bruises after the would-
be killer roared up in a car, "deliberately swerved" and hit him, the Sun said on Wednesday in London, quoting military sources. "There is no doubt that
this was a deliberate assassination attempt," a senior army officer was quoted as saying. "We are convinced that there was a price on Blaze's head." His handler, Lance Corporal Steve Dineley, 24, said: "I was gutted when he got
run over and so were all the guys. We were very angry
but he has made a great recovery."
■ United Kingdom
Chef flies in face of obesity
A Scottish chef has come up with a deep-fried chocolate sandwich that provides its consumer with 1,000 calories in a single portion, half the daily requirement. The hotel group marketing the dish introduced the sandwich in defiance of a government campaign to counter sharply rising obesity. The sandwich is made by spreading chocolate spread over a slice of white bread, covering with another slice, dipping the whole in egg batter and deep frying. Chocolate sauce
is then poured over the sandwich and it is served with a generous dollop
of vanilla ice cream. The recommended daily intake for a woman is 2,000 calories.
■ Zanzibar
Gays face life in jail
A moral panic over homosexuality in Zanzibar has prompted the island's government to draft a law imposing life imprisonment for men convicted of gay sex. Homosexuality is already illegal on the Indian Ocean island and the gay scene is covert, but the draft bill appears to be a backlash against the increasing numbers of Zanzibaris living more openly gay lifestyles. The proposed law bans same-sex marriages and sanctions a 25-year jail term for sex between men and a seven-year term for lesbians.
■ France
Bomb found on railway
Fears that France's rail network has become a target for terrorists were raised again on Wednesday after
a track worker found an explosive device half-buried on the main line from Paris to Basle in Switzerland. The interior ministry said the suspected bomb, contained in a transparent plastic box measuring 20cm by 20cm, did not appear to resemble those described in threats by the shadowy group AZF, which has said it will blow up railway tracks around the country unless it is paid a ransom.
■ Belgium
Security lapse for rapist
After an incident involving
a mystery handcuff key, Belgian police guarding child rapist Marc Dutroux suffered fresh embarrassment this week when a razor blade was found in the van taking him to court, an official said Wednesday. "The razor blade was discovered ... before
he was transferred [from prison] to the courthouse," spokesman Els Cleemput said. The revelation was the latest to call into question security for Dutroux, after the handcuff key was found near his jail cell last week.
RSS