■ China
Third arm removed
Doctors yesterday successfully removed an unusually well-formed third arm from a two-month-old boy. Neither of the boy's two left arms is fully functional, but doctors decided to remove the one growing closer to his chest after tests showed it was less developed, said Chen Bochang, head of the orthopedics department at Shanghai Children's Medical Center. "The surgery was quite successful," Chen said following the three-hour operation. "Now we're just waiting for the patient to wake up." The boy, identified only as "Jie-jie," will require long-term physical therapy to build strength in the hand on his remaining arm, Chen said.
■ China
Street names sorted out
Shanghai is cleaning up its streets by renaming more than 372 of them in the suburbs that have the same names as those downtown, local media reported yesterday. The plan will also eliminate 154 small streets with duplicated names and merge them with major streets, reported the Shanghai Daily. "The duplicated street names have caused a great deal of inconvenience to locals and visitors," said Liu Bo, an official at the Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau, at a press conference. Though there are many duplicates in the metropolis of 20 million, there are 10 streets called Yucai and five Fumin Roads. The one in Jing'an district will keep its name, while four other Fumin Roads in two other districts will be renamed.
■ Hong Kong
Molestation poll panned
A radio station was under investigation yesterday for running a contest asking listeners to name the female celebrity they would most like to indecently assault. Two presenters on the city's Commercial Radio announced an Internet poll on a program for young listeners on Saturday asking them which of 20 singers and actresses they would like to molest. The list on the station's Web site included top female show business personalities including singers Kelly Chen and Miriam Yeung and the two singers who make up the Canto-pop duo Twins. Complaints about the contest have now been lodged with the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority.
■ Australia
Sex, death don't mix
Brothels and cemeteries don't mix and should remain at least 200m apart, a local government official said yesterday. Paul Pisasale, the mayor of Queensland state town of Ipswich, is part of a movement being led by the Urban Local Government Association to prevent brothels from being built near cemeteries. Prostitution is legal under certain circumstances. "There's a lot of families and services that are going on and the last thing you want is someone conducting a spiritual service and a cemetery reflection time for family and a brothel going on next door," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp radio yesterday. "It's totally inappropriate," he said.
■ Australia
Former politician guilty
Mark Latham, the former political star whose career flamed out after an election thrashing two years ago, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of malicious damage for smashing a photographer's camera. The former Labor Party leader was given a two-year good behavior bond over the incident involving a newspaper photographer who took pictures of Latham with his two young sons at a Sydney fast food restaurant.
■ United Kingdom
Butlers in the Buff a hit
Forget the quintessential image of the British butler as the epitome of discreet decorum. "Butlers in the Buff" has proved such a business success as half-naked waiters in the UK that the firm is now off round the world to market the ultimate "male order" service. The company, whose waiters wear only a bow tie, collar, cuffs and a bottom-revealing apron, is the brainchild of former Royal Marine Jason Didcott. Determined to find a tasteful alternative to strippers and pole dancers, he lays down strict rules -- each waiter undergoes a scrupulous police check and drink-fueled clients are firmly told to keep their hands to themselves. "What we are looking for is James Bond in a butler outfit. We want them to be cheeky but clean," he said.
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