QUIRKY WORLD ... Marathon runner denies cheating allegations

UK: A man who ran the second half of the London Marathon in less than half the time it took him to complete the first has denied claims he cheated-

Jason Scotland-Williams, 34, was accused of jumping over a barrier midway through the world famous race in order to achieve the impressive time, which fell just three minutes short of the world record for a half marathon.

But Mr Scotland-Williams, who is from the English capital, told the Sunday Telegraph: “I have done nothing wrong. Nobody thinks maybe I just trained hard. No one thinks ‘maybe he paced himself through the first half and when the second half came he just let himself go’. All along the route there are stewards and people watching. There’s no way you can cheat.”

UK: Nearly two-thirds of UK workers book their holidays while in the office, according to research.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the 1,000 people polled researched their holiday options at work, while 63% booked a break in the office.

The OnePoll survey for tour operator Cosmos also found that nearly a quarter (24%) spent more than one working day each year researching and booking holidays.

USA: A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit, claiming the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission rejected her application for a licence plate proclaiming she is an atheist.

Shannon Morgan filed the suit in federal court, saying the agency violated her First Amendment rights by rejecting a plate reading “8THEIST”. The Maurice River Township woman said plates reading “BAPTIST” have been approved.

New Jersey previously approved a request from a national atheist group’s president for a licence plate with the word “atheist” after a brief flap. His plate had the number one in place of the letter “i”.

AUSTRIA: A German sought by authorities for alleged fraud has been arrested in Austria — after dropping into a police station to ask officers whether he was under investigation.

Police in Salzburg said the 59-year-old man walked into a police station in the city. Spokesman Anton Schentz said the man told officers he just wanted to check that they had “nothing on him”.

Officers checked their records and found a recent arrest warrant from a Vienna court on four counts of fraud and embezzlement.

Police said that the man, whose name has not been released, was taken to a Salzburg prison.

USA: What was supposed to be a cheap bite at Del Taco turned out to be small fortune for some southern California customers.

About 150 people who ate this week at the Mexican-style fast food chain in Santa Paula, north west of Los Angeles, were mistakenly charged thousands of dollars.

Del Taco spokesman Brian Devenny said the glitch affected ATM and credit-card transactions at one restaurant. All charges will be refunded.

This .48 turned into ,480 at Del Taco in Santa Paula. Wonder how this customer will fill out survey. pic.twitter.com/lthIclFxR2

— Arlene Martinez (@avmartinez) April 18, 2014