Croatia

He put a mask on his face, pulled out a gun and demanded money. But when the bank clerk laughed in his face, the would-be robber was so humiliated he just ran away. The 31-year-old clerk, identified only as Martina S, ”laughed aloud” at the threat from the bandit because she knew she was protected by bulletproof glass.

They bathe together in a jacuzzi, tell intimate stories and compete for a one million kuna ( 650) prize. But the health minister has warned 12 contestants of Croatia’s Big Brother television show: stop smoking, or you’ll pay for it. The minister said on Tuesday that some of the players freely smoke during the show.

Only one day into school and Armando Smiricic Runka is already the teacher’s pet. Little wonder, as he is the only pupil in his class on Premuda — a mid-Adriatic island of just 52 mostly ageing residents. But that has not deterred the government from ensuring that a teacher from the mainland arrives daily.