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Bosses at a theme park in York, England have been criticized for offering free admission for people issued with an Anti-social Behavior Order (ASBO) by the court.

The York Dungeon offered free admission over the holiday weekend for ASBO offenders to mark the opening of a special exhibition on old-school justice. Dungeon manager Helen Douglas explained that the offer was intended to illustrate how anti-social behavior was dealt with in the past.

“What we’re handing out ASBOs for today are exactly the same sort of crimes that people would have been transported or even hanged for during the bloody code of the 18th century,” she said. “While I’m by no means advocating a return to the punishments of old, I thought that it might shock the ASBOs a little to see what would’ve happened to them a couple of hundred years ago.”

But the locals are not amused. Last year scores of residents in York fell victim to a tire slashing campaign by local youths - most of whom were eventually issued ASBOs.

One resident was dismayed, “This move by York Dungeon is absolutely disgusting. If I wanted to go into the dungeons this weekend, I’d have to pay. But if someone like the person woh slashed my tires went along, they could get in for free. It’s just not right.”

Hugh Bayley, the local MP, couldn’t agree more. “This is a publicity-seeking gimmick which goes too far,” He said. “The public needs protection from anti-social behaviour and York Dungeon shouldn’t be rewarding people who have been sentenced to an ASBO by the courts.”

Coopers Hill, Gloucestershire saw an impressive crowd of around 3,000 people assemble for the annual cheese-rolling competition today.

The cheese-rolling race supposedly dates back hundreds of years. The event involves a series of races down the steep, slippery slope of Coopers Hill - the winner of each race receives a round of cheese for their effort.

For the event, scores of competitors chase an eight-pound wheel of Double Gloucestershire cheese down the steep 200-meter slope. Jason Crowther of west Wales won the race for the third time in as many years.

“There’s no training you can do for this,” he told the BBC. “But there aren’t any tactics involved, as you can probably see.”

Jemima Bullock of Wellington, New Zealand was the winner of the ladies’ race. “It’s pretty well known back home and it’s always on the telly,” she said. “It was a bit slippy out there but I think that actually helped. I guess you’ve got to be a bit mad to do this.”

St Johns Ambulance spokesperson Paul Jones said 20 people had to be treated for minor injuries. “It’s the lowest figure for some time,” he told reporters. “No one was knocked out and most of the injuries we treated were for cuts, bruises and sprains.”

A six-foot bird was spotted wandering around the German border town of Grenzach-Whylen. Police, in conjunction with local zoo staff, tried to catch the bird.

After hours of failing to catch an emu, despite laying on several patrol cars in addition to the vets and zoo workers already pursuing it, German officials called in Swiss reinforcements in what is likely the most bizarre international operation of the season.

The combined efforts of the German and Swiss police brought not solid result - though reports tell us the emu was clocked running at speeds of up to 30mph.

The bird was eventually shot by German hunters. “We managed to shoot the bird, but we are still trying to find out how it got hee in the first place,” said a police spokesperson. “No bird farms or zoos in the area say they are missing an emu. It is a mystery.”

A tom cat owned by an elderly woman in Xianyang, Shaanxi, China has grown two hair-covered four-inch wings according to the Huashang News.

Mrs Feng, the cat’s owner, says the wings appeared after a campaign of sexual harassment by local cats in heat. “A month ago, many female cats in heat came to harass him,” she said.”Then the wings started to grow.”

Feng went on to explain that, “At first they were just two bumps. But they started to grow quickly, and after a month there were two wings.”

The wings now appear to be fully-formed, and even contain bones. Experts have said the phenomenon is more likely the result of gene mutation than kitty-cat sexual harassment. And though Feng said the wings make her precious feline look like an angel, the cat is expected to carry on living a normal life.

There’s something funny in the water at Nebraska’s Henry Doorly Zoo. In 2001, a pup was born to a female shark who’d had no contact with a male - ever.

Subsequent research by genetics teams at the zoo in Nebraska, at Southeastern University in Florida and Queen’s University Belfast has all drawn the same conclusion - the pup had no paternal DNA.

This has led scientists to conclude that female hammerhead sharks can reproduce on their own. This method of reproduction is known as parthenogenesis.

The result is a flurry of discussion on key issues related to shark conservation. If sharks resort to parthenogenesis because of thinning populations, this is likely to weaken the population.

