Smokers irrational, like animals?

Smokers are like animals that do not think rationally, a Malaysian hardline Islamist cleric said at the weekend. Islam discourages the faithful from smoking, just as it bars them from alcohol, said Nik Aziz Nik Mat, spiritual leader of the Parti Islam se-Malaysia, which seeks to turn the country into an Islamic state that punishes thieves by lopping off their hands. Smokers did not use their brains because they continued to let themselves be addicted to the habit, despite knowing it was bad for their health, the Star newspaper quoted Nik Aziz as saying. "People who do not want to think are like animals," Nik Aziz told the launch of an anti-smoking campaign in Kota Baru, the capital of Malaysia's northeastern state of Kelantan, which is his party's last remaining bastion. Nik Aziz, himself a non-smoker, has earlier said smokers would not be included among his party's candidates at Malaysia's next general elections, widely expected to be called as soon as early next year.

Woman in wheelchair takes highway shortcut

An 81-year-old German woman driving to a cemetery in her electric wheelchair decided to take a shortcut and drove the wrong way down a highway. The wheelchair had been traveling at about four miles per hour. Vehicles on German motorways must clock at least 37 miles per hour, and there is no upper speed limit on some sections. Motorists spotted the woman and notified authorities, who escorted her to safety. "She told us she got lost and wanted to avoid taking a big detour," a police spokesman in the southern city of Nuremberg said.

Man, being a cop just gets worse and worse!

Police patrolling the red-light district of the Belgian capital have been ordered to stop visiting brothels and drinking in bars when on duty. A letter sent to officers in Brussels' northern police district, and published in a Belgian daily Tuesday, urged them to set a good example and earn the public's respect. "These officers think their duty hours are to be used to drink alcohol in bars, practice sports..., visit brothels or massage parlors, and entertain (intimate) relationships with residents of the neighborhood during their patrol," said the letter from a local police chief. "It is only by setting a good example that the police can make itself respected," the letter said, urging officers to adopt more conservative behavior. A police spokesman confirmed the letter was authentic, but said the police chief had only reacted to rumors of officers behaving badly while on duty. "There was no concrete evidence to substantiate any wrongdoing by police officers ... If there had been, they would have been prosecuted," said spokesman Roland Thiebauld.

Gives new meaning to "going in the car"

If you're stuck in traffic when Mother Nature calls, Japan's Kaneko Sangyo Co. has developed the loo for you. The manufacturer of plastic car accessories drew back the curtain on Tuesday on its new portable toilet for cars. The toilet comes with a curtain large enough to conceal users and a plastic bag to collect waste. "The commode will come in handy during major disasters such as earthquakes or when you are caught in a traffic jam," a company official told reporters, according to Kyodo News. Japan is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. Drivers stranded by tectonic movements or stuck in tailbacks simply assemble the cardboard toilet bowl, fit a water-absorbent sheet inside and draw round the curtain. The product is small enough to fit inside a suitcase, the company said. But prospective customers will have to hang on until November 15, when the firm begins selling the new product online.

Officials battle through "samurai" diet

Overweight local government officials in Japan have slimmed down with a three-month "samurai" diet, soldiering on despite a fellow samurai's death. The mayor of the city of Ise in west Japan and six officials joined forces as the "Seven Metabolic Samurai," after Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" movie, to fight the so-called metabolic syndrome -- excess belly fat, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. The program took an unexpected and unfortunate turn when one of the samurai, a 47-year-old city official, died in August from heart failure while he was jogging, a spokeswoman for Ise's public health department said, confirming earlier news reports. But the remaining samurai continued with the plan, which involved eating healthy food and exercising. When the program ended Thursday, Mayor Takao Morishita had shed 5.6 kg (12 pounds) and trimmed his waistline by 5 cm to 85 cm (33 inches). At least two other officials also succeeded with the diet, while the city is waiting to hear results from the others. "There was a time when things were rough, but I was able to reach my goals," the mayor said on a panel that showed his diet results. "I want to make sure that my weight won't bounce back." Metabolic syndrome has become the new buzzword in health-conscious Japan, where nearly 30 percent of Japanese adult males are overweight, according to a government survey from 2005. Two male officials in the health ministry kept blogs earlier this year to show their efforts in combating the syndrome, while tummy-tightening briefs and "fitness phones" targeting fat-fighting middle-aged men have come on the market.

Drunken priest punches cop, jailed

A Mexican priest briefly ended up behind bars after punching a policemen who caught him driving drunkenly through the streets of the northern city of Monterrey. Priest Manuel Raul Ortega, who was not wearing clerical dress but was clutching a prayer book when captured, launched himself at the traffic cop who pulled him over earlier this week. "The individual became very violent because they were going to tow away his car. He attacked a policeman and was taken away," said transit department spokesman Hector Lozano on Thursday. Ortega's papers identified him as a priest. He was released a few hours after his arrest after paying the fines for his offenses. Monterrey and Mexico City are in the midst of a tough new drive to clamp down on widespread drunken driving after tequila and beer-fueled lunches and parties.

Russian serial killer says murder is like love

A Russian man accused of murdering 49 people asked a court on Tuesday to add another eleven victims to his tally, and told a jury when he first strangled a man it was like falling in love for the first time. Supermarket worker Alexander Pichushkin, 33, has been branded the 'chessboard murderer' by Russian newspapers because he hoped to put a coin on every square of a 64-place chessboard for each murder. "A first killing is like your first love. You never forget it," he said from a cage in the courtroom, after explaining how he started killing at age 18 with the murder of a classmate. Pichushkin said he had suggested to his classmate that they kill someone, but when his friend refused, "I sent him to heaven." He then smirked at the jury. "The closer a person is to you, and the better you know them, the more pleasurable it is to kill them," he said. "In all the cases I killed for only one reason. I killed in order to live, because when you kill, you want to live."