World Briefs

An Iowa couple have discovered an eerie presence in their pear tree, just in time for the approaching Halloween season.

Des Moines television station KCCI said Phil and Janelle Lovely recently discovered a pumpkin that appears to be growing in the tree at their Greenfield home, 50 miles south west of Des Moines. They say they have no idea how the pumpkin ended up in their tree, but it appears to be the work of Mother Nature.

A nearby garden vine climbed the tree, giving the now-green pumpkin the appearance of having sprouted from one the tree’s branches.

Fruit flies invade hospital in Brazil

Fruit flies have invaded a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, forcing doctors to close down the surgery department for a day.

The press office of the Pedro Ernesto hospital told Brazil’s O Globo newspaper that the insect invasion caused the closure of 10 surgery rooms and delays in 16 surgeries.

Hospital staff told the newspaper they were trying to determine the source of the flies.

Frogs species boost

Scientists have found 12 new species of night frogs living in the lush mountains of south-west India, and rediscovered three that had been thought extinct.

Evolution biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju, from the University of Delhi, said he hoped the discoveries would draw attention to amphibians as important indicators of environmental health.

He said there are now 336 known frog species in India, and many are threatened by habitat loss.

Night frogs are hard to find as they come out only after dark and during the monsoon season. Dr Biju and student researchers had to sit in dark tropical forests listening for frog sounds and shining flashlights under rocks and across riverbeds.

The research is published in the latest issue of international taxonomy journal Zootaxa.

Cheers for beer

The Mayor of Munich yesterday tapped the first keg to kick off the 178th traditional German Oktoberfest.

With two deft blows of his hammer and a cry of “O’zapft is” – “It’s tapped” – Christian Ude inserted the first tap into the first keg as the festival opened.

More than six million guests from around the world are expected to descend on the beer tents of Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest over the next 17 days.

Last year’s visitors consumed some 7.1 million one-litre mugs of beer. This year a mug, called “Mass” in German, topped the €9 mark, selling at €9.20. German authorities have increased security around the fairgrounds this year, although they say there is no concrete threat.

Rabies alert after dead bat find in US

A dead bat found in the Halloween section of an Olympia, Washington, fabric store has tested positive for rabies.

Thurston County Health Department said two customers who found the bat on September 9 had received precautionary rabies vaccinations.

A Washington state public health lab confirmed last week that the bat was rabid.

Health chiefs are asking any other customers at the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store who might have touched the bat between September 2 and September 9 to contact authorities.

County health officer Dr Diana Yu said no-one was at risk unless he or she came in contact with the bat.

Seven dead, 30 hurt in China bus crash

Seven people were killed and 30 others injured when a crowded tourist bus overturned on a mountainous road in south-western China, state media said yesterday.

The Xinhua News Agency said the vehicle was overloaded and officials are still investigating the cause of the accident in Songpan county in Sichuan province.

Road accidents are common in China because of poor driving habits, overloaded vehicles and bad road conditions.