World Briefs

Shoppers in pyjamas and bare feet are no longer welcome at a supermarket in Wales where customer complaints have prompted the introduction of a strict dress code.

Signs announcing the no-PJs rule now grace the entrance to Tesco's outlet in St Mellons, a suburb of the Welsh capital Cardiff, that is open most nights until 10 p.m.

"To avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others, we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted)," they read. A spokesman for Tesco's said, "Jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome... We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns. We have listened to customer feedback that it makes them uncomfortable and embarrassed." (AFP)

Blown out of proportion

A motorist has spoken of his disbelief after he was fined by police for blowing his nose while at a standstill in traffic.

Father-of-two Michael Mancini, 39, from Prestwick, Ayrshire, said he put the handbrake on before wiping his nose but was asked to pull over by officers who were standing nearby.

He was told he was not in control of his vehicle and was handed a £60 fixed penalty and three points on his licence.

He refused to pay the fine and now faces a trial later this year. (PA)

Soldiers get odour-free socks

Israel's foot soldiers are getting new odour-free socks that can be worn for two weeks straight without smelling or stinking up the feet, the Maariv daily reported yesterday.

The socks, which will be distributed to all new infantry recruits beginning in March, also prevent athlete's foot - "a nuisance with which every soldier is very familiar," the paper said.

The fabric includes metal components to keep bad odours and fungal infections at bay, it said. (AFP)

'Fake Leonardo' sells well

An oil painting once erroneously believed to have been by Leonardo da Vinci sold for a much better than expected $1.5 million (€1.07 million) at auction Thursday.

"La Belle Ferronniere" - real painter unknown - went under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York for $1.538 million, far above pre-auction estimates of $300,000-500,000, although nowhere near the going price for a true da Vinci.

The painting was listed as by "a follower" of the Italian genius.

The oil painting, depicting a richly dressed woman looking out over her left side, was wrongly identified in 1929. In 1993 a da Vinci specialist ruled that the painting was executed in the mid-17th century - more than a century after da Vinci died. (AFP)

For sale: Lenin statue

A city in Russia's south is selling its bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, as it can no longer afford the cost of repairs.

The 14-tonne, balding figure has stood upright with one arm outstretched in the main square of Voronezh, some 500 kilometres southwest of Moscow, for 60 years.

But the city-owned company responsible for its upkeep has gone bankrupt and is looking for a new owner who can afford present repairs.

During the time of the Soviet Union statues of Lenin of all sizes were omnipresent. Though most ex-Soviet countries have since removed them, most Russian cities still have at least one, usually in the main square. (Reuters)

Prescription for trouble

A pharmacist posted a fake online sex request for a customer after arguing with her.

Jonathan Medina was given two years' probation in Norwalk, Connecticut, after admitting putting up a message from "Kinky Brenda looking for a good time" following a dispute over the woman's prescription.

He said he was overwhelmed with customers at the time. The woman received 25 calls and one person tried to visit her home. (PA)

Twelve-year-old speedster

Cypriot police were amazed to discover that a motorist speeding at 110 kilometres an hour in a 50 kilometre zone was a school kid who had taken his mother's car for spin.

It took 48-hours for police to locate the lad after the vehicle failed to stop when signalled to do so - almost knocking down a female officer - on a central avenue in Larnaca at 1 a.m. on Sunday.In his effort to get away the boy nearly caused an accident by going the wrong way around a roundabout.

The culprit's 50-year-old mother was called to the police station where she admitted that her son often took her car without permission. She was charged for not ensuring her vehicle was safe and beyond the clutches of her wayward son, and faces a fine. (AFP)