MORE MADNESS

"A Tibetan mastiff called Yangtze River Number Two is believed to have broken the record as the most expensive dog having been sold to a Chinese woman for a reported four million yuan (£350,000). In keeping with its status the dog - 18 months old and 80cm high - arrived at its new owner's home in stupendous style. According to local reports, a motorcade of 30 cars cruised to the airport in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, to take delivery of Yangtze, and a throng gathered to fete the arrival of the city's new resident." (Times, 11 September) RD