Elsewhere Malaysia marital bribery divorce Australia crocodile husband Elvis love nest sale US Singapore rent-a-wardrobe Japan round-robin emails Belgium miss homeless wins free flat
“ADMIT IT, ALAN, IT JUST DOESN’T
HAVE THE ATMOSPHERE OF
BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH”
MARITAL BRIBERY
Malaysia Sometimes, all a
couple needs is a second
honeymoon to help them forget the
wet towels left on the bed. At least
that’s what officials in Malaysia think.
They’re offering struggling couples
free honeymoons worth up to £270,
in a bid to lower divorce rates.
The package even throws in some
counselling sessions for the problems
sunshine and strawberry daiquiris
can’t fix. Divorce rates are slowly
rising in Malaysia, which, as a largely
Muslim country, is frowned upon.
Ashaari Idris, a government official,
explained the motives behind the
new scheme. “After marriage, some
are unable to cope with the new
challenges,” he said. “I want to
strengthen family ties.” A pair of
earphones and a ban on Sky Sports
might do the job more cheaply…
CROCODILE
TEARS
ROVER’S FANCY-
DRESS COSTUME:
DISTURBING
Australia A woman in
Melbourne, Australia, has
chosen her pet crocodile, called
Johnie, over her husband. The reptile
was found outside Vicki Lowing’s
home 13 years ago, and she grew so
attached to him that her husband,
Greg, issued her with an ‘it’s me or
him’ ultimatum. Greg lost, and the
couple divorced. “Husbands can look
after themselves, but my crocodile
can’t make meals,” she reasoned.
However, once the croc reached
one-and-a-half metres in length,
Lowing realised it was female.
Johnie is actually a Jeanie. You
couldn’t make it up.
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ELSEW HER E
ELVIS’S LOVE
NEST FOR SALE
US A unique opportunity for
seriously dedicated Elvis fans
has popped up. The ranch where the
King lived with Priscilla has gone on
the market for £3.9m. The Love Me
Tender legend bought the luxury
155-acre property in Horn Lake,
Mississippi, in 1967, shortly before his
wedding. Known by fans as ’the Elvis
Ranch’, whoever buys the iconic
estate will also be the owner of the
lakeside cottage where Elvis spent his
honeymoon with Priscilla. Estate agent
Rodger Motz expects the ranch will be
snapped up by an Elvis aficionado and
has already had an interested party
contact him from Denmark. Now that’s
got us all shook up.
A�WORLD-NEWS�
BRIEFING�IN�ONE�
COMPACT�PAGE
ELVIS'S EARLY GUITAR-
PLAYING METHOD: MAVERICK
EDDIE IZZARD WAS KEEN TO
REVEAL HIS ORGANISED SIDE IN
THROUGH THE KEYHOLE
RENT-A-
WARDROBE
Singapore A new website
claims to ‘make your dreams
come true’ – but only if you live
in Singapore and your dream
is to have someone else’s
clothes. Still, a website that gives
you access to other women’s
wardrobes is pretty impressive.
The new Closet Infinite site
(closetinfinite.wordpress.com)
gives its users six months’ free
membership, with access to a
library of clothes donated by other
members. Customers simply have
to provide one item of clothing to
share, pay a £13 deposit, and then
have access to the world's biggest
wardrobe. There are no plans to
launch the service in the UK as
yet, so you’ll have to stick to stealing
clothes from your well-dressed
friends for now.
BAFFLING DRESS-
CODE EMAILS
Japan Round-robin emails
at work usually signal
pedantic rants about wayward
staplers or who used the last
of the milk. But workers in
Nomura, a finance company in
Tokyo, were left baffled by what
pinged into their inbox last month.
A message from one of the bosses
politely reminded
staff that “gay
colour nail
polish” and
“bare foots” fell
outside the strict
dress code. The
confusingly worded
emails follow the
recent merger of
Nomura and the
Lehman Brothers,
and bosses’ attempts to
rein in bankers’ attire. While the union
is proving successful in business
terms, one former Lehman Brothers
recipient describes the memos as
sounding “like a Japanese VCR
instruction manual from the Eighties”.
What exactly was deemed ‘gay’ nail
varnish is unclear – but we’re
assuming this season’s Chanel Jade
green would be out.
PARIS HILTON SOON REALISED
WHY SHE USUALLY GOT
PROFESSIONAL MANICURES
‘MISS HOMELESS’
WINS FREE FLAT
Belgium A destitute woman
has been given a new home
after winning a Miss Homeless
pageant in Belgium. On 11 October,
Therese Van Belle, 58, triumphed
over nine others to win a rent-free
apartment for the next year. The
pageant included an evaluation from
judges about how committed each
contestant was to changing her plight.
Organiser Alice Duportail aimed to
raise awareness for homeless women,
saying contestants were given the
chance to find a new path in life.
However, women’s rights groups have
expressed fury at the event. “I am
outraged. These girls turned into
puppets parodying their own life,”
said activist Jacqueline Aubenas.
THE DOG WONDERED WHY
HE’D BEEN DENIED A SASH
WORDS��SCARLETT�RUSSELL���PHOTOGRAPHS��REX��GETTY��EUROPICS��CORBIS
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