US-ODD Summary

Thief robs arcade with cup of coffee

BERLIN - A thief in the German town of Hamelin robbed an amusement arcade by threatening the attendant with a cup of coffee, authorities said on Tuesday. "He wasn't going to pour coffee over her, he was going to hit her with the cup," a spokesman for local police said.

There's only love at new supermarket

BEIJING, China - For Chinese singles in the market for love this Valentine's day, a Beijing supermarket may offer just what they're looking for. The "I'm Looking For You" market opened in November 2009, for the China's unofficial "Singles Day" which is marked on the 11th of that month.

Broadcaster fined over killing a rat on TV show

SYDNEY/LONDON - British broadcaster ITV pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and was fined by an Australian court on Monday after a rat was killed and eaten on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here." Italian chef Gino D'Acampo and British actor Stuart Manning were originally charged with animal cruelty last December after an RSPCA complaint over an episode filmed in Australia that involved killing and cooking a rat.

Tourist's texts to Greece save him in New Zealand

WELLINGTON - A tourist who got lost on a New Zealand mountain was rescued after sending text messages to his family in Greece, newspapers and websites reported on Monday. Marios Symeonidis was visiting Mount Ruapehu, home to New Zealand's largest skiing and snowboarding area, this weekend with a friend, but then lost his companion while taking photographs, website www.stuff.co.nz reported.

A tough act to swallow

SYDNEY long, at an outdoor event in central Sydney.

No dressing down for banker in TV supermodel email blunder

SYDNEY - An Australian banker who became an internet sensation after he was caught on live television viewing images of a scantily clad supermodel on his computer will keep his job, Macquarie Bank said Friday. "He will remain an employee of Macquarie," the bank said in a statement. "Macquarie and the employee apologize for any offence that may have been caused."

Critics trash McDonald's nationalist food bid

ROME and the meal's ingredients make up the colors of the Italian flag -- red, white and green.

Ancient dialect extinct after last speaker dies

PORT BLAIR, India - One of the world's oldest dialects, which traces its origins to tens of thousands of years ago, has become extinct after the last person to speak it died on a remote Indian island. Boa Sr, the 85-year-old last speaker of "Bo," was the oldest member of the Great Andamanese tribe, R.C. Kar, deputy director of Tribal Health in Andaman, told Reuters on Friday.

Woman seeks "Jessica Alba" makeover to win back lover

SHANGHAI - A Chinese woman is seeking extensive plastic surgery to look like U.S. actress Jessica Alba, mainly because she hopes to win back her boyfriend who she said always wished she looked more like the Hollywood star. The 21-year-old, who would only give her name as Xiaoqing, said she was devastated after she broke up with her lover, an ardent fan of the actress who has starred in hit movies such as "Fantastic Four" and "Into the Blue."

Camel burger newest "healthy" option on Dubai menu

DUBAI , the Local House restaurant offers a quarter pound camel burger, loaded with cheese and smothered in burger sauce, the Xpress weekly newspaper reported on Thursday.