Why? Because asexual reproduction leads to decreased genetic diversity. In order for any organism to adapt to changing environmental conditions, genetic diversity is key.

“The concern for sharks is that not only could we be reducing their numbers,” says Dr Paulo Prodohl, one of the report’s authors. “But we could be making them less fit as well.”

British comedy super-hero John Cleese angered residents of Palmerston North, New Zealand last year when he referred to their town as “the suicide capital of New Zealand” during a show.

It seems the locals have a sense of humor about things. Recently, they’ve renamed the local Awapuni Landfill “Mt Cleese”. The unofficial moniker appears on a sign with the subtitle “All manner of crap happily recycled”.

Chris Pepper, the council’s waste manager, said that the sign wasn’t put up by officials and that the renaming wasn’t official. However, Pepper was quick to point out that the council was in no rush to have the sign removed.

He said, “Someone had the sign made up as a joke. Nobody has said, ‘pull it down’. People just smile.”

A team of scientists in Argentina have discovered that Viagra might hold the key to alleviating jetlag for long-haul travelers.

The study, undertaken by researchers at the National University of Quilmes, shifted the day/night cycle of hamsters forward by a number of hours by switching the lights on earlier.

Some hamsters in the study that were injected with sildenafil, known as Viagra, before the time shift adjusted to the new time as much as 50 per cent faster. The Viagra dosage in the study was exceptionally low, and did not cause erections in the animals.

Researcher Diego Golombek told the New Scientist that Viagra works to alleviate jetlag because it, “raises levels of a small molecule called cyclic guanosine monophosphate in the body.” This molecule controls the body’s internal clock, so increasing it effectively makes the clock run faster.

Professor Robert Lucas said this research raises interesting possibilities for using Viagra in conjunction with light treatment to avoid jetlag.

“We will have to wait for more research to know whether this will work in humans,” he said.

Leslie Wright, a 71-year-old courier from Cambridge, England showed serious dedication to his job. For his final delivery, he shipped himself to his funeral.

“He must have delivered tens of thousands of parcels over the years,” said his son Chris. “It was fitting his last delivery should be at his funeral.

The special parcel was delivered in a coffin-shaped cardboard box, marked fragile, handle with care and this way up. Wright’s family had the funeral director sign a form accepting the delivery - and they dressed the body in his work uniform.

“Dad had a fantastic sense of humor and he would have loved this send off,” said Wright’s son. “The coffin actually cost a bit more than a standard one, but it was worth it.”

Wright’s grandson, Kris, drove the special delivery to the service in his grandfather’s delivery van. According to the family, Wright didn’t like the idea of going in a hearse.

German zoo bosses hired a local entertainer to amuse the primates - apparently, monkey business is boring.

Christina Peter is now the official zoo clown. She stops by and plays games, makes puzzles and does other foolish activities to keep the monkeys, chimps, baboons, gorillas and orangutans engaged.

Zoo officials opted to bring Peter in to entertain the primates after vets said the animals were increasingly sick or aggressive due to boredom. Peter is happy to help, “When I was young, I would go to a zoo and see animals and a lot of them looked bored and that made me feel very sad,” she said. “Doing this makes me feel good because I am making their lives as comfortable as possible.”

And, according to Peters, the animals seem to enjoy her hijinks, “They go wild when they see me coming because they know they’re going to have some fun.”

“In nature, animals spend their whole day looking for food,” says animal psychologist Jennifer Ringleb. “In zoos, they have nothing to do, they get bored. In extreme cases they will get sick or aggressive. Animals that have something to do are happier and more balanced.”

An 18-year-old student was blown off a six-story building in China. Lucky for Zhang Haijing, the umbrella she was holding slowed her fall.

Haijing was blown from a slippery walkway outside a sixth floor laundry by a sudden gust of wind. Her umbrella was caught by the wind, blowing her over the edge. Because Haijing managed to keep hold of the brolly as she fell, her descent slowed and she landed in the soft soil of a nearby vegetable garden.

The girl is now stable in a Zhejiang Province hospital and will undergo a series of operations for the injuries she suffered.

Haijing’s family is appealing for help to replenish her savings, which is being spent on her care, so she can continue her studies once her recovery is complete.