A GLOBAL PUNKING

Denmark
In 1965, a Copenhagen newspaper reported that Parliament had passed a law that all dogs be painted white to improve road safety because they could then be seen clearly at night.
Canada
In 2008, WesUet airlines advertised its overhead cabin bins as "amongthe most spacious of any airline" and said it would charge passengers an extra $12 to use these "sleeper cabins.'
France

According to Le Parisien, in 1986, the Eiffel Tower was going to be dismantled

and rebuilt inside the new Euro Disney park.

Norway

In 1987, after reading that the government was planning to distribute 10,000 liters of wine confiscated from smugglers, hundreds of citizens turned up carrying empty bottles and buckets.

China

Claimingthat it would reduce the need for foreign experts, the China Youth Daily joked in 1993 that the government had decided to exempt PhDs from the nation's one-child-per-family policy. After foreign press picked up the hoax, the government condemned April Fools' Day as a Western tradition.

Taiwan
In 2009, the Taipei Times claimed that "Taiwan-China relations were dealt a severe setback yesterday when it was found that the Taipei Zoo's pandas are not what they seem." The paper reported that the pandas, a gift from the Chinese government, were brown forest bears dyed to resemble pandas. Amongthe complaints sent to the paper was one from the zoo's director.
Germany
In 2009, BMW ran an ad promoting its new magnetic tow technology." The invention enabled drivers to turn off their engine and get a "free ride" by locking onto the car ahead via a magnetic beam.
Jordan
Residents fled the desert town of Jahr in 2010 after a local newspaper reported that flying saucers piloted by ten-foot-high creatures had landed.