Update on ... ... underwear

In Brussels, members of the European parliament in February praised the potential educational benefits of thermostatically controlled underwear. Tests have shown the efficiency of a new design in underwear which responds to temperature controls in the classroom, set at levels designed to ensure that pupils are at their most comfortable and therefore more able to learn.

In England, also in February, C&A were forced to withdraw 6,000 pairs of Y-fronts from their stores because a manufacturing error had placed the hole in the wrong place.

In Russia, one clothing factory is paying its workers in brassieres because of a cash crisis. The staff were reported to be much happier than those of another factory who were being paid in rubber sex aids.