meanwhile ...

Some news stories of the past week that you may have missed:

Snow shortage

A dispute has arisen over a promotion by an American car-hire company. Potamkin Auto Centers of Manhattan promised a 100 per cent refund on all cars leased between 22 December and 2 January if more than four inches of snow fell in Central Park on 8 January.

On the night in question, a blizzard hit New York, but the National Weather Service had sent home their representative in Central Park at 5pm, when the snow gauge read 2.9 inches, as no further snow was expected.

Millennial handshake

Negotiations have opened between Hungary and Germany concerning a bone from the right hand of Gisela, first queen of Hungary, who is buried at Passau in Germany. In May, the Hungarians will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Gisela's marriage to King Stephen, whose right hand is a holy relic used in religious ceremonies. The Hungarians hope to borrow a finger bone from Gisela to lay next to the hand of her husband.

Dog watch

Joshua, a golden retriever from Royston in Hertfordshire, surprised its owner, Sally Whitby, by coughing up a watch she had lost two months before. The strap is missing, but the watch

still keeps good time.

One foot in the grave

Police on the Isle of Wight are trying to trace the owner of an artificial right leg, dressed in a stocking and black shoe. "I would have thought that the person concerned has noticed it is missing," a spokesman said.

Older than she looked

Officials on a Red Cross flight to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi were doubtful when a passenger gave her year of birth as 1880. Further investigations revealed that the date was indeed incorrect: she had been born in 1875.

Bumdoody

A Vietnamese fortune-teller has been jailed for nine years for making bad predictions. He had warned families of evil spirits and impending accidents, then asked for money to fix the problems for them. His faith- healing was also said to have been unsatisfactory.

Inflamed passions

A 55-year-old Sri Lankan woman fought off a would-be rapist by flinging a bottle of chilli solution over his naked body. The assailant fled in agony and was reported to have "remained several hours under water in great pain" before he was arrested by the police.

Princess shrimp

Thailand's royal family have been asked for permission to name a new species of shrimp after Princess Sirindhorn.