WorlD Vignettes — Till murder do us part

Drug cure

BEIJING: A Chinese doctor has invented a treatment which he claims can help drug addicts kick the habit within six to eight hours. The treatment, given in the form of an injection, has been developed by Dr Yang Guddong.

Since June 6, Yang has treated 15 heroin addicts including one from Taiwan, who he claims to have have overcome drug addiction with the new treatment, Xinhua news agency reports.

Made from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, the treatment can rapidly dissolve toxic elements in an addict’s body. The shot is said to be painless as it puts patients to sleep and the treatment also does not cause loss of appetite or sleep. The invention has helped some 6,000 people overcome their drug addiction, the report said.

Wormy lunch

MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo had ant eggs and worms for lunch on Thursday at a restaurant serving pre-Columbian food. Zedillo ate heartily at Chon’s, a restaurant near the Zocalo, the city’s historic centre where Spanish conquistadors tore down ancient Aztec temples to build their own capital.

Lunch included such pre-conquest delicacies as Qusano de Maquey, or thick brown cactus worms, and Escamoles, or ant eggs, which Zedillo washed down with a bottle of beer.

Zedillo, whose usually wooden image has softened since his PRI party suffered its worst election setback a week ago, then took an impromptu stroll through downtown Mexico City. “He’s never done this before,” a disconcerted aide said.

“The lunch was a product of my taste for good Mexican cuisine, nothing more,” Zedillo said.