Yahoo! Canada News: Odd News

Ohio township to feds: We don't want your money

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:21:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - CLEVELAND - The U.S. federal government isn't used to being snubbed when it offers to help local governments.

American tourist joins pandas in 'surreal' earthquake ordeal

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:15:00 GMT

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - An American tourist who survived China's deadly earthquake says he is not only lucky to be alive -- he had a "surreal" experience of sharing the moment with giant pandas.

Half-eaten Snickers bar implicates hungry burglar in Arkansas

Fri, 16 May 2008 21:02:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - JONESBORO, Ark. - Police in Arkansas say DNA found on a half-eaten candy bar helped them zero in on a robbery suspect.

Defence minister laces on rugby boots for Nova Scotia Keltics

Fri, 16 May 2008 20:27:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - TORONTO - Peter MacKay will be looking to provide a different kind of defence Monday.

Couple get set to broadcast wedding to the world on the Internet

Fri, 16 May 2008 20:10:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - MONCTON, N.B. - While most grooms spend the day before their wedding double-checking their tuxedo, Serge Cormier was making sure his radio cables were in good working order.

Artist covers closed gas station with fabric to make statement

Fri, 16 May 2008 19:32:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - DEWITT, N.Y. - Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day.

Ohio man, jailed for allowing daughter's truancy, to be freed

Fri, 16 May 2008 18:59:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - HAMILTON, Ohio - A judge says he will release a man who was jailed last week for failing to ensure his daughter earns her high school equivalency diploma.

Bad bard William Topaz McGonagall beats J.K. Rowling in Edinburgh auction

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:33:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - EDINBURGH, Scotland - The vocabulary is poor and the rhyme excruciating but a collector paid $12,840 Friday for original works by William Topaz McGonagall, internationally celebrated as the worst poet ever to assault the English language.

Vivid blue, 3.7-carat diamond sells for almost $5 million at Swiss auction

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:34:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - GENEVA - A vivid blue, 3.7-carat diamond ring has sold for nearly $5 million at auction in Switzerland, becoming the priciest gemstone per carat ever.

Game of cat and mouse blacks out city

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:22:00 GMT

Reuters - TIRANA (Reuters) - A cat chasing a mouse in Tirana's main power station caused a 72-hour blackout across parts of the Albanian capital, the electricity company said on Friday.

Oh deer! Man cops wrath of amorous stag

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:21:00 GMT

Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man was gored in the thigh on Friday by an amorous stag after entering a deer paddock in the middle of the breeding season.

'World's worst poet' goes under hammer

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:27:00 GMT

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - A collection of poems by a Scottish bard dubbed the "world's worst poet" was to go under the hammer Friday, expected to sell for thousands of pounds.

Wisconsin man says he won't buy gas for 31 days, maybe longer

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:27:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Brian LaFave couldn't care less how high gasoline prices climb these days - he's parked his pickup truck and is refusing to buy gas for a month, possibly longer.

Ageing Aussies strip in pension protest

Fri, 16 May 2008 06:21:00 GMT

AFP - MELBOURNE (AFP) - Protesting pensioners brought traffic to a stand still in Australia's second largest city on Friday when some stripped to demand more money from the government.

Birmingham City boot boy given keys to Mercedes by team star Kapo

Fri, 16 May 2008 03:18:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - LONDON - A football trainee for the Birmingham City soccer team asked for a pair of shoes from midfielder Olivier Kapo to keep as a souvenir.

Giant pythons invade southeastern Florida: study

Fri, 16 May 2008 03:07:00 GMT

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - Giant pythons capable of swallowing a dog and even an alligator are rapidly making south Florida their home, potentially threatening other southeastern states, a study said.

Ken Griffey Jr. pays off debt to teammate Josh Fogg in pennies

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:34:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - CINCINNATI - Ken Griffey Jr. owed Cincinnati Reds teammate Josh Fogg US$1,500, and paying by cheque just wouldn't do.

Hummer drives on top of police car in Markham, Ont., after break-and-enter

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:06:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - MARKHAM, Ont. - Three people from the Toronto area are facing several charges after they allegedly fled a break-and-enter scene in a Hummer and then drove into a pair of police cars.

19 year old elected mayor of US city

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:01:00 GMT

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - It's certainly a good start: a 19-year-old political science student who dreams of becoming US president was elected mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma, beating a 70-year-old for the job, the city hall announced Thursday.

Year of the Rat causing China's tough year ahead of 2008 Summer Olympics?

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:59:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - BEIJING - Feng Shui master Raymond Lo says animal astrology could explain why China is off to a terrible start in 2008 - the long anticipated year of the Beijing Olympics.

World's smallest helicopter to fly at da Vinci's birthplace on May 25

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:49:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - TOKYO - A Japanese man who developed the world's smallest helicopter plans a demonstration flight in the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci later this month.

Russian scientists announce 'spaceroach' grandchildren: report

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:18:00 GMT

AFP - MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian space scientists announced on Thursday a new breakthrough in a long pedigree of firsts: the birth of 30 grandchildren of a "space cockroach" who spent 12 days in orbit.

Romanians find bears seeking food in building

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:59:00 GMT

AFP - BUCHAREST (AFP) - A female bear and her cub gave residents in Romania a fright Thursday when the beasts climbed up to the third floor of a building to look for food, images on Realitatea television showed.

Inmates showcase designs at prison show

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:25:00 GMT

Reuters - MILAN (Reuters) - The models are strutting past and the celebrities are carefully eyeing the collections, but it's not at every fashion show that you see prison guards by the catwalk.

Wedding day fireworks land groom in jail

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:23:00 GMT

Reuters - ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Bridegroom Kedir Mohamed wanted his wedding day to go with a bang and decided to celebrate by letting off firecrackers after the ceremony.

"No, after you - I'm just here to rob the place!"

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:23:00 GMT

Reuters - SYDNEY (Reuters) - A man politely waited his turn in a queue at a busy central Sydney post office before jumping over the counter, grabbing money from two tills and running off, police said on Thursday.

Icelandic museum offers long and short of male organ

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:22:00 GMT

Reuters - HUSAVIK, Iceland (Reuters) - Sigurdur Hjartarson is missing a human penis. But he's not worried: four men have promised to donate theirs to him when they die.

Egypt millionaire fraudster jailed for a millennium

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:27:00 GMT

AFP - CAIRO (AFP) - An Egyptian man was sentenced to 1,000 years behind bars on Thursday after scamming hundreds of people out of 280 million pounds (around 52 million dollars), a court official said.

Hungry bear and cub take refuge on roof of 4-storey building in central Romania

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:44:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - BUCHAREST, Romania - A couple of bears caused quite a stir Thursday in the central Romanian city of Brasov.

Australian suburb goes to pot as police raid 'cannabisville'

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:57:00 GMT

AFP - SYDNEY (AFP) - A Sydney suburb has been dubbed "cannabisville" after police found four apparently normal family homes were actually marijuana hothouses containing vast quantities of the illegal drug.

Portuguese PM under fire for smoking during a flight

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:52:00 GMT

AFP - LISBON (AFP) - Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates Thursday offered an apology for lighting up in a plane while travelling to Venezuela for an official visit and said he would try and kick smoking.

Michigan Girl Scout sells 17,328 boxes of cookies

Thu, 15 May 2008 02:07:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - DETROIT - A Girl Scout sold 17,328 of the group's signature cookies this year by setting up shop on a street corner, shattering her troop's old mark and probably setting a national record.

Giant beetles found inside package at Pennsylvania post office

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:17:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Customs agents seized more than two dozen giant beetles - some the size of a child's hand - from an overseas package after postal workers heard the insects making scratching noises.

Montreal journalist defends his slobby lifestyle in 'My Messy Life'

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:46:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - TORONTO - Josh Freed, a Montreal journalist and admitted slob, doesn't deny his documentary about being messy is somewhat self-serving.

Chicago lifts ban on foie gras

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:42:00 GMT

AFP - CHICAGO (AFP) - The city of Chicago on Wednesday lifted a two-year ban on the sale of the French delicacy foie gras.

Detroit Symphony hopes robot conductor will fire up students

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:35:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - DETROIT - Classical music enthusiasts long have sought to drum up support for the musical genre among young people, and now they have a secret weapon: the 4-foot-3, childlike robot ASIMO.

New York taxi driver fined for foul-mouthed tirade against fellow cabbie

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:28:00 GMT

The Canadian Press - NEW YORK - New York's reputation for foul-mouthed taxi drivers appears to be going the way of the checkered cab.

Skateboarder jailed in traffic row

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:40:00 GMT

AFP - OTTAWA (AFP) - A skateboarder was jailed Wednesday for refusing to stay off a Canadian city's streets, spotlighting how municipalities push people to walk or cycle more, yet often bylaws leash them to their cars.

Support melts away for wax British PM

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:31:00 GMT

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown received yet another blow Wednesday as the public voted by a landslide to keep him out of London's Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum.

Robot conducts Detroit orchestra

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:21:00 GMT

AFP - DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) - High tech met high art late Tuesday when a robot conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Green aliens, UFOs said to visit

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Aliens from outer space have been visiting Britain for years and UFO sightings doubled after the film Close Encounters was released in 1977, according to secret files collating reports by members of the public.

World's smallest helicopter to fly in da Vinci birthplace

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:13:00 GMT

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - The world's smallest one-man helicopter will soon take flight in the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, who is credited with having first thought of a vertical-flight machine, its developer said.

Justice minister probes elk killing in Polish capital

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:11:00 GMT

AFP - WARSAW (AFP) - Poland's justice minister Zbigniew Cwiakalski on Wednesday launched a probe into the killing of an elk wandering the streets of the Polish capital Warsaw the previous day, according to a radio report.

"Snake man" slithers out of prison cell

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - A man has escaped from his Austrian jail cell by squeezing through a food hatch in the door, police said on Wednesday.

Watchdog raps Skins over "orgy" poster

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:32:00 GMT

Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The advertising watchdog has banned a poster for a teenage TV drama series that featured a dishevelled, semi-naked young woman sitting on a bed, surrounded by couples apparently taking part in an orgy.

Solar bra brings conservation closer to the heart

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod.

Von Trapp's "Sound of Music" villa to become hotel

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:28:00 GMT

Reuters - SALZBURG, Austria (Reuters) - "The Sound of Music," one of Hollywood's greatest money-spinners, will scale new heights when the original von Trapp family villa near Salzburg opens as a hotel in July.

Some Rolling Stones with your wine, Sir?

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:11:00 GMT

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Music can influence the taste of wine, according to a new study Wednesday which suggests which songs go well with which types of wine.

Japanese city finds opium poppies grown for festival

Wed, 14 May 2008 05:48:00 GMT

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese city has been forced to destroy thousands of flowers grown for a local festival after a police officer noticed they were illegal opium poppies, an official said Wednesday.