World Briefs

A shock could have been one of the worst rail disasters in history - 102 killed and 380 injured in an explosion on a high-speed passenger service.

But France's SNCF train operator had merely taken a test of its internal accident procedures a little too far, even to the stage of releasing news of the simulated explosion on its public internet site.

People logging into the company site, already under fire over a recent security flaw that released private customer data to hackers, saw news of a dire tragedy on a TGV express cutting through the Burgundy wine country.

Sent by mistake during a drill, the notice on sncf.com informed users with precision that "victims had been taken to Macon hospital and rescue services, including medical teams and psychologists, are on the scene". (AFP)

Gay weddings on Mount Everest?

Nepal wants to paint Mount Everest pink with a campaign urging gay honeymooners to take a trek through the Himalayas.

There are also plans to host the world's highest same-sex 'weddings' at Everest base camp.

But mainly, the conservative Hindu nation wants a chunk of the multibillion dollar gay tourist market to help pull it out of poverty.

That quest is symbolic of one of the gay rights movement's most stunning successes. Just five years ago, police were beating gays and transsexuals in the streets. Now, the issue of gay rights is almost passé. (PA)

Costly family!

South Africa is spending more than $2 million a year to support polygamist President Jacob Zuma's wives and children, almost double the budget from a year ago, a minister said yesterday.

The 68-year-old Zuma, who currently has three wives, recently admitted to fathering his 20th child out of wedlock with the daughter of a friend, drawing flak for a cavalier attitude to sex in a country with one of the world's biggest HIV/AIDS caseloads.

The "spousal office" paid for personal support staff, such as secretaries and researchers, as well as domestic and international air travel and accommodation. (Reuters)

Caught on Google

Two teenagers got themselves on to Google Street View three times after spending an afternoon following a "Google car".

Josh Clarke and Josh Pickover were snapped three times around Felixstowe in Suffolk after spotting a car belonging to the internet giant, which has a specially-fitted panoramic camera on its roof.

The duo declared their efforts in getting on to the search engine, which has extended its 360-degree street-level image service to 95 per cent of UK roads, an afternoon well spent. (PA)

Sexy 'matron'

A bus company has rejected calls to remove an advert featuring a sexy "matron" from its vehicles amid claims that it demeans the nursing profession.

The West Midlands-based Diamond Bus Company described the ad - which pictures a blonde wearing a figure-hugging Ann Summers-style dress alongside the slogan "Ooooh matron!" - as harmless fun designed to promote a route serving a hospital.

But local nursing representatives and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have called on Diamond to axe the "degrading" image from the back of its buses. (PA)

Love proves lethal for couple

A Russian couple who got intimate in a car parked in a tiny garage have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Interfax news agency reported yesterday.

"A man and a woman retreated to their Volkswagen to have sex... Most likely the lovers turned on the engine to get warm," Interfax reported, citing a source in the Moscow police force. During a moment of "intimate closeness", the pair, in southern Moscow, inhaled the gas and died, the source added.

Many Russians keep their cars in box-like iron garages near their homes, which snugly encase their cars. (Reuters)

Dog swallows football

A dog bounced back to health after swallowing a football.

Bracken the labrador ended up with the deflated ball stuck next to his heart after munching it while out of sight of his owner John Grant and would have died without surgery.

Surgeons at University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital were stunned to discover that a foreign object was a deflated toy football about 12cm long. (PA)

Unhappy landing for light plane

A light plane making an emergency landing struck and killed a man who was walking along a South Carolina beach.

The single-engine plane developed an oil leak and was trying to make the local airport.

A rescue department spokesman said the oil blocked the pilot's vision after he was forced to land on the beach. (PA)

Bad cosmetic surgery job

A cosmetic surgery patient is suing her Pennsylvania doctor, claiming he gave her the wrong kind of breast implants.

Brittany Daly claims that the doctor talked to her fiancé about the mistake while she was unconscious and that he said to go ahead.

She is seeking at least $300,000 damages to have the surgery corrected and for physical and emotional discomfort. (PA)