Lights, camera... ten fluffy little quail chicks
A rare bird breeder has hatched 10 quails' eggs, bought from a supermarket, into healthy chicks. Julie Pearson put 36 eggs under lights as a joke after her son brought them home from Tesco. They will now go on display at her exotic bird farm as "the boiled eggs that never were". "We just wanted to see if it would work, but thought there was next to no chance they would hatch," said Pearson, who breeds rare birds in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. "It was a massive shock but a very welcome surprise. We wanted some newly hatched chicks for Easter." The eggs spent 18 days under warm lights before the 10 chicks emerged from their shells three weeks ago. A Tesco spokesman said: "It's very unusual that our eggs would hatch, but we do wish these chicks a long and healthy future."
Jamie's dinners to get a ******* 'u' certificate
TV chiefs are planning a new version of Jamie Oliver's School Dinners series - without the swearing. Bosses are in negotiations over the release of a DVD in which Oliver's colourful language is cut out. The toned-down series could then be bought by parents keen to show the programme to their children in a bid to change their eating habits. But the chef has also come in for criticism over the amount of bad language in the programme. A spokesman for the show said talks over DVD releases were ongoing. He added: "It might be that we end up putting out two versions - the original show as broadcast and a cleaned-up version aimed at children."
Dancing girls fight to save tourist hot spots
Hundreds of Indian dancing girls and bar owners took to the streets last week to demonstrate against a decision to close the infamous dance bars and clubs of Maharashtra, in western India. Local authorities denounced the attractions as "dens of iniquity", and police claim the venues, which employ more than 100,000 women, are often used for prostitution. The government has been trying to make the bars clean up their act. But with more protests in the pipeline, the Maharashtra girls won't go without a fight.