Smoke and drink more, Russia’s finance minister Alexei Kudrin urged citizens yesterday, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.

“If you smoke a pack of cigarettes, that means you are giving more to help solve social ­problems such as boosting ­demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates,” Mr Kudrin said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

“People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state,” he said, offering unconventional advice.

Alcohol and cigarette consumption are already extremely high in Russia, where 65 per cent of men smoke and the average Russian consumes 18 litres of alcoholic beverages per year. (AFP)

Rare paintings in skip

A pair of rare oil paintings destined for the skip after being found in a pensioner’s attic could fetch £30,000 at auction, it was revealed.

The 75-year-old woman was having a clear-out at her home in Surrey, UK, when she came across the works by Australian artist William Blamire Young, which were covered in dust.

They had been bought by her father 60 years previously and kept in the attic as her mother did not like them, and the woman planned to throw them away until her neighbour arranged for them to be valued. (PA)

Time bombs on display

A pair of US Civil War-era cannon balls on display at a college in Georgia caused a security alert after they were discovered to be live. A bomb squad removed the relics from Kennesaw State University and the building was evacuated. The cannon balls had been in a display case in a room of the social sciences building for three years. (PA)

Tired of witchcraft

Three siblings from Malawi burned themselves to death after they accused their parents of teaching them witchcraft, police said yesterday.

Police spokesman Davie Chingwalu said the two sisters and their brother had been “praying hard until Tuesday night when they claimed they were tired of being taught witchcraft by their parents.” He said the Manda siblings from Ndirande shantytown, south of Blantyre removed furniture from their house and set it alight, before throwing themselves into the raging fire.

“They were tired of being taught witchcraft...,” he added. The siblings were aged between 16 and 31.

Belief in witchcraft runs deep in the poor southern African country. (AFP)

Dead German finally flown home

The bizarre story of a German woman arrested trying to fly her dead husband home from England in April has had a happy ending of sorts.

Gitta Jarant and her daughter Anke Anusic denied knowing that Kurt Willi Jarant, 91, had breathed his last when the trio arrived to check in for a flight to Berlin from Liverpool in England.

Now, almost five months later, Willi has been cremated and his ashes are back in Berlin and now have pride of place on his widow’s mantelpiece while they await burial.

Staff at John Lennon Airport had helped the elderly man, who was reportedly wearing sunglasses, out of a taxi into his wheelchair but officials became suspicious, taking his pulse and discovering he had passed away. (AFP)

Birth-boosting slogan

Taiwan’s government yesterday unveiled a new slogan aimed at encouraging couples to have more babies, in its latest bid to boost the island’s dwindling birth rate.

Children – our best heirloom, was chosen via an on-line poll after garnering nearly a third of the 31,000 responses, followed by “happiness is very easy, baby one two three” and “it’s good to have a child”, said the interior ministry.

The slogan’s writer will get a cash prize of one million Taiwan dollars ($31,250) while the phrase will be printed on government literature.

Taiwan’s authorities have been offering various incentives to boost birth rates, amid growing concerns that a severe manpower shortage will trigger serious social and economic problems.

The island’s capital Taipei, will start paying couples 20,000 Taiwan dollars for every newborn from next year. (AFP)