New strain of influenza is not to be sneezed at
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has identified a new strain of influenza. It's something that has apparently been with us for some time but has only just been identified. Thankfully it's not dangerous, though over the years it has apparently affected a number of people. Young Englishmen are particularly at risk. If caught at an early age it can persist for a lifetime.
The symptoms are highly unusual. An obsession with pin stripes; sometimes accompanied by an edifice complex; often highly clubbable, and so on. The identification of this strain appears in the university's update to its 'CUHK Hong Kong Quality of Life Index'. In a press statement the university says there's been some improvement in the index, adding: '... Swire influenza has been removed from the list of notifiable infectious diseases since 2010.'
Prices up but not under
One of the most eagerly awaited boozy corporate junkets - er, sorry, we meant networking opportunities - is just a month or so away. New Zealand hosts the Rugby World Cup next month, but critics have already lambasted the country for a sudden surge in the price of everything from a cappuccino to a beer to a night's accommodation.
Now its most sacred icon, the All Blacks, are under fire after the public decided the team's new jersey is too expensive. It goes for NZ$220 (HK$1,461) from a New Zealand retailer, but can be obtained for just NZ$104 online from the US, including shipping. (To make matters worse, adidas is now accused of paying the workers who make the shirts just 60 New Zealand cents an hour.)