Three sets of parents who want their children’s Holy Communion date changed because it clashed with a One Direction concert have failed to rally support.
The unholy row erupted at a primary school in Ireland when the youngsters got tickets to see the boy band on May 24 next year. The parents of 27 other pupils at Raheen Gaelscoil in Limerick had to be balloted over changing the date to three weeks earlier.
One Direction will play three gigs in Dublin – more than 200km away – that weekend, but during a school meeting parents got angry at what one reportedly called the “disrespect shown to the blessed sacrament”. (PA)
Miss Universe in photo row
Indian police have filed a case against Miss Universe, American Olivia Culpo, for an unauthorised footwear fashion shoot at the Taj Mahal, India’s white-marble monument to love.
Ms Culpo, Indian-born fashion designer Sanjana Jon and others in her group are accused of violating India’s Heritage Act. She was on a 10-day visit to India.
Police Inspector Sushant Gaur said they shot a commercial at the Taj Mahal on Sunday without the permission of the state-run Archaeological Survey of India.
Mr Gaur said they can be jailed for up to two years and fined 100,000 rupees (€1,200) if found guilty. (AP)
Collaring fake service dogs
People in the US who pass off pets as specially trained service dogs are causing problems for the disabled community and businesses, so officials are looking for a way to tell a real working dog from impostors.
Dog owners are putting vests or backpacks on them that say “service animal” and using them as all-access passes to places permitting only service animals for the disabled.
Some pets are interfering with real service dogs, leading to worries about their safety.
Other impostors create health problems in restaurants or damage goods in shops.
Passing pets off as service animals is a crime, but prosecuting pretenders is nearly impossible under laws meant to safeguard the privacy of those questioned about their animals. (PA)
Elephants getting the point
Elephants understand pointing without being trained to recognise the human gesture, research has shown.
Scientists believe they may even use their trunks as a means of communication, in a similar way to pointing. The ability may have evolved from the complex social system elephants inhabit, which involves recognising unspoken signals.
“What elephants share with humans is that they live in an elaborate and complex network in which support, empathy, and help for others are critical for survival,” said Prof. Richard Byrne from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
“It may be only in such a society that the ability to follow pointing has adaptive value, or elephant society may have selected an ability to understand when others are trying to communicate with them.” (PA)