Most Emailed - Odd News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rather than spending Valentine's Day with their partner, one fifth of adults would prefer to be with their pet, although the French still came top for romance, according to a joint global poll by Reuters/Ipsos. Full Story »

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government is mulling whether to slap restrictions on horror thriller "Paranormal Activity" after some movie-goers suffered panic attacks, sparking protests by children's and consumer groups. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - French celebrity intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy has been caught red-faced quoting a "Botulist" philosopher who, it turns out, was invented as a joke by a journalist from a satirical weekly. Full Story »

FLINT, Mich. - Authorities said a man accused of stealing a car then reporting it stolen remains in custody after telling police he was robbed at gunpoint while trying to buy crack cocaine with a credit card. The Flint Journal said the man reported Thursday night that a 2003 Chevy Malibu had been stolen. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Beer drinkers now have a good excuse to order another round -- the brew may help keep bones strong, a study has found. Full Story »

DUBAI (Reuters) - A traditional Emirati restaurant in Dubai has added a new entree to its menu billed as a fat-free choice for carnivorous but health-conscious diners: the Camel Burger. Full Story »

TOLEDO, Ohio - A strip club in Ohio has raised $1,000 for Haitian earthquake relief during what was billed as "Lap dances for Haiti." Marilyn's on Monroe in Toledo donated the $10 cover charges collected Saturday to ISOH (I-S-O-H)/IMPACT, an organization based in suburban Perrysburg that provides food and clothing for Haiti. Full Story »

BERLIN (Reuters) - A thief in the German town of Hamelin robbed an amusement arcade by threatening the attendant with a cup of coffee, authorities said on Tuesday. Full Story »

SHORELINE, Wash. - Sheriff's deputies said a 17-year-old boy crashed his parents' car through the doors of Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, then drove it down the hall. The car finally stopped 75 yards later when it hit a security office. Two school workers were still on the property and heard the crash. Full Story »

NEW CASTLE, Del. - New Castle County Police said a man pointed a gun at a neighbor who was shoveling snow on Saturday at the Hampton Walk Apartments. A man told police a neighbor came outside while he was shoveling, pointed a gun and threatened to shoot him if he didn't stop shoveling snow onto his car. Full Story »

PORT BLAIR, India (Reuters) - One of the world's oldest dialects, which traces its origins to tens of thousands of years ago, has become extinct after the last person to speak it died on a remote Indian island. Full Story »

ROANOKE, Va. - A Roanoke man claims sheriff's deputies beat him in the city jail because of his burping. Thomas Scott Vandegrift made the allegations in a federal lawsuit filed last week against several deputies, the city, the sheriff's office and the sheriff. According to the lawsuit, the deputies were annoyed by Vandegrift's burping, which was caused by acid reflux. Full Story »

SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - British broadcaster ITV pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and was fined by an Australian court on Monday after a rat was killed and eaten on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here." Full Story »

BERLIN (Reuters) - A thief in the German town of Hamelin robbed an amusement arcade by threatening the attendant with a cup of coffee, authorities said Tuesday. Full Story »

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese woman is seeking extensive plastic surgery to look like U.S. actress Jessica Alba, mainly because she hopes to win back her boyfriend who she said always wished she looked more like the Hollywood star. Full Story »

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A 62-year-old sledder looking for a burst of power got it when the homemade rocket strapped to his back exploded, burning him over nearly 20 percent of his body. Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said the man, whose identity hasn't been released, was hospitalized in stable condition Monday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A red-faced banker has been caught looking at racy near-nude photographs on his computer, with his actions broadcast live on Australian television. Full Story »

MADISON, Wis. - Authorities say a drunken man stole an ambulance from a Wisconsin ski area with the patient and paramedics still inside. The Dane County Sheriff's Department says emergency responders were treating a patient in the back of the ambulance at the Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area in Mount Horeb on Monday night. They say a 24-year-old Illinois man got into the vehicle and drove it around the parking lot. Full Story »