16 News Thursday, January 7, 2010 D Odi, a pet Chihuahua, is dressed for the cold in Beijing as a Siberian cold front in China caused power shortages and covered much of the north with snow Picture: AFP Explosives on jet was silly mistake THE SlovakianAmbassador to Ireland last night offered a public apology over a botched security exercise on a flight to Dublin. Tibor Mako, the head of the coun- trys border and foreign police, whose officers slipped plastic explosive, called RDX, into an unsuspecting pas- sengers luggage, said he would stand down over the debacle. The Government has demanded an- swers after the 49-year-old electrician, returning from his Christmas holidays on Saturday, unwittingly evaded scan- ners and sniffer dogs as airport police tested security weaknesses. May I take this opportunity to de- liver my apology and regret to the people of Ireland and its Government and all the people of Ireland for all the problems following the failure of this exercise, Ambassador Roman Buzek said. Slovak officials blamed the incident on a silly and unprofessional mistake by a police officer, during a training exercise to keep sniffer dogs in shape and on alert in a real environment. An interior ministry statement add- ed that, because the substance was stored without a detonator, no-one was in danger during the exercise. Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak expressed profound regret to the Government for the oversight and the three-day delay in alerting Ireland about the incident. However, the Slovakian government also criticised the action of the Garda in arresting the electrician. The Dublin Airport Authority said it was not warned about the tests using explosives and was alerted of the inci- dent by a Tuesday morning phonecall. By Ed Carty Silly mistake... to keep sniffer dogs in shape worlddigest MEXICO: Running battles between rival crime cartels saw 13 people, including two police officers, shot dead in a single day. Bodies were found in eight locations as the feud between the Juarez and Sinaloa gangs exploded into violence. The shootings came a day after police found two severed heads and a decapitated body in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. More than 2,500 people died last year in the turf war. Drug-related violence has killed more than 15,000 since a crackdown on the cartels began three years ago. 13 shot dead as gang feud erupts CHINA: James Camerons Avatar raked in 3.4million on its debut, putting it on course to break box office records. Industry experts said Avatar (pictured) would easily eclipse the 47million of disaster movie 2012. I think it has very good momentum. I think it should break the 2012 record, said Weng Li, spokesman for the state-run film importer. Avatar on course to set new record COLOMBIA: Marxist Farc rebels yesterday admitted slashing the throat of Caqueta state governor Luis Cuellar (pictured) last month. The guerillas said his death was an undesired and tragic consequence of a government order to chase down his kidnappers with fire and blood. They said they planned to try him for corruption, not kill him. Leftist rebels claim governors murder INDONESIA: Four exotic dancers could face up to ten years in prison after police arrested them for un- Islamic behaviour. Officers confiscated 150 in tips and skimpy underwear from the Bellair Cafe in Bandung city on New Years Eve. Police said they were wearing sexy clothing and also arrested two managers. They are the first people to be prosecuted in the city after its mayor announced a crackdown. Conservative Muslim parties pushed through anti-pornography laws in 2008 despite liberal opposition. Strippers face jail for festive dance and finally... TAIWAN: An eco-conscious couple have opened a small school built with recycled newspapers fed through a homemade blender. John Lamorie and Shelly Wu used more than a tonne of papers, donated by students, to build the 75sq m schoolhouse. Im really into reusing things, said Mr Lamorie. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Tribesmen armed with bows and arrows prepare for a second day of warfare with a rival village in Timika. One warrior has already been killed and 31 people injured in the battle to avenge a rape Picture: AP index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html