Oddly Enough News Headlines - Yahoo! News UK

Guards strike, inmates set free at Norway prison

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:34:22 +0100

OSLO (Reuters) - Convicted sex offenders and violent criminals were let loose from a Norway prison this week when guards went on strike, forcing authorities to free 52 inmates, officials said. "Some of these are prisoners convicted for violence, drugs, economic crime and sex crimes," Harald Aasaune, the manager of the Bjoergvin prison outside Bergen, said on Friday. "Bjoergvin is an open prison, but still, many of them are sitting in relatively long sentences," he added. "I don't think this has ever happened before. ...

With ostriches and chess, US campaign ad goes viral

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:27:05 +0100

Politicians are famous for tooting their own horns, but not many would offer up riding an ostrich as a qualification to be elected to a congressional seat.

Socrates acquitted in ancient trial re-run

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:38:44 +0100

Judges narrowly acquitted Socrates, the philosopher whose teachings earned him a death sentence in ancient Athens, in a retrial Friday billed as a lesson for modern times of revolution and crisis.

Mezcal seized at Mexican Cannes party

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:08:19 +0100

Police raided a glitzy Cannes party thrown by Mexico's Palme d'Or contender Carlos Reygadas, seizing a shipment of the traditional alcoholic drink mezcal, one of his producers said Friday.

Pop diva goes Gaga for Thai 'ladies'

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:02:11 +0100

Lady Gaga met Thai 'ladies' of a different kind at a transvestite cabaret show in Bangkok that had the flamboyant entertainer singing along, club management said Friday.

Japanese man cooks, serves own genitals

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:16:50 +0100

A Japanese artist cooked his own genitals and served them to five paying diners in Tokyo to cover the medical costs, in a bizarre act to raise awareness about sexual minorities.

Japan's AWOL penguin back in captivity

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:49:49 +0100

A penguin on the run from a Tokyo aquarium since early March was adjusting to life back on the inside Friday after being recaptured on a riverbank.

Bolivia leader hopes policies remain for 500 years

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:40:16 +0100

Bolivian President Evo Morales, who has been in power since 2006, said he hoped his leftwing, nationalist policies would stay in place for "more than 500 years."

Fugitive Penguin P-P-Picked Up After Zoo Dash

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:16:52 +0100

A penguin that escaped from a Japanese zoo has been recaptured after 82 days on the run.

Phony 'dying bride' ordered to repay victims

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:20:04 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York bride who faked having terminal cancer to swindle well-wishers into funding her dream wedding and honeymoon to the Caribbean on Wednesday was ordered to repay more than $13,000 (8,200 pounds) to her victims, prosecutors said. Jessica Vega, 25, pleaded guilty last month to fraud and forgery charges for deceiving people in the Hudson Valley area of New York into thinking she had only a few months to live, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said. ...

Unabomber can't make Harvard reunion, sends update

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:18:43 +0100

BOSTON (Reuters) - The 50th reunion for Harvard's University's undergraduate class of 1962 took a strange turn when Ted Kaczynski, the year's most infamous graduate, sent in a status update that was published in the alumni book. Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, was convicted in 1998 of killing three people and injuring 23 others in a mail bombing campaign against modern technology that was waged for almost two decades. ...

Lego Queen Elizabeth with diamond crown unveiled

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:55:58 +0100

A Lego model of Britain's Queen Elizabeth complete with a diamond-encrusted crown is to go on display in time for the diamond jubilee.

Reagan blood auction scrapped as vial donated

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:16:59 +0100

An auction house announced Thursday it had withdrawn from sale a vial said to contain blood taken from late US president Ronald Reagan after he was shot in 1981.

Citta the elephant to sniff out Euro 2012 wins

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:01:17 +0100

An elephant in Poland is set to sniff out winners in the Euro 2012 football championships, using her trunk where Germany's Paul the Octopus used his wily arms to prophesy for the 2010 World Cup.

Head In The iClouds: 'Phone Thief' Shares Pics

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:43:38 +0100

A woman has alleged that a man who stole her smartphone gave his own game away after he accidentally shared photos with her that he had taken after the crime.

Auction Of 'Ronald Reagan's Blood' Called Off

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:38:27 +0100

An auction house has called off the sale of a vial of blood said to be from Ronald Reagan after the late US president's foundation and his family expressed outrage.

Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:29:02 +0100

Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead.

Spanish Eurovision singer urged to go for 'nul point'

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:20:33 +0100

Spanish public television directors urged the country's Eurovision Song Contest entry not to win this weekend's event because they would not be able to afford to stage it next year if she did.

Mutts race for Cannes top dog award

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:15:25 +0100

After last year's triumph for a terrier who went on to Oscar glory with "The Artist", the 2012 pack of celluloid canine talent was looking strong Thursday for Cannes' unofficial Palm Dog award.

Video: Tornado causes wedding ceremony distraction

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:11:05 +0100

Even a spell of extreme weather couldn’t stop this couple from tying the knot.

Skydiver Becomes First To Land Without Chute

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:20:18 +0100

A stuntman has entered the history books to become the first skydiver to land safely without using a parachute.

