Parisian sunbathers will no longer be allowed to go nude or wear g-strings on the capital's artificial beaches and risk a fine if they are caught baring their breasts or buttocks.
City hall has issued a decree banning indecent clothing to preserve the tranquility of the sandy beaches created on the banks of the River Seine every summer since 2001.
"People must behave according to good standards to maintain tranquility, security and public order," the decree said, according to Saturday's edition of Le Parisien. "Notably indecent attire (nude sunbathing, g-strings and toplessness etc) is forbidden."
The city police will be enforcing the rules, and anyone caught baring too much flesh risks a 38 euro ($48) fine.
Defending the decree, city hall sports official Pascal Cherki told Le Parisien that indecent clothing "could have led to temptations and dangerous behavior on the banks of the river."
Topless sunbathing and g-strings are common on real beaches around France in the summer.
20060725
India's bank ordered to pay up over 'dead' sweeper
India's central bank has been ordered to pay a former employee 10,000 rupees ($213.50) in compensation after mistakenly declaring him dead and making him the butt of jokes, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
In 2000, Dharam Pal -a sweeper at the Reserve Bank of India offices in New Delhi- left to visit his uncle in Moradabad, 60 miles east of the capital, without informing the bank or his family, the Hindustan Times said.
His employers said Pal clearly didn't think much of his job, but admitted a clerical error.
"It was almost two years since he was absconding so his employment was terminated and we sent a letter to his wife asking her to collect the money owed to him," said an official from the bank. "But due to a clerical mistake, the letter was written saying the 'late' Dharma Pal."
Assuming that the bank had made all the necessary checks and having not heard from him, Pal's family believed he was dead.
Pal turned up 13 days after his family received the letter, shocking his relatives who took him for a ghost. He has been the subject of jokes ever since, prompting him to seek action against the bank for his embarrassment.
"Considering the circumstances under which the plaintiff found himself and having no reason to disbelieve when he states he had become the butt of jokes in his social circle, I award a damage of 10,000 rupees," Delhi High Court's Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was quoted as saying.
The amount is about three months' wages for a sweeper in New Delhi.
In 2000, Dharam Pal -a sweeper at the Reserve Bank of India offices in New Delhi- left to visit his uncle in Moradabad, 60 miles east of the capital, without informing the bank or his family, the Hindustan Times said.
His employers said Pal clearly didn't think much of his job, but admitted a clerical error.
"It was almost two years since he was absconding so his employment was terminated and we sent a letter to his wife asking her to collect the money owed to him," said an official from the bank. "But due to a clerical mistake, the letter was written saying the 'late' Dharma Pal."
Assuming that the bank had made all the necessary checks and having not heard from him, Pal's family believed he was dead.
Pal turned up 13 days after his family received the letter, shocking his relatives who took him for a ghost. He has been the subject of jokes ever since, prompting him to seek action against the bank for his embarrassment.
"Considering the circumstances under which the plaintiff found himself and having no reason to disbelieve when he states he had become the butt of jokes in his social circle, I award a damage of 10,000 rupees," Delhi High Court's Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was quoted as saying.
The amount is about three months' wages for a sweeper in New Delhi.
20060723
For the richest guy in Margaritaville...
Forget about the kind of tequila you slam down on the bar or knock back at parties in throat-burning shots with salt and lemon. If you're paying six figures, you might prefer to savor it in small sips.
An impossibly upmarket brand of tequila -- 100 percent blue Agave lovingly aged for six years and sold in a limited edition platinum bottle with fancy artwork on the label -- went on sale in Mexico on Thursday night for $225,000 a bottle.
"Tonight we are trying for the Guinness Book of Records with the most expensive bottle in the world," Fernando Altamirano, chief executive of producer Tequila Ley .925, told a launch party for the liquor.
Tequila Ley .925 has produced 66 bottles of the "Pasion Azteca" tequila, half of them pure platinum bottles and half of them gold and platinum-decorated bottles that sell for the slightly less extravagant price of $150,000.
"Since we started out, we began with the idea of making the finest, most expensive bottle of tequila in the world," Altamirano told Reuters.
For those on a smaller budget, there are 999 bottles of the same tequila in silver and gold bottles priced at $25,000.
Showing off one of each type, Altamirano said they had already been sold to a collector, but declined to give away the buyer's identity.
