A British church held an unusual ceremony yesterday when a vicar blessed the mobile phones of workers in the City of London financial district.
The special service at St Lawrence Jewry church, which dates back to 1136, was attended by people who held their phones and other gadgets in the air while vicar David Parrott blessed them.
The idea came from a historic tradition where workers would bring the tools of their trade such as ploughs to be blessed on the first Monday after people return to work following Christmas.
"We decided to have the service with a modern twist - I prayed for the people who support the technology, who use it," Rev. Parrott said.
"On this occasion, I specifically invited people to keep their mobile phones on, but put them on to silent," Rev. Parrott added. (AFP)
Wanted : Body for mummification
A terminally ill volunteer is being sought to donate the body to be mummified and possibly placed in a museum for a TV show.
Channel 4 has contributed a "nominal" sum in early development funding to production company Fulcrum TV to explore the possibilities behind the idea.
Documentary makers are working with a scientist who believes they have cracked the mysteries of ancient Egyptian embalming, which was believed to be a necessary process to continue the journey to the afterlife. Adverts have been placed and Fulcrum TV's executive producer Richard Belfield spoke to an undercover Independent journalist posing as a possible volunteer. (PA)
Bikini ban
The tourism industry in Goa is backing a ban on adverts with pictures of bikini-clad women in a bid to promote the state as a family holiday destination.
India's tourist state is fighting a media tag dubbing it a "destination for sex tourism" and local government has announced it will censor advertisements showing scantily-dressed women.
Around 2.4 million tourists visit Goa every year, of which about 400,000 are foreigners. Recently there has been a spate of complaints by international tourists of alleged rape and molestation. (PA)
Shock therapy
A 29-year-old woman was arrested accused of using a stun gun on a woman who tried to hug her.
Deborah Downing was charged with aggravated battery and petty theft.
The victim told Florida police she had differences with Ms Downing, but thought they had resolved them. (PA)
Oven-ready thief gets nabbed
A prolific burglar was caught after stealing an oven which had a GPS locator hidden in it.
Dusten Norris is accused of taking appliances from homes all over Moore, Oklahoma.
A builder who had already suffered several losses rigged the oven up in a house he was working on and the signal was traced to Mr Norris's home by police. (PA)
Film director Rohmer dies
Film-maker Eric Rohmer - known for movies tracing the intricacies of romantic relationships - has died at the age of 89.
He died in Paris yesterday, said Les Films du Losange, the company that produced his movies. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Mr Rohmer's best-known films included My Night At Maud's and Claire's Knee.
He had been working until recently, with his latest film, Les Amours D'Astree Et De Celadon (Romance Of Astree And Celadon) appearing in 2007.
Mr Rohmer made his cinema debut in the early 1950s, making dozens of films.
In 2001, he was awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his work. (PA)
Survives 25-metre mountain plunge
A British mountaineer survived a 25-metre plunge from a frozen cascade at the French skiing resort of Alpe d'Huez yesterday after snow cushioned his impact, rescuers said.
The Newcastle resident whose name was not given slipped and fell about 25 metres before "landing on fresh snow" breaking his ankle.
"The snow was about one metre deep and acted like a mattress, which absorbed the shock," a rescuer said. (AFP)