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World Watch

United Kingdom
An anonymous artist, “Wanksy”, has been spray-painting phallic shapes around his town’s potholes in an effort to draw attention to them to be fixed. He said the situation has “got really bad recently” and he has cyclist friends who have been injured by the potholes. According to the artist, his “art“ has been working.

Colombia
A Colombian journalist could face charges after sending death threats to himself so he did not lose his state protection. In September 2014 he went to the press with a flyer listing his name and seven other journalists (supposedly signed by a drug gang). Protection for the eight has reportedly cost the government US$47,000.

Mumbai, India
An alleged thief who swallowed a gold necklace is being fed bananas and special liquids in the hope that he will expel it in his excreta. He was put on the special diet after x-rays revealed the necklace lodged in his food pipe. The thief snatched the necklace from a woman as she was walking home.

Greece
A Greek court has convicted a dead man of stealing electricity and sentenced him to a six-month suspended jail sentence. The man’s defence lawyer told the court that his client was deceased, and asked to defer the trial until he could deliver a death certificate. The court refused, and convicted his client in absentia.

Florida, United States
An elderly man has been arrested after he grabbed his neighbour’s neck during an argument over the fact that his doorbell rang whenever hers did. The man allegedly came to the woman’s door and yelled at her about their doorbells being on the same frequency. He was arrested on a charge of battery against a person over 65 years old.

France
A top French civil servant has resigned after spending more than €40,000 on taxis in 10 months. Agnes Saal, who has a chauffeur as well as a private car, said she needed taxis because she could not expect her chauffeur to work the same hours as she did. €6,700 of the bill was her son’s use, which she has paid back.

Iceland
An artist who turned an Icelandic geyser bright pink has defended his work after coming under criticism. Marco Evaristti was given a US$740 penalty for dyeing the famous Strokkur geyser using food colouring. The artist is currently refusing to pay the fine, saying that it was harmless and that people’s criticism shows their “concern, care and love for nature”.

Shanghai, China
A Shanghai newspaper editorial has criticised its citizens for stealing public toilet paper. Shanghai authorities ran a free toilet paper service for the city’s public lavatories, where they discovered that users consumed an average of 1.6 metres of toilet paper per visit.

North Dakota, United States
A North Dakota state legislator who voted against a gay rights bill has been caught sending pictures on Grindr. Randy Boehnin, a Republican state representative and a staunch conservative, has twice voted against expanding legal protection for gays. The politician has since admitted he is gay and said he was relieved not to keep secrets anymore.

Grapevine

“The aim of this operation is to make available to a growing number of patients a medical product which isn’t always readily available on the market, at a much better price for the user.”

Colonel Antonio Medica,  from the Italian army, has unveiled its first cannabis farm, which was set up in an effort to lower the cost of medical marijuana in the country. The farm expects to produce 100kg of marijuana annually, and also houses drying and packing facilities. Italian doctors can legally prescribe marijuana for medical conditions, but the cost is not covered by the state, making it often prohibitively expensive for the patients who want to buy it legally at pharmacies.

“As church leaders we need to look after everyone in the parish, and their spiritual wellbeing. The first commandment is that we must honour God and have no other God before us, and having come from Taoism, tai chi is promoting another God.”

Facts and figures