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Extreme weather grips Europe

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Winter weather conditions were wreaking havoc across much of Europe Friday, with travel delays, school and public office closures and deaths, officials said. Central and Eastern Europe got the worst of the recent weather, with...

Internet users donate at least $1.2m to game development

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Internet donations to an online game that hasn't even been created yet reached $1 million in a single day, U.S. "crowd funding" entity Kickstarter said. The game, called Double Fine Adventure, had raised $1.2...

Reform of EU fishing quotas urged

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BRUSSELS, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Letting overfished fish stocks recover would, over time, help the European fishing industry earn more money and create more jobs, a study says. While the fishing industry is currently enjoying huge profits, a study released...

Early farmers may have impacted climate

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BANGUI, Central African Republic, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Present-day humans may not be the first to have affected world climate, researchers say, citing possible changes in Africa triggered by farmers 3,000 years ago. French geochemist Germain Bayon, writing...

Iran adds two news subs to navy fleet

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Iran said it has added two light submarines to its navy at a time when the country is threatening to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said the two Ghadir-class submarines were designed and manufactured...

Octopuses on diplay at SF aquarium

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Three rarely seen giant Pacific octopuses, caught by a crab fisherman, are now on display at San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay, marine biologists say. Every year the facility tries to persuade crab fishermen to donate...

Kodak exiting the digital-camera world

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. company Eastman Kodak, which recently filed for bankruptcy, says it will no longer produce digital cameras, which it invented in 1975. Kodak said it would also stop producing pocket-sized video cameras and digital...

Sample of hidden Antarctic lake presented

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A water sample from Lake Vostok, hidden under Antarctic ice for millions of years, has been presented to Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, scientists say. Russian officials confirmed Wednesday researchers...

Company tattoos hair onto bald men

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BIRMINGHAM, England, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A British company said it is opening salons across England dedicated to the tattooing the scalps of bald men to make it look like they have short hair. Company HIS Hair, or Hair-Ink-Skin, based in Birmingham, said...

Obama's campaign playlist posted to Spotify

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama's re-election campaign released the head of state's official Spotify playlist, including songs by No Doubt, Wilco and Aretha Franklin. The campaign posted the playlist for Spotify -- an online music...

Police: One-legged man hid cocaine in butt

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said they found cocaine in the buttocks of a one-legged suspect seen hopping away from a car. Jacksonville sheriff's deputies said they responded to a call about suspected drug activity inside...

Trump battles Scottish wind farms

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Scottish officials say Donald Trump's luxury golf development in Aberdeenshire can coexist with an offshore wind farm. First Minister Alex Salmond, in an interview Thursday night, said he expects wind farms and...

Russian engineer sentenced for spying

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A Russian engineer convicted of selling the CIA information on testing of strategic missile systems was sentenced in Russia to 13 years in prison for treason. Lt. Col. Vladimir Nesterets had worked as a senior testing engineer...

Tourists, police kidnapped in Sinai

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Three South Korean tourists and a guide were kidnapped Friday in the Sinai, Egyptian officials said. The abductions came a day after a Bedouin tribe in the region kidnapped 17 Egyptian border police officers, bikyamasr.com reported. The...

Tymoshenko officially begins 7-year prison term

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been moved from a detention center at a Kharkov penitentiary to a general ward to begin serving a prison term. The Ukrainian Penitentiary Service said the move Thursday...

India launches defense missile

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW DELHI, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- India says it has successfully test fired an interceptor missile designed to destroy incoming enemy ballistic missiles. The Indian-designed interceptor was fired from the Defense Research Development Organization's Integrated...

U.S green lights two new reactors

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the construction of two new nuclear reactors, the first to be built in the United States since 1978. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the construction and operating license...

Space tourism pioneer Robert Citron dies

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Robert A. Citron, a space visionary who helped commercialize space, had died in Washington, his family announced. Citron, 79, died Jan. 31 of complications of prostate cancer at his Bellevue home, his son Kirk told...

Artist slims down Renassance paintings

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ROME, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- An Italian artist says she is using a computer program to take Renaissance paintings of women and slim them down to the modern perception of the feminine ideal. Anna Utopia Giordano said she altered paintings including "Venus...

