■ United States
Implant sold for US$16,766
A former stripper once cleared of battering a customer with her enormous breasts sold one of her silicone implants on eBay to the same company that recently bought a grilled cheese sandwich said to bear the image of the Virgin Mary. Internet casino company GoldenPalace.com won the bid for the infamous implant at US$16,766 on Saturday, according to the eBay Web site and the seller, known professionally as Tawny Peaks. She advertised a 69-HH bra size before her implants were removed in 1999. There was no word yet on what the online gambling company planned to do with the implant.
■ Dominican Rep.
Drinking contest goes bad
The 21-year-old winner of a competition to drink the most tequila died yesterday and three other contestants were gravely ill in the hospital, officials said. Ricardo Ivan Garcia drank more than 50 shots of tequila Sunday night at Santo Domingo's Blanc, Dance and Lounge discotheque to win the prize of 10,000 pesos (US$330) at a Mexican night celebration. But he was taken ill, hospitalized and died within hours, apparently from heart failure brought on by alcohol poisoning, said public prosecutor Jose Hernandez Peguero. Three other contestants remained in serious condition in the hospital, family members said.
■ United States
Thompson memorial held
Johnny Depp and Bill Murray, who both portrayed Hunter S. Thompson in films, joined Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson and others over the weekend to remember the gonzo journalist at a private memorial. Depp, who played the part of Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, read a passage from the book in which Thompson rues the end of the '60s, according to a Rocky Mountain News reporter. The reporter was given permission by Thompson's family after Saturday's memorial to report on the event. The eccentric Thompson, 67, shot himself at his home near Aspen on Feb. 20.
■ Norway
Tank makes wake-up call
Odin Viken woke with a start on Monday, fearing his house was being shaken by an earthquake. But it was actually a 23-tonne tank that had slammed into Viken's house at about 5:30am, the military said. The Norwegian tank, a CV-90 armored fighting vehicle, was part of the 15-nation Battle Griffin military exercise in western and northern Norway, a statement said. There were no injuries but the tank went through a wall and part way into the bathroom, Viken said. The military said the cause of the accident was being investigated. Viken said the driver told him that he lost control after the vehicle struck an ice patch.
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