For most people, the 1940s conjures up images of rations, wartime struggle and sombre outfits.

But the Imperial War Museum has revealed how fashion flourished in the Second World War in spite of strict rationing rules. A new exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war shows how men and women came up with bold new styles with minimum resources.

Fashion On The Ration: 1940s Street Style will display outfits, uniforms and textiles from 1940s Britain to look at the war’s impact on what people wore, their sense of identity and how they coped with the demands of shortages and austerity. (PA)

Queen strips Rolf Harris of honour

Queen Elizabeth has stripped veteran entertainer Rolf Harris of an honour she bestowed on him in 2006, basing the move on his conviction for child sex crimes last year, an official notice yesterday revealed.

Harris, a household name in his native Australia and adopted home Britain, was jailed for almost six years in July last year for repeatedly abusing young girls over decades when he was a much loved host on children’s television.

An announcement in the London Gazette, Britain’s official newspaper of record, said the royal award given to Harris, who had painted the Queen’s portrait in 2005, had now been rescinded. (Reuters)

Sit down and plug in furniture

Ikea has taken efficient furniture to new levels with the launch of a line that contains wireless charging technology to power smartphones.

The Swedish firm announced the new range of furniture, which includes tables, desks and lamps, at the Mobile World Congress technology show in Barcelona. Ikea will also be selling pads to add a charging point to any surface.

It is the fruit of a partnership with the Wireless Power Consortium, which makes the Qi standard of wireless charging, used by many smartphone manufacturers including LG and Google Nexus. (PA)

Ghana police scam investigated

Hundreds of Ghanaians reported to police stations around the country over the weekend thinking they were new police recruits, only to find out they were the victims of a scam.

Ghana’s police are investigating fake recruitment letters that were sent to people in different regions, inviting them to begin training on Saturday, said public affairs director-general David Ampah-Benin. The victims were swindled into paying fees that ranged from 2,000 cedis (£370) to 3,500 (£650), he said.

“We have mounted a search for those behind the recruitment scam that was so well organised that all the victims were given letters purported to have been written by the police administration,” he said. (PA)

What a dope! Pot man arrested

A man in Lincoln, Nebraska, has been cited for possessing pot inside a container that had been slapped with a label reading: “Not Weed.”

Lancaster County deputies stopped the man’s vehicle and officers found the plastic sour cream container during a search of his car, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The driver acknowledged that the pot belonged to him, it added.

He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and cited for having less than an ounce of marijuana. (PA)

Kentucky bad odour solved

Officials in Kentucky say they have identified the source of a bad odour that residents have been complaining about for a week.

A naturally-occurring chemical in the soil called geosmin is to blame for the musty, mildew-like smell that has led to dozens of complaints, Louisville’s metro air pollution control district said.

Spokesman Tom Nord said the chemical has a low odour threshold and has been “exacerbated by the wet, muddy conditions in the wake of the recent snowfall and rain”.

Mr Nord said the smell is not toxic and is not coming from industrial sites. He said the Louisville Water Company has dealt with geosmin previously. (PA)