The Duchess is the best advertisement

As British designers recently unveiled their latest creations during London Fashion Week, there was clearly a Duchess Effect - as in the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton.

The newest royal has the power to boost retail sales simply by wearing one of their frocks, by about fivefold.

Top British designer Alice Temperley told the BBC that Middleton is "breathing new life" into royal clothing and "looks fantastic."

"She's supporting British fashion by wearing British fashion, which is brilliant," said Temperley, who, along with other big-name designers, such as Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney and McQueen, was showing collections at the 2012 event.

Love ya, baby!

Baby-faced politicians stand a better chance of winning over the opposition - we naturally think of them as being kind, honest, and trustworthy, a recent UK research study finds.

A politician such as David Cameron with "baby" features such as large eyes and pudgy lips has a near-instant advantage in political conflicts: People judge trustworthiness within 100 milliseconds of seeing someone's face.

"People generally associate a baby face with attributes of honesty, openness and acceptance," Professor Ifat Maoz of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem tells London's Daily Mail, "and once you trust your adversary, you have a greater willingness to reach a compromise."

Breathing life into iPods

Designer Joao Paulo Lammoglia won a Best of 2011 RedDot Design Award for the Aire mask. That wind-powered device captures the power of respiration and converts it to electricity via small wind turbines - which is immediately routed to the wearer's iPod to recharge it.

"It can look like you're living in a chemical war zone - or like a futuristic Hannibal Lecter," one admiring blogger says. "But looks aren't everything!" The mask can be used while sleeping, reading or exercising.

Putin 'for the first time'

He shoots tigers, finds priceless vases at the bottom of lakes, races F1 cars and rolls with the Hell's Angels.

But even by Vladimir Putin's fairly outlandish standards, a recent campaign ad for his 2012 presidential campaign could be deemed "a bit much".

The 53-second clip, which has become a viral hit online, picking up over 200,000 views on YouTube, sees a coy Russian girl visit a mystic who predicts her future using tarot cards.

"You know, I wish it to be for love," replied the girl. "This is my first time."

Then the mystic flips the card to reveal Putin, and wait, she wasn't talking about sex, she was talking about voting.

If it works at the polls, one wonders, which US presidential candidate will be first to pursue the virgin vote.

Woman is allergic to her fianc's kisses

A UK woman suffers from a rare medical condition that makes her allergic to water, and even a drop of saliva from her boyfriend Lee Warwick could see her break out in nasty hives.

"It does get me down," Rachel Prince told the Daily Mail newspaper last month, "because obviously I want that intimacy and that closeness. But if Lee even gives me a kiss on the cheek I have to wipe it off straight away before the reaction comes up."

The condition also means Prince, 24, cannot go swimming, have baths, enjoy cold drinks or ever get caught in the rain.

Japanese cat lovers snarl at new law

A revision to the nation's animal- protection law will slap a curfew on public displays of cats and dogs, forcing Tokyo's cat cafes to shut at 8 pm. At most of these popular establishments, it's the post-work rush that brings in the most cash, where tired and harried professionals can drop in for tea and some time with the cats as a way of relieving stress.

Frenchman sues Google over photo

A Frenchman took Google to court on Thursday over a photo published online by its Street View application showing him urinating in his front yard which he believes has made him the laughing stock of his village in rural northwest France. The man, who is aged around 50 and lives in a village of some 3,000 people in the Maine-et-Loire region, is demanding the removal of the photo, in which locals have recognized him despite his face being blurred out.

Ready, steady, grow for London 2012

London Olympic organizers are asking gardeners to give British athletes some flower power this summer by planting flowers and vegetables in the national colors. Britons are proud gardeners, with annual flower shows attracting large numbers of entrants and fierce competition.

China Daily - Reuters

(China Daily 03/04/2012 page5)