Puppy rescued from basement drain

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DETROIT, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Detroit said a puppy spent 12 hours stuck in a basement drain before it was rescued. Kevin Hatman, a spokesman for the Michigan Humane Society, said the group received a call around 8 a.m. Thursday from a...

Medvedev: Russian police reform working

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that reform has done much to purge corruption and abuse from the country's police force. The president said further change needs to be gradual, RIA Novosti reported, with the Interior...

Al-Qaida announces ties to al-Shabaab

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida says al-Shabaab, the Islamist group that has been fighting for control of Somalia for five years, is part of its network. Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a statement posted on the Internet on Thursday, Voice of...

Malaysia detains 'blasphemous' Saudi

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A Saudi national who faces blasphemy charges and possible execution in his homeland is likely to be returned there, Malaysian officials said Friday. Hamza Kashgari, 23, was arrested Thursday at the airport in...

Van-truck crash in Thailand kills eight

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BANGKOK, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A passenger van collision with a tractor-trailer in Thailand Friday killed eight Cambodians but the van's driver survived and fled, police said. Investigators said the driver of the van may have fallen asleep at the wheel and...

Raytheon receives additional sensor work

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has given Raytheon a contract modification for the Cooperative Engagement Capability sensor system, which detects and tracks air warfare threats. The contract from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command...

Store shutting down over BBQ smell

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LA GRANGE, Ill., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The owners of a boutique in a Chicago suburb said they are being forced to close down due to odors from the barbecue restaurant next door. Honor Lorenzini and Mary Kral, owners of the Urban Sole boutique in La Grange,...

Video: Man sent pictures of stolen panties

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BALTIMORE, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Police in Baltimore said they arrested a man accused of breaking into a woman's home, stealing her panties and sending her cellphone pictures of the underwear. The victim called police Feb. 2 and said she arrived home to...

Boko Haram suspect recaptured

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The top suspect in a Christmas Day bombing that killed at least 37 people in Nigeria was recaptured Friday after escaping police in January, officials said. Kabiru Sokoto, a member of the Islamic militant group Boko...

Women sue over hospital baby switching

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BELYAYEVKA, Russia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A lawsuit two Russian women filed against the hospital where they were born in 1975 accuses medical workers of switching them at birth. The women, identified in court documents as Arkhipova N.M. and Buanova O.V.,...

Russia asks for extradition deal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Russian officials Friday asked the United States to sign a bilateral extradition treaty or join existing international conventions. "The Justice Ministry proposes either signing bilateral treaties on the extradition of...

Russia shaken by teen suicides

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- At least five suicides among teenagers were reported this week in Russia, which has the highest rate of teen suicides in Europe, officials said. The latest death was reported when the Russian children rights commissioner said...

Putin bid said to have wide support

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- More than half of Russian voters surveyed said they support Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his bid to become the country's president. The survey, conducted by state-run pollster VTsIOM, found 53.3 percent of voters said they...

Activists arrested at Syrian embassy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ROME, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Activists who oppose the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested after trying to force their way into the Syrian embassy in Rome, officials said. Italy's ANSA news agency reported 12 demonstrators had tried to force...

Canadian census 'deletes' little village

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OTTAWA, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A village in Canada with a population of 34 is disputing its disappearance as reported in Statistics Canada's census figures released this week. The hamlet of Atwater, about 100 miles northeast of Saskatchewan's capital of Regina,...

Family of 5 killed in Canadian road crash

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PRINCE GEORGE, British Columbia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Five members of a Canadian family in an SUV were killed in a fiery head-on collision with a tractor-trailer on a central British Columbia highway, police said. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said...

Report: Cardinal predicted pope's death

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A reported cardinal's prediction that Pope Benedict XVI would die within a year is "incredible" and "I don't even want to address it," a Vatican spokesman said. Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo...

Police strike looms as Carnival approaches

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Government leaders in Brazil are facing a police strike in Rio de Janeiro less than two weeks before the country's internationally famous Carnival. Police officers in Rio voted Thursday to strike over wages, and the...

Prices moving up, OPEC says

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VIENNA, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Oil prices were expected to trend higher as an improved U.S. economy and geopolitical risk in the Middle East weigh on markets, OPEC said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in its monthly market report for...

Pipeline regulations worry U.S. leaders

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Companies drilling for oil and natural gas in the United States paid only a fraction of their overall profits for drilling violations, a panel found. A report from Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee said...

