And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Civil servants have been told to stop saying “hello” in the Indian state of Maharashtra, reported The Times. The state government, which said “hello” is too bland and western, told civil servants they should greet the public with “vande mataram” or “I bow to thee, oh motherland”. The state, including its largest city Mumbai, is ruled by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, who is looking to assert “the cultural supremacy of the Hindu faith and Indian tradition,” said the paper.
Tallest living domestic cat honoured
A US man’s 18.83-inch tall pet was awarded the Guinness World Records title of the tallest living domestic cat. Fenrir, a Savannah cat belonging to William John Powers of Michigan, is not the first cat in the family to land such an honour. Powers said Fenrir’s brother, Arcturus, was previously awarded the same title when he was officially measured at 19.05 inches in 2016. Two other cats owned by Powers have won Guinness World Records, noted UPI.
Lidl to melt its chocolate bunnies
Lidl has been ordered to destroy its chocolate bunnies after it lost a court scrap with Lindt, reported Sky News. Switzerland’s highest court agreed with the posh chocolate maker that its gold-wrapped Easter rabbit deserved copyright protection from a similar product sold by the budget supermarket chain. Earlier this year, Marks and Spencer fought a chocolate copyright battle with Aldi after claiming the Cuthbert cake was too similar to its own Colin the Caterpillar.
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