In the anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games, authorities in Beijing have devoted themselves to new efforts to improve citizens' manners and upgrade the city's image. According to the state press reports, the efforts have proved fruitful so far, however, the city still has a long way to go before perfection. According to a study by the People's University of China, the incidents of littering, spitting, flaunting traffic rules and queue-jumping have all started to decline since 2005, the Xinhua news agency reports.

Even if the Florida Gators end up on the losing end of Monday night's championship game against Ohio State, at least they are richer. It's not that Ohio State's football program is not bringing in the dough. In fact, Ohio State Football brings in enough cash to put them at number three in the nation as far as revenues go. But they are also big spenders.

Indian runner Santhi Soundarajan won the silver medal at the Asian Games in the women's 800 meters earlier this month. On Monday, according to reports, Soundarajan's medal is in jeopardy of being taken away because she isn't a woman. Soundarajan took and failed a gender test in Doha, Qatar after the victory.

In the first ever such case, an Indian runner, who won a silver medal in the women's 800 meters in the Asian Games is likely to be stripped off the medal failing a gender test. Santhi Soundarajan won the women's 800 meters but reports revealed that Santhi did not have the sexual characteristics of a woman, Indian TV reported.

A young dog owner from Balsall Common, West Midlands in England, has discovered that her pet dog ate everything she threw to him during games of "fetch. "Eight-year-old Olivia Parkinson was surprised when the vets operated on his dog Barney, to find six golf ball-sized rocks, five large twigs and whole crab apples.