Wacky world - weekly offbeat travel and transport roundup - Chile, mice and 'Top Gun'

A roundup of this week's offbeat travel and transport stories: a presidential emergency landing, new ambulances in Britain and a whiffy debate in Malawi.

The president drops in

Chilean president Sebastian Pinera has been attacked by critics after video showing him making an emergency landing in his helicopter was leaked on the internet. The billionaire president was captured landing on a road before good-naturedly explaining to locals that he was almost out of fuel.
Watch the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RJUafnHihI

China proves it's top gun

Red faces at China's state broadcaster this week after it emerged that footage aired during a report on a People's Liberation Army Air Force training exercise was actually taken from 1980s blockbuster Top Gun. See the video at the Wall Street Journal.

Something in the air in Malawi

Visitors to Malawi might want to hold off on eating beans before they leave - reports suggest that the judiciary authority is currently debating whether a new bill can be interpreted as criminalizing flatulence.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12363852

Could TSA-trained mice replace body scanners?

High-tech and controversial body scanners could soon be replaced on the front line of airport security, according to New Scientist - by mice. A new explosives detector uses specially trained animals to sniff out explosives, which they can apparently do more effectively than dogs.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927985.700-sniffer-mice-have-a-nose-for-explosives.html

Insurance mishap

In a coincidence which may have been more fortunate than unfortunate, a Florida woman accidentally drove her car into a familiar office this week - the one housing her car insurance firm. At the very least, the paperwork should have been minimized. http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/accidents/collision-coincidence-car-crashes-into-tampa-office-that-insures-it/1148840

Ambulance reinforcements

British ambulances are no longer wider enough to carry some patients, according to reports, forcing ambulance services to pay millions to upgrade the vehicles so that they can carry Britain's increasing number of obese people (currently 24.5 percent of the population).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110203/od_afp/britainhealthobesityoffbeat_20110203165944