Quirky World ... Austria hopping mad over Ban’s mix-up

UN HEAD MEANS AUSTRIA, THANKS AUSTRALIA

It was clearly a slip of the tongue, but many Austrians will not be amused because they hear it all too often: Expressing his gratitude for the hosting of a major conference in Vienna, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon offered his thanks to — Australia.

Ban recovered yesterday about 20 minutes into his news conference on the sidelines of the meeting focused on landlocked developing countries. Tipped off by aides, he apologised, noting he knows full well that there are “no kangaroos in Austria”.