A computer programme usually used to draw up e-fits of wanted criminals has been used to create the faces of the most beautiful man and woman in the world.
The pictures are the result of a two-month-long study led by Dr Chris Solomon, a world expert in facial mapping, that asked people to put together a composite of the perfect face using the EFIT-V PhotoFit software used by UK police.
The software takes into account factors including the thickness of lips, nose length and width, and hairline.
Row over king’s reburial sales
Church leaders have condemned online profiteers for attempting to sell orders of service for Richard III’s reburial for hundreds of pounds on eBay.
Dozens of copies of specially printed card booklets produced for the series of high-profile services at Leicester Cathedral, where the king was reinterred on March 26, have been appearing on the internet auction site.
Some are being bundled together and listed as souvenir packs, along with a copy of a local newspaper, for £300 plus £2.50 postage.
Alice emerges as new favourite
Punters have staked a significant amount on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge naming their second baby Alice – leaving one bookmaker facing a potential five-figure payout.
The odds on heavily pregnant Kate and William calling their baby Alice have tumbled with William Hill from 14-1 to 4-1 after the bets were made last week.
William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: “Alice is the new favourite and we have seen a significant number of bets, particularly from the Tunbridge area – you have to think there is good reason for the gamble.”
Pink chickens mystery solved
The mystery of Portland’s pink chickens has been solved after the birds’ owner said he used food colouring, beetroot juice and Kool-Aid to dye the pair before releasing them “to make people smile”.
Bruce Whitman tucked the chickens into a tree in a waterfront park, figuring he would collect them later that day. He said the prank succeeded beyond his wildest dreams as he “didn’t expect to get this many people to smile”.
Multnomah County Animal Services billed Whitman about 16 dollars (£10) per bird for their time in custody and cautioned him on the risks of releasing birds into public places.
Picasso painting is recovered
Italy’s art police have recovered a lost Picasso painting, Violin et Bouteille de Bass, that was given to a picture framer as a gift in 1978 and then forgotten.
The Carabinieri unveiled the painting and two antiquities that were recovered last year and were together valued at 30 million euro (£22 million). Police said an unknown elderly man gave the framer the Picasso as a thank you gesture. The framer forgot about it until recently.
The painting’s provenance is under investigation. Another recovered piece was a third-century marble sculpture of a man fighting a bull that was destined for the illicit antiquities market in Switzerland. Police intercepted the truck carrying the sculpture and then located the archaeological site in Tarquinia where it was dug up.
Horse hold-up for Alaska police
Police officers in Alaska’s biggest city became wranglers after rounding up a couple of miniature horses that escaped from their corral. A photo tweeted from the Anchorage police department showed three officers with the two horses they apprehended. The tweet read: “Some interesting runaways patrol came across this morning!”
The two little horses, one black and one tan, were found grazing in the median of a busy East Anchorage street. A police spokeswoman said officers were “able to take these horses into custody” and the pair were reunited with their owners.