Odd News

Trouble is a lucky name after all. The white Maltese of the late Leona Helmsley inherited 12 million dollars, according to court documents made public in New York on Tuesday. She also wrote in her will "I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum." She also ordered that the mausoleum must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year." She left $3 million for the upkeep. The fluffy pet overcame other grandchildren, two of Jay Panzirer's other children Craig and Meegan Panzirer, that got nothing for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote. Her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, was also left millions - on condition that he cares for Trouble in Helmsley's absence. Two of the billionaire's four grandchildren from her late son, Jay Panzirer, were left $5 million each, but only on condition they visit their father's grave once each calendar year. The chauffer, Nicholas Celea, was left with $100,000. Living a life full of opulence and greed, Leona Helmsley was named the "Queen of Mean", after she was charged in 1988 with tax evasion and subsequently being convicted. But her white Maltese surely doesn't consider her late owner as being mean. After her husband's death in 1997, she inherited $1.7 billion and a property empire that still controlled much of the Manhattan skyline.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_us/helmsley_s_pooch;_ylt=AjcncHr5hb0LKyDDHPRPohqs0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

When 51 year old Hannah King called the British Telecom's customer helpline, wondering why the engineer scheduled to install a new phone line failed to arrive, she wasn't expected to be put on hold for 20 hours. Grandmother of seven children, said: "I'm so angry I've been crying. My children are worried for me." The first time she dialed the 0800 number from her cell phone she had to endure for eight hours in a row the sound of piped music. The next day she called again, but was still unable to speak to an operator so she left the landline on hold â€" and drove to Newport to visit her children. She visited her doctor for a routine appointment, but during the consultation Hannah burst into tears and her doctor was so concerned that he prescribed her sedative Diazepam to relieve tension and anxiety. When she returned home the phone was still on hold. The next day she tried again as well but no reaction from BT. BT declared Saturday that the problem was caused by a "new customer management system." The group said in an official statement: "We sincerely apologise for any temporary problems customers may have experienced, and are working around the clock to improve the situation."

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070818/tod-britain-offbeat-telecom-company-bt-6058bda_1.html

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

America is a fine country where anybody can sue someone else over just about everything. For instance, a judge from Washington found it important to file a lawsuit against a dry cleaning company which, he claims, lost his pants. The more surprising aspect is that he has filed the appeal for $54 million and he intends to prove he means business. He took his trousers for an alteration and demanded $1,150 at first, when the people at the store said they couldn't find them. A few days later, the pants were located but Judge Pearson claimed those weren't his pants, and so the nightmare began for the owners of Custom Cleaners, the Chung family. Their legal fees were paid for by the sympathetic public, and this just goes to show that even regular people, though accustomed to bizarre lawsuits, admit this is a bit out of line. Judge Pearson requested money for every day the sign saying "satisfaction guaranteed" has hung above the cleaners' entrance, claiming the sign was a lie, and when the judge hearing the case dismissed it, there was no other choice but to file an appeal. The Chung family tried to end the whole thing by asking Mr. Pearson nicely to give it up, not demanding that he pay for their legal fees as well; the judge refused. Now, his job is also in danger. His term ended this year and a commission will decide next month if they grant him a full 10-year term. This is unlikely, as they have already sent Mr. Pearson a letter informing him that he might not be reappointed.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20070814/tod-uk-trousers-b7afd8f_1.html

