Wales

Prisoners in Cardiff may soon have a fancier bathroom to keep a good grip of the soap in — they've just won $2,000 of luxury bathroom goods in a gardening competition. After entering the Cardiff in Bloom competition — and coming in second place in the community building category — their entry was automatically put in a drawing to win the luxury bathroom fixtures. When their name was pulled as the winners, a ripple of laughter spread through the City Hall venue. No decision has been made on whether the prisoners will be able to claim the prize.

The prison community garden is a regular entrant in the gardening competition, and they've won their division several times. Cardiff prides itself on being a green city, and competitions like Cardiff in Bloom, according to the city council, is a way of "increasing a sense of civic pride and making Cardiff a brighter and better place to live and work."

Pending the decision on the prize, the prisoners have been sent a brochure to peruse to see if anything strikes their fancy.

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Only the best voices need apply for the world's first canine choir! I'm not kidding you as pups sit up and let loose with their own unique music (you may know all too well) of barks, howls, and the like to honor a pooch affectionately known as "Swansea Jack." The legendary retriever became a hero in the Welsh city of the same name for rescuing drowning sailors in the 1930s and modern day artist, Richard Higlett, will create a piece of music to recognize this unique dog. I don't know about you but I can think of one barooo-ing beagle that could certainly chime in. In fact, I think we could get a bundle of smooshies together for a baritone ensemble of snoring, wheezes and snorts, no?

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After nine months of being barred from school for violating the no jewelry rule, the UK's High Court ruled that the Welsh and Punjabi Sikh teenager had a right to wear her religious bangle to school. The court said that the school unlawfully discriminated against Sarika Singh by not letting her wear her Kara (bangle), an essential symbol of the Sikh faith, different from other jewelery. Sarika is the school's only Sikh pupil.

An almost constant clash churns between school rules and religious expression. This is how other notable school and religious symbol cases have been decided in the UK:

• In 2007, the High Court ruled that a girl suffered no discrimination when asked to remove her purity ring, which signifies her belief against premarital sex.
• Also last year, a school told a Catholic pupil that she could not wear a crucifix on a chain due to safety concerns, but that she could wear it as a pin.
• In 2006, a religious high school declared that non-Muslim girls had to wear headscarves while at school.

For more examples and pictures of the bangled pupil celebrating, read more