The Other Side of Life 24/7: Reuters Oddly Enough Report

04/11/2013

Rue Margaret Thatcher in Paris? Pourquoi pas, some ask

PARIS (Reuters) - Right in the heart of Paris, sandwiched between the Champs-Elysees and the River Seine, sits Avenue Winston Churchill.

Brazen theft from Parisian bridge baffles city

PARIS (Reuters) - The gilded Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris has lost some of its sparkle after thieves made off with the historic monument's bronze plaques in the latest theft from a Parisian landmark.

Finland apologizes for "incorrect" Putin blacklisting

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after its police accidentally put him on a blacklist of people with connections to criminal activity.

Bookmakers slash odds on Alexandra for UK royal baby name

LONDON (Reuters) - Bookmakers have sharply cut the odds that Britain's royal baby due in July will be called Alexandra after a flurry of betting.

Luck of the draw for Thai army recruits

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Winai Sawaengkarn closes his eyes before reaching into a wooden box and drawing a black card. He beams, and his watching mother sweeps him up into a tight embrace, overjoyed that he will not have to serve in the army.

Louvre Museum shuts for day as guards protest pickpockets

PARIS (Reuters) - Tourists caught no glimpse of the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory or Venus de Milo on Wednesday due to a one-day closure of the Louvre, as guards protested that pickpockets were rampant at the world's most visited museum.

Maine "hermit" arrested, accused of hundreds of food thefts

BOSTON (Reuters) - A Maine man who walked into the woods shortly after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident and lived as a hermit for almost three decades, supporting himself by stealing from nearby camps, was arrested last week, police said on Tuesday.

Fake dead girlfriend wins NCAA basketball tournament prediction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A business analyst from Virginia beat out 8.15 million other entries to win ESPN's annual prediction contest for the NCAA basketball championship - but has gained more attention for the handle he created than his powers of prognostication.

Mali to give France new camel after first one is eaten

BAMAKO/PARIS (Reuters) - Malian authorities will give French President Francois Hollande another camel after the one they gave him in thanks for helping repel Islamist rebels was killed and eaten by the family he left it with in Timbuktu, an official in Mali said.

Man pleads not guilty in sexual bribes case

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singapore businessman accused of bribing three Lebanese soccer match officials with prostitutes has been released on bail after he entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday.