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'In continental news...'
with G. RHYDIAN MORGAN
in Transportnyy, Russia
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
GRM: Well, a Russian man trying to escape his debts had his fast-paced lifestyle
brought to a sharp stop as bailiffs used new rules to seize his car while he was out
driving.
Izvestia newspaper reported that the man, who owed €9,300 to a former employee,
was stopped eleven miles from the far northern city of Arkhangelsk by traffic police,
who immediately summoned a court bailiff after performing checks on a database.
The car he was driving was promptly seized for auction by the state and he was
obliged to continue his journey on foot as the bailiff drove off in the car on the icy
winter road. It was the first use of tough new legislation introduced on 1st February
that also allows bailiffs to enter a person's home and seize property without
warning.
GRM: Funny you should ask. City lawmakers in Prague have swallowed their pride
and caved to protests against plans to ditch one of the capital's most succulent
landmarks -- the sausage stands in Wenceslas Square. The stands were due to
shut as part of a facelift for the famous square but popular opposition forced
officials to back down.
"Prague klobasa are one of the typical culinary delicacies of the city. Locals and
visitors want to save this long tradition and we respect their views," deputy mayor
and former critic of the stands, Rudolf Blazek announced. Plans will still go ahead to
reduce the number of stands in the square selling the popular snacks around the
clock...
GRM: Yeah, the one on the tower on the old Town Hall. Sausage vendors will no
longer be able to serve strong liquor with their sausages, in an attempt to cut down
the number of sausages hastily returned to the street by unsuspecting tourists.
GRM: Er, Croatia, actually. A leading Croat newspaper was deeply embarrassed
when it published an interview with the country’s Prime Minister that turned out to
be a hoax.
The paper’s editor, Davor Butkovic, was forced to admit that he had not spoken to
Ivo Sanader, but said he had exchanged a series of text messages with the PM,
and agreed to receive answers in an e-mail. On Monday, a 23-year-old journalism
student confirmed he had sent the answers to the editor from a private e-mail
address, after Butkovic mistook his mobile number for that of the Prime Minister and
requested an interview by SMS. Butkovic and his chief editor have both offered to
resign -- but Jutarnji List claimed the hoax might have been the underhand tactic of
a rival newspaper. The student in question had worked briefly for the weekly
newspaper, Nacional, and had friends working at Jutarnji's rival daily, Vecernji List.
Both newspapers denied any involvement.
In an editorial published on Tuesday, Vecernji List had this to say: "Jutarnji is trying
to pass the buck, but the fact remains that it published a fake interview, by one of
its most prominent political journalists. We are not part of any conspiracy and we
are not gloating over this mistake. On the contrary, we are deeply worried because
it shows a degradation of our profession.”
GRM: Yup. Now, in more local news a council in County Durham has paid a psychic
to exorcise a ghost from one of its properties after the occupants threatened to
leave and make themselves voluntarily homeless. Easington Council said the family
could not be persuaded to stay in the house, and that by paying the exorcist, they
were saving money that otherwise would have had to pay for emergency housing.
The family told reporters they heard banging noises coming from the attic, saw
items apparently fly of their own accord across the rooms, and had had doors slam
shut in their faces. They called police, who found nothing, and then called in psychic
Suzanne Hadwin, asking the council to help pay.
"This is the first time we have had to take such a measure," a council spokeswoman
said. "However, the tenants were extremely distressed at the time and we
therefore believed it was the most appropriate course of action."
Hadwin told the Sunderland Echo she used her Russian spirit guide and some angels
to help rid the property of evil spirits, which she claimed was linked to the murder of
a woman in the house years earlier. The council said the family were now happy to
stay in the house and therefore the money had been “well spent”. It is not clear
whether the council will be pursuing the ghost for unpaid rent on the property.
Not at all. A new Mr Men character with a French accent and a flatulence problem is
threatening to blow a hole in Anglo-French relations, reports said Monday. The new
bright orange cartoon is the first with a foreign accent to join the children's book
and television series, whose more traditional characters include Mr Tickle and Little
Miss Naughty.
The ball-shaped figure excuses himself in a heavy Gallic accent after noisily breaking
wind, in a game where children are invited to pull his finger on the Mr Men website.
A new series of the Mr Men show, featuring the classic childrens' characters, will
start later this month on television channel Five, which insists it did not intend to
offend the French.
"Mr Men is a comedy show for four to seven-year-olds ... The fact Mr Rude has a
French accent is meant to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek, and no offence to
the French people is intended," a Five spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.
The French embassy in London refused to comment, but a source quoted by the
Telegraph said: "It is obviously meant in a light-hearted way but it won't improve
Anglo-French relations." Rumours of a German-accented character, Mr Punctual,
remain unconfirmed at this time.
© lizardmagazine.com, 2008
G. Rhydian Morgan's round-up of all the essential news from Europe appears every
Tuesday on The Lizard.
Back to the homepage
with G. RHYDIAN MORGAN
in Transportnyy, Russia
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
- So you've been out East this week. What's the latest from the Russian
Bear?
