Two 19th century rhino horns stolen from a South African museum could be deadly if sold as a popular aphrodisiac because they are drenched in poison, a museum official said yesterday. The "priceless" horns were snatched from a display at the historic mammal gallery in Cape Town on Saturday evening, said Jatti Bredekamp, chief executive officer of Iziko Museums.

"Unknowingly, the thieves have exposed themselves to more than the danger of arrest and prosecution," Mr Bredekamp said in a statement. "Before the mid-20th century, taxidermy mounts were prepared by being soaked in arsenic and preserved from insect infestation through regular applications of DDT, both highly toxic poisons that retain their toxicity over time," he said.

Mr Bredekamp said the horns were deliberately targeted in a carefully planned robbery, and might be destined for Asia, where ground rhino horns are a prized aphrodisiac.

Black Day for love

It was a Black Day for love in South Korea yesterday with lonely hearts trying to ease their pain by diving head first into bowls of noodles.

South Korea cele-brates Valentine's Day, where local custom dictates women give gifts to men. It has taken on a popular event born in Japan but sweeping Asia known as White Day on March 14 when men return the favour with gifts for women.

But Black Day, on April 14, is a South Korean original. It is marked by people who have not found love dressing in dark colours and commiserating over meals of black food, with the dish of choice being Chinese-style noodles topped with a thick sauce of black bean paste.

"I had a miserable time on Valentine's Day, felt even lonelier on White Day and now I'm crying over a bowl of black noodles," said a young woman who asked only to be identified by her family name Na out of embarrassment. "Things better be different next year."

Public service must be 'civil'

Serbia's civil servantsQD must get over their grumpiness, answer queries with a smile and stop wearing shorts to work, according to a new code of conduct that came into force this month. The code says civil servants "must act professionally and kindly", "provide true and timely information" and "respect citizens' personality and dignity". They must keep citizens' business confidential and behave with dignity in public.

Although it does not set a dress code, it rules out "disproportionally short skirts, tops with revealing decolletage or narrow straps, short or see-through blouses and short pants".

Serbia has some 250,000 civil servants, a bloated number from when it was the centre of much larger socialist Yugoslavia. Despite the modest salary, they are coveted posts because of the short hours, job security and lingering sense of power. But for ordinary Serbs, the civil service represents a culture of grumpy, unhelpful and long-winded bureaucracy.

Chinese mock Western media

Chinese people frustrated at what they say are biased Western media reports of recent unrest in Tibet now have a new source of succour - a song circulating online called Don't Be Too CNN.

Written and performed by somebody calling themselves Mu Rongxuan and backed by a music video showing, among other things, supposedly biased media dispatches, the song's lyrics attack what it says are distorted reports.

"CNN solemnly swears that everything on it is the truth, but I've gradually discovered this is actually a deception," the female singer croons, at times the emotion appearing to affect her pitch. As the song continues, images shown repeatedly in the Chinese press of burnt-out shops and smoke rising over Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, are flashed up on to the screen.

Uruguay hosts biggest BBQ

More than a thousand barbecue fanatics in Uruguay grilled up 12 metric tonnes of beef on Sunday, setting a new Guinness world record while promoting the country's succulent top export. Army personnel set up a grill nearly 1.5 kilometres long and firefighters lit six tonnes of charcoal to kick off the gargantuan cookout.

Some 1,250 people grilled the beef and about 20,000 spectators cried with joy when a Guinness judge confirmed the barbecue record had been broken.

"I'm very proud to be Uruguayan. We have the best beef and now we have the world's biggest barbecue," said one of the volunteer cooks, sporting an apron and chef's hat.

The South American country bested a Mexican grilling record from 2006 by a resounding four tonnes.