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Authorities from the Cairo International Airport stopped a man, just moments before he boarded to a Saudi Arabia airplane with bags filled with live snakes, infant Nile crocodiles and chameleons. The airport's police became suspicious when the X-ray machines at the departure gate revealed unusual readings inside his luggage. The man of 22 years called Anas said that he wasn't aware that transporting live reptiles was illegal in Egypt and he was allowed to return to Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He claimed that the reptiles were needed for scientific research. In his luggage the police founded 250 baby crocodiles, a cobra, squirming to escape and chameleons. "This is the largest smuggling attempt of Nile crocodiles in the whole of aviation history," airport vet Yusef Mamduh said. Witnesses said the discovery created panic among security personnel at the airport. The animals were confiscated and turned over to Cairo Zoo. In May, another Saudi tried to smuggle 700 live snakes from Egypt in his carry-on luggage. His explanation was that snakes were often kept in Saudi Arabia by storekeepers in glass jars or as pets.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070809/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_virgin_america;_ylt=AldFiiwa0DCosPioFc30NISs0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Jet setters in Saint-Tropez may be forced to stay on the ground after French authorities limited helicopter flights responding this way to a lot of complaints about the noise. Francoise Souliman, an official in the regional administrative centre of Draguignan said the decision to close the helipad accounting for about 30 percent of helicopter traffic to Saint-Tropez came after abuses of an agreement to limit flights. Saint-Tropez is a magnet for movie stars and rich status-conscious people and it has been this way since the 1950s when stars like Brigitte Bardot discovered it. Helicopters are a great way to avoid the traffic jams there and also a fast and comfortable way to get to other villages and marinas along the coast. Francoise Souliman stated: "There's a shocking noise at all times of the day and they're quite often flying over the marinas at Gassin so you've got helicopters flying very low." Last year a voluntary agreement authorized 1,200 flight movements a year and set some limits at certain times of the day. Around 5,000 flights were registered between June and August 2006, according to Francoise Souliman

by Ana Maria Ciobanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Numerous complaints about the noise, in the exclusive Saint-Tropez resort,lead to the reducing of helicopter flights in the area, and could utimately lead to jet setters being grounded. According to Francoise Souliman, an official in the regional administrative centre of Draguignan, abuses of an agreement to limit flightsled to the closing of a helipad, that accounted for about 30% of helicopter flights in the area. Synonimos with international glamour, Saint-Tropez remains a magnet for the rich and famous, since it's discovery in the 1950s by stars like Brigitte Bardot. Helicopters are used to ferry passengers over traffic jams all over the area, including many villages and marinas along the coast. According tu Souliman, "There's a shocking noise at all times of the day and they're quite often flying over the marinas at Gassin so you've got helicopters flying very low. "We've had times when the nuisance has been so great that we had to hit hard." 1200 flights were authorised for one year, at certain times of the day, but only from August to June 2006, a number of 5000 flights were recorded. "There are companies that respect the rules completely but there are one or two companies that don't respect anything at all," Souliman said.

by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Wednesday, in Moskow, emergency services reported a crocodile to have survived a 12 floor fall, after trying to make an escape through an apartment block window. According to Moskovsky Komsomolets, the concerned neighbours said that Khenar is becoming quite fond of this dangerous sport, as this was the third time the pet-crocodile tryed to flee his owner's apartment by sky-diving through the window. According to a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry in central Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, the crocodile also became quite experienced in diving from windows, as he came out unscathed from the fall, with only one tooth missing. Acording to the spokeswoman "It seems the owner was not at home when the crocodile came out of the window", which leads us to thinking, such rude behaviour from the croc would not be tolerated in the owner's presence. The local emergency services put the determined fugitive in an aquarium to recover from his fall and chipped tooth, and in within a few hours his concerned owner came to pick him up and return him to his home. The last time he was seen, Khenar, the sky-diving crocodile was lying safely on the back seat of his owner's car and heading for his home-sweet-home at the 12th floor.

by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

According to a poll released on Tuesday 91% percent of Americans believe text messages while driving to be as dangerous as having a couple of drinks, even if 57% of them admit to doing it themselves. Texting, reffering especially to the use of the Short Message Service (SMS), is becoming incresingly popular among american citizens. These messages are available on mobile phones, and some wireless-equiped PDA systems. This SMS gateway is a very easy to use method of connecting mobile devices to IM services, the WEB, desktop systems and even landline telephones. Although SMS was first created for person-to-person use, it became incresingly popular in communicating with automated systems, such as ordering products and services for mobile phones, or participating in certain contests. Harris Interactive, at the commision of mobile messaging service Pinger Inc., found 89% of Americans to be against messaging while driving, with 66% of them admitting to reading text messages, and 57% to even writing some themselves. The first state to issue a ban or messaging while driving was Washington, with others like New York, Florida and California, considering the idea. The poll that took place from June 29 to July 3, surveing 2,049 people, found men and women to be messaging while driving at same rates, with younger people tending to do it more often, since 64% of them were aged 18 to 34, with only about 6% being 55 or older.

