A trade association for wedding photographers in China is calling for a ban on naked portraits of newlyweds, a new trend among the country’s young couples.
The Shanghai Wedding Trade Association said the practice disrespects the institution of marriage and warned it would press the government to ban any studio that takes such photos, the Shanghai Daily reported yesterday.
“We don’t advocate such wedding photographs as they are out of keeping with the conservative traditions of Chinese people,” the association’s vice president He Lina was quoted as saying.
“Weddings should be holy ceremonies, so we hope young people can show respect.”
Unlike in the West, Chinese wedding photos are normally taken months before the ceremony and show couples posing in Western and Chinese outfits. (AFP)
Gift to Obama goes pear-shaped
A warm-hearted South Korean sparked a security scare at this week’s G20 summit in Seoul by trying to send a gift of pears to US President Barack Obama, Yonhap news agency reported yesterday.
Staff at a post office in southern Seoul on Tuesday received a parcel addressed to Mr Obama’s youngest daughter, Sasha, and intended for delivery to the summit venue.
Employees on alert for suspect packages during the event investigated the contents. X-rays showed round objects resembling fruit, but wary staff still called in a SWAT team and a sniffer dog.
The gift of Asian pears was returned to its elderly sender in the southern port city of Busan the same day, Yonhap said. He previously sent fruit to then-South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun. (AFP)
Wartime bomb
A German Second World War bomb has been made safe and removed from a city centre, police said.
Hundreds of people were evacuated when the device was discovered by builders in Plymouth city centre.
Police imposed a 300-metre exclusion zone around Notte Street, which saw hotels, restaurants, shops and homes evacuated. Around 190 people sheltered at a rest centre at the Pavilions leisure centre until it was safe to return home, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
The bomb was safely detonated in a controlled explosion. (PA)
David and Goliath
A 68-kilo mountain lion was no match for a squirrel-chasing terrier.
Jack the Jack Russell weighs only eight kilos and yet he managed to trap the cougar up a tree on a farm in the north-central state of South Dakota.
Jack’s owner, Chad Strenge, said the dog “trees cats all the time,” and that the plucky terrier probably “figured it was just a cat”. (PA)
Foolish burglar
Police said it did not take them long to locate an Idaho man suspected of robbery of a Cedars Inn – he was next door at The Alibi bar.
Lewiston police said 40-year-old Donald Mosley Jun was arrested less than 15 minutes after he walked into the hotel in Lewiston, Idaho, and demanded cash from the desk clerk.
Mr Mosley faces robbery charges. (PA)
Shanghai mulling one-dog policy
Shanghai officials hope to curb the growing popularity of man’s best friend in the city with a one-dog policy.
A new draft dog law would limit each household to just one canine, citing Shanghai’s population of 20 million people and limited living space, the official China Daily has reported.
Under the policy, dog owners also must give their pets’ puppies to eligible no-dog households or to government-approved adoption agencies before the pups reach three months, the newspaper said.
Dog ownership has grown alongside China’s fast-expanding middle class with official estimates putting Shanghai’s pet dog population at 800,000 – although only a quarter of that number are registered, the report said.
The draft law also called for the annual licence fee to be cut to 300 yuan ($45) from the current range of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan. Critics have said high fees discourage people from registering and vaccinating dogs. (AFP)
Beware, jet skis
Drivers in upstate New York at this time of year have to be alert for deer. But one driver would have done well to keep an eye out for jet skis.
Betty Marriott, 60, of Brant Lake, was driving north on Interstate 87 when her car smashed into an object in the road in Warrensburg, 60 miles north of Albany.
Police said the object turned out to be a 1994 Kawasaki jet ski that had been abandoned on the side of the road. The driver was not hurt, but her BMW was badly damaged and the jet ski was destroyed. (PA)
Late night soul-searching
People in Pittsburgh who need to do some late night soul-searching might like to know one church is introducing a 2.30 a.m. service.
Churches used to offer middle-of-the-night services for employees who worked difficult hours and the Rev. Carmen D’Amico is adding a weekly Mass on Sundays, timed for when the bars close. He is hoping to attract people who are out late on Saturday nights.
The early Mass has not been held since 1991. It was dubbed the Printer’s Mass, because it was popular with newspaper employees. Some had just finished shifts, while others would attend Mass and then set off to deliver newspapers. (PA)