U.S. takes charge of Kimberly Process

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The Kimberly Process needs to adapt to changing political dynamics to improve transparency in the diamond trade, the U.S. chairwoman said. Chairwoman of the Kimberly Process Gillian Milovanovic said the certification...

Turkey: Gas flows from Azerbaijan resume

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A technical glitch that all but halted natural gas flows from Azerbaijan and Iran into Turkey this week has been fixed, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz says. Yildiz said Wednesday that equipment problems that resulted...

Putin wants to hear of ways to handle cold

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- All general services, including utilities, need to be prepared to handle the unusually cold temperatures in the region, the Russian prime minister said. Europeans are in the midst of a brutal cold snap, with hundreds of people...

U.K. takes the lead in offshore wind

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The largest offshore wind farm in the world sits beside 60 other turbines, a sign of Great Britain's position in the wind sector, a secretary said. British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey inaugurated...

EU, Turkey discuss natural gas ties

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- European and Turkish leaders aim to develop a road map for the safe transport of natural gas, visiting officials to Istanbul said. Gunther Oettinger, the European commissioner for Energy, joined Enlargement Commissioner...

Natural gas key to U.S. energy, mayor says

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Developing the U.S. natural gas sector is a way to safeguard the nation's energy security, the mayor of Pittsburgh said alongside the U.S. energy secretary. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu met with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke...

Venezuela clinging to PDVSA

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Any suggestion that Venezuela would privatize the country's oil sector by selling parts of the state-run oil company is unpatriotic, a minister said. Venezuelan Petroleum Minister Rafael Ramirez said opposition forces...

S. Korean firm lands oil deal with Saudis

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- South Korean energy company S-Oil announced it signed a 20-year crude oil supply agreement with the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia. S-Oil said the crude-oil supply agreement with Saudi Aramco would ensure...

'All options' on table in Solyndra probe

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The White House needs to come clean on bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra to ensure such "gross incompetence" won't happen again, a lawmaker said. House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee accuse...

Watercooler Stories

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Man charged for throwing pennies at car ASHLAND, Mass., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An Ashland, Mass., driver was arrested and charged for throwing a handful of pennies at another car, police said. Paul P. Castelli, 42, was angry at a driver who honked at him Tuesday...

Supreme Court dismisses Gilani appeal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Supreme Court Friday dismissed Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani's appeal of a contempt notice, clearing the way for filing of formal charges. A guilty finding on the contempt charge could result...

U.N. official urges restraint in Maldives

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MALE, Maldives, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- All sides in Maldives must exercise restraint, a U.N. official urged upon arrival at the troubled Indian Ocean island nation. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the United Nations assistant secretary-general for political affairs,...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Restaurant sells Valentine's 'Salamigrams' PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An Oregon restaurant is celebrating Valentine's Day by offering lovers the chance to have "Salamigrams" delivered to their sweethearts. Olympic Provisions in Portland...

The almanac

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Today is Friday, Feb. 10, the 41st day of 2012 with 325 to follow. The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius....

Syrian troops seal off, bombard Homs

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Syrian troops sealed off and bombarded a rebel stronghold in Homs as the international community struggled to confront President Bashar Assad. "The children will die here," Basil Abu Fouad, a resident of Homs'...

Student kills teacher at school in India

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CHENNAI, India, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A ninth-grade science teacher in Chennai, India, was stabbed to death by her 15-year-old student irate over her complaints to his parents, police said. The teacher, Uma Maheshwari, 41, who also taught Hindi language...

Maldives situation raises wider concern

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MALE, Maldives, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The Maldivian crisis has alerted neighboring India with its national security and defense officials holding meetings, sources told the Hindustan Times. The situation on the Indian Ocean island republic, with which India...

Muslim Brotherhood demands junta cede rule

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The Muslim Brotherhood about-faced and demanded Egypt's military give up government control immediately, as Egyptians planned massive anti-junta marches Friday. The demand and marches came ahead of Saturday's anniversary of Egyptian...

15 tons of meth worth $4B seized in Mexico

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Authorities in Mexico say they seized a record 15 tons of methamphetamine valued at $4 billion in one fell swoop. The drug bust Wednesday at a ranch outside Guadalajara was more than twice the amount of methamphetamine...

