World Briefs

McDonald's apologised to Singapore yesterday and brought a pig back to its toy menu, after a decision to leave the animal out of its Chinese zodiac collection upset many in the predominantly ethnic Chinese nation.

McDonald's this month started selling cartoon character miniatures depicting the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar, but the pig was replaced by love god Cupid as McDonald's said it did not want to offend Muslims.

However, the move, just ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, backfired as many Chinese customers complained in chatrooms and blogs that they would not have a chance to buy the animal sign of their birth year.

"We're sorry, and we're grateful," the fast food chain said in a half-page advertisement in the Straits Times newspaper, saying it never intended to offend anyone. (Reuters)

Dangerous roads

Motorists should look out for Lincoln's trees, Durham's lamp posts and Halifax's walls, a survey has said.

Lincoln tops the list for claims for crashes involving trees over the last five years, the poll by insurance company elephant.co.uk found.

Durham, followed by Blackpool and Halifax in West Yorkshire, has the highest incidence of lamp post claims, and Halifax is closely followed by Orkney and Huddersfield for claims where the driver has hit a wall. (PA)

Showered with respect

Gym users at a popular pool have been asked to shower in their trunks and costumes when schoolchildren are around, it has been revealed.

After using the equipment at the Torridge Pool in Northam, Devon, members have been "respectfully" asked to wear swimsuits in the showers, if pupils are present.

The pool said it acted after "concerns were raised" by schools, and made the request to protect both children and adults. (PA)

Faces jail for being noisy

A Briton whose noisy sex sessions were officially branded anti-social behaviour is liable to find herself behind bars if she fails to stop excessively loud lovemaking, a court has ruled. Caroline Cartwright has been given an eight-week prison term suspended for 12 months - meaning if she engages in over-noisy sessions again in the next year she will immediately be jailed.

"I've heard a very short extract of the noise you make and can well see that your neighbours would be upset and distressed by this," said judge Beatrice Bolton at Newcastle Crown Court.

Ms Cartwright was served with a civil order over marathon romps with husband Steve, described in court as "unnatural". Neighbours at their home in Washington, south of Newcastle in northeast England, had complained about the noise - as did passers-by and the neighbourhood letter carrier. (AFP)

Off with his head

A 600-year-old skull believed to be that of a legendary German pirate has been stolen from a museum.

Klaus Stoertebeker is believed to have been beheaded in 1400 in Hamburg, together with 30 of his followers. The heads were nailed on pillars at the entrance of the harbour to deter other would-be pirates.

The skull was stolen from the Museum for Hamburg History which is offering a reward for its return. (PA)

High jump

Some time this year, Felix Baumgartner intends to step out of a capsule lifted 36,600 metres by a balloon and leap back to Earth, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without an aircraft.

Mr Baumgartner, 40, is the Austrian-born skydiver best known for gliding 35 kilometres across the English Channel with the help of a two-metre wing strapped to his back after jumping from 10,000 metres in 2003.

The jump will take place from the stratosphere on an unspecified date at an unspecified place in North America, depending on weather conditions. One aim is to break the 50-year-old record set by Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 31,333 metres for the US Air Force in 1960 to mark the highest parachute jump and longest and fastest free fall.

Another goal in the interest is science, including monitoring the effects of supersonic travel on the body and how it reacts to the changes in pressure, temperature, acceleration and deceleration. (Reuters)

Facebook photos

A hospital worker has been suspended after photos of patients having operations were posted on Facebook.

Patients were not thought to be identifiable from the images which were believed to be taken at a hospital in Glasgow, according to the Daily Record. The paper claimed the member of staff who put the images on the social networking site was a nurse. (PA)