Five things you might have missed last week

1. Buddhist calm

Biting red ants have overrun a Buddhist monastery in Malaysia, testing the monks' commitment to nonviolence. "Maybe the ants like us because they know we cannot kill them," mused head monk Boon Keng. He added that if an outsider were to turn up and kill the ants unbidden, that might be "the will of the universe".

2. Dressed to impress

India's Gujarati police will soon be smelling of roses, thanks to new uniforms from the National Institute of Design. The uniforms, designed to improve the image of the 300,000-strong force, have floral fragrances and fibre optics to make them glow in the dark.

3. Green revolution

Environmentally aware children at a Scottish primary school rebelled against plans to stage a balloon race because the balloons might be eaten by marine animals. "We would kill dolphins and fish with the balloons," said Shannon Hodgkiss, aged six. "We're sad not to have a balloon race, but it would be silly to kill animals." The teachers will be holding a car-boot sale instead.

4. Unholy ghost

Slobodan Milosevic's daughter has hired security guards to protect her father's grave after vampire-hunters unsuccessfully attempted to hammer a stake through his coffin to pierce his heart. They explained that the dictator's spirit could return to haunt the country unless the ritual was completed.

5. Going, going, gone

A Belgian antique dealer was shocked to discover that a burglar had broken into his shop, opened for business and sold his antiques while he was on holiday. "I can only conclude that the burglar was a clever man," said the victim, Johan Dumon.

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