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US-ODD Summary
Airline crew bares all to get flyers' attention
WELLINGTON - 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. The national carrier's safety video for domestic services on its Boeing Co 737 planes show pilot and cabin crew dressed only in body paint.
Guns and booze don't mix, lawsuit argues
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - 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. Randy Rayburn, owner of three top-rated restaurants in Nashville, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging the state law's constitutionality, arguing it creates a public nuisance by threatening the safety of the public.
Housewife first up for 100-day "live sculpture"
LONDON - 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. "One & Other" is a work devised by sculptor Antony Gormley for the square's empty plinth, now a platform for temporary works of art.
"Great Train Robber" is refused parole
LONDON - "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." Justice Secretary Jack Straw said he had rejected the Parole Board's recommendation to allow Biggs, 79, to be released.
Fireworks spread terror in war weary town
GOMA, Congo - Independence day fireworks sent terrified Congolese sprinting for cover on Tuesday in fear that war had broken out again in their eastern city. Officials had organized the display in Goma to highlight efforts to end more than a decade of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to show a sign of normal life returning to the region, where a peace deal took hold in January.
Russia bans all gambling and shuts casinos
MOSCOW - 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. The July 1 ban shut gaming halls, from gaudy casinos crowned by extravagant neon structures to dingy dwellings containing a handful of slot machines.
Man had boss killed to save job?
MADRID - Spanish police have arrested a man whom they suspect hired a contract killer to murder his boss in a desperate bid to avoid being laid off, newspaper El Pais reported on Tuesday. The head of audiovisual services at the Barcelona International Convention Center contracted a Colombian man who shot and killed the director of the convention center on Feb 9, according to police.
Mosquito repellent firm in dock for mosquito breeding
COLOMBO - A Sri Lankan court threatened a mosquito repellent factory manager with six months in jail for failing to destroy mosquito breeding areas on company premises to stop the spread of dengue fever, an official said Tuesday. The Indian Ocean island nation is battling an outbreak of the mosquito-borne viral infection that has killed more than 150 people this year and infected 13,479 people, according to Health Ministry figures.
Daily sex makes for healthier sperm
LONDON - Having sex every day improves the quality of men's sperm and is recommended for couples trying to conceive, according to new research. Until now doctors have debated whether or not men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partner to improve the chance of pregnancy.
Slovak president forced off plane after warning
BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's president was evacuated from his official plane because of a telephone warning shortly before it was due to take off on Monday. Ivan Gasparovic's aircraft was on the runway ahead of a trip to the Czech Republic when the head of Slovakia's state security service ordered an emergency check of the plane, Interior Ministry spokesman Erik Tomas said.