Miniature mystery heads
As many as 20 miniature
versions of the Easter Island
head sculptures have been mysteriously
left on doorsteps and
outside post offices in villages
across northern England.
Each of the carvings, some
as tall as 18 inches, is slightly
different, yet they all bear the
same riddle on a blue note card:
“Twinkle twinkle like a star,
does love blaze less from afar?”
The word “paradox” is written
around the points of a star.
Authorities suspect that it is
a publicity stunt of some kind,
but so far no clues have been
found as to the identity of the
head carver.
Security camera footage
caught a glimpse of a man
getting out of a car, but his
face was unrecognizable. He
has been leaving the heads on
doorsteps since August.
Coffin purchase alerts
authorities
Colombian police were unaware
of the murder of eight
cocaine laboratory workers until
the victims’ relatives went to
purchase coffins.
A police commander said
they were tipped off after the
purchase of eight caskets raised
suspicions. The province,
which is near Ecuador, is a
key cocaine production area.
Leftist rebels and drug gangs
frequently fight over smuggling
routes.
Police said the murders appeared
to be part of a robbery
where one trafficking group
stole a large amount of coca base
from another group and used it
to make cocaine.
Savings and protection
A bank in Thailand, in an
effort to combat HIV/AIDS, is
giving out condoms to customers
too shy to purchase them
at a store. Thailand is generally
a conservative country, despite
its reputation as a sex-industry
center.
The “Condoms for Confidence”
campaign was
launched at 600 branches
nationwide. The effort comes
as the government’s awareness
campaign, created 20 years
ago, has lost steam.
Despite a ten fold reduction
of new HIV/AIDS cases since
15 years ago, the health ministry
said it is concerned about
the numbers of teenagers and
homosexuals being infected.
A representative at the Disease
Control Department said
embarrassment about buying
condoms and ignorance in
using them were the main
causes of the new cases.
Polygamy not so easy
An Indonesian businessman’s
attempt to make polygamy
easier was rejected
by a constitutional court.
Polygamy is allowed in Indonesia.
According to the
country’s marriage law, approval
to take a second wife
can only be obtained in court.
The only way he will get
approval is if his first wife
agrees, is disabled or cannot
have children.
The businessman argued
that those conditions effectively
prevent polygamy
and have caused many men
to simply avoid registering
their second marriages. As a
result, children from unregistered
marriages can lose their
inheritance rights and other
benefits.
The court said in its ruling
that the approval process was
not against the constitution
or the tenets of Islam, which
allows multiple marriages on
the condition that wives are
treated fairly.