F1 stars swap overalls for aprons in cook-off

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:59:50 +0100

Formula One drivers Romain Grosjean and Jenson Button swapped helmets and overalls for chef's hats and aprons here Wednesday in a cook-off to mark the publication of a recipe book compiled by tyre manufacturer Pirelli.

Shorter recruits demand rights in Italy forces

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:12:58 +0100

It won't be size that matters any more for Italian soldiers and policeman but their strength, according to a draft law soon to be adopted by parliament, the Corriere della Sera said Wednesday.

Storm drenches Russian PM's 'cowboy' meeting

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:01:50 +0100

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev cut short a meeting Wednesday as wind nearly collapsed the pavilion where it was held, forcing his delegation to run through the storm for shelter.

You won't catch me on the ice or the ballpark: Bolt

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:09:43 +0100

Usain Bolt has vowed not to swap his sprinting spikes for a pair of skates after news that Jamaica had been accepted as a member nation of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Grannies Woo Eurovision With Housework Song

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:26:46 +0100

A Russian octet of folk-singing grannies from a remote village in the Ural mountains will attempt to conquer Eurovision in Azerbaijan this weekend - with a song about housework.

Border patrol nabs fake UPS truck skirting checkpoint

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:33:35 +0100

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - U.S. border patrol agents found 13 illegal immigrants in the back of a fake UPS van after they noticed the brown vehicle with yellow insignia trying to circumvent a highway checkpoint, the agency said on Tuesday. The agents arrested the passengers, identified as Mexican citizens without legal immigration documents, at an inland checkpoint on Friday on the dusty Highway 111, about 50 miles by car from the U.S.-Mexico border. The driver of the replica mail delivery van, a 21-year-old U.S. ...

Reveal tattoos or forget promotion, says Japan mayor

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:01:48 +0100

The mayor of one of the largest cities in Japan, where body art is associated with gangsters, has told municipal workers to forget about promotion unless they reveal whether or not they have a tattoo.

Mountain Lion Wanders Into LA Shopping Area

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:54:12 +0100

A mountain lion was shot dead by authorities in the western outskirts of Los Angeles after it strayed near a popular shopping street.

Boy Saved After Riding Into Rush Hour Traffic

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:47:59 +0100

A three-year-old was rescued by a police officer after riding his toy motorbike down a bustling road in China during rush hour.

Keep calm and tweet: Bulgarians turn to blogs for quake info

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:38:42 +0100

Twitter's ubiquitous "Keep calm and tweet on" poster caption acquired new meaning for quake-hit Bulgarians Tuesday.

Racy Zuma painting vandalised in S. Africa gallery

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:51:21 +0100

Two men on Tuesday vandalised a portrait of President Jacob Zuma posing as Vladimir Lenin with his genitals exposed in a Johannesburg gallery, prompting the curator to take down the painting.

Fury Over UK Auction Of 'Ronald Reagan's Blood'

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:39:27 +0100

The charitable foundation of late US president Ronald Reagan has condemned a British auction house for selling a vial that purportedly contains his blood.

Outrage after father’s "prank" leaves child stuck in tumble dryer

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:21:41 +0100

A toddler was locked in a tumble dryer as it whirred into action - after a father’s “prank” backfired.

Drugs Worth £1.9m Found Floating Off US Coast

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:59:15 +0100

US coastguards have recovered more than four tons of marijuana floating off the coast of California, in the US.

Boy Rescued From Edge Of 270ft Waterfall

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:44:49 +0100

A teenager has been rescued in a dramatic operation after clinging for hours to a rock shelf to stop himself being swept over a 270ft waterfall.

Are sweaty brokers more ethical?

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:05:21 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - If you want to know how ethical your broker is, give them a moral dilemma and see how much they sweat before deciding what to do. It's quite a jump from the laboratory to real-world decisions about asset management but British researchers have found that gut feeling can override rational thought when people are faced with financial offers that look unfair. Even when we could benefit, a physical response like sweating can make people reject a financial proposition they consider to be unjust. The key is how tuned in they are to their own bodies. ...

Fired for being "too hot," New Jersey woman claims

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:17 +0100

(Reuters) - A New Jersey woman said on Monday that she was dismissed from a temporary job at a New York lingerie warehouse because her male employers felt she was too busty and dressed too provocatively for the workplace. Wearing a form-fitting sequined black dress and black leather, sequin-studded boots, Lauren Odes, 29, said her Orthodox Jewish employers at Native Intimates told her that outfit and others like it were "too hot" for the warehouse. "We should not be judged by the size of our breasts or the shape of our body," Odes said. ...

Sea weed: marijuana found floating off US coast

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:15:06 +0100

US coast guards have recovered more than four tonnes of marijuana -- 160 bales -- floating off the coast of California, in a mystery incident, police said Monday.

Faux pas? French president late for NATO talks

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:47:18 +0100

New French President Francois Hollande was late for a very important date Monday, when he missed the start of a NATO summit and had to sneak into the talks 15 minutes after they started.