POLYNESIA S BILLION DOLLAR CLAIM
3 December 2014 Last updated at 09:42 ET
Prostitutes hike prices over rouble
14:37 UK time, Wednesday, 03 December 2014
Prostitutes in the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk have unexpectedly hiked prices for their services by up to 40%, blaming the tumbling rouble exchange rate for their decision, it seems.
They also want to peg the cost of services to the dollar in the longer term if the situation doesn't improve, sources at one brothel tell the local FlashNord news agency. Two hours with a prostitute in Murmansk cost 3,000-7,000 roubles ($57-132; £36-84) before the price rise, the agency says. The management of another brothel says it's "trying to keep prices down, but the cost of living is rising and the girls can't work at a loss". The rouble has lost more than 40% of its value against the dollar and 60% against the euro since the start of the year, as a result of Western sanctions over Russia's involvement in the eastern Ukraine insurgency and a fall in oil prices.
Russian social media commentators are having a field day over the news, with some getting in digs at the authorities. "Putin - learn about the economy from the Murmansk prostitutes", tweets Andrei Negotov. Others, including Alexander Sitnikov on the NTV website, think the prostitutes should show some patriotism and "raise their rates for foreigners, in reply to sanctions".
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Dumped cars blight Saudi city
12:34 UK time, Wednesday, 03 December 2014
No spaces: People in Jeddah are fed up of abandoned vehicles
Hundreds of abandoned cars are causing problems for residents in one Saudi city, it's been reported.
Dirty, rusting vehicles are littering the streets of Jeddah, on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, the Arab News website reports. The problem has left locals struggling to find parking spaces in residential areas, and some are worried it's "disfiguring the beauty of the tourist city", the website says. While abandoned cars are apparently given tickets to warn owners that they'll be fined, this seems to have had little effect. Local resident Muhammad Al-Hamadani says: "It is very difficult to find an empty parking space in any neighbourhood, or around public facilities such as gardens, because of the abandoned vehicles taking up precious space." Parking aside, the cars also provide homes to unwelcome rodents and insects, the website says.
Jeddah reportedly has the highest number of abandoned cars in the country. Some locals blame the authorities for failing to deal with the problem, but a spokesman for the local government tells Arab News that car owners don't report discarded vehicles. In 2013, around 900 vehicles were removed from Jeddah's streets in three months. At the time a city spokesman told Arab News that some cars had been involved in crime, but most "are old and have problems that would cost huge amounts to fix", causing them to be dumped.
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Panda diplomacy heading for Israel
10:55 UK time, Wednesday, 03 December 2014
From China, with love: A gift that few people would want to return
Panda diplomacy will soon be arriving in the Middle East, after China agreed to gift two of its much-loved bears to Israel, it's been reported.
A zoo in the northern city of Haifa will become home to the new arrivals,according to the Israel Hayom website. Haifa recently signed a twinning agreement with the Chinese city of Chengdu, home to a famous panda breeding centre. Aside from being cute and cuddly, the city's mayor thinks pandas are also a potent anti-racism symbol. "It is black, white, Asian and still beloved and adored by the entire world," he tells the website. While Israel Hayom is excited about the "extraordinary gesture", the Haaretz newspaper sounds a note of caution, saying the deal won't be officially sealed until Chinese officials are happy that conditions are perfect for the precious bears. Zoo staff must now visit Chengdu to learn about panda care, and they'll also have to build a special panda compound that meets with Chinese officials' approval.
China has given bears to other countries for hundreds of years in order to strengthen diplomatic ties, but the pandas are only on loan. Typically they are given away for 10 years, although any cubs born while abroad can be called home sooner, as happened to American-born Tai Shanin 2009. But if everything falls into place at Haifa's zoo, "Israelis risk the danger of melting into helpless puddles of love," Haaretz says. "We're game. Beijing, bring it on."
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Russian sex education 'ruled out'
16:15 UK time, Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Russian schoolchildren will never receive sex education classes, if the presidential children's rights commissioner has his way.
Russian students currently don't receive any sex education in schools, and Pavel Astakhov says introducing such classes would go against the country's morals and traditions. "I am often asked: when will you have sex education? I say never," he said during a meeting with parents,according to the Interfax news agency. Mr Astakhov said his counterparts in Europe see him as an "ideological enemy" for his views on the subject, but that he intends to continue co-operating with them at international meetings.
