AROUND THE GLOBE

Stripped in South Africa

In an effort to save Table Mountain from development, several Hugo Boss Models held a protest on one of the slopes of the mountain. Upon arriving at their destination, the six models decided to revert to their natural state, stripping off their clothes and posing for photographers in their birthday suits.

Apparently, the Save the Mountain Campaign is working; it already had 100,000 of the 250,000 needed signatures on a petition to prevent development on the mountain. Included among the signees is South African President Nelson Mandela, but it is unsure whether he'll be posing for the cameras anytime soon.

Mail order Estonian style

Another crisis seems to have taken hold in Eastern Europe. Mail order market mania has hit Estonia. According to the Estonian Post, Estonia's postal service, the 150 percent increase in shipped packages from catalog shopping has forced the Post to start working Sundays.

In order to handle the one million mail-order packages, the Post is increasing delivery routes and constructing a nationwide information network. So what is in these packages? This year's hot items include clothing, kitchenware, washing machines, and video equipment.

Czechs only

According to a recent survey, foreigners won't find a welcome mat awaiting them in the Czech Republic. The survey,which compiled 1,400 responses from all parts of the country, revealed that 81 percent of Czechs view the influx of foreigners as "negative" or "very negative."

Only 14 percent responded that foreigners bring capital, a meager 7 percent believed that foreigners bring "know-how," and the number of Czechs who assert that foreigners bring no benefits has doubled since 1994. The Czech government has responded to this wave of xenophobia by pushing new legislation, making it more difficult for foreigners to permanently reside in the Republic.

More than a meal

Dining out is becoming a dangerous venture in Ireland, as more and more food outlets are being cited for breaches of food hygiene regulations. Outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli bacteria have caused many to lose their appetites. In one instance, over 400 people were diagnosed with food poisoning as a result of some bad beef. New regulations, more inspectors, random spot checks, and hefty fines have started to make food outlets pay the price for their poison. Just ask former soccer star Michael Lawlor; violations cited at his restaurants last week will cost him [[sterling]]55,000, the largest fine ever assessed in such a case.

--Compiled by David Altschuler from Mail & Guardian, The Baltic Times, The Prague Post, and The Irish Times

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