Holy rooms

London, Nov. 26 (Reuters): A British hotel chain is offering couples called Mary and Joseph a free night?s stay over Christmas.

?We are trying to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve 2004 years ago,? said Sandy Leckie, manager of the Travelodge hotel in London?s Covent Garden.

?Our hotel is definitely more comfortable than a stable. I just hope they don?t bring their donkey,? he said. But the offer has just one proviso ? the Marys and Josephs have to prove their identities first.

Aged porn

London (Reuters): The world?s first known piece of printed pornography, described as the ?quintessence of debauchery?, is expected to reach up to ?35,000 when it is auctioned next month. Sodom, penned in the mid-1670s, has been attributed to John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester and is described by auction house Sotheby?s as a ?closet drama rather than for the stage? with pornography ?in almost every line?.

Rice storm

Sydney (Reuters): Australian aid workers and celebrity chefs cooked up a storm beside the scenic Sydney Harbour on Friday, creating a record 7.5-tonne bowl of risotto to help raise awareness about world hunger. Volunteers used oar-size paddles to stir tonnes of ingredients in a custom-made pan to create the world?s biggest bowl of risotto, a monster dish of rice, peas and saffron.The huge dish was made to celebrate the UN International Year of Rice.