Since taking up the role in 2009, he has repeatedly made headlines for his staunch stance against introducing sex education into Russian classrooms. In 2013, he suggested that international agreements on protecting children from sexual exploitation could lead to the "destruction" of Russian children, because they require young people to be educated about abuse. The commissioner's preferred method of sex education involves reading fiction. "The best sex education there is, in fact, is Russian literature and literature in general," he told the Rossiya 24 news channel last year. "Children should read more. Everything is there, all about love and about relationships between sexes," he said.
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Schoolgirl applies to lead council
12:29 UK time, Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Ten-year-old Mili Kasurinen wants Kemijarvi town hall to be her new office
A 10-year-old girl has applied to become a town council leader in Finland, it's reported.
Primary school student Mili Kasurinen wants to head the council in Kemijarvi, the country's northernmost town, the Yle news website reports. She's up against 18 adults for the job, but tells Yle her application is as serious as all the others. "I made it clear that this is not some sort of joke to be laughed at," she says. "I asked them to read my application through to the end." Her ideas to revitalise the finances of the town include creating an online teaching system to educate children from home, which could be sold to other municipalities. Asked how a 10-year-old could balance work with education, Mili says she would go to school for half the day, then "run down to the town hall and start working hard there too". And as a part-time worker, she says she'd also accept half the advertised salary.
Her ambition has been greeted warmly by many commenting on the story in Finland. "I am raising my hat to you. This is exactly the future for Finland," says user Matti57 on the Kaleva newspaper website. "If we had young people, really young, in every county's decision-making bodies, the world may look like a different place." Another says: "Excellent, Mili. I would vote for you if I could." But Mili herself isn't keen on filling the council with people of her own age. "If everyone was aged 10 to 15, the whole thing would go a bit loopy," she says.
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Poland's first gay mayor shuns limo
11:17 UK time, Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Mr Biedron is already Poland's first openly gay MP
A newly-elected Polish mayor says he'll reject the three limousines at his disposal and travel to official engagements by bicycle, it's been reported.
Robert Biedron, who is already a member of Poland's parliament, is said to be the country's first openly gay mayor and MP, Polskie Radio's English-language news website reports. He won the mayoral election in the northern city of Slupsk in the second round of voting, despite initial opinion polls giving him little chance of victory. The city's debts mean he will "lead a very modest local government, as this town is modest", Mr Biedron tells Polish news agency PAP. "The three limousines which are available to the mayor will no longer be mine, as I go everywhere by bicycle," he says.
Mr Biedron, who is a noted gay rights campaigner and member of the liberal Your Movement party, told the Associated Press that his election shows just how much Poland has changed in the last 10 years. Historically a deeply conservative country dominated by the Catholic Church, a number of candidates in the recent elections revealed their sexuality in what's been dubbed "the Biedron effect" by local media. Mr Biedron had previously courted controversy in 2007, when his Campaign Against Homophobia posted billboards deliberately using terms of abuse for gay and lesbian people in Poland.
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Indian funds 'fatherless weddings'
15:55 UK time, Monday, 01 December 2014
The couples and their guests gathered under decorated gazebos at the mass wedding
An Indian diamond trader has paid for more than 100 fatherless women to get married, it's reported.
Businessman Mahesh Savani hosted a mass wedding for 111 couples near the city of Surat, in the western state of Gujarat, the NDTV website reports. All of the women came from "humble" backgrounds and had lost their fathers, so wouldn't have been able to finance the nuptials themselves, the website says. On top of paying for the ceremony, Mr Savani, who describes himself as a "foster father" to the women, also shelled out on gifts worth up to 450,000 rupees ($7300; £4600) for each of them. "We gave them gold and silver ornaments, utensils, electronics items, clothes and all the expenses related to marriage," he says. He's also committed to paying for "post-marriage expenses", including maternity costs. Mass marriages are common in India as a way of cutting down on costs for poorer couples.
