Danish art student Nadia Plesner is being sued by the fashion house Louis Vuitton for depicting its handbag on a T-shirt. She is using the image of a Darfur victim holding a chihuahua and a Louis Vuitton type bag for her Simple Living campaign to raise awareness on the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to raise money for the helping organisation Divest For Darfur.
Ms Plesner, one of a group of designers who are trying to raise awareness of the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, says her design has got more people talking about the Darfur conflict than she ever thought. "Everyone knows the image of a small starving black child. We have seen it so many times now, but it doesn't work anymore," said the 26-year-old, who is studying in Amsterdam.
Ms Plesner has been inundated with orders for the image on T-shirts and posters since the Paris-based fashion house decided to take her to court for infringing copyright.
Louis Vuitton, part of the French luxury goods group LVMH, has taken issue with her unauthorised use of its trademark and copyright "for commercial purposes".
Bull storms through home
A German family was stunned when a rampaging bull burst through the back door of their house, charged around the living room, and then left by the front door.
"The animal basically did a tour of the hall, the kitchen and the living room before leaving the building," said Paul Kemen, a spokesman for police in the western city of Aachen yesterday.
None in the family were injured, but the bull laid waste to furnishings, causing an estimated €10,000 of damage, police said. The bull left after the owner of the house opened the front door for it.
The red-brown Limousin bull was part of a herd of cattle that had escaped from a farmer and overrun a section of the nearby town of Monschau. A huntsman later shot the animal.
New ways to woo voters
From parading an elephant through the streets to posing as Jesus, Romanian politicians are finding new ways to woo voters ahead of municipal elections on June 1.
In the Black Sea port of Constanta, a bulky candidate for mayor, nicknamed "the elephant", publicised his campaign by walking the animal through the town centre.
"It eats peas," the candidate Victor Manea said, poking fun at the current mayor of Constanta, whose last name, Mazare, means peas in Romanian.
A candidate from the western city of Arad has printed banners showing himself sitting behind a long table, together with 11 colleagues, in a depiction of the Last Supper. His message is he "believes" in his team.
Beer fans unveil urinal video game
Two Belgian beer fans have launched a video game named Place To Pee, which allows players to slalom down ski slopes or kill aliens while relieving themselves at urinals.
Werner Dupont, a software developer, and Bart Geraets, an electrical engineer, got the idea while drinking Belgian trappist beers, they told Reuters Television yesterday at a local festival. "This thing had to be invented by Belgian people and that's what we are," they said.
The Place To Pee booth is designed for two users at a time in which gamers hit their target by aiming at sensors positioned on either side of the urinal. A specially designed paper cone allows women to play too, the inventors say.
Sumo wrestler throws a tantrum
Russian Wakanoho has become the latest sumo wrestler to be given a ticking-off for throwing a tantrum when he smashed a shelf in the fighters' communal bathroom after losing a bout.
The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) warned Wakanoho about his behaviour yesterday after the 19-year-old's temper got the better of him following a loss a day earlier.
"I get a bit upset when I lose," the giant Russian told reporters. "I don't want to break things, but when I see dishes and stuff I just have to smash them."
Wakanoho's sumo "stable" master Magaki said his charge had a few rough spots to iron out. "He has difficulty keeping his emotions in check," he acknowledged. "That's a bad thing."
Magaki has had problems of his own after being given a warning by the JSA after admitting to beating a junior wrestler with a bamboo sword.