yesterday was a . . .

Good Day for bank queues, as the bank of China announced that it will give compensation to customers who are kept waiting. Time limits for various types of transaction have been established and the customer will receive one yuan (8p) for each minute over the limit. Current-account transactions are set at two minutes.

Bad Day for broken hearts, as a lovelorn Shanghai man climbed into a tiger's cage, knelt in front of the animal and begged it to eat him. The tiger knocked him over, sniffed his head and bit his neck, but was then sedated with tranquillizers shot by keepers. The man was taken to hospital.