4 September 2007: Negativity banned

The mayor in one Russian city has decided that his local officials need to be more positive. So to help them he has banned a string of negative phrases.

The list of 27 phrases that can no longer pass the lips of city officials include:

"I don't know"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"That's impossible"
"Nobody told me"
and
"It's lunchtime"

The mayor warned in a statement that "the use of these expressions by city administration officials ... will speed their departure."

Another phrase from the banned list is "We haven't got the money."