Following is a summary of current odd news briefs: Absent Russia will win World Cup, 8 percent of nation say; Abercrombie shuts New York store due to bedbugs; Wal-Mart worker, fired for legal pot smoking, sues; Researchers seek Little Miss Muffets for fear study; Court throws the book at shoe-thrower
Absent Russia will win World Cup, 8 percent of nation say
MOSCOW – Eight percent of Russians believe their national team will win the World Cup, despite the fact that it never qualified for the tournament, an independent poll has showed. Russian pride was shattered when its team was denied a place at the world’s most-watched sporting event, currently underway in South Africa, when they were defeated by Slovenia in the qualifying stage.
Abercrombie shuts New York store due to bedbugs
NEW YORK – Teen apparel chain Abercrombie & Fitch Co has closed its Hollister store in New York City due to bedbug infestation. The store, in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, was closed on Wednesday, the company said. It said it was in the process of removing the bedbugs and hoped to reopen the store soon.
Wal-Mart worker, fired for legal pot smoking, sues
NEW YORK – A Michigan man has sued Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N> for firing him after he tested positive for medical marijuana he was using legally to treat pain from an inoperable brain tumor and sinus cancer. Joseph Casias, 30, said he was fired late last year after five years of employment at a Wal-Mart store in his hometown of Battle Creek.
Researchers seek Little Miss Muffets for fear study
VIENNA – An Austrian university is on the hunt for girls who recoil at the sight of spiders for research into how fear affects the processes of the brain. "The researchers are looking for girls aged between 8-13 years who are very fearful of spiders and/or who feel sick at the sight of them," the University of Graz said on its website.
Court throws the book at shoe-thrower
JERUSALEM – A man who threw a shoe at Israel’s chief justice, knocking her off the bench, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in jail. "This kind of incident must never happen again and this punishment is a warning to others," said Jerusalem magistrate Shimon Feinberg, sentencing Pini Cohen, 52, for the attack.
Lock of Napoleon’s hair sells for $13,000
AUCKLAND – A lock of hair cut from Napoleon Bonaparte’s head after he died has sold for US$13,000 at an auction in New Zealand. Extra phone lines were installed for the sale to cope with an expected rush of international buyers seeking to snip up the hair cut from the head of former French Emperor a day after his death in 1821 while he was in exile on the island of St. Helena.
Fireworks could brighten up Rhode Island budget
BOSTON – The cash-strapped state of Rhode Island is hoping to turn residents’ patriotic fervor into a boost in tax revenue this July 4th, after passing a law that legalizes small fireworks for individual use. Fireworks, along with barbecues and parades, have long been a part of Independence Day celebrations across the country, and a growing number of states have moved to legalize small fireworks over the past decade in a bid to discourage people from buying larger, and more dangerous, illegal firecrackers and rockets.
