An Eye On... slimming

Egypt: An appeal court in Alexandria has rejected a divorced woman's request for alimony, ruling that she had forced her husband to leave her, and driven him into the arms of his secretary because his wife put on weight and neglected her appearance.

New Zealand: William Dickie, 43, was sentenced to house arrest on charges of fraud and theft because he is too big for prison clothing or a prison bed. The detective in charge of the case said that many people felt sorry for Mr Dickie, but she was unimpressed: "My view is he's just a thief who happens to be fat." Mr Dickie weighs 305kg.

Tonga: King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (who has shed 70kg from his top weight of 201kg in 1976) celebrated his 79th birthday with some good advice to any subjects who wish to lose weight: "Eat less and eat less fat." The royal birthday marked the start of Tonga's third National Healthy Weight Loss contest.