COLUMN

LONDON: A man who went on a wild spending spree after doctors said he only had a short time to live wants compensation because the diagnosis was wrong and he is now healthy – but broke. John Brandrick, 62, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and told that he would probably die within a year. He quit his job, sold or gave away nearly all his possessions, stopped paying his mortgage and spent his savings dining out and going on holiday. Brandrick was left with little more than the black suit, white shirt and red tie that he had planned to be buried in when it emerged a year later that his suspected “tumour” was no more than a non-life threatening inflammation of the pancreas. “I’m really pleased that I’ve got a second chance in life ... but if you haven’t got no money after all this, which is my fault – I spent it all – they should pay something back.” If he can’t get compensation, he is considering selling his house or suing the hospital that diagnosed him. The hospital has said that while it sympathised with
Brandrick, a review of his case showed no different diagnosis would have been made.
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BERLIN: A German man failed his driving test after attempting the examination while three times over the legal alcohol limit, police said. When the man arrived for the test on Tuesday morning, both his driving instructor and the examiner detected the smell of alcohol on him, though the 27-year-old assured them he had not been drinking, police in the western town of Bendorf said. “But his driving was rather bad, so the examiner directed him to towards the police station without him noticing. Once there, he had to get out and take an alcohol test, which revealed he was well over the limit.” The man will now have to wait “a long time” before he can take another driving test, the police spokesman said.
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BELGRADE: The Rolling Stones have asked to change the venue for a concert here to spare hundreds of horses from enduring a potentially traumatic experience. The July 14 concert was due to be held at the Serbian
capital’s Hippodrome racetrack until animal protection society ORCA complained the noise would traumatise the 300 horses kept in the nearby stables. “The concert will not take place on the Hippodrome,” Raka Maric, manager of Music Star Production, said. “The Rolling Stones’ band members are great animal lovers and made this decision when they realised there were stables near the venue.” The likeliest new venue for the concert is the Usce park at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. – Reuters

Journey to Paradise

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