■ Brazil
Heiress weds equestrian
Athina Roussel, billionaire heiress to the late Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis' fortune, married Brazilian equestrian champion Alvaro Affonso de Miranda in a sumptuous wedding held behind tight security in Sao Paulo on Saturday night. Up to 1,300 guests from around the world attended the event. The couple exchanged vows around 10pm and the party lasted until 4am on Sunday. Divorced Miranda, 32, who is known by his nickname Doda, was heard whispering "You are everything to me," to his bride.
■ United States
San Diego drops `finest' title
America's Finest City? For San Diego, not anymore. One of its congressmen admitted taking US$2.4 million in bribes, the FBI investigated city hall, the mayor resigned, a US$1.37 billion pension shortfall damaged the city's credit rating and fueled talk of bankruptcy, and two councilmen were convicted of taking bribes from a strip club owner. So the city has quietly dethroned itself and dropped the self-proclaimed title "America's Finest City" from its official Web site. "We couldn't stake that claim anymore," said Gina Lew, the city's director of public and media affairs. "We were taking too many hits." The San Diego Union-Tribune asked readers to coin a new slogan. Some of the 500 responses: "Scandalicious," "An Eruption of Corruption," "All Major Unmarked Bills Accepted Here," and "Bunglers by the Bay."
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