World Briefs

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Bush - a Chimp?

Photos comparing the facial expressions of President Bush with those of a chimpanzee have appeared in a manual for the formation of Belgian police officers, but were to be removed by the Belgian home office in March. The photos, which have long been circulating on the Internet, were used to illustrate the peppy and humorous importance of body language. They show the president as a dreamer, in a dubious state or sticking his tongue out, while on the same page, a monkey counterpart performs similar actions.

While Belgian Interior Minister Patrick Dewael claimed never to have seen these "tasteless images," he had originally signed a letter inciting the magistrates and the corps chiefs in police zones of the kingdom to use the manual for the formation of the personnel that would also supervise national soccer games. The manual had been available for order at the ministry for quite some time, although Dewael insisted,"This collage was not an initiative of the Belgian home office."

- La Libre Belgique, Brussels



Bidding on the pope's death

A number of Italian Lotto players have been bidding on the numbers related to the death of the pope. In Rome, the combination 21-37-2-84 is particularly prized - these numbers represent respectively the hour of the sovereign pontiff's disappearance, the day of his death and his age. In Naples, the most played numbers is 47, a symbol of the dead in the local arts of divination. Lately, Neapolitans have also been attracted to number 26 - the length of the pontificate.

- Le Courrier International, Paris



Hairy business

A cactus that grows pubic hairs? This piece of art by Laura Cinti and was one of the key creations for the International Science Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. For this "Cactus Project," the artist placed human transgenic material into the genome of a cactus. In 2000, Brazilian artist Eduardo Kac had exposed a fluorescent green transgenic rabbit, with the genes of a jelly-fish. If the director of the Scottish Arts Council - and former bishop of Edinburgh - had reservation as to the manipulation of animals, he exclaims about Cinti's piece: "To grow pubic hairs on a cactus will not hurt anyone."

- Scotland on Sunday, Edinburgh