■ United Kingdom
Staff to be evacuated
Most of the staff at the British consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra will be evacuated early this week due to safety concerns, the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday. The newspaper, citing British spokesmen, said that a private security assessment had recommended the measure after the consulate was hit by regular mortar attacks over the past two months. Some staff have already been evacuated and more are expected to go this week, the newspaper said. A small staff will continue to run the consulate's operations until it is deemed safe enough for more to return.
■ United States
Heaviest pumpkin on display
Commuters at Grand Central Station in New York gaped on Sunday at a 676kg pumpkin, the world's heaviest, according to organizers at the transit hub. The pumpkin was on display as part of a Halloween charity event, and smaller pumpkins were sold to the public for US$5 or US$10 each, with proceeds going to the Food Bank for New York City, which feeds the hungry, said Karen Weber, a spokeswoman for Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central bought the big pumpkin from a Rhode Island man for an amount Weber declined to share. The pumpkin was to be donated to the Ulster County Food Bank after the event, she said.
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