Flashfloods threaten quake-hit regions

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The central Philippines, hit by an earthquake that killed dozens and pounded by hundreds of aftershocks all week, was threatened by flash flooding Friday. Heavy rains lashed the Negros province, which took the brunt...

Hubble image captures puzzling star group

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GREENBELT, Md., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers say a distant galaxy puzzles them because it contains a high number of stars younger than their neighbors, which goes against current theory. The deep space object, captured in a Hubble space telescope...

U.N. concludes Year of Forests

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The United Nations is wrapping up its Year of Forests highlighting their social and economic value, officials at U.N headquarters in New York said. The Year of Forests was a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of...

Zebra stripes seen as bug defense

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A zebra's black and white stripes, puzzling biologists for centuries, may have been an evolutionary defense against biting insects, Hungarian researchers say. Adam Egri at Eotvos University in Budapest said he and...

9 sentenced in Britain for terrorist plots

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A British judge sentenced nine men to prison for planning to set up a terrorist training camp and bomb the London Stock Exchange. Four men -- Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, Shah Rahman, 28, Gurukanth Desai, 30, and Abdul Miah, 25 --...

Egyptians to protest year of military rule

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Egypt's rulers have deployed tanks and soldiers ahead of rallies planned to protest the slow transition to democracy since Hosni Mubarak's ouster a year ago. More than 120 labor groups and organizations have announced plans for...

Dempsey arrives in Afghanistan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey arrived in Afghanistan Thursday to assess the status of military operations in the region, the Department of Defense said. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be in the region...

Solar particles clues to sun's processes

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ROME, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Physicists in Italy detected low-energy neutrinos made by the sun, confirming one of the first possible steps that helps feed the sun's fusion, researchers say. The long-sought particles involved in the sun's thermonuclear reactions...

Largest lot of rare liquors up for $8M

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BREDA, Netherlands, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Dutch collector has said he's willing to sell his collection of rare liquors -- which he calls the world's largest -- for $8 million. Bay van der Bunt, 63, said because he and his wife do not have any children or...

Ex-B.C. premier guilty of defamation

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A civil jury Thursday found former British Columbia Premier Bill Vander Zalm defamed former provincial official Ted Hughes. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported the provincial Supreme Court jury delivered...

Process will turn waste food into new fuel

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STUTTGART, Germany, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Waste from wholesale markets, from mushy tomatoes to brown bananas and overripe cherries, can become fuel instead of just compost, German scientists say. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering...

'Ethical' iPhone petitions delivered

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Activists have delivered petitions to several of Apple's U.S. stories calling for more ethical standards in the creation of the company's popular products. A quarter of a million petitions were delivered to Apple's Grand Central...

Honduras inching back to economic recovery

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Honduras is inching back toward economic recovery and sees more international tourism as a way out of the crisis triggered by its June 2009 coup. Honduras depends heavily on tourism income, U.S. aid and preferential...

Photo shows lander on Mars from 2004

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

GREENBELT, Md., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the first color image from orbit of the three-petal lander of NASA's 2004 Rover Spirit mission, scientists say. Spirit drove off the Mars Expedition lander platform in January...

Global warming driving seals to dive deep

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BREMERHAVEN, Germany, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Higher ocean temperatures caused by global warming are causing elephant seals to have to dive deeper in their search for food, German researchers say. Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine...

Mexican cops arrested for shooting child

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JUAREZ, Mexico, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A 9-year-old boy was shot by police Mexican police officers who then arrested the boy's mother and tried to accuse her of attempted murder, prosecutors said. Sonia Tapia Cisneros was arrested Monday night in Juarez, Mexico,...

Editor: Hugh Grant smeared Daily Mail

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The top editor of the company that owns Britain's Daily Mail accused Hugh Grant on Thursday of trying to drag the newspaper into the phone hacking scandal. Paul Dacre, editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers, testified before...

New earthquake defense to be tested

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they're ready to field-test a new method of minimizing soil liquefaction in earthquakes to protect buildings and structures. Soil liquefaction occurs when loose, water-saturated soils lose shear strength...

Israel boosts naval forces in natural gas fields

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Israeli government plans to build a floating liquefied natural gas terminal with a sea-based defense radar system off its Mediterranean coast while forming a naval force to protect its rich offshore gas fields against...

