QUIRKY WORLD ... Flowers and chocs out as romance goes hi-tech

ENGLAND: One in five UK adults wish they could spend Valentine’s Day with their dream gadget instead of their loved one, according to research by the Gadget Show Live.

More men (23%) are secretly hankering after spending this Saturday locked away with the latest smartphone, games console, headphones or 4K TV, compared to 14% of women.

According to the research of over 3,000 UK adults, it seems flowers and chocolates have been consigned to the bin with nearly half of all men (42%) admitting they have brought their loved one tech as a Valentine’s Day present. 39% of women also confessed they have splashed the cash on the latest gadgets to mark the day of love.

Sleeping it off

USA: Authorities in Florida say a man and woman who were intoxicated had to be rescued after falling asleep in a dumpster that was later emptied into a garbage truck.

Hillsborough County police say the couple had been sleeping in a dumpster outside a convenience store near Tampa early yesterday. When the dumpster was emptied into the back of the garbage truck, they started screaming and banging on the sides of the truck.

Rescue crews were called just after 5am. They removed 37-year-old Donald L. Jordan and 49-year-old Lisa Spirella from the truck. Police originally believed they were homeless, but learned they were highly intoxicated after hanging out at a nearby casino.

A bad job for ‘Mr Nice-guy’

ISRAEL: An Israeli man looking for a job may need to add “drug dealer” to his CV.

The 27-year-old was arrested after his CV was found in a bag along with 350 packets of an illegal drug. The resumé describes him as “responsible” and “serious” and says he has a background in security.

The drug, called “Mr Niceguy”, is a synthetic substance that users say has narcotic effects. It was made illegal in Israel about a year ago following reports of its negative effects.

Treasure trove

ENGLAND: Illegal metal detecting at Hadrian’s Wall is ruining part of the country’s cultural heritage and stealing items of archaeological interest from everyone, landowners, police and experts have warned.

Areas close to the 1,900-year-old World Heritage Site, which stretched for 80 miles across some of Northern England’s most rugged scenery, have been hacked in a crime known as nighthawking.

Turf has been pulled out and unscrupulous searchers have raked through the dirt to steal items which could have been hidden since Roman times.

Signs of humour

USA: A Northern California city is using humour to get drivers to slow down and pedestrians to pay attention.

The city of Hayward has placed traffic signs along a downhill boulevard that read “35 – It’s a speed limit, not a suggestion” and “Heads up! Cross the street, then update Facebook”. Another sign warns: “Downhill: Use eyes, brakes, brain.”

The offbeat traffic signs were installed in January along Hayward Boulevard, which is known for cars speeding down from the hills. City spokesman Frank Holland says authorities hope using humour will catch people’s attention and encourage them to be more careful on the road.

Free travel

USA: A woman with a history of boarding planes without a ticket was in jail yesterday while authorities investigated whether she stowed away on a flight from Minnesota to Florida.

Marilyn Hartman, 63, was arrested on Sunday after admitting she checked in at a Jacksonville resort under a false name, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department said. Hartman claimed she flew from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Jacksonville without a ticket.

Airport surveillance video is being reviewed in Minneapolis and Jacksonville to check Hartman’s story.

Hartman has been accused of trying to sneak onto flights before, most recently in California in August.

She was arrested on August 4 for taking a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose to Los Angeles without a ticket.

She was ordered to spend 117 days in jail for violating probation, but was released on August 16 because of overcrowding at the detention facility in California.

She was arrested on August 26 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on suspicion of criminal trespassing.

Police say she was loitering around a checkpoint and did not have an airline ticket.

In February 2014, Hartman was sentenced to 18 months of probation after being arrested for attempting to board three Hawaii-bound flights at San Francisco International Airport on three separate days.

Hartman was detained yesterday in Nassau County on $55,000 bond. Her next court date is March 5.