Yesterday was a . . .

Good Day for Iranian donkeys following a directive from the Ministry of Commerce that 30,000 of them may now leave the country. Tough foreign exchange regulations, taken to protect the rial, have led to a sharp drop in non-oil exports in the past year, down by about 25 per cent on the year before. The Ministry has therefore decided on certain measures, beginning with the decision to allow the export of 30,000 donkeys.

Bad Day for fat Filipinos, who face being thrown out of the army if they do not lose weight. In an order to all personnel, the chief of staff of the Philippine military, General Arturo Enrile, gave obese soldiers three years to lose their excess fat on pain of demotion or dismissal. "Overweight or obese individuals normally reveal a lackadaisical performance and threaten the credibility of the organisation," Enrile said.