Altamirano, whose company has won awards for its stylish bottles, said his next goal was to create a million-dollar tequila bottle made from diamond-encrusted platinum and auction it at Sotheby's next year.
An impossibly upmarket brand of tequila -- 100 percent blue Agave lovingly aged for six years and sold in a limited edition platinum bottle with fancy artwork on the label -- went on sale in Mexico on Thursday night for $225,000 a bottle.
"Tonight we are trying for the Guinness Book of Records with the most expensive bottle in the world," Fernando Altamirano, chief executive of producer Tequila Ley .925, told a launch party for the liquor.
Tequila Ley .925 has produced 66 bottles of the "Pasion Azteca" tequila, half of them pure platinum bottles and half of them gold and platinum-decorated bottles that sell for the slightly less extravagant price of $150,000.
"Since we started out, we began with the idea of making the finest, most expensive bottle of tequila in the world," Altamirano told Reuters.
For those on a smaller budget, there are 999 bottles of the same tequila in silver and gold bottles priced at $25,000.
Showing off one of each type, Altamirano said they had already been sold to a collector, but declined to give away the buyer's identity.
Altamirano, whose company has won awards for its stylish bottles, said his next goal was to create a million-dollar tequila bottle made from diamond-encrusted platinum and auction it at Sotheby's next year.
20060720
Don't believe everything you read...
The National Enquirer celebrity magazine has apologized to Britney Spears in its British edition for reporting that the pop star was ready to divorce her husband Kevin Federline.
"In the 5th and 12th June 2006 issues of the UK Enquirer, we published articles under the headlines 'Britney Marriage is Over!' and 'Britney and Kevin: And Now Their Divorce!'" the Enquirer said in its latest edition on news stands Tuesday.
"Contrary to what our articles might have suggested, we now accept that their marriage is not over and they are not getting divorced," the British National Enquirer added.
"These allegations are untrue and we now accept Britney's position that the statements are without foundation. We apologize for any distress caused," it added.
Paul Tweed, Spears' libel lawyer based in Belfast, told the BBC that the apology was a "rare if not unprecedented gesture."
While it was not clear if the articles also appeared in the U.S. edition, the successful legal action against the British National Enquirer highlights how the country's libel laws are considered more plaintiff-friendly than in the United States.
London is dubbed the libel capital of the world, because the burden of proof is on a publication that produces contentious material, as opposed to in the United States where the claimant must prove an article is either wrong or printed maliciously.
Spears, 24, has seen her marriage and parenting skills under a media microscope in recent months, and in an interview aired in the United States in June she admitted to being an "emotional wreck."
She has denied she is estranged from her husband, saying he had helped her weather the ups and downs of her second pregnancy.
Spears married dancer Federline in September, 2004, and gave birth to their first child, a son named Sean Preston, the following September. Federline has two other children by his former girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson.
"In the 5th and 12th June 2006 issues of the UK Enquirer, we published articles under the headlines 'Britney Marriage is Over!' and 'Britney and Kevin: And Now Their Divorce!'" the Enquirer said in its latest edition on news stands Tuesday.
"Contrary to what our articles might have suggested, we now accept that their marriage is not over and they are not getting divorced," the British National Enquirer added.
"These allegations are untrue and we now accept Britney's position that the statements are without foundation. We apologize for any distress caused," it added.
Paul Tweed, Spears' libel lawyer based in Belfast, told the BBC that the apology was a "rare if not unprecedented gesture."
While it was not clear if the articles also appeared in the U.S. edition, the successful legal action against the British National Enquirer highlights how the country's libel laws are considered more plaintiff-friendly than in the United States.
London is dubbed the libel capital of the world, because the burden of proof is on a publication that produces contentious material, as opposed to in the United States where the claimant must prove an article is either wrong or printed maliciously.
Spears, 24, has seen her marriage and parenting skills under a media microscope in recent months, and in an interview aired in the United States in June she admitted to being an "emotional wreck."
She has denied she is estranged from her husband, saying he had helped her weather the ups and downs of her second pregnancy.
Spears married dancer Federline in September, 2004, and gave birth to their first child, a son named Sean Preston, the following September. Federline has two other children by his former girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson.
20060718
Guy confuses sumo with American TV wrestling
Russian sumo wrestler Roho became the latest foreign import to land himself in trouble after smashing a window and hitting two photographers in a fit of pique.