Mr Savani says he began funding weddings several years ago, after an employee died 12 days before he was due to marry off his two daughters. "I do not ask for any donations for the mass marriage. This is my endeavour, as there is nothing more pious than giving away a daughter in marriage," he was quoted as saying in The Times of India. One of the brides told the paper: "He is like a father not only to me but my brothers and sisters as well. I thank God for sending a person like him into my life."
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Russian police take 'mum selfies'
12:33 UK time, Monday, 01 December 2014
Warm and fuzzy: Russian police officers have been saying thank you to their mothers
Russia's police officers have been taking selfies with their mums, in an apparent bid to increase public trust.
The initiative was announced by the Interior Ministry as part of celebrations for Mother's Day, which is observed in Russia on 30 November. More than 2,000 photos were submitted by officers across the country, the ministry says, and many have been published in an online gallery. "These are very gentle and warm selfies in which officers record themselves with the people dearest to them - their mothers," the ministry says on its website. Police officers have to show "total commitment" to their jobs, and need the support of their nearest and dearest, it says. "Maternal support is very important, especially for young officers who are just embarking on the profession."
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny tweeted an image of what appeared to be a letter instructing police officers to take part. It says seeing police with their mothers will "increase public confidence" and help the "formation of a positive image of the police". Officers were told to wear their uniforms in the photos, and were also asked to include a greeting for their mothers. "Mum - you gave me so much... my life and my wide road in life. The sky and the grass, the fields and the towns," one officer says. "Be proud of us and do not worry about us." Another simply writes: "Thank you for good upbringing. And for the tonnes of porridge every morning!"
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Agency mistakes waxwork for prince
10:28 UK time, Monday, 01 December 2014
Not the real deal: Prince William's wax statue had one news agency fooled
A major Japanese news agency has admitted that a photo it published of Prince William was actually of a waxwork statue.
Jiji Press had intended to publish an image of the smiling Duke of Cambridge alongside a story about his planned visit to Japan in February. But instead, a photo of his wax counterpart from the Madame Tussauds attraction in New York was sent out, The Asahi Shimbun reports. The error wasn't picked up until the following day, when a different member of staff noticed the photo was not as lifelike as perhaps first thought.
"The photo was not that of the real McCoy but rather that of a wax figure," Jiji Press said in a correction. It said the mistake happened when an employee did not carefully read the English caption underneath the photo, which indicted that the image was actually of a lifeless wax replica. The agency has since apologised to its readers. "It's a very embarrassing mistake," Naoto Takamura, from Jiji's editorial department, was quoted as saying in The Japan Times. The photo in question was taken in October, when the New York attraction unveiled wax figures of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.
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Lanzarote plans underwater museum
13:47 UK time, Friday, 28 November 2014
Taylor has already installed his sculptures off Grenada and Mexico
The Canary Islands plan to host Europe's first underwater museum, but it's a scheme that has run into local opposition, it's been reported.
British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, who has designed similar installations in Grenada and Mexico, has signed a contract with the government of the island of Lanzarote to arrange his ensembles on the seabed off Las Coloradas Beach, near the popular resort of Playa Blanca. He chose this site because the "amazing seascapes" will provide a "gateway to the Atlantic and encourage people to love the planet more through an understanding of marine life", reports the local Voz de Lanzarote newspaper.
The cement artworks, some modelled on local people, are designed to attract plant life and colonies of sea creatures. The Museo Atlantico Lanzarote will take two years to complete, wholly funded by the local government to the tune of at least 700,000 euros ($875,000; £500,000), with 2% of revenues earmarked for ecological research.
But not everyone is happy, the paper reports. Opposition parties of left and right complain that the public coastline authority has not been consulted, and some islanders question whether the money couldn't be better spent on healthcare.
Statues await installation in Taylor's Lanzarote studio
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Extinct giant penguin found in shed
11:03 UK time, Friday, 28 November 2014
The new species would have been taller than today's Emperor penguins (right)
A giant penguin that would have towered above today's largest species has been discovered in a New Zealand university's storage shed, it's been reported.
