Comic Arnie

Los Angeles, July 15 (AFP): US movie icon and would-be politician Arnold Schwarzenegger looks poised to take on a new comic screen role even as he mulls whether to run for office as governor of California, reports said.

Daily Variety said yesterday the Terminator star, who is currently promoting his latest action blockbuster Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines in Europe, was in talks to star in a family comedy dubbed Big Sir.

The movie, to be produced by New Line Cinema, tells the story of a soon-to-be stepfather who is forced to travel cross-country with his future stepchildren while being pursued by unsavoury characters from his past.

The movie marks the second in which the bodybuilder, a former Mr Universe, has been lined up to star since frantic speculation erupted over whether he would challenge embattled California governor Gray Davis for his job.

Schwarzenegger’s political adviser, George Gorton, said last week the actor would not make any public decision over his political ambitions until July 20 at the earliest, the global release date of the Terminator film.

Vanishing act

Toronto (Reuters): Prince Edward Island, a popular holiday destination, has vanished off the Atlantic coast — or at least according to a new magazine designed to promote Canada’s hard hit tourism industry. The first edition of Pure Canada, designed by US-based Fodor’s Travel Guides, contains maps that also omit northwestern Ontario and the Yukon Territory, Canada’s vast chunk of land next to Alaska. “That was certainly an error that Fodor’s has made and we’ve asked them to make corrections and they’ve agreed to do that in all their material,” said Patrick Gedge, a spokesperson for Canada’s tourism commission. The spokesperson said Fodor’s was chosen because its guides offer the most detailed information. Corrected maps that include all of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories will be sent out in the autumn/winter issue, the government spokeswoman said.

Guns on gum

Dublin (AFP): Ireland is planning to bring in clean-up taxes on chewing gum, polystyrene fast food wrappers and bank cash machine receipts that have all become major environmental problems, the government announced on Tuesday. Announcing the plan, environment minister Martin Cullen told Irish state radio: “I feel we have to have a polluter-pays principle on this where the people who use chewing gum should pay a small tax. Hopefully it might change people’s habits as well.”