Odd News

ZURICH (AFP) - A giant plastic statue of Michael Jackson has been unveiled in a village near the Swiss city of Zurich, ahead of a ceremony to pay homage to the late pop icon, an organiser said on Friday.

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police said on Friday they had foiled an Italian drug trafficker's plan to break out of jail in the Canary Islands using climbing equipment and a four-meter-long zeppelin.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists?

RIGA (Reuters) - Ready to give your soul for a loan in these difficult economic times? In Latvia, where the crisis has raged more than in the rest of the European Union, you can.

BERLIN (AFP) - A German gardener's house was left a smouldering wreck on Friday after he set it on fire while trying to get rid of the weeds with the help of a flame-thrower, police said.

BANGKOK (AFP) - A Thai thief broke into a house but promptly fell asleep inside before stealing anything and was eventually discovered by a housemaid on Friday morning, police told AFP.

PORTLAND, Oregon - An Oregon woman obsessed with bunnies has been ordered back behind bars after police found her in a hotel room with more than a dozen rabbits.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - New Zealand's national airline has adopted a cheeky way to encourage passengers to watch its in-flight safety video: The cabin crew's uniforms are nothing but body paint.

ELGIN, Illinois - Police in suburban Chicago say a taxi driver who didn't have Mace handy when he was attacked by a knife-wielding passenger instead disarmed the man with a can of aerosol deodorant.

WASHINGTON - Like the wool sweater that emerges from the dryer a size too small, global warming seems to be shrinking sheep.

NEW YORK - A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started.

ADELANTO, Calif. - The Lake Elsinore Storm and High Desert Mavericks combined for 51 runs and 57 hits in a California League game Sunday, won 33-18 by the Storm.

SAN DIEGO - Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame.

TORRINGTON, Connecticut - A group of teenagers misunderstood a woman's screams during sex and, thinking they were stopping an assault, beat a 25-year-old man in her bedroom, police said.

CAPE TOWN (AFP) - Tea, water and biscuits are on South Africa's recession menu to replace lavish meals at some government meetings as the belt is tightened on public spending, a spokesman said on Thursday.

ROME (AFP) - A restaurant in Rome which presented a Japanese tourist with a bill for nearly 700 euros (980 dollars) after a meal with his fiancee has been closed down by the authorities, Il Messaggero daily reported on Thursday.

LONDON (Reuters) - "Great Train Robber" Ronnie Biggs lost his long-running bid for early jail release on Wednesday after the British government said he should not be allowed out on parole because he was "wholly unrepentant."

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - A well-known restaurateur is fighting back against Tennessee's newly enacted law that allows gun owners to bring their weapons into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

LONDON (Reuters) - A housewife from Sleaford in Lincolnshire will be the first of thousands of people to stand for one hour on top of a plinth in London's Trafalgar Square as part of a 100-day "live sculpture" exercise.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Air New Zealand has hit on a novel way to make sure even the most jaded flyers keep their eyes glued on its flight safety briefing.

WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealand's national airline has come up with an imaginative way of encouraging passengers to pay attention to the pre-flight safety video -- showing cabin crew in the nude.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - A cross-country US Airways flight was diverted to Albuquerque after a male passenger removed his clothing mid-flight.

KIRKWOOD, New York - State police say two men robbed a gas station and might have gotten away if they had also fueled up.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia closed down its casinos overnight as gambling was banned nationwide, a move the industry says could throw a third of a million people out of work.

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - Independence day fireworks sent terrified Congolese sprinting for cover on Tuesday in fear that war had broken out again in their eastern city.

MELBOURNE (AFP) - As Australia prepares to battle England for the Ashes, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd revealed Wednesday that his sporting hero did not hail from Down Under and had put Australia to the sword in the 1970s.

WARSAW (AFP) - Polish customs officers have intercepted a package posted from Hong Kong containing 39 scorpions -- 32 of them still alive -- addressed to a student in Poland's south-west city of Wroclaw.

KIEV (AFP) - Residents of a Ukrainian village want to rename it after the late pop superstar Michael Jackson, a lawmaker who represents the village told AFP on Wednesday.

LONDON (AFP) - A British pensioner and former boxing champion beat up a knife-wielding burglar who broke into his home, leaving him battered and bruised, newspapers said Wednesday.