The fossilised bones of the as-yet unnamed bird had remained in storage at Auckland University since 1971, until the advent of 3D printing helped experts confirm that it was "almost certainly" a new type of giant penguin,Radio New Zealand International reports. The new technology meant that Dr Daniel Thomas was able to scan the bones to an American palaeontologist, and they were able to determine the bird would have stood at least 30cm taller than an emperor penguin, and taller than the extinct Kairuku penguin, whose remains were identified in 2012. "I imagine an emperor would have run away scared," Dr Thomas said, pointing out that he was still unsure if the 4ft 3in (1.3m) specimen was a juvenile or an adult.
The New Zealand Herald said that the new species was the first of its kind to be found on North Island, and the specimen dates back 28 million years to a time when New Zealand was largely underwater. The storage shed at the university may still yield other discoveries, Dr Thomas said. "It turned out there was a raft of other specimens as well - it was a treasure trove of some really incredible stuff," he told the paper.
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Azeris angry over Euro Games mascots
09:23 UK time, Friday, 28 November 2014
Jeyran is a symbol of natural grace, Nar has a pomegranate for his head
Sports fans in Azerbaijan are dismayed at the official mascots for the 2015 European Games in Azerbaijan, it seems.
The choice of a gazelle and a boy with a pomegranate for his head have been dismissed as "disgusting", "shameful" and "a disgrace" by people commenting online. However, organisers say the gazelle, Jeyran, is a symbol of "natural beauty, grace and purity", while her pomegranate friend Nar is "sun loving and playful", and apparently grew up outside the city of Goychay. Some commenters pointed out that the pomegranate is actually a symbol of Nar Mobile, one of the event's commercial partners.
It's been suggested that the organisers would have been better off taking inspiration from Azerbaijan's rich history, and some Azeris lamented the fact the mascots aren't wearing the colours of the country's flag: blue, red and green. But several voice concerns that there was no open artistic competition to design the mascots - as often happens in other international sporting competitions - and that the organising committee is headed by Azerbaijan's first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva. She also led the organizing committee for the Eurovision Song Contest held in Baku in May 2012.
"The pomegranate looks like a bighead, the gazelle looks like a fox," one comment said on Radio Free Europe's Azeri Service Facebook page. "We neither need this Olympics nor its poorly drawn symbols," said another on the same thread. "To be honest, it simply shames me that such unfortunate illustrations have become the symbols of our Olympics," says a user on the 1news.az Facebook page. "Azerbaijan is a rapidly developing state with one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Will foreigners associate Baku with this bulb?"
The 2015 European Games, to be held in Baku between 12-28 June, will be the first edition of a multi-sport event involving the National Olympic Committees of 49 nations, including Great Britain. Azerbaijan plans to spend $1.2bn (£762m) on the Games, and about 6,000 are expected to compete.
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TV aims to 'bust cannabis myths'
15:31 UK time, Thursday, 27 November 2014
A new TV channel has gone on air in Chile with the aim of winning support for the legalisation of cannabis.
Cultiva TV will broadcast once a week, and wants to persuade viewers about the alleged "medicinal, cultural and spiritual" benefits of marijuana. It's being run by a plant feed and cannabis equipment company called Pos240, the Santiago Times reports. Its first episode saw the Cultiva team visit Amsterdam and Barcelona to investigate European approaches to regulation. They also interviewed a Chilean sufferer of muscular spasms, who says medical marijuana treatment alleviates her symptoms to the extent that she now competes in indoor climbing championships - without any of the side effects of conventional treatment. Cannabis remains a Class A drug under Chilean law, although there is some leeway for individual consumption and the sale of seeds. Cultiva TV's programme opens with a statement saying it doesn't advocate illegal activities.
Chile has among the highest figures for marijuana consumption in Latin America, at 4.2% of the population, according to the country's narcotics agency. "There's a revolution brewing," says Cristian Ansaldo, the director of Pos240. "It's more than probable that from here in Latin America a global change towards home-growing will lead to a noticeable reduction in cannabis smuggling."
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Lawmakers seek peaceful smoking spot
12:46 UK time, Thursday, 27 November 2014
Protesters continue to occupy roads around Hong Kong's Legislative Council
Popping out for a cigarette break is a necessity for many office workers, including members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council.
