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Reports: 'Peeping Tom' on Japan Flight Avoids Charges

A "peeping Tom" who used a pen-shaped camera to take an upskirt shot of a cabin attendant during a domestic flight in Japan has avoided charges after prosecutors failed to decide which prefecture the plane was flying over at the time, reports said.

The 34-year-old man extended his hand with the micro-camera while seated and took the picture of the flight attendant, the Asahi daily said on its website on Sunday.

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Europe Cocaine Seizure Means More Bananas for Zoo

A major cocaine seizure in Europe has turned out to be good news for the animals at Rotterdam's zoo.

The drugs were hidden among boxes of bananas, and the fruit was later donated to the monkeys and other creatures at the Blijdorp zoo.

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U.S. Dollar Store Eyes Branch on Chic Rodeo Drive

U.S. dollar store chain 99 Cents Only wants to open a branch on the ultra-chic Beverly Hills shopping street Rodeo Drive -- even if high-end retailers there say it won't be able to afford the rent.

There is little sign of the global economic downturn on the exclusive street, which boasts luxury boutiques ranging from jewelers Bulgari and Cartier to designer clothing stores such as Giorgio Armani and Gucci, and perfumiers like Chanel.

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Gym Pics of Paul Ryan Trigger Online 'Dumbbell' Debate

As Paul Ryan got pumped up about Thursday's vice presidential debate, observers were distracted by his pumped-up biceps in photographs of the Republican running mate published hours before he was to square off against Joe Biden.

Time magazine posted a series of pictures of the famously fit Ryan, wearing gym clothes and a backward red baseball cap and curling a dumbbell.

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Mexico Pizza Delivery Man Killed for Being Late

A furious client killed a pizza delivery man in Mexico for being 40 minutes late, authorities said Thursday.

The victim's body, eyes blindfolded and hands bound, was found Monday in the town of Tetla, some 140 kilometers (90 miles) east of Mexico City, said the public prosecutor's office in Tlaxcala state.

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Man Held for Overtaking Philippine Leader's Convoy

A Philippine motorist who tried to overtake President Benigno Aquino's convoy was arrested early Thursday, officials said, in the second such incident in traffic-choked Manila in less than three months.

Pharmaceuticals salesman Mark Hanopol, 24, failed an alcohol breath test after his car was pulled over by police for a "reckless" driving maneuver as the presidential convoy passed, Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

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'Voodoo Lily' Stinks out New Zealand Botanic Garden

A "grotesque" plant that mimics the smell of rotting flesh to attract flies has gone on display in Wellington's Botanic Gardens.

The dracunculus vulgaris, commonly known as the voodoo lily, began flowering on Thursday and will emit a strong stench of putrid meat for about a week, botanic gardens general manager David Sole said.

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Police: Man Tries to Rob Bank Of $1 in Prison Bid

A man tried to rob a bank of $1 because he hoped to be sent to a federal prison nearby, police said.

Jeffrey McMullen, a 50-year-old regular customer of an AmeriServ bank in the western Pennsylvania town of Northern Cambria, handed notes to two tellers Friday demanding a dollar, according to a police complaint reported by The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown (http://bit.ly/Qcdx17).

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Sticks, Stones and Now Streakers at Greek Protests

Sticks, stones and firebombs are routine at Greek anti-austerity protests but the streakers that turned up at this week's demonstrations against German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit are a first.

Two men, a 56-year-old American and a younger man believed to be British, startled onlookers on Tuesday by running naked in central Athens where riot police had earlier clashed with masked protesters throwing bottles and broken masonry.

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S. Korean Man Gets Life In 'Octopus' Murder Case

A South Korean was jailed for life Thursday for the murder of his girlfriend, who police originally believed had accidentally choked to death while eating a live octopus.

A district court in Incheon, west of Seoul, convicted the defendant, identified only as Kim, and sentenced him to life imprisonment for what the judge described as a "heinous crime".

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