Weird News: Neighbour cuts off child's penis

A child had his penis and fingers cut off after disturbing a neighbour's sleep.

A Chinese woman faces 10 years in prison for using a kitchen knife and pair of scissors to slash the six-year-old boy's private area and hands, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper. Liu Tao allegedly took the boy, called Xiaoming, out of the room where he wanted to play after he interrupted her sleep. Tao fled the scene after hiding the child's body parts, which police later discovered within a vase and took to the hospital to see if they could use the tissue to reattach the limbs.

A man is going to lock himself in a hotel room for 75 hours and listen to the same song.

Jack White, 23 and from Southampton, is doing the challenge to raise money for a diabetes charity and is thinking about choosing Rick Astley's '80s hit Never Gonna Give You Up. He explained: "I don't mind which it is - you can listen to the best song in the world for four days straight and it would be horrendous." While undergoing the laborious task, he will be allowed to talk and wash - but will only be allowed eat porridge, water and rice.

Queen Elizabeth replied to an American who wrote to her frustrated about the Republican Party's possible candidates for the US elections.

The letter - which has had more than 2.4 million views on social media site Reddit - appeals to the monarch for her help and says "what we need is a Declaration ... of Dependence". Her Majesty's office replied on official Buckingham Palace paper, which read: "I have been asked to write in response to your recent letter to The Queen in which you express your views about the American government. "Whilst your views have been noted, you will appreciate, I am sure, that there can be no question of The Queen intervening in the affairs of another Sovereign state."

New research has revealed the hipster beard is not just a trend, it's the sign of a successful modern man.

A study of more than 2,000 British men with beards suggests that the look is more than a quick fad and is the hallmark of a confident, successful and professional man. Commissioned men's grooming brand Percy Nobleman, to celebrate their launch into high street retailer Boots, The Great British Beard Report revealed that the average age of a man with a beard is 34 - step forward handsome actors Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Justin Timberlake and Tom Hiddleston - who all have pretty impressive facial hair. The Behaviour Expert Jez Rose, one of the UK's leading behavioural commentators said: "A well groomed beard demonstrates effort and care taken in your appearance, which in turn can enhance your perceived level of authority. It's likely to have been accepted by historically safe industries such as finance and IT because of its popularity - it is a much more corporately accepted look, very modern and smart, especially when paired with a suit."

Percy Nobleman's range of beard care products including oils, balms and washes launches in Boots and www.boots.com on 19 October.