World Vignettes — Carlos seeks damages over book

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s most famous medical personality, professor Chris Barnard, is living on “pension”, 30 years after performing the first heart transplant in the world. Barnard, 75, and married three times, was addressing the media in Cape Town to mark the 30th anniversary of the heart transplant on December 3. Barnard, who in his early years after the transplant had become an international celebrity and a political commentator in South Africa, says he now lives on on his state medical pension of $ 4200 a month. “I have now turned to becoming a paid public speaker to earn extra money,” he says.

Stone lion

BEIJING: A stone lion, buried in the bottom of Fuhai Lake in Yuanmingyuan Park for more than hundred years, has been extricated. More cultural relics may be buried in the lake along with the lion statue, which is a symbol of safety in water, experts said. A project to remove mud from the lake was launched last month and workers were given lessons on relic protection before they began excavation, Beijing youth daily said on Thursday. The cultural objects found in the lake will be managed by special relics protection group, it added.

Bond rights

SANTA MONICA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc (MGM) on Thursday acquired, the worldwide distribution rights to the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, through a subsidiary from Taliafilm Inc. However, the financial terms were not disclosed. In a release on Wednesday, the company said the acquisition expands MGM’s United Artists Pictures unit, and Danjang Production Company’s ownership, in and control of the franchise to include every Bond film made.

No veils please

LONDON: A bus driver in British midlands ordered a veiled Muslim woman off the bus after she consistently refused to lift her veil so that the driver could match her face with the photograph on travel identity pass. The incident took place last week at the main bus stop in Bradford, West Yorkshire and Rehman, a 25-year-old school teacher, had to leave the bus in tears, without going to her destination. The teacher, who uses the bus route regularly while travelling, is seeking an apology from the driver. The incident has sparked off violent trading of charges in the Pakistani community dominated areas.