■ United Kingdom
Oxfam asks for less rubbish
Oxfam has asked Britons to be more selective about items they give to the charity's shops, saying many donations were just "rubbish" that cost ?500,000 (US$920,000) a year to sort out and throw away. "We're so grateful for the incredible donations we receive from the community, but like any retailer there are things we can and cannot sell," said Chris Coe, Oxfam's director of trading. The figure was almost as much as it was spending on projects in Rwanda or Eritrea last year. Coe told BBC radio an example of unwanted goods was a box of assorted false teeth donated on Monday to the charity's store in Wimbledon, south London.
■ United Kingdom
Obi-Wan's robe returns
Workers sorting through party rental costumes at a London fancy-dress shop have discovered the original Obi-Wan Kenobi robe worn by Sir Alec Guinness in the film Star Wars, the shop said on Tuesday. The robe was stored for years in a warehouse by British film costume company Angels and Bermans before ending up with a batch of old monks' outfits in the company's high street party rental shop, manager Emma Angel said. "It's quite a strange looking robe, so when the guys were sorting through the stuff one of them decided to put it on and play around," she said. Another employee recognized it as the robe, and the film's costume designer certified it was genuine.
■ Italy
`Sexy' teacher sacked
A Catholic religion teacher claims her good looks have cost her her job at a primary school in central Italy. Caterina Bonci, described in the local media as a sexy 38-year-old blonde who likes to wear miniskirts, was fired after 14 years teaching religion at a state-run school in Fano. Church officials say the fact that she is divorced makes her unsuitable for the job, as the dissolution of marriage contravenes the will of God. Bonci said her divorce dated back to 1995, and suspected other motives behind the sacking. "If you consider that at our parents-teachers meetings it was always the fathers who came to see me, one can see why I have so often been at the center of attention and a target for gossip," she said.
■ France
Flooding spurs evacuations
Rescue workers evacuated hundreds of people from parts of southern France as heavy rains lashed the region on Tuesday, clogging highways and closing railway lines. The downpour pounded the Gard and Herault regions along the Mediterranean coast, prompting authorities to call in more than 300 rescue workers from neighboring regions to help with the evacuation, local officials said. Half a dozen helicopters were flown in to support a possible rescue effort in the area.
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