■ UNITED STATES
Bulldog back in the top 10
The bulldog has charmed its way into the top 10 most popular breeds in the US after an absence of more than 70 years, the American Kennel Club said. The No. 1 dog remained the Labrador retriever for the 17th consecutive year. The thickset bulldog, with its low-slung body, sagging snout and wide shoulders, last made the Top 10 list in 1935, when it also placed 10th. "The bulldog is both docile and adaptive and can thrive in small or large homes," the Kennel Club said on Wednesday. "It's an excellent all-around family pet." With the ascent of the bulldog, the miniature schnauzer dropped off the list. The Labrador retriever was followed by the Yorkshire terrier, the German shepherd and the golden retriever.
■ UNITED STATES
Spanking verdict overturned
A Fresno, California, appeals court overturned a US$1.5 million verdict awarded to a woman who was spanked in front of co-workers in what her employer called a camaraderie-building exercise. A jury in 2006 had ruled that Janet Orlando had suffered sexual harassment and sexual battery when she was paddled at home security company Alarm One Inc. But on Monday, a three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeal overturned that verdict, ruling that the jury had been given improper instructions. Lawyers for Alarm One said that the spankings were not discriminatory because they were given to both male and female workers and that Orlando and others willingly took part.
■ UNITED STATES
MRSA riskier for gay men
Sexually active gay men are at much greater risk than heterosexuals of infection from a highly virulent bacteria that has proven resistant to most antibiotics, a new study released this week said. The research by the University of California in San Francisco found that the highly drug resistant "superbug" MRSA bacteria -- an acronym for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteria -- can be transmitted readily through homosexual intercourse, putting gay men at increased risk.
■ UNITED STATES
Cop loses pension case
A retired 225kg New York police officer cannot increase his pension check by blaming his disability on an accident, because a medical board had already found it was related to his obesity, a judge said. Paul Soto, 40, had requested a larger retirement pension, claiming that a fall at an apartment while on duty injured his knee and prevented him from full performance as a police officer. The Police Pension Fund medical board rejected the application and in May 2006 it recommended that he be allowed to retire with an ordinary disability pension, which pays an officer a pension of half his salary.
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