Britain's Daily Mail reported that British Prime Minister Tony Blair repainted the traditionally black front door of his Downing Street office "socialist red" to match his Labour party colors. When it comes to April Fool's Day, Europe's media are having the last laugh. Britain's Daily Mail reported that British Prime Minister Tony Blair repainted the traditionally black front door of his Downing Street office "socialist red" to match his Labour party colors. The Times ran a story about a new song-activated credit card security system called "Chip 'n' Sing." Neither is true of course, but two centuries after the tradition began, media outlets still try to dupe the gullible in an unofficial yearly competition. Some say April Fool's Day started with the creation of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, which changed the starting date of the new year from April 1 - or April Fool's Day - to Jan. 1; others point to Indian and Roman festivals that celebrated tomfoolery. Another theory dates back to the 17th century, when British villagers would strap an effigy of the town's fool to a horse and parade it through the village. Some of the day's better efforts this year: The Rome daily Il Messagger reported that a new group in the city of Aquil had persuaded officials to cover up monuments in the main square by dressing the naked men and women with clothes of bronze. Sweden's daily Dagens Nyheter scared thousands of bicyclists by claiming that Stockholm's city government would impose speed limits of 12 mph on bikes in the inner city. The Moscow daily Moskovsky Komsomolets turned the day into a contest, offering free subscriptions to callers who identified false stories. Its gag stories included a secret research institute where Kremlin candidates to succeed President Vladimir Putin undergo scientific testing, and plans for a parliament building where lawmakers' offices would boast a bar, a balcony and a Jacuzzi . (Agencies)

说起愚人节，欧洲媒体堪称这一天“整人大赛”的最后赢家。英国《每日邮报》报道，英国首相托尼·布莱尔将唐宁街首相府的传统黑色大门刷成了“社会主义红”，以配合工党的象征色。《泰晤士报》则报道，一种名为“芯片与歌唱”（Chip 'n' Sing）的新型信用卡安全系统问世，使用者要唱歌才能启动该系统。 毫无疑问，以上两条报道都是假的。欧洲媒体在愚人节这天开玩笑的传统，已经延续了二百年之久，各家媒体在这场年度非正式竞赛中“大显身手”，专整那些容易上当受骗的人。 有些人说，愚人节始于16世纪格里历（即目前通用的公历）诞生的时候。格里历将新年的第一天由4月1日（愚人节）改成了1月1日；有的人则认为，愚人节起源于印度和罗马“庆祝滑稽行为”的节日。 还有一种说法认为愚人节要追溯到17世纪，当时英国的村民们将镇上傻子的模拟像绑在一匹马的身上，然后在全村游行。 本年度愚人节精彩假新闻集锦： 罗马《每日信息报》称，阿基尔市的一个新团体已经说服了该市官员，给市中心广场上的裸体男女雕像穿上铜制衣服。 瑞典《每日新闻报》报道，斯德哥尔摩市政府规定脚踏车在城内限速每小时12英里，这着实把许多骑自行车的人吓了一跳。 莫斯科日报Moskovsky Komsomolets则在这一天搞起了“打假”竞赛，识破假新闻的读者打电话过来便可免费订阅该报纸。其中的假新闻包括，俄罗斯建立了一个秘密研究机构，有望接替普京、入主克里姆林宫的候选人都要在此接受科学测试；议会大厦将要改建，议员办公室里将会有酒吧、阳台和水流按摩浴缸。 (中国日报网站编译)