skopje would begin membership negotiations next year.

Mr Rehn said the 20th century composer of classical works such as "Finlandia" was an inveterate party-goer noted for late-night drinking binges. When Sibelius's wife telephoned him once at 6 a.m. to ask when he planned to come home, the maestro replied: "Ma cherie (my darling), I'm a composer, not a forecaster."

"And this would be my response to your question as well, because it really depends on when the country concerned is ready to make the necessary reforms," Mr Rehn said, deflecting requests to recommend a date.

Political knife act

In Malaysia, there are very few public meetings where people can turn up with a weapon - but the nation's largest annual political gathering is one of them.

For the past three years, a leader of the main ruling party, that represents the ethnic Malay majority, gets the party's annual assembly under way by drawing a 60-centimetre-long ceremonial dagger, kissing it and then brandishing it in the air.

And each time, hundreds of party faithful inside the assembly hall have erupted into a cheer while, outside, many in Malaysia's large ethnic Chinese community have quietly cursed, convinced that the knife is metaphorically pointed at them.

Raging boars force hog-hunt

China has lifted a ban on hunting of wild boar in an eastern province following a number of urban raids by hungry hogs in search of food, local media said yesterday. Dormitories and kitchens in the West Lake area of Hangzhou, capital of coastal Zhejiang province, had come under attack from ravenous boars rushing down from mountainous areas in recent days, the Shanghai Daily said.

One broke into a kitchen at a local university on Sunday, ate the leftovers and then "escaped to a mountainous area", the paper said. This followed a report of a 200 kg hog rushing into a security guard's dormitory at a local hospital and jumping on to his daughter's bed.

Apples and berries EU wine

Europe is on the verge of siding with vintners in Germany and northern climes who say what they make from apples and berries is just as much wine as the grape stuff, diplomats said.

Hot on the heels of a row over what constitutes vodka, the European Commission is grappling with another beverage battle over use of the word "wine" on labels. Makers of fruit wines, in particular Germany's Apfelwein (apple wine) producers, are unhappy with proposals to restrict wine to grape beverages as part of an overall reform of the bloc's €1.3 billion wine industry.

"The Commission will probably allow berries and apples to be included," an EU diplomat said. "It is unlikely to sacrifice the overall goal for such a small compromise. There will have to be further discussions, but it will be resolved amicably."

Woman's face on Korean currency

South Korea's central bank has chosen the face of Korean motherhood as the first woman to be featured on its banknotes, but women's rights groups say the selection only reinforces sexist stereotypes.

Shin Saimdang, known for raising a famed Confucian scholar and having a deft hand in painting, will grace the new 50,000 won (Lm16) note when it debuts in early 2009, the Bank of Korea said.

Women's groups say her selection bolsters the idea that mothers should stay at home and devote their lives to their children's education.

Beijing eyes Great Wheel

You've climbed the Great Wall of China, now Beijing wants you to "fly" the Great Wheel of China.

Higher than both the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer, that opens in March, the Beijing Great Wheel will tower 208 metres when finished in 2009, executives said yesterday. That would make it the highest and largest in the world. The giant ferris wheel will have 48 air conditioned observation capsules, each of which can carry up to 40 passengers, and on a good day even the Great Wall is expected to be visible in the mountains to Beijing's north.