Briefs

Hawking plans space travel

Professor Stephen Hawking says he is planning to travel into space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.the physicist and cosmologist, 75, said he had not expected to have the opportunity to experience space but that the Virgin boss had offered him a seat. ‘‘I thought no-one would take me but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately.’’

Bodyboarder’s bottom target

A Spanish tourist has walked away with minor grazes to his bum after a shark latched on while he was bodyboarding on the NSW south coast. Gonzalo Mompo Fernandez, aged in his late 20s, was out with four mates at Killalea State Park near Shellharbour on Sunday night when a ‘‘grey shark, about 2-3 metres’’ bit him on the rear and inner thigh, park manager Nathan Cattell said. Cattell said the tourist appeared ‘‘scared for his life’’. The shark left a hole in his wetsuit measuring 30-40cm in circumference.

Bid to stop live export trade

An independent MP is making a fourth attempt to completely shut down Australia’s live export trade.andrew Wilkie yesterday introduced a private bill to permanently ban animals from being sent abroad for slaughter from 2020 and, in the meantime, ensure live animals are treated humanely after they exported.’’how on earth can any civilised decent country allow this barbaric behaviour to continue?’’ he told MPS.

Floods then fire

Peruvian authorities say a fire broke out in the country’s most populated prison and firefighters have been hampered by problems in the water system caused by mudslides and flooding from recent heavy rains. Officials had no immediate information on damage or any injuries from the blaze inside Lurigancho prison, a jail in eastern Lima that housed 9345 inmates. The capital is experiencing widespread water outages due to the heavy rains, floods and mudslides that have killed at least 75 people and injured 263 in about half of the country in recent days.