Fish thought extinct caught in Tennessee

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NASHVILLE, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Tennessee fisherman says he was stunned when a blue walleye, declared extinct in the Great Lakes where it once thrived, was caught in a local lake. Overfishing through the 1950s wiped out the blue walleye species in its...

Black hole may be feeding on asteroids

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- NASA says data from its Chandra X-ray space telescope suggests the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be devouring asteroids. The vaporization of the asteroids as they are swallowed by the black hole,...

Putin suggests limiting holiday time off

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested Thursday reducing the number of days Russians have off for New Year's and Christmas and shift them to May. Putin proposed cutting off the New Year's holidays, normally celebrated...

Uganda introduces anti-gay bill

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Legislation in Uganda that could sentence gay people to hanging was condemned by Amnesty International on Thursday, a Ugandan newspaper reported. The bill, introduced in the Ugandan Parliament, proscribes sex between...

Iran may free ex-Marine in prisoner swap

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEHRAN, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Iran says it will hang a former U.S. Marine for alleged espionage, but his attorney says a prisoner swap with the United States could save his life. Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 28, a former U.S. Marine and dual citizen of the United...

New Russian radar to begin operating

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Russia says a new radar will begin operating this month near St. Petersburg as part of the country's missile early-warning system. The Voronezh-class radar comes as Russia overhauls its missile defenses in part because of what...

Russia to build powerful laser facility

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Russia intends to build the world's most powerful laser research station at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, a Russian nuclear official said. The station would likely be constructed near the Sarov Federal Nuclear Center in...

Microsoft takes next step toward Windows 8

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Microsoft has announced it will preview the consumer edition of Windows 8 in Spain as another step in preparing to release the new operating system. A "consumer preview" is the name Microsoft has given the beta...

'Survivor' invades Northwestern classroom

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., are learning about reality TV in a class set up like the CBS show "Survivor." The class, titled "The Tribe Has Spoken: Surviving TV's New Reality,"...

U.N. praises Libya's election law adoption

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TRIPOLI, Libya, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The adoption of new electoral laws in Libya is a key step to the country's transition to democracy, the U.N. political mission in Libya said Thursday. Reports indicate Libyan officials on Wednesday finalized the laws...

Food poisoning outbreak at rally

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CHILAPA, Mexico, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- More than 700 people attending a political rally in Chilapa, Mexico, suffered food poisoning, Guerrero state health ministry officials said. The cause of the food poisoning was unclear, CNN reported Thursday. The Tuesday...

2 dead in clashes in Yemen

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- At least two people were killed Thursday as separatists in southern Yemen protested this month's presidential election, witnesses said. Hundreds of people participated in the march in the city of Dhale, CNN reported. Witnesses...

Man charged for throwing pennies at car

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ASHLAND, Mass., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An Ashland, Mass., driver was arrested and charged for throwing a handful of pennies at another car, police said. Paul P. Castelli, 42, was angry at a driver who honked at him Tuesday and retaliated by throwing a handful...

Spanish judge guilty in wiretapping case

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MADRID, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A controversial Spanish judge was found guilty Thursday of ordering illegal wiretapping and suspended from the bench for 11 years. Seven judges on Spain's Supreme Court found Baltasar Garzon overstepped his judicial boundaries...

New supercontinent in Earth's future

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The earth's next supercontinent will form as North and South America fuse together and head for an eventual collision with Europe and Asia, U.S. scientists say. Researchers at Yale University have proposed a theory...

City won't recognize man's masculinity

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A former Marine's lawsuit against New York says a hospital mix-up listed him as female on his birth certificate and the city is refusing to correct the error. David Hassan, 29, filed a lawsuit in city Supreme Court saying the...

Runners race to top of Empire State Building

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The top runner in the race to the top of New York's Empire State Building scaled the 86 stories in 10 minutes and 28 seconds, organizers said. The race, organized by the New York Road Runners to raise funds for the Multiple...

Mixer heist gets mix of probation, service

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

HAWTHORNE, Calif., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An ex-mayor of Hawthorne, Calif., got probation and community service for lifting an industrial-strength mixer he said he needs for his industrial-sized bashes. Larry Guidi pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of...

