UK-Odd Summary (Reuters)

Kentucky Derby champion loses his libido

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese owners of former KentuckyDerby winner War Emblem are struggling to explain why theAmerican thoroughbred has lost his libido. Even a private haremand a limitless supply of Viagra have failed to pep up the lovelife of a stallion his handlers freely admit has some personalissues.

Turkmenistan to move gold statue

ASHGABAT (Reuters) - A rotating gold statue ofTurkmenistan's former leader is to be removed from the centreof the capital, state media said on Saturday, as his successorchips away at the late president's personality cult. SaparmuratNiyazov spent his 21 years in power building Turkmenistan intoone of the world's most isolated regimes while imposing hismark on the gas-rich Central Asian state.

Prisoners scoop their way to freedom

CONAKRY (Reuters) - More than 30 prisoners escaped from ajail in southeastern Guinea by using spoons to scoop a hole inthe baked earth wall of their prison building which had beensoftened by rain, prison authorities said. The 36 detaineesmade their escape this week after taking advantage of heavyrain which had fallen on the southeast city of N'Zerekore wherethe prison was located, the authorities, cited by state mediain the West African country, said.

Blogger exposes life on the Underground

LONDON (Reuters) - Annie Mole's blog about the LondonUnderground rail system began as a New Year's resolution toteach herself how to make an Internet Web site and hasblossomed into a popular slice of commuter life. Thecriticisms, witticisms and daily observations posted on her"London Underground's Blog" since she first began writing it in 2003 have struck a chordwith commuters and the people who operate the rail systembeneath the capital that is affectionately known as the "Tube".

Japan's Ganaha counts cost of garlic appeal

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan striker Kazuki Ganaha is countingthe cost of his bid to overturn a ban imposed for takingintravenous garlic infusions. The 27-year-old was suspended forsix games last year for breaking the J-League's anti-dopingrules after coming down with influenza.

Venice to fine tourists who feed pigeons

VENICE (Reuters) - The days when Venice tolerated touristsfeeding pigeons in St. Mark's Square are over. Starting onWednesday, it's illegal.

Japan city suspends official for surfing porn at work

TOKYO (Reuters) - A city bureaucrat in western Japan wassuspended from his job after officials discovered he visitedporn websites at work almost every day, often spending hoursgazing at nude photos, a city official said. The 57-year-oldman, who was working in the construction division of KinokawaCity in Wakayama, surfed porn sites from an office computeralmost every day for eight months from June 2007, spending upto three hours a day on the websites, said Kazuhiko Ueyama, aKinokawa City official.

Ancient meteorite goes unsold in NY as dung sells

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some dinosaur dung was snapped up atauction in New York even as a 4.5 billion year old meteoritewhich was supposed to top the sale went unsold. The two chunksof 130-million-year-old coprolite, otherwise known asfossilized dinosaur dung, fetched $960 (482 pounds) at Bonhamsin New York on Wednesday, the auction house said.

It's just not cricket! Cheerleaders shake India

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Cheerleaders are taking Indiancricket by storm, but some are wondering if this conservativeSouth Asian nation is ready for dancers with bulging breastsand gyrating bellies parading in packed stadia. Many foreigncheerleaders have been imported to India with this month'sinauguration of the India Premier League (IPL), a shortenedform of traditional cricket that transforms the game into amore glitzy U.S.-style sponsored sport event.

Angry mother slams writer Houellebecq

PARIS (Reuters) - If anyone was wondering where Frenchavant-garde novelist Michel Houellebecq got his talent forcharacter assassination, the answer is clear: his mother. Inhis seminal 1998 novel "Les particules elementaires", known inEnglish as "Atomised", Houellebecq vented a lifetime of angeragainst his mother by portraying her as an egocentric, sexuallypromiscuous hippie who neglected her children.