■ Russia
Summer camp teaches theft
Police in Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin have discovered a mob-run summer camp teaching youngsters how to become thieves, a police spokesman said on Friday. The 30 teenagers were living in what at first looked like a perfectly ordinary summer camps, complete with tents and a field kitchen, but they were supervised by two criminals on probation. In addition to the fine art of stealing, the youngsters were taught the hierarchy of the underworld, and how to react in case they were arrested. Investigators were trying to find out who stood behind the camp.
■ Germany
Women like male-free life
More than 80 percent of single German women are perfectly happy living without a man and say they have more freedom to do what they want, according to a Stern magazine survey. Coming amid mounting political alarm about Germany's low birthrate and aging population, the survey of 1,003 women showed only 2 percent did not enjoy their solitary lifestyle and 36 percent said they opted to stay single because it was more fun. Thirty-six percent said that with no resident man they didn't have to endure watching TV sports.
■ Netherlands
Bird blasted for vandalism
A bird with a penchant for 17th-century Dutch art has paid the ultimate price for flying into a museum gallery and pecking a hole in a masterpiece. "We tried everything to catch the pigeon and called in experts to grab it, but in the end they had to shoot it out of the air," a museum official said. The other victim, Thomas de Keyser's 1633 painting of a civic guard gathering, was restored and put back on display on Thursday. "It's one of the more important civic guard pieces," said the official, referring to the city watchmen depicted in the work. "Luckily the hole was in a shadowy part of the painting and not in one of the guards' faces."
■ Canada
Postmen snap at dog treats
Dogs chomping on mail carrier-shaped treats is no laughing matter for Canada Post. The agency convinced Pet Valu stores to stop carrying dog biscuits that come shaped like cats and letter carriers. "This is not in any way, shape, or form funny for us, and to make light of that ... I don't see that as funny at all," said Canada Post spokesman John Caines. The store chain, which has 292 outlets in Canada, withdrew the treats after it received a protest from Canada Post.
RSS