Martha Washington's dress fabric for sale

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Officials with the Philadelphia-based Raab collection said they are selling a piece of fabric from one of Martha Washington's dresses. Nathan Raab, vice president of the Raab Collection, said the 5-inch-by-9-inch swatch...

Photo released in Mountie shootout

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a photo of a man suspected of being present when two Mounties were shot and a suspect was killed in rural Alberta. Investigators said they suspect 27-year-old Sawyer Robison...

Hate speech conviction backed by ECHR

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

SODERHAMN, Sweden, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The European Court of Human Rights declared Thursday the conviction of four Swedish men for hate speech was not a violation of their freedom of expression. The four men, ages 19 to 24, put about 100 flyers, referring...

Time capsule contents disappoint some

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ABINGTON, Mass., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Some residents of the three towns that used to comprise Abington, Mass., said they found the contents of a 100-year-old time capsule disappointing. Donald Cann, a local history expert in Rockland, which used to comprise...

Ugliest rat found in NYC subway

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A New York City subway passenger won a free monthly MetroCard Thursday for taking a picture of the subway's ugliest rat, officials said. Michael Spivack's photo of a brown-haired, boil-covered rat won the Transport Workers...

Naked man rescued from LA radio tower

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Authorities in Los Angeles said a naked man was lowered from a downtown radio tower in a makeshift pulley system. Police said the man scaled the 220-foot tower for unknown reasons around 4 p.m. Wednesday and began shedding...

Restaurant sells Valentine's 'Salamigrams'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An Oregon restaurant is celebrating Valentine's Day by offering lovers the chance to have "Salamigrams" delivered to their sweethearts. Olympic Provisions in Portland said customers can pay $75 for a three-stem...

Cat runs off in Michigan, found in Ohio

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CENTERVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A cat that escaped from its family while they were passing through Michigan was found in Ohio, its rescuer said. Everit Terhune, a longtime board member of the Humane Society, said he found the feline frightened and...

Kindergarten homework pictured gun

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A New York couple said they were shocked to see their 5-year-old's homework assignment included pictures of a gun and an armed robber. Lawrence Gillman and Takiema Reynolds said their daughter, Amanda, brought home a worksheet...

Arroyo allowed to stay in treatment

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PASAY, Philippines, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Former Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may remain at the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center for treatment, a judge ruled Thursday. The Commission on Elections petitioned for Arroyo to be moved to a regular...

U.S. airman sentenced to life in slaying

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OKINAWA, Japan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. airman in Japan was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole for killing a fellow serviceman, officials said. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Cron, 26, of the 733rd Air Mobility Squadron in Okinawa,...

Man brought pot to detention center

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JOLIET, Ill., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Authorities in Illinois said a 19-year-old visitor to a juvenile detention center was arrested when he pulled pot out of his pockets during security screening. Will County sheriff's deputies said Devante Saxton, 19, emptied...

15 1/2 pound baby born in China

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

XINXIANG CITY, China, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A set of parents in China said they expected a large baby, but they were shocked when their son came out weighing a potentially record-setting 15 1/2 pounds. Han Jingang and Wang Yujuan said they were expecting...

Flap over baby in Canadian parliament

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

OTTAWA, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A 3-month-old baby created a call for review of Canadian parliamentary rules and procedure after a female member was asked to remove her child. During a vote Wednesday in the House of Commons, Quebec MP Sana Hassainia of the...

Beijing tackles air pollution

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Beijing announced a series of measures aimed at reducing air pollution in the city, specifically targeting a reduction in readings of PM2.5, or fine particulate matter, in the air. Under the plan, Beijing hopes to reduce the...

Chicago sticker nixed over gang perception

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CHICAGO, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Chicago officials said they have yanked a 15-year-old's design for a city parking sticker due to the "perception" it may incorporate gang signs. Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza said Wednesday she was replacing the...

Rogozin: Streamline weapons procurement

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Russian Defense Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the country's defense industry must prepare for "brief and unpredictable" wars. Rogozin's comments came Wednesday at a meeting with defense industry officials, RIA Novosti...

Fourteen dead in Turkish clashes with PKK

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Thirteen Kurdish militants and one Turkish soldier died Thursday in clashes in Turkey's east and southeast, officials said. Cihan news agency said nine members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as PKK,...