by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

A survey in Britain gave the world some very interesting results. 11 million British motorists have problems reading a basic road map, according to this survey released on Monday. Three quarters of British drivers were unable to identify the motorway map symbol. Motorists weren't to smart either because only one percent of them would pass the Cub Scout Map Reader badge test. This is very embarrassing and also scary. Think about all the people who ride on speed motorbikes. They ride with 200 miles/hour but aren't able to read a basic map or get a scout badge... The British drivers don't know the symbols. How did all these people get their driving licenses?! Drivers may have an excuse. They're so addicted to the GPS system they've forgotten what a map looks like. But what if they get stuck in the middle of nowhere and they're satellite navigation system breaks? How are they going to use a map? The survey was based on a poll of 1,000 UK drivers and after some simple calculus it revealed that 36 billion driven miles are wasted each year.

by Ana Maria Ciobanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

According to a poll released on Tuesday 91% percent of Americans believe text messages while driving to be as dangerous as having a couple of drinks, even if 57% of them admit to doing it themselves. Harris Interactive, at the commision of mobile messaging service Pinger Inc., found 89% of Americans to be against messaging while driving, with 66% of them admitting to reading text messages, and 57% to even writing some themselves. The first state to issue a ban or messaging while driving was Washington, with others like New York, Florida and California, considering the idea. The poll that took place from June 29 to July 3, surveing 2,049 people, found men and women to be messaging while driving at same rates, with younger people tending to do it more often, since 64% of them were aged 18 to 34, with only about 6% being 55 or older.

by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Montreal news is revealing that thieves have hearts. Monday afternoon in the Montreal neighborhood of Outremont, a woman visiting her sister left her 14-month old daughter asleep in the sports-utility vehicle, moreover, the engine was still running. Besides all the dangers implied by her actions, the car represented a sitting duck for thieves. In consequence, a man passing by could not resist the temptation of such an easy acquisition and stole the car. A few blocks away, he discovered that the owner forgot something in the car. The sleep of the sweet child made the thief to have remorse and therefore he called the police and announced where he abandoned the stolen car. Amazingly, when the police got to the car, the baby was still sleeping. Constable Miguel Alston made public the incident and proved that thieves can be touched by the precious possessions that one has. It might be an exception that only makes the rule stronger or the thief was definitely not a professional. The new lullaby for the sweet little girl could be "drivin' my baby". There is no reason to laugh; despite the awkward situation there are things to learn from. Never leave you car engine running while you are away, no matter how safe the neighborhood may appear. And the most important thing is to remember to take your children with you even if they are old enough to say who they are and where are they from. You never know when a kidnapper is around ready to act. Learn, surf, discover and stay close to the board!

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070807/tod-canada-us-police-offbeat-f62056d_1.html

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is well known for his strong personality, this is practically his brand. Bloomberg was considered for a six-member jury in an asbestos litigation lawsuit at Manhattan civil court. His lawyer James Long asked him a very funny question regarding the mayor's capability of resisting "the temptation to dominate". Michael Bloomberg replied: "You have my assurances," "I'd be one vote out of six, but I've got a strong personality." New Yorkers usually have to report for jury duty for three days or until they are selected. During summer fewer cases are heard and potential jurors are only asked to appear for two days. The mayor and aspiring president spent most of his time in court reading magazines and newspapers. Bloomberg didn't finish his duty to the state because he has to report again on Tuesday for another jury selection. Michael Bloomberg is a very controversial candidate. He is a wonderful philanthropist, ranked seventh in the United States in philanthropic endeavor. On the other hand he was sued over allegations about sexual harassment and discrimination at his companies. All we can hope about the elections coming is that the voting machines will work and won't be hacked...

by Ana Maria Ciobanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Breaking news from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok: the acting chief Pongpat Chayaphan stated that in order to prevent abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers all petty misdemeanors will be punished. The police caught breaking the law will get the same fines and penalties as any other civilian. Moreover, police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, arriving late, etc, will be forced to wear all day pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, and to stay in the division office. Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts will symbolize the shame because it is for girls and women and not for serious police officers covering their muscles. The famous cat is usually found from diamond jewelry, digital cameras to lunch boxes, T-shirts and stationery, bags, etc. Invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974 it is popular among children and women. Although the armband will be worn only inside police headquarters and its purpose will be to prevent them from repeating mistakes. Pongpat is sure of the efficiency of this measure and thinks will help to keep police away from the temptations. There is interesting to see if it will work indeed and if any other country will adopt their model. Don't click away, more to come!

related story: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/06/thai.hello.kitty.ap/index.html

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.