QUIRKY WORLD ... Childhood sweethearts die wrapped in each other’s arms after 75 years of wedded bliss

USA: Jeanette and Alexander Toczko were each eight years old when they became smitten with one another. 

They married in 1940 and were rarely apart. They told their children they wished to die in each other’s arms.

Last month, at their home in San Diego, just days before their 75th wedding anniversary, that wish was fulfilled.

KGTV reported 95-year-old Alexander’s health was failing rapidly after he broke his hip. His children put Jeanette in bed next to him.

According to their daughter, Aimee Toczko-Cushman, after Alexander died, Jeanette said: “Wait for me, I’ll be there soon.”

The family left her alone and, hours later, Jeanette died too. The couple was buried at Miramar National Cemetery.

Fishy tale

ENGLAND: Scientists can protect endangered eels from being killed in hydropower stations — by making them swim faster.

The European eel, a fish of commercial and conservation concern, has declined dramatically in recent decades. The number of juvenile fish returning to rivers is down 90%.

The drop has been caused by overfishing, pollution, and climate change and by hydropower stations that can injure or kill the long-bodied adult fish as they migrate to the ocean and to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn.

New highs for Hirst

ENGLAND: A seven-metre-high Damien Hirst sculpture, which challenges society’s perception of disability, has been unveiled in London.

The sculpture, called Charity, is based on a familiar collection box, from the 1960s, of a disabled young girl clutching a teddy bear and a collection tin. It was installed next to the capital’s Gherkin building, as part of the 2015 Sculpture in the City exhibition, along with 13 other sculptures.

But Hirst’s version depicts the charity box as worn and vandalised, with a crowbar lying next to the girl and her empty collection tin.

Hair-raising

ENGLAND: A wig that belonged to Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich is being auctioned. The ash blonde hairpiece, with Alice band and securing comb, is set to fetch between £200 and £300. The German star, who died aged 90 in 1992, gave it to Daniel Gee while he was working as a 17-year-old telegram boy, in 1972.

Up in smoke

USA: A planned pot-friendly resort in Colorado has been snuffed out before it opened. A marijuana-tourism company had touted weed-friendly activities, such as hiking and fishing, at a 170-acre ranch just outside Durango, but the deal fell through after the CannaCamp announcement made international headlines and became the butt of jokes on late-night TV.

The MaryJane Group, which runs marijuana-friendly inns in Denver and Silverthorne, said it hopes to find a new home for CannaCamp. Guests who had already booked — starting at $395 per person per night — are being offered rooms in the B&Bs instead.

Caught on camera

USA: News crews from two television stations were robbed at gunpoint, and a cameraman pistol-whipped, during live broadcasts.

The robbery and assault occurred on San Francisco’s famous waterfront, as several camera crews were broadcasting live reports about a killing at nearby Pier 14, on the Embarcadero, a popular spot for tourists.

The robber drove away in a black BMW, with two cameras and two tripods from stations KTVU and KNTV.

Television and newspaper crews have been robbed in the San Francisco Bay Area several times in recent years, and many travel with armed guards when reporting in high-crime areas.

Medal of honour

USA: Three US Army veterans who were taken prisoner by German troops during the Second World War finally received their medals — more than 70 years after they were liberated.

John Pederson, aged 89, Clayton Nattier, 92, and Keith Hereford, 89, each received the Prisoner of War Medal at a ceremony in Denver.

Mr Pederson also received the Bronze Star, while Mr Nattier and Mr received the Purple Heart and Air Medal.