Lima  - A nightmare is coming true for many macho motorists in the Peruvian capital as the entire traffic police force will soon be female.

Since surveys show female officers in Lima to be far stricter and - more importantly - less bribable than males, they will be given complete control of the chaotic streets in the city of some 8 million inhabitants, the municipal traffic police announced recently.

Their 500 male colleagues are to be transferred to other departments. Meanwhile, General Arturo Davila, a man, will remain head of Lima's traffic police.

Tokyo  - A young woman in a railway compartment curls her eyelashes while a young cuddling couple does not bother to make room for a man with a leg in a plaster cast. A young man sprawled straddle-legged across two seats leafs through a book.

You can see such displays of rudeness in Japan, at least on posters that are part of a campaign by Japanese railway companies to promote good behaviour among passengers. Many foreign travellers are surprised at the admonitions because Japan, of all countries, seems positively steeped in politeness.

Nevertheless, Japanese railway passengers are peppered with both visual and acoustic reminders of "manaa" or proper conduct, a term that comes from the English word "manners."

Berlin  - Laptops are now available in bright red, yellow and mixed colour, artists editions.

They can be spotted daily in WLAN cafes from Hamburg to Berlin, making time spent on the computer feel a bit more invigorating.

"To each his own," is the rule of thumb, fashion expert Bernhard Roetzel of Berlin said. The twill-suit-sporting banker is best paired with a black, silver or white laptop, while young professionals go for colourful computers.

However, Roetzel says the trend is not exceptional.

Berlin - A blank card and a pen often are enough to make a person break out into sweats. The perfect phrase just won't come to mind when writing a birthday, holiday or anniversary greeting as people struggle to find the right words.

The best tips to follow in this situation are as follows. Keep the greeting short and crisp and mention a hobby or character trait of the recipient.

Frankfurt - Bauhaus turns 90 this year, and for many designers, that's an occasion to bring remakes of Bauhaus classics to the market.

At the interior design trade show Ambiente in mid February in Frankfurt, a number of porcelain and glassmakers showed variations of designs that originated in the avant-garde laboratory. Bauhaus was founded in 1919 in Weimar, in eastern Germany.

Buttenheim, Germany  - Blue jeans have maintained their popularity, gracing bodies around the world for more than 100 years.

They initially served as work pants for Californian gold miners, but now they dominate fashion in schools, discos and even offices.