Odd News

HAVANA, Cuba - Relatives in eastern Cuba claim to have held a 125th birthday party for a woman named Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodriguez, but it is not clear if she is really that old.

NEW YORK - The Harlem Globetrotters have found a new way to beat the Washington Generals - on ice.

PARIS (AFP) - French celebrity intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy has been caught red-faced quoting a "Botulist" philosopher who, it turns out, was invented as a joke by a journalist from a satirical weekly.

BEIJING, China (Reuters) - For Chinese singles in the market for love this Valentine's day, a Beijing supermarket may offer just what they're looking for.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A thief in the German town of Hamelin robbed an amusement arcade by threatening the attendant with a cup of coffee, authorities said on Tuesday.

SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - British broadcaster ITV pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and was fined by an Australian court on Monday after a rat was killed and eaten on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here."

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - New Zealanders who for decades have endured jokes about being outnumbered 20-to-1 by sheep have a new farm animal majority to worry about: cows.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Conservative superstar Sarah Palin came in for ridicule from her critics, after published news photos showed her referring to talking points scribbled on the palm of her hand during a major speech.

ST. ANDREWS, N.B. - A tempest in a Tim Hortons decaf cup is brewing in New Brunswick.

CHICAGO - A pregnant Toronto woman received some help from Oprah Winfrey this week after her water broke during a taping of the talk show queen's program.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian performance artist set a new Guinness World Record on Monday by simultaneously swallowing 18 swords, each nearly as long as two and a half rulers.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A tourist who got lost on a New Zealand mountain was rescued after sending text messages to his family in Greece, newspapers and websites reported on Monday.

LONDON (AFP) - Election fever is mounting in Britain, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown is preparing himself for the campaign trail by eating up to nine bananas a day, a newspaper reported on Monday.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Alaska dentist has given a bald eagle a unique beak - using a temporary crown, sticky poster putty and yellow highlighter.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - She's known for making tough decisions, but top US diplomat Hillary Clinton divulged Sunday that she is still trying to decide what to wear to daughter Chelsea's wedding later this year.

KIEV (AFP) - Four young women naked from the waist up barged into a Ukrainian polling station on Sunday and held a rowdy protest just before a candidate in the country's presidential election cast his ballot there.

MIAMI (AFP) - A car-sized panel from a cargo jet fell out of the sky Friday and crashed into a mall parking lot in the US state of Florida, startling shoppers but causing no injuries or damage, the airline said.

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese authorities are trying to reassure amorous couples that sexy text messages will not land them in jail amid a crackdown against pornography on the Internet and mobile phones.

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian banker caught viewing risque photos of a top model on live TV can keep his job, the bank said, after the beauty backed an Internet campaign to support him.

CHICAGO - A pregnant Toronto woman received some help from Oprah Winfrey this week after her water broke during a taping of the talk show queen's program.

BELFAST (AFP) - Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson joked Friday that if negotiating were an Olympic sport, the province's politicians would win the gold medal.

RIGA (AFP) - A former Red Army garrison town deserted since Moscow's troops left the ex-Soviet republic of Latvia a decade ago Friday was auctioned off to a Russian firm for 10 times its list price, authorities said.

SKRUNDA, Latvia - Latvia on Friday sold a deserted town built around a Soviet-era radar station to a Russian investor who bid $3.1 million at an unusual auction, officials said.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian banker who became an internet sensation after he was caught on live television viewing images of a scantily clad supermodel on his computer will keep his job, Macquarie Bank said Friday.

NEW YORK - A New York City middle school student has been arrested for doodling on her desk with a marker.

BARRINGTON, R.I. - A man who says he couldn't afford medical care for his dog has been charged with illegally operating on the pet.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century.

LONDON (AFP) - Drunken pub fights in Britain are set to get safer with the invention of a strengthened beer glass that health authorities hope will cut the huge bill for treating inebriated brawlers.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Men At Work singer Colin Hay on Friday hit out at a court case which found his iconic "Down Under" anthem plagiarised a well-known Girl Guides ditty, describing it as "opportunistic greed".