A woman in south-west France, who received a telephone bill of nearly 12 quadrillion euros, has had the real amount she owed waived — after the company admitted its mistake. Solenne San Jose, from Pessac outside Bordeaux, said she received a huge shock when she opened the bill for 11,721,000,000,000,000 euros (£9.4qn). This is nearly 6,000 times France's annual economic output.

A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen. Lancashire Police say Gaby Scanlon was out with friends in Lancaster last Thursday (4 October) when it happened. The 18-year-old is reported to have become breathless and developed severe stomach pain before being taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary. Officers say she would have died if doctors had not performed the operation. The woman, from Heysham in Lancashire, was taken to hospital at 11pm. She was diagnosed with a perforated, or pierced stomach, and is now in a serious but stable condition. 'Toxic chemical' Lancashire Police have not named the place where she bought the cocktail, but say it has stopped selling it.