Retired nurse sues for $275,000 in pet duck attack

A woman visiting her mother in Oregon is suing her neighbor, seeking $275,000 for pain, suffering and other damages she says were inflicted when a pet duck ambushed her for no apparent reason. Cynthia Ruddell, 62, of Washougal, Washington, was on her mother's property in Estacada, Oregon, when a neighbor's duck attacked her without