On the eve of the world debut of The Dark Knight Rises, British physics students have determined that Batman would kill himself if he tried to parachute with his cape in real life.
In a study published for the University of Leicester, the students found that the superhero could indeed glide with his cape, but he would reach speeds of up to 109 kilometres per hour if he jumped off a 150-metre building and would hit the ground at about 80kph.
"If Batman wanted to survive the flight, he would definitely need a bigger cape," said David Marshall, 22, one of the master of physics students involved in the paper.
Fish out of water
A southern Chinese town is on the lookout for deadly piranhas after attacks on two people in a local river.
The piranhas, carnivorous fish native to South America, bit two paddlers in the Liujiang River in the Guangxi region of Liuzhou. The government is offering 1,000 yuan (Dh576) to the public for every fish caught.
Fishing boats are dragging the river and trolling with bait. Authorities believe the piranhas were originally bought as ornamental fish but let loose in the river.
Even if the piranhas aren't caught, it's unlikely they will survive the region's impending winter.
A new Olympic event?
Police in Henley-on-Thames, just west of London, have arrested a man who ran naked on the street during the Olympic Torch relay.
In front of hundreds of people who were lining the street, the 27-year-old streaker, dressed in nothing but socks and trainers, the words "Free Tibet" written on his back and carrying a fake torch, danced on the road just before the real torchbearer arrived. Police ran him down and arrested him, charging him with outrageous public indecency.
Andrew Tinsley, who was on the scene and quoted by The Daily Mail, said, "The guy came out of nowhere. He definitely picked his moment to shine."
Get a dictionary
A woman in Halifax, Canada, was awarded almost nine thousand Canadian dollars (Dh32,366) in damages this week after receiving a tattoo that was misspelled.
Marie Huckle went into a Halifax tattoo parlour in 2010 to get a tattoo on her abdomen in honour of a deceased friend. But instead of reading "See You at the Crossroads", the tattoo read "See You at the Cossroads".
Huckle only saw the mistake when she was home. She said in court that the tattoo artist, Helena Pelletier, spent most of the session talking with another client.
Passion for Fido
Brazilians looking to spice up their dogs' love lives need not look any further.
Animalle Mundo Pet, in the southern city of Belo Horizonte, is set to open with an entire floor in its building dedicated to dog trysts. Each room, which will cost about 100 Brazilian rials (Dh183), comes with a heart-shaped mirror on the ceiling, red cushions and dimmed lighting.
"Our market studies showed that people work all day long and they do not know where to drop their pets for mating," said Fabiano Lourdes, the building's co-owner.
