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China's foulest fortnight for air pollution in memory has rekindled a tongue-in-cheek campaign by a millionaire who is selling fresh air.
Chen Guangbiao, a high-profile philanthropist, handed out cans of air, purportedly from far-flung, pristine regions of China.
Firms to make switch
French shops and office buildings will have to turn off their lights to save energy and reduce light pollution.
From July 1, all non-residential buildings will have to switch off interior lights one hour after the last worker leaves the premises. All exterior and shop window lighting will have to be turned off by 1am from March.
Bum note for nudists
Nudists in tolerant San Francisco have lost a bid to block a city ban on nakedness in public places, when a judge threw out a legal challenge that argued public nudity was akin to political expression.
City leaders last month approved the ban on baring all in streets, public plazas and the transit system to curtail public nudity.
Slim chance of entry
At Downsize Fitness health clubs, the treadmills are wider, the head trainers are weight-loss veterans and new members must be at least 50lbs overweight.
The Dallas, Chicago and Las Vegas gyms are all about creating a more welcoming environment in which to battle the bulge.
Coffin goes to pot
A trough in which a couple grew plants for 30 years is a 2,000-year-old Roman marble coffin worth more than £100,000 (€116,000).
The one-tonne ornament was there when the couple bought their home in Northumberland. It has been identified as a rare sarcophagus from the first or second century AD.
Taking the biscuit
A gilded bronze sculpture of a biscuit, part of a statue on the facade of German baker Bahlsen's Hannover office, has been stolen.
Witnesses saw two men with a ladder in the area earlier this month. The company has offered a €1,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the century-old symbol.
Irish Independent