But recent pro-democracy protests in the city have left some politicians with a dilemma: where to smoke in peace? Lawmakers who are considered "pro-establishment" have been forced to abandon their regular smoking spot, just outside the entrance of the Legislative Council building, after Occupy Central demonstrators set up camp there and hurled insults at them, the South China Morning Post reports.Thousands of people have been occupying the streets of central Hong Kong since September, in protest at restrictions on who can stand for election as the region's leader in 2017.
Now the council's smokers have found a new spot, which the paper describes as "a quiet corner outside the car park". "When I smoke there, I won't be insulted," says Wong Ting-kwong, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Smokers from the pro-democracy factions have been able to stay put and light up free from insults, he points out. But not everyone is a fan of the new car park hangout. Mr Wong says one colleague prefers to walk a little further to the more scenic setting of Fenwick Pier.
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Israeli Arab 'second class' protest
09:44 UK time, Thursday, 27 November 2014
Sana Jammalieh has been flooded with requests from people who want their profile pictures stamped
Hundreds of Israeli Arabs have stamped their Facebook profile pictures with a "second class citizen" passport stamp, to protest at the country's proposed Jewish nation-state law, it's reported.
The protest was started by graphic designer Sana Jammalieh, who works in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Haaretz reports. She changed her own photo in opposition to a bill which would officially grant national rights only to Jews in Israel. The bill is strongly supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who emphasises that it would still grant individual rights to non-Jews. Arabs comprise about 20% of Israel's population and have long complained of social, legal and institutional discrimination. Ms Jammalieh, who defines herself as a Palestinian citizen of Israel, has been inundated with requests from other people to have the stamp, designed with her business partner Haitham Charles, added to their own Facebook pictures. But she doesn't think the protest will necessarily have much effect. "What's new here? We were never first-class citizens. At least now you have said it out loud," she tells Haaretz. "I prefer that they tell us directly and not pretend we live in a democratic country," she says.
Student Hanin Majadli, who also changed her profile picture, describes the bill as "contemptuous" and tells The Times of Israel that a Facebook campaign could garner media attention, which might influence politicians. "It's a brilliant campagn. It's dramatic, it's in your face, it's provocative in a good sense," she says. "It's better than just having members of Knesset talk on the podium all day."
Student Hanin Majadli also changed a photo of her pet dog
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Beijing shop 'bans Chinese people'
16:05 UK time, Wednesday, 26 November 2014
A clothes shop in Beijing has caused an outcry after putting up a sign banning Chinese customers, it's been reported.
The store is embroiled in a racism row after posting a sign which reads: "Chinese not admitted, except for staff", the official Beijing Youth Daily reports. By way of explanation, one of the shop's employees tells the paper some Chinese customers are "too annoying" and that "Chinese women often try lots of clothes but end up buying nothing." The shop was also forced to pay a foreign customer $5,000 (£3,170) after his wallet was stolen, and surveillance camera footage showed a Chinese customer was responsible, the employee says. But another member of staff suggests the ban is actually to prevent rivals from copying the shop's clothing designs.
The sign has caused uproar on Chinese social media sites, with one Weibo user asking: "Is this still China?" The disbelief was shared by others on the site. "Bullying on my own doorstep," says one person, who wonders why the owners would open a shop in China if they don't want Chinese customers. "This type of shop should be closed down," declares another Weibo user. But a legal expert tells the Beijing Youth Daily that while the sign is discriminatory, the shop's owner hasn't broken the law because China doesn't have a legal ban on racial discrimination.
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Three years to study Kim Jong-un
13:00 UK time, Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Students in North Korea will have to complete a three-year course on the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, as part of their secondary school studies, it's been reported.
The new course was introduced to the curriculum this year, according to South Korea's state-owned KBS World Radio website. The radio station says it has obtained a copy of the North Korean Education Committee's "compulsory education outline", which establishes "the history of Kim Jong-un as an official school subject". Schoolchildren will have to complete 81 hours of study over three years, the report says. There aren't yet any textbooks that could help them understand the leader's life, so classes are instead taught using materials from the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. "The classes are also said to be teaching Kim's quotes, theses and orders he gave to the ruling party and military," the website says.
While there has been relatively little trace of a personality cult surrounding Kim Jong-un since he took power in December 2011, some observers say the new classes could signal the start of one. Children in the North's schools are already required to take courses on several key political personalities, including 160 hours of study on the country's founder, Kim Il-sung.