Canada-China trade mission nets two pandas

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- China has officially endorsed lending Canada two endangered giant pandas as part of a major trade mission in Beijing, officials said. There were rumors before Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his wife and a large trade delegation...

Italian judge dismisses Berlusconi defamation suit

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MILAN, Italy, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An Italian judge has dismissed a defamation case that has ties to an alleged sex party at former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's villa in Milan. The judge dropped the case filed by Italian television personality Emilio...

HRW to Iraq: End executions, death penalty

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BAGHDAD, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Iraq should halt all executions and get rid of the death penalty, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Since the start of this year, Iraq has executed at least 65 prisoners, 51 in January and 14 through Wednesday, the international...

Gazprom reviews Nord Stream line 2

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PORTOVAYA, Russia, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The frigid weather gripping much of Europe indicates the importance of getting the second line of the Nord Stream pipeline running, a Gazprom official said. Vitaly Markelov, deputy chairman of the Gazprom management...

Critic: Obama pro-China on Keystone XL

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

HOUSTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is propping up the Chinese by his decision to thwart the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, a Texas lawmaker said. House Republicans inserted a measure into a bill extending payroll tax benefits...

Caracas backs Russian oil work

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Venezuelan government gave the go-ahead for the development of the Orinoco oil belt through a joint venture between Russia and a state oil company. A subsidiary of Gazprom in Latin America takes a 40 percent stake...

Pa. natural gas bill still controversial

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a measure that imposes a fee on natural gas drillers, though critics are still debating the issue. The state House of Representatives late Wednesday voted 101-90 on a measure that imposes...

EIA excited over so-called tight oil

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico will remain a key component of U.S. domestic energy production though so-called tight oil is making gains, the EIA said. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said it expected U.S....

South Sudan eyes new oil pipeline

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

JUBA, South Sudan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Texas company could start building an oil pipeline from South Sudan through Ethiopia to Djibouti within the next six months, a South Sudanese official said. Barnaba Benjamin, South Sudan's information minister, said...

Maldives tense, Nasheed faces arrest

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MALE, Maldives, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, ousted this week, faced arrest Thursday, his former foreign minister told the Wall Street Journal. The situation on the Indian Ocean island republic has grown tense since Nasheed,...

Suspected drone strike kills 4 in Pakistan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A suspected U.S. drone strike Thursday, the second in two days in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region, killed four people, Pakistani officials said. Two missiles fired by the drone targeted a suspected militant...

Iran's consumer base for oil shifting

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Though there's still a market for Iranian crude, some customers might not be insulated from international sanctions, an analyst said. Iranian crude oil deliveries to India were up in January more than 37 percent from December...

U.S.: Iran's gas to Pakistan 'bad idea'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. State Department official said Islamabad's decision to move ahead with a natural gas pipeline from Iran is "a bad idea." Pakistan is coping with a natural gas shortage by pursuing two pipeline options. Victoria...

MEND claims on attacks questioned

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ABUJA, Nigeria, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Nigerian militant group said a claim that it wasn't responsible for an attack on an oil pipeline is propaganda from state authorities. Nigerian news agency Vanguard this week published a statement from the Movement...

U.S. to invest more in solar power

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Putting $12 million in hardware and pilot projects in the solar power sector will provide much-needed stimulus to the U.S. economy, an official said. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the White House was putting...

Watercooler Stories

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

10 grenades found in home MIAMI, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Police called to a report of a fight between neighbors in Miami said they found cocaine, marijuana, 10 grenades and a pig in one of the homes. Miami police said officers arrived in the neighborhood around...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Officer chased himself for 20 minutes CHICHESTER, England, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Police in Britain revealed an undercover officer seeking a suspicious person reported by a CCTV operator turned out to be chasing himself. A senior Sussex police official told...

The almanac

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

Today is Thursday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2012 with 326 to follow. The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius....

Rebel leader, 13 others killed in Somalia

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- An al-Shabaab commander is suspected to have been killed in fighting in southern Somalia along with 13 underlings, the Kenyan military says. Kenyan Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said Wednesday it appeared al-Shabaab field...

China, India promise closer relations

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- China and India, who fought a war in 1962 over unresolved border issues, pledged to improve ties, Chinese media said on the visit of India's foreign minister. In a lengthy report on the trip of Indian External Affairs Minister...