The wrestler was given an unprecedented three-day ban from Japan's ancient sport Sunday for throwing a tantrum after a defeat the previous day.
Sunday's newspapers carried pictures of Roho in various stages of combustion after he lost his temper in Nagoya on Saturday.
Roho, nicknamed the "Russian bear," chased opponent Chiyotaikai into a bathroom after an explosive bout where both men broke several of sumo's strict rules of engagement.
After exchanging angry words with Chiyotaikai following his loss, Roho punched through a window of a bathroom door, showering his conqueror with broken glass.
Roho, whose real name is Boradzov Soslan Feliksovich, then slapped two photographers just moments after being reprimanded by sumo officials.
One of the photographers was taken to hospital suffering bruises to his face.
UNWANTED FIRST
Roho's outburst was condemned by Japan Sumo Association officials and earned him the indignity of becoming the first wrestler to be banned for violent conduct outside the ring.
"I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions like that," a contrite Roho said. "It was a bad thing I did. I'm very sorry for what I did."
Saturday's incident was reminiscent of the infamous 'battle of the bathtub' involving firebrand Mongolian Asashoryu in 2003.
Grand champion Asashoryu squared off with another towel-clad Mongolian as tempers flared during a post-bout soak at the Nagoya tournament three years ago.
Asashoryu, who became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's elite rank of "yokozuna" in January 2003, has broken several sumo taboos during his meteoric rise to the top.
He has been disqualified for pulling an opponent's hair, criticized for complaining to judges after losing a decision and accused of breaking the mirror of a rival's car.
Professional sumo has some 60 foreign-born wrestlers plying their trade in Japan, ranging from South Koreans to Brazilians with many more from Eastern Europe.
The wrestler was given an unprecedented three-day ban from Japan's ancient sport Sunday for throwing a tantrum after a defeat the previous day.
Sunday's newspapers carried pictures of Roho in various stages of combustion after he lost his temper in Nagoya on Saturday.
Roho, nicknamed the "Russian bear," chased opponent Chiyotaikai into a bathroom after an explosive bout where both men broke several of sumo's strict rules of engagement.
After exchanging angry words with Chiyotaikai following his loss, Roho punched through a window of a bathroom door, showering his conqueror with broken glass.
Roho, whose real name is Boradzov Soslan Feliksovich, then slapped two photographers just moments after being reprimanded by sumo officials.
One of the photographers was taken to hospital suffering bruises to his face.
UNWANTED FIRST
Roho's outburst was condemned by Japan Sumo Association officials and earned him the indignity of becoming the first wrestler to be banned for violent conduct outside the ring.
"I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions like that," a contrite Roho said. "It was a bad thing I did. I'm very sorry for what I did."
Saturday's incident was reminiscent of the infamous 'battle of the bathtub' involving firebrand Mongolian Asashoryu in 2003.
Grand champion Asashoryu squared off with another towel-clad Mongolian as tempers flared during a post-bout soak at the Nagoya tournament three years ago.
Asashoryu, who became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's elite rank of "yokozuna" in January 2003, has broken several sumo taboos during his meteoric rise to the top.
He has been disqualified for pulling an opponent's hair, criticized for complaining to judges after losing a decision and accused of breaking the mirror of a rival's car.
Professional sumo has some 60 foreign-born wrestlers plying their trade in Japan, ranging from South Koreans to Brazilians with many more from Eastern Europe.
20060715
Postal worker caught with thousands of letters
A Berlin postal worker who was caught with more than several thousand undelivered letters in his basement has admitted he was overwhelmed by the job but insisted he planned to deliver them soon.
Police recently found 90 boxes of post stacked in his basement. The postal worker, 36, identified as Thomas H., told Bild newspaper Friday he was only temporarily storing the post at his house and friends would help with delivery.
"There were just too much and I couldn't deliver it all by myself," he told the newspaper. Police said some of the letters found had been postmarked as early as April. The postal worker faces disciplinary action.
Police recently found 90 boxes of post stacked in his basement. The postal worker, 36, identified as Thomas H., told Bild newspaper Friday he was only temporarily storing the post at his house and friends would help with delivery.
"There were just too much and I couldn't deliver it all by myself," he told the newspaper. Police said some of the letters found had been postmarked as early as April. The postal worker faces disciplinary action.
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