GRM: Well, a Russian man trying to escape his debts had his fast-paced lifestyle
brought to a sharp stop as bailiffs used new rules to seize his car while he was out
driving.
Izvestia newspaper reported that the man, who owed €9,300 to a former employee,
was stopped eleven miles from the far northern city of Arkhangelsk by traffic police,
who immediately summoned a court bailiff after performing checks on a database.
The car he was driving was promptly seized for auction by the state and he was
obliged to continue his journey on foot as the bailiff drove off in the car on the icy
winter road. It was the first use of tough new legislation introduced on 1st February
that also allows bailiffs to enter a person's home and seize property without
warning.
- There must be at least one good sausage story from Europe this week?
GRM: Funny you should ask. City lawmakers in Prague have swallowed their pride
and caved to protests against plans to ditch one of the capital's most succulent
landmarks -- the sausage stands in Wenceslas Square. The stands were due to
shut as part of a facelift for the famous square but popular opposition forced
officials to back down.
"Prague klobasa are one of the typical culinary delicacies of the city. Locals and
visitors want to save this long tradition and we respect their views," deputy mayor
and former critic of the stands, Rudolf Blazek announced. Plans will still go ahead to
reduce the number of stands in the square selling the popular snacks around the
clock...
- You mean the clock in the square?
GRM: Yeah, the one on the tower on the old Town Hall. Sausage vendors will no
longer be able to serve strong liquor with their sausages, in an attempt to cut down
the number of sausages hastily returned to the street by unsuspecting tourists.
- We hear there's a good tabloid scrap going on in Serbia?
GRM: Er, Croatia, actually. A leading Croat newspaper was deeply embarrassed
when it published an interview with the country’s Prime Minister that turned out to
be a hoax.
The paper’s editor, Davor Butkovic, was forced to admit that he had not spoken to
Ivo Sanader, but said he had exchanged a series of text messages with the PM,
and agreed to receive answers in an e-mail. On Monday, a 23-year-old journalism
student confirmed he had sent the answers to the editor from a private e-mail
address, after Butkovic mistook his mobile number for that of the Prime Minister and
requested an interview by SMS. Butkovic and his chief editor have both offered to
resign -- but Jutarnji List claimed the hoax might have been the underhand tactic of
a rival newspaper. The student in question had worked briefly for the weekly
newspaper, Nacional, and had friends working at Jutarnji's rival daily, Vecernji List.
Both newspapers denied any involvement.
In an editorial published on Tuesday, Vecernji List had this to say: "Jutarnji is trying
to pass the buck, but the fact remains that it published a fake interview, by one of
its most prominent political journalists. We are not part of any conspiracy and we
are not gloating over this mistake. On the contrary, we are deeply worried because
it shows a degradation of our profession.”
- That’ll be the sleaze-free, morally upright profession of tabloid journalism,
then.
GRM: Yup. Now, in more local news a council in County Durham has paid a psychic
to exorcise a ghost from one of its properties after the occupants threatened to
leave and make themselves voluntarily homeless. Easington Council said the family
could not be persuaded to stay in the house, and that by paying the exorcist, they
were saving money that otherwise would have had to pay for emergency housing.
The family told reporters they heard banging noises coming from the attic, saw
items apparently fly of their own accord across the rooms, and had had doors slam
shut in their faces. They called police, who found nothing, and then called in psychic
Suzanne Hadwin, asking the council to help pay.
"This is the first time we have had to take such a measure," a council spokeswoman
said. "However, the tenants were extremely distressed at the time and we
therefore believed it was the most appropriate course of action."
Hadwin told the Sunderland Echo she used her Russian spirit guide and some angels
to help rid the property of evil spirits, which she claimed was linked to the murder of
a woman in the house years earlier. The council said the family were now happy to
stay in the house and therefore the money had been “well spent”. It is not clear
whether the council will be pursuing the ghost for unpaid rent on the property.
- It's not all quiet on the home front, is it?
Not at all. A new Mr Men character with a French accent and a flatulence problem is
threatening to blow a hole in Anglo-French relations, reports said Monday. The new
bright orange cartoon is the first with a foreign accent to join the children's book
and television series, whose more traditional characters include Mr Tickle and Little
Miss Naughty.
The ball-shaped figure excuses himself in a heavy Gallic accent after noisily breaking
wind, in a game where children are invited to pull his finger on the Mr Men website.
A new series of the Mr Men show, featuring the classic childrens' characters, will
start later this month on television channel Five, which insists it did not intend to
offend the French.
"Mr Men is a comedy show for four to seven-year-olds ... The fact Mr Rude has a
French accent is meant to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek, and no offence to
the French people is intended," a Five spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.
The French embassy in London refused to comment, but a source quoted by the
Telegraph said: "It is obviously meant in a light-hearted way but it won't improve
Anglo-French relations." Rumours of a German-accented character, Mr Punctual,
remain unconfirmed at this time.
© lizardmagazine.com, 2008
G. Rhydian Morgan's round-up of all the essential news from Europe appears every
Tuesday on The Lizard.
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