Chile men urged to ditch ties to beat heat
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera (second left) and other regional leaders ditched ties at a summit
The authorities in Chile are encouraging men to leave their ties at home during the coming summer months to save energy.
The country's energy minister Rodrigo Alvarez said the measure would help reduce the use of air conditioning and lead to overall energy savings.
Weather forecasters expect temperatures of over 30C (86F) this summer.
The Energy Ministry said letting the temperature of a room rise by 1-3C would reduce energy costs by around 3%.
In a statement, it said that if this was implemented in the public and private sectors during the hottest months of the year, from January to March, it could save about £6.5m ($10m).
Mr Alvarez said the idea of encouraging employees to leave their ties at home had already been put into practice successfully in Japan and Spain
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