Public servants in the gritty central Chinese city of Zhengzhou should not sport "unnatural hair styles" or wear clothes that are too colourful, according to new city regulations.
From now on, Zhengzhou city officials should make sure their clothing matches and stay away from bright colour schemes, the regulations specify. Neatness and order are the order of the day.
"Don't just dress any which way," the regulations order.
Zhengzhou, the capital of land-locked Henan province, is better known for its agricultural futures exchange and railway station than for its sense of style.
But no specific breach triggered the latest set of rules, which are "designed to improve the image of our public servants," an official at Zhengzhou's central government office said yesterday. (Reuters)
34,000 apply for 'the best job in the world'
Tens of thousands of people from more than 200 countries have applied for "the best job in the world" - being paid to loll about on an Australian island according to officials.
A late rush of more than 7,500 applications over the weekend brought the number of people hoping to become "caretaker" of tropical Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef to 34,684, the Queensland state government said.
The deadline for applications was midnight GMT Sunday.
The most interest came from the US with 11,565 applicants, followed by Canada with 2,791, Britain with 2,262 and Australia with 2,064, the government said in a statement.
Among the latest applicants were famed US crooner and movie star Dean Martin's son Ricci and a Barack Obama impersonator looking for a change of job. (AFP)
First online elephant birth
Thousands of elephant fans have registered on an on-line site promising live footage of the first birth of an elephant in Belgium.
Surfers logging on to www.baby-olifant.be can already watch the baby's kicks inside the belly of its mother, Phyo Phyo, an Asian elephant at the Antwerp zoo.
Zoo caretakers are also offering daily updates on Phyo Phyo's pregnancy to the site's 18,000 subscribers - who will receive an SMS message 48 hours ahead of the expected delivery.
Those interested in elephant trivia can also learn about the animal's legendary memory, the weight of a newborn (between 80 to 120 kilos) or the time it takes for an elephant to learn how to use its trunk (six months).
Antwerp's mayor has promised to inscribe the calf's name on the city's official birth registrar. (AFP)
Sandwich-board ad gets man a job
Amid the highest level of unemployment in Britain in a decade, a 39-year-old man has been offered a job after standing by a major highway advertising his services as an engineer on a sandwich board.
Jason Fruen spent several hours on two days last week on the side of the M60 motorway near Manchester, northwest England, wearing a sign around his neck reading, "Mechanical maintenance engineer seeking employment" along with his phone number before being offered a job.
"I've still got a mortgage to pay, that's why I was out there doing it," the father-of-one told BBC Radio. "I've still got the cost of living and my bills to pay and I needed a job to do it."
Mr Fruen, who did not specify the company he would be working for, said he gave an interview to the firm before they offered him the position. (AFP)
Bus thief, 13, causes chaos
A 13-year-old Beijing boy commandeered a city bus when its driver stopped for a bathroom break, going on a wild joyride that left a trail of smashed cars and other damage, state media said on Monday.
The incident on Sunday morning began when a bus driver returned from the bathroom at a transport terminal in eastern Beijing to find his bus gone, Xinhua news agency said.
The vehicle had been driven off by the 13-year-old, who zigzagged through traffic, crashing into two cars on the road and about 10 parked vehicles, and knocked down two electricity poles, it said. No one was injured in the incident.
One of the parked cars was struck so hard that it was thrown through the front entrance of a local health clinic, shattering the building's glass door, Xinhua said.
Passers-by eventually kicked the bus door open and seized the boy. (AFP)
Diners threaten to grill tavern in bill dispute
Disgruntled diners at a taverna in Cyprus opened fire with a shotgun and doused the room in petrol, threatening to torch it after a dispute with the owner over the bill.
Three men had quarrelled over a €93 charge for drinks and food at the restaurant in Mesana village, in the west of the Mediterranean island, on Sunday night. They offered to pay €50 instead.
Two of them left, only to return with a can of petrol and a shotgun, police said.
Shots were fired at the restaurant owner but he was not hit. One man then emptied the petrol over the room and said the other patrons would be burnt alive. Police arrived in time to stop him.
Two men were being questioned yesterday and a third who fled was being sought, police said. (Reuters)