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Passengers 'push frozen plane'
11:32 UK time, Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Homeward bound: Frozen brake pads were no match for these passengers
Passengers due to take a flight in Siberia had to get out and push the aircraft after its brake pads froze solid, it's reported.
The plane was trying to take off from the Russian town of Igarka, but was unable to move after the temperature fell to -52C, the RIA Novosti news agency reports. Passengers on board the flight, many of them shift workers, apparently offered to lend a hand, fearing that otherwise their journey home would be delayed, The Siberian Times reports. The Katekavia airline flight later took off and landed safely in the city of Krasnoyarsk. "According to the initial account, the air temperature dropped to -52C, and the braking system in the plane's landing gear froze in the parking position," Oxana Gorbunova, a senior aide at the Western Siberia state transport prosecutor's office, tells RIA Novosti. "The pushback tractor was unable to budge the aircraft onto the taxiway, and the passengers decided to help give it a push, which is not permitted, as this can damage the aircraft skin." Prosecutors are now checking whether the airport, the airline, the crew or the passengers broke any air safety laws.
Igarka lies 100 miles (160km) north of the Arctic Circle, so chilly winter temperatures are not unusual. But -52C is significantly colder than normal; the average low temperature is closer to -30C. Igarka's airport is a regional airline hub used by 100,000 passengers a year, many of them working in Russia's Arctic oil and gas fields.
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Mexican amnesty for toy weapons
15:14 UK time, Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Toy weapons are being traded in for educational games
Children in a violence-scarred province of Mexico are turning in toy weapons for more non-violent types of toys, it's reported.
A few thousand children exchanged toy swords, rifles and even real knives for football and basketball equipment, in a government campaign,The News website reports. A local official in the state of Nuevo Leon, Patricia Salazar Marroquin, says it will help promote a culture of peace and teach kids about the negative symbolism of violent toys. "These actions remove the incentive for the use of violent games and promote family time," Salazar Marroquin says. Yo-yos, jacks, spinning tops and Lego are being given out to promote learning.
One of Mexico's wealthiest cities, Monterrey has been plagued in recent years by drug-related violence. Shootouts, robberies and extortion hit a spike after a local leader of the notorious Zetas organized crime group was detained in 2010. In Mexico City two years ago, real guns were swapped for children's toys and cash in another scheme to try to curb violence.
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Tourists flock to 'see democracy'
12:49 UK time, Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Taiwan's communist neighbours are being invited to join the party at election time
Chinese tourists are flocking to Taiwan to see democracy in action, it's been reported.
Taiwan's local elections for city mayors and other municipal posts are apparently raucous affairs with plenty of shows, food and giveaways, and the 29 November polls have become a tourist attraction for people from mainland China who want to "enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere", Hong Kong daily Ming Pao reports.
There's even a "visitor's guide" to the elections circulating online, with do's and don'ts for those wishing to get a feel for Taiwan's unique electoral culture, Huanqiu Shibao newspaper adds. "If you want to meet a particular political star, go to his or her electoral headquarters. They will give you a detailed itinerary of the candidates' campaign," the guide published by sino.com news portal says. But it also cautions visitors not to help the candidates campaign, warning that they could face deportation if they get too involved. Even wearing green or blue, the colours of the two main political parties, could have unintended consequences.
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou says the tourists are drawn to Taiwan "because there are no such lively elections in the mainland", according to Hong Kong's Apple Daily. In communist China, local posts are generally elected by the People's Congress. Since the 1980s there have been some experiments with direct democracy in villages and townships, but state media regularly highlight incidents of vote buying and bribery in grassroots elections, giving the impression that democracy is a flawed concept.
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Anger at 'no single women' signs
08:32 UK time, Tuesday, 25 November 2014
A human rights group says signs banning single women are widespread
Restaurants in Saudi Arabia have been asked to remove signs which forbid entry to single women, it appears.
The request comes from the kingdom's National Society For Human Rights, which says the signs on the doors of eateries are "illegal", the Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reports. A restaurant owner says he put up the signs because of "numerous incidents" of flirting. "We'll only remove these signs when we make sure such incidents never happen again on our premises," he told the paper.
