■ UNITED STATES
Rappers face rap
A home-made rap video landed two 20-year-olds in jail on terrorism charges because of lyrics describing how they were going to destroy their small town in Missouri and kill the bulk of the police force. The local prosecutor said the video, which had been posted on the file-sharing Web site YouTube, was more than just a couple of bored kids with "poor taste" trying to show off. "It just went too far," said prosecutor Steven Stevenson of Andrew County, Missouri. "Certainly there was probably cause to file the charges and that's the way you want to proceed," he said in a telephone interview yesterday.
■ UNITED STATEDS
Dry cleaners close shop
The owners of a dry cleaner who were sued for US$54 million over a missing pair of pants have closed and sold the shop involved in the dispute, their attorney said. The South Korean immigrants are citing a loss of revenue and the emotional strain of defending the lawsuit. They will focus their energy on another dry-cleaning shop they still own, said their attorney, Chris Manning. Soo Chung and her husband, Jin Nam-chung, faced more than two years of litigation after a former customer at Custom Cleaners alleged they had lost a pair of his pants, then sued for US$67 million under the city's strict consumer protection act.
■ CANADA
Moosehead beer stolen
Two tractor-trailers carrying 70,000 cans and 44,000 bottles of Moosehead Lager were stolen early on Wednesday at a transport company's facility in Mississauga, Ontario. "Moosehead drinkers in Ontario would be wise to stock up today," company spokesman Joel Levesque said in a statement. "We expect it may take until early next week to replenish the stolen beer." The beer company said the retail value of the load is US$197,000. This is the second time in three years that Moosehead has been hit with a major beer heist. In August 2004, a truck containing 50,000 cans of Moosehead Lager bound for Mexico was stolen. Only 14,000 of the cans were recovered.
■ UNITED STATES
Teacher sues school
A Portland, Oregon, high school teacher on Tuesday sued for her right to bring a gun into the classroom for personal protection, clashing with anti-gun advocates fighting for years to rid schools of weapons. The teacher, who has a legal permit to carry a concealed handgun, filed a lawsuit against the Medford school district in southwestern Oregon to overturn the district's rule that prohibits teachers from bringing a weapon onto school grounds. The standoff between the teacher and the school district has grabbed the attention of both sides of the national gun debate.
■ UNITED STATES
Lizard swallows lizard
Seven-year-old Finley Collins thought her pet 30cm bearded dragon might be giving birth when she noticed an unusual protrusion near the lizard's tail. But Finley's father, Jeff Collins, feared it might be something more ominous and rushed Mushu to an animal hospital, where a veterinarian pulled out a 17.75cm toy rubber lizard. "I've never extracted a lizard from another lizard before," veterinarian John Rossi said. Rossi had sedated Mushu and pulled on the protrusion. "The next thing I knew, I was seeing legs and a body and a head. It was very strange to be tugging on this thing," he said.
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