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SMARTRAVELLER hasn’t yet updated its travel advice for the USA - but we’re expecting an urgent revision based on a ban imposed by authorities in Nevada overnight.

It has now become illegal for visitors to the city of Reno to carry whips while in the greater downtown area.

The updated legislation requires a formal permit for any whip-carrying, with the move following a steep rise in emergency calls to the police by residents mistaking the sound of a whip cracking for gunfire.

Reno Police Chief Jason Soto also claimed whips were being used in public areas for “fights and intimidation”.

AN ENTERPRISING fellow from Minnesota in the USA is facing fines for operating an illegal airport in his back yard.

Perhaps a little difficult to disguise, the 57-year-old built a 700m airstrip a few hundred yards from his home.

He claims that flying is his hobby and he built it for his personal use, but while the landing field is listed with the Federal Aviation Authority, prosecutors from the local council say he’s violating safety and noise regulations.