‘Your proposals are whack’ — council’s ‘joke’ planning verdicts prove costly

A council has accidentally rejected planning applications with sarcastic joke responses. A junior officer, who thought he was testing the local authority’s website, accidentally told applicants their plans were “whack”. One was told: “No mate, proper whack”. It will now have to spend thousands of pounds to reverse the spoof decisions. Legal advice taken by the council had confirmed that the decisions are legally binding and will cost at least £8,000 to overturn through judicial review.

Snakes measure radiation in Fukushima

Snakes fitted with tracking devices and dosimeters are being used to measure radiation levels in the area around the Fukushima nuclear plant, which suffered triple meltdowns in March 2011. “Snakes are important in many ecosystems as they can be both predators and prey,” explained Hannah Gerke, one of the lead researchers. The meltdowns in Japan caused by a giant tsunami released more radiation into the atmosphere than any nuclear disaster except Chernobyl in 1986.

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Woman, 100, sets powerlifting record

A 100-year-old woman is set to enter the Guinness World Records as one of the oldest powerlifters. Great-great-grandmother Edith Murway-Traina’s 68kg power lift will be marked in the 2022 book. The former dance instructor and performer living in Florida took up weightlifting nine years ago when forced to go to the gym by a friend. She said that trashing the “sweet little old lady stereotype” motivates her further.