World Briefs

Hoteliers in Venice, trying to lure tourists to the canal city despite floods caused by the highest sea levels in over two decades, are offering special "High Water" packages complete with free rubber boots.

The Venice Hoteliers Association website www.veneziasi.it is offering Venice and the High Water promotions at €190 for one night's stay plus "free use of rubber boots" and a map with "alternative pedestrian routes during the high water". There is also a reassuring message from hoteliers and Mayor Massimo Cacciari saying: "Don't worry, there is no danger; high water is a phenomenon that quickly disappears."

Heavy rains and high winds left the city almost completely flooded at the beginning of the month, with the landmark St Mark's Square thigh-deep in water and waterbus services suspended.

In the first days of December sea levels in the Adriatic rose by 1.56 metres, levels not seen since 1968 and the fourth-highest in a century.

Russia's Miss to mark Constitution

The winner of a new Russian beauty contest must be attractive, talented and witty. But never mind wanting to help children. She should also symbolise Russia's Constitution.

Russia's main pro-government youth group, Nashi, is to stage the "Miss Constitution 2008" contest as the Kremlin is pushing for changes to the Constitution that critics say aims to let Prime Minister Vladimir Putin become president again.

"This constitution is a state brand and today we want to choose a girl worthy of its image," a Nashi spokesman said.

Nashi will crown Miss Constitution tomorrow to celebrate the document's 15th anniversary.

What the bleep, governor?

An allegation that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich conspired to sell President-elect Barack Obama's seat in the US Senate to the highest bidder isn't the only shocker contained in the criminal complaint unveiled by the FBI on Tuesday.

Excerpts of tape-recorded conversations between the governor, his wife and various advisers showed Mr Blagojevich frequently using language that would have made Chicago's own Al Capone blush as he allegedly plotted to use public office for private gain.

The word "bleep" was used several times as details of the expletive-laced conversations were given during a news conference announcing corruption charges against Mr Blagojevich. The document cited by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald gave other details, using the word 'expletive', rather than 'bleep'.

Mr Blagojevich is meant to fill the Senate seat that Mr Obama vacated soon after his election win. Both men are Democrats, although Mr Obama had long kept his distance from the governor of his home state.

Weight loss easier against payment

Losing weight is easier when there is money on the line, US researchers have said. They said weight-loss programmes that reward people with money - and remind them of the cash they stand to lose if they fail - provide a powerful incentive to lose weight.

Dr Kevin Volpp of the University of Pennsylvania said many weight-loss programmes fail because people are being asked to make sacrifices now for rewards in the future.

Dr Volpp studied two kinds of incentive programmes for weight loss. One was a lottery-based design in which participants played a lottery and were allowed to collect their winnings if they met their weight-loss target.

The other was a deposit contract, in which participants invested a small amount of their own money - between 1 cent and $3 per day - which they would lose at the end of the month if they failed to reach their goals.

People in the incentive groups lost far more weight than those who got no pay for their efforts while people in the lottery programme earned a total of $378.49 and lost about 5.9 kilos. People in the deposit group got $272.80 and lost 6.35 kilos.

Diamond sells for record $24.3 million

Christie's yesterday sold an extremely rare, 17th-century fancy deep greyish-blue diamond for £16.39 million, a world record price for any diamond or piece of jewellery sold at auction. The pre-sale estimate was around £9 million.

The diamond, which originated from an Indian diamond mine, was part of the dowry of the Infanta Margarita Teresa (1651-1673) upon her engagement to Leopold I of Austria.

After the princess's death her husband kept the dowry and the diamond was passed on to his heirs. In 1722 the diamond entered the Wittelsbach family.