Egypt: Investigation will continue

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- An investigation into foreign groups operating in Egypt that has trapped five U.S. citizens in the country will continue, the prime minister said Wednesday. At a news conference, the two investigating judges described the non-governmental...

Positive results sought from Xi's visit

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is expected to bring positive and practical results for the two countries, China Daily reported Thursday. Xi, likely to succeed Hu Jintao as China's next leader this year,...

'Virginity tests' trial moves forward

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CAIRO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Two female guards say a doctor who allegedly performed "virginity tests" on female detainees in Egypt was just trying to make sure they were not pregnant. The women testified Tuesday, denying the allegations of abuse...

2 Swede military cadets punished for prank

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Two cadets at a Swedish military training center created a horror dungeon to scare younger trainees as a "foolish prank," officials say. The two trainee officers were reprimanded, The Local reported. They...

Deadly European cold spell not letting up

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

PARIS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The deep freeze blamed for hundreds of deaths in Europe so far showed no signs of loosening its grip Wednesday, officials said. The cold has killed more than 300 people, mostly in Eastern Europe, various media have reported....

Swedish pickpockets hugging for loot

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Swedish police are warning residents and tourists to be on alert for a gang of thieves who pickpocket valuables while hugging their victims. The gang, which could include up to four men, have robbed more than 20 people...

Cyclist missing on Canadian lake

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KELOWNA, British Columbia, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Emergency workers searched a Canadian lake Wednesday after two ice fishermen reported a man on a bicycle went through the ice. The witnesses said the cyclist was traveling along Wood Lake, located between Kelowna...

Turkish couple accused of raping daughters

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

ANTALYA, Turkey, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A Turkish court Wednesday began hearing the case of a mother and father accused of sexually assaulting their two teenage daughters. The couple are also accused of forcing their daughters' friends to have group sex, Hurriyet...

British tweeter conviction upheld

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

DONCASTER, England, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A British court ruled Wednesday to uphold the conviction against a man who threatened in a Twitter post to blow an airport "sky high" if it closed. Paul Chambers, 27, was convicted of sending a message of...

Study: Neanderthals left a genetic legacy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

TEMPE, Ariz., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Neanderthals were not wiped out by modern human ancestors but more likely were integrated into the human gene pool thousands of years ago, U.S. researchers say. Responding to a growing ice age, Neanderthals and modern human...

Police: Fake cop got free hooker sex

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- New York police said they arrested a man accused of posing as a police officer and threatening to arrest hookers unless they gave him free sex. Police said William Taylor, 32, posed as an officer in the area near Stanley and...

NYC to pay $15M for loitering arrests

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

NEW YORK, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Lawyers say the city of New York has agreed to pay a $15 million to settle with 22,000 people arrested under a loitering law found unconstitutional. Katherine Rosenfeld, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the class-action suit,...

Giant whale shark washes up in Pakistan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

KARACHI, Pakistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Experts said the carcass of a giant whale shark that washed ashore at Pakistan's Karachi Harbor likely got lost and became trapped in the shallow waters. The cause of the animal's death was unknown Tuesday, but Muhammad...

Dubai trip 'rules' mistakenly go global

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LONDON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A group of British friends were left embarrassed when their list of tongue-in-cheek "rules" for their rugby tour to Dubai was sent to thousands of people. James Hill, a terrorism and political violence insurance broker...

Officer chased himself for 20 minutes

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

CHICHESTER, England, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Police in Britain revealed an undercover officer seeking a suspicious person reported by a CCTV operator turned out to be chasing himself. A senior Sussex police official told Police Federation magazine the camera...

Icelander films alleged legendary creature

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

EGILSSTAOIR, Iceland, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- An Icelandic man said he has captured video of a creature he believes is the legendary Lagarfljots Worm. Hjortur Kjerulf said he shot the video last weekend on the river Jokulsa i Fljotsdal, which runs into Lagarfljot...

Woman learns to love giant pet pig

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0200

LAUGHTERON, England, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A woman in eastern England says she has learned to love the giant porker she bought as a piglet believing it to be a micropig. Meeka now weighs upward of 200 pounds, The Sun reported. Janey Byrne of Laughteron, Lincolnshire,...