■ United States
Hu promotes Starbucks
Less than 24 hours into his visit to Seattle, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) was already serving as a pitchman for the city's homegrown Starbucks Corp. Speaking to business executives, politicians and other dignitaries during a dinner on Tuesday at the home of Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, Hu expressed his desire to be a regular at the ubiquitous coffee-store chain. "Starbucks coffee shops have mushroomed in China's cities," Hu said through a translator. "If I were not serving in this office, I would certainly prefer to go into one of the coffee shops run by Starbucks," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd, which included Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz.
■ United States
Health work botched in Iraq
The US has botched efforts to improve public health Iraq and Afghanistan, missing a chance to gain support in those countries, an independent report released on Wednesday said. US reconstruction efforts in Iraq following the 2003 invasion failed to maintain and improve basic sanitation and provide safe drinking water in heavily populated areas, the RAND Corp report stated. This may have encouraged anti-American sentiment and sympathy for the insurgency, the nonprofit research organization said. "Nation-building efforts cannot be successful unless adequate attention is paid to the health of the population," said Seth Jones, a RAND political scientist and a lead author of the report.
■ United States
Quack jailed for assault
A 76-year-old man masquerading as a doctor who made the rounds of a neighborhood offering free breast exams has been jailed for assault, police said on Wednesday. Broward County police, north of Miami, said Philip Winikoff embraced his hobby with gusto, even carrying around a little black medical bag as he offered his unsolicited services. Finally when he approached a 36-year-old woman in an apartment building, "after touching the victim's breasts, Winikoff moved his hand to her genitals and further assaulted her," a police report said. She phoned police and he fled, only to try the same on another victim.
■ United States
Older men satisfied with sex
Around the world, middle-aged and elderly men tend to be more satisfied with their sex lives than women in the same age group, a survey released on Wednesday said. Substantial majorities of people who are married or who have a partner remain sexually active throughout the second half of their lives, according to a survey of 27,500 people aged 40 to 80 in 29 countries. "There was very little effect of age on sexual well-being," though other factors such as health problems or depression had a substantial impact, lead researcher Edward Laumann said in a telephone interview.
■ United States
Comedian least sexy
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of the Aflac Inc duck in television commercials for the insurer, was crowned "unsexiest man in the world" by an alternative newspaper on Tuesday. "The parrot-voiced, pickle-faced comic is to sexy what Kryptonite is to Superman," the Boston Phoenix wrote. New York Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson came in second followed by film critic Roger Ebert, television psychologist Dr Phil McGraw and Fox television co-host Alan Colmes. Actor Brad Pitt made the list, as the 100th-least sexy man. Osama bin Laden was number eight.
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