A Stranger's London
Fish wives who talked too much
Fishmonger John Farrell fired his six women workers, replaced them with three men... and trade soared.The reason, he claims, is that men work harder than women, who spend too much time chattering.
But two of the women accused him of sex discrimination and now Mr Farrell, 32, faces a bill for more than £4,000 following his decision to sack the women from his stall in Sheffield Castle market.
But an unrepentant Mr Farrell said: "I'm running a fish stall here, not a talking shop. My gross profit has gone up 11 per cent, and trade by 30 per cent since the women left.
"They were employed to serve fish, but when my back was turned they were spending most of their time talking."
Mother-of-two Mrs Beatrice Charlesworth, and Mrs Betty Wade, 58, a mother of three, took the case to the Equal Opportunities Commission, which sponsored their claim to a Sheffield industrial tribunal.
Mrs Wade was awarded £250 for injury to her feelings under the Sex Discrimination Act, £3,134 for unfair dismissal and £84 for not being given written reasons for her dismissal. Mrs Charlesworth, who was not eligible to claim unfair dismissal, was awarded £800 under the Act.
After the hearing Mrs Charlesworth, of Arbourthorne, Sheffield, said: "It's not true we talked too much."
'Bias' bars blacks from jobs
Black people are being discriminated against by employers all over Britain who recruit people on 'gut feelings', a senior industrialist has said.Yet when asked why so many were turned down for jobs - such as lack of particularly attributes bosses could give no reason, said Mr John Cordrey.
A member of Michael Heseltine's 'task force' in Liverpool after the Toxteth riots, Mr Cordrey has just completed an investigation with Mr Cursharan Singh Sarang an industrialist based in Newcastle upon Tyne, into staff recruitment by 33 firms at the new Beaumont shopping centre in Leicester. They found that white people were nearly four times as likely as blacks to be offered jobs.
Bosses said they knew what to look for and overwhelmingly chose the t white applicant, according to the report for the commission for Racial Equality. Many interviews lasted only ten to 15 minutes.
Mr Cordrey, 60, a personal consultant, said: "The whole recruitment situation is riddled with discrimination."
Bone idle husband for sale: only £25
A wife has put her "bone idle" husband up for sale. The asking price: just £25. And she reckons it's a bargain because he is hardly used...They've only been married for three months!
Fed-up Beverly Pink placed an advert in her local paper offering an "eccentric, unusual-looking husband with odd personality".
She added: "Would consider swapping, any offers?"
Husband Peter, 41, who runs his own printing business at Southsea, Hampshire, married Beverly, 25, in June after a whirlwind romance.
They are now living apart and Beverly is bringing up their six-month-old son Robert.
Beverly said she only put a price on Peter because as a low-priced bargain the advert was free "I did not intend to pay to get rid of him," she said.
"He's certainly unusual and although he's now working a bit harder, he was an idle husband. I've given up and someone else is welcome to him."
"But he has fathered a beautiful. boy. I suppose he had to do something properly."
But Peter hit back. He claimed Beverly was "moody".
"I tried to concentrate on the marriage and my firm got into trouble. Now the marriage has failed, so I'm. building up the business.
"At first when I heard about the advert I was a bit annoyed. Now I just think she's been silly."
One more thing
A leading American football player was asked on television whether he preferred Astroturf or grass. He replied: "I've never smoked Astroturf."Elephant Moto mourns friend
A grieving zoo elephant stood guard over her dead companion last week, repelling all attempts to coax her away or to remove the body.The two female elephants, Moto and Toto, welcomed visitors to Colchester Zoo for 17 years from their enclosure next to the entrance. But then Toto collapsed and died.
The baby who came back from the dead
A baby named Mario came back to life 20 hours after being pronounced clinically dead. And coachloads of pilgrims arrived in Cosenza, southern Italy, hopping to catch a glimpse of the 'miracle' child.Mario was born prematurely when his mother Rosetta, 34, underwent a caesarian operation, but was placed in intensive care and given only a ten per cent chance of living.
The next day a doctor certified that Mario had suffered a fatal heart attack and he was taken to the hospital mortuary.
But Mario's father, Vincenzo Arena, 35, refused to believe Mario had died and knelt in prayer by his coffin until the department closed.
Then he and his family kept a prayer vigil in church appealing to the local saint, Hermit St Francis of Paola.
The drama came on Sunday morning. A nurse went to the mortuary and, to her amazement, heard loud whimpering. Then she saw Mario moving his arms and legs.
Doctors are puzzled. The hospital's chief obstetrician insists that for four hours after 'clinical death' Mario's monitor continued to indicate no sign of life.