NSHR spokesman Khalid Al-Fakhri tells the Saudi Gazette that restaurants have no legal right to exclude single women from their premises, or insist that they are in the company of a guardian. "These signs are against the law and reflect the personal opinions of the restaurant owners," he says, urging establishments to devise alternative arrangements if they think that customers are behaving inappropriately. The paper quotes one woman as saying, "If they're going to ban us from entering restaurants, where are we supposed to go?" - pointing out that restaurants are some of the few establishments where Saudi women can go unaccompanied.
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Residents riled by smelly nuts
14:11 UK time, Monday, 24 November 2014
The pulp surrounding gingko nuts is infamous for its foul stench
The annual spectacle of Japanese gingko trees in autumn is being soured by the foul smell of fallen nuts, it's been reported.
Some residents in Japanese cities are complaining about the stench of the fallen fruit, leading to local governments trying to find ways of solving the issue, the Mainichi Daily News Reports. When fresh, gingko nuts are considered a valuable part of Japan's food culture, but the butyric acid in the pulp surrounding the nut results in a smell that's said to resemble rancid butter, vomit or an extremely pungent cheese. It's made worse by the vast avenues of gingko trees planted in Japanese cities known for their spectacular yellow canopy in autumn. Some 570,000 trees have been planted around the country, Mainichi says.
While only female gingko biloba trees produce nuts, it's difficult to distinguish between male and female saplings. That means of the 1,000 or so in one of Japan's best-known gingko sites in Osaka, a quarter are females, meaning employees work night shifts shaking the nuts out of the trees to pass to local residents, Mainichi Daily News says. In Kawasaki, government employees gave out nuts for free at a municipal event. However, the smell remains an issue, with one official saying that the stench is something people just have to learn to live with: "We've always just accepted it as something that we can't do anything about."
Gingko trees are famed for their spectacular autumnal display, but at a cost
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UAE ban on laundry, wild animals
10:33 UK time, Monday, 24 November 2014
Drying laundry is deemed a "misuse" of residents' balconies
Residents in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have been told they can't put out their laundry on balconies nor own "dangerous predator animals", it's been reported.
There's been a two-week campaign in the emirate's largest city, handing out fines of 500 dirhams ($136; £87) for people who "misuse" their balconies for storage purposes, hanging satellite dishes or putting out laundry, the Gulf News reports. Officials say the campaign is not about revenue-raising, but is solely aimed at "maintaining the beauty of the city". Some residents disagree, saying that hanging out their laundry in the sun reduces the carbon footprint of owning a dryer.
Exotic pet owners in the emirate have also received bad news, after Sharjah's ruler Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi issued an order prohibiting possession of "dangerous predators", state news agency WAM reports. According to the Sheikh's ruling, dangerous animals are banned in homes and farms, "whatever the purpose of the acquisition is", with the threat of a 100,000 dirham fine ($27,000; £17,000) hanging over offenders. A 2013 report in The National newspaper said that cheetahs, lions and tigers are readily available to buy in the UAE, and can fetch sums of up to 50,000 dirhams.
Cheetahs are said to be readily available as exotic pets in the UAE
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Polynesia's billion dollar claim
09:26 UK time, Monday, 24 November 2014
France carried out scores of nuclear tests in the Pacific region
An overseas territory governed by France is to ask Paris for nearly $1bn in compensation for damage caused by nuclear weapons tests, it's been reported.
The assembly of French Polynesia, based in Papete, has prepared a demand for $930m (£594m) over the 193 tests carried out by France in the South Pacific between 1966 and 1996, Radio New Zealand International reports. The ruling Tahoeraa Huiraatira party, which opposes independence from France, is also demanding an additional $132m for the continued occupation of a pair of atolls used for nuclear testing but which still not been returned.
French Polynesia is a territory comprising more than 100 islands and atolls with its own government, but is still part of the French Republic. At the end of French nuclear testing in 1996, former Polynesian president Gaston Flosse negotiated a $150m annual payment to support the country's economy.
The billion-dollar claim is not universally popular in Papete. Current president Edouard Fritch said he was unaware of the assembly's demand and was "disappointed" at plans to ask Paris for the money, Radio New Zealand reported.
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