IT MUST BE TRUE… I read it in the tabloids

A personal trainer who is afraid of sweat has won a tribunal claim after refusing to pick up used towels at a gym. Ali Burton, 27, said she told her boss that she suffered from an anxiety disorder triggered by “hygiene issues” – but within weeks he was asking her to collect sweaty towels. Nuffield Health in Sussex likened her career choice to someone with a milk allergy working in a coffee shop, but nevertheless lost the case.

A gang of around 20 giant rhea birds is on the loose in suburban Hertfordshire. The birds, which can grow to 5ft tall and reach speeds of 50mph, have been seen on housing estates near Maple Cross. Their origin is unknown. Police warned that they can be aggressive, attacking dogs and deer.

A crate of one of the world’s most prestigious wines has spent 14 months in space, and tastes all the better for it. The 12 bottles of Château Petrus 2000, a Bordeaux red costing £4,300 each, were sent to the International Space Station by the start-up Space Cargo Unlimited. Jane Anson of Decanter magazine said that the “space wine” had aged well compared with its Earth-bound equivalent. “There were more floral aromatics,” she said, and “the tannins were a bit softer and more evolved.”

The first ever tweet has been sold for £2.1m to a Malaysiabased tech businessman. Sina Estavi bought Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s post (“just setting up my twttr”) in the form of a non-fungible token, a digital certificate that proves ownership. Estavi said that in time, people would “realise the true value of this tweet, like the Mona Lisa painting”.