Odd News

• Ancient bronze mirrors stolen from museum Reuters - Wed Sep 3, 10:15 AM ET

  BEIJING (Reuters) - A bronze mirror that is more than 1,600 years old was stolen from a museum in Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu Province, the Xinhua news agency said Wednesday, citing a museum curator.

• Police hunt high-speed skateboard outlaw Reuters - Wed Sep 3, 10:14 AM ET

  BERLIN (Reuters) - Police are trying to track down a man filmed riding a skateboard down a steep stretch of south German motorway at 100 km an hour (62 mph), far above the speed limit.

• Ex-boxing champ shot dead in smoking dispute Reuters - Tue Sep 2, 12:40 PM ET

  LONDON (Reuters) - Former British heavyweight boxing champion James Oyebola was shot in the neck in a nightclub after asking a group of men to stop smoking, a court heard Tuesday. Prosecutor Jeremy Donne told the Old Bailey that the boxer died after the "senseless" shooting at the Chateau 6 club in Fulham, west London, in July 2007.

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  Woman eyes skydive record over Everest Reuters - Tue Sep 2, 12:39 PM ET

  KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A British woman plans to make a parachute jump over Mount Everest hoping to become the first woman ever to skydive over the world's highest peak, organizers said Sunday.

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  Putin saves TV crew from Siberian tiger Reuters - Tue Sep 2, 12:36 PM ET

  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was feted by Russian media on Sunday for saving a television crew from an attack by a Siberian tiger in the wilds of the Far East.

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  Greek postmen beat zombies to win oddest book title Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 5:11 AM ET

  LONDON (Reuters) - "Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers" benefited from a late surge in public support to win the title on Friday of oddest book title of the past 30 years, The Bookseller magazine said.

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  MP in jungle cocaine search drama Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 9:39 AM ET

  LONDON (Reuters) - A British MP trekking in Colombia was held at gunpoint in the jungle and forced to eat coffee whitener from a jar in his backpack after soldiers mistook it for cocaine.

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  Pole dancers model lingerie at NY Fashion Week Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 1:36 AM ET

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lingerie creator Heather Thomson got a jump-start on the New York Fashion Week, turning to some of the city's best pole dancers to display her new line of Yummie Tummie underwear on Thursday.

• Vienna's dancing horses get first female riders Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 11:02 AM ET

  VIENNA (Reuters) - Two women have made history at Vienna's Spanish Riding School by becoming the first female riders to pass the entrance exam in 436 years.

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  Musical taste "defines personality" Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 5:54 AM ET

  LONDON (Reuters) - Fans of classical music and jazz are creative, pop lovers are hardworking and, despite the stereotypes, heavy metal listeners are gentle, creative types who are at ease with themselves.

• Man accused of making license plate 'disappear' AP - Thu Sep 4, 9:06 PM ET

  NEW YORK - New York authorities didn't see this one coming. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the driver of a tractor-trailer rigged the front license plate of his vehicle so that it would "disappear" as he drove through a toll plaza, allowing him to avoid paying the $40 fee.

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  Japan PM parting shot T-shirt a hit Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 3:51 AM ET

  TOKYO (Reuters) - Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda was unpopular with voters but T-shirts printed with his huffy parting shot are now a hit.

• Boy doles out hundreds of fake $20 bills at school AP - Thu Sep 4, 9:06 PM ET

  OCALA, Fla. - Authorities say an 8-year-old boy was handing out hundreds of dollars in fake $20 bills at an Ocala elementary school. School officials reported the boy to police on Tuesday.

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  Taiwan county shuts last legal brothel Reuters - Fri Sep 5, 2:51 AM ET

  TAIPEI (Reuters) - Authorities in central Taiwan have turned off the red light at the county's last legal brothel after the death of its pimp aged 87, newspapers said on Friday.

• Man shows up in Pa. court with loaded handgun AP - Thu Sep 4, 3:56 PM ET

  STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A central Pennsylvania man faces additional charges after showing up for a hearing on summary charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct with a loaded handgun.

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  Maasai warrior hairdressers break taboos Reuters - Thu Sep 4, 10:16 PM ET

  MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Maasai warrior Lempuris Lalasho went to Kenya's tourist haven Mombasa to find a white woman to marry, but he ended up working as a hairdresser, a profession that is taboo in his culture.

• Mass. police arrest pair wearing stolen clothing AP - Thu Sep 4, 3:50 PM ET

  SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Police say two Springfield residents who cleared a downtown clothing store of its entire inventory were easy to nab — they were arrested wearing some of the stolen clothing with price tags still attached.

• Venue makes clubbing environmentally friendly Reuters - Thu Sep 4, 6:02 PM ET

  ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - A club where dancers generate power to light the floor, drinks come in recyclable cups and toilets flush with rain water opened in the Netherlands on Thursday, hoping to lure environmentally conscious clubbers.

• Neb. man sues prosecutor to get his leg back AP - Thu Sep 4, 7:21 AM ET

  ALLIANCE, Neb. - After being shot five times, a western Nebraska man had to go to court to get his prosthetic leg back from prosecutors.

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  Branson to attempt transatlantic sailing record Reuters - Thu Sep 4, 10:16 AM ET

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - He has set world records for transatlantic crossings in a powerboat and balloon and now billionaire Sir Richard Branson is aiming to make the fastest crossing of the Atlantic in a mono-hull sailing yacht.

Most Popular Odd News

• NJ cops kick in door over bird's cries for help AP - Fri Sep 5, 9:23 AM ET

  TRENTON, N.J. - Cries for help inside a Trenton, N.J., home turned out to be for the birds.

• Black bear busts secret Utah pot farm AP - Fri Sep 5, 7:04 AM ET

  PANGUITCH, Utah - One Utah community is cheering a special bear — but don't call him Smokey.

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  Angry Argentine commuters torch train in rush hour Reuters - Thu Sep 4, 2:09 PM ET

  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Furious rail commuters in Argentina set fire to a train on Thursday in anger over delays during the morning rush hour.

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  UPS driver surpasses 1 million miles in his truck AP - Thu Sep 4, 9:05 PM ET

  PALESTINE, Texas - A routine package delivery turned into a milestone for a UPS driver in East Texas. Brent Boyd, 51, on Thursday surpassed one million miles on his UPS delivery truck, the same vehicle he's driven for 22 years with the company.

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  Cats rescued after apparently starting house fire AP - Thu Sep 4, 9:06 PM ET

  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Chattanooga firefighters rescued several cats during a house fire that investigators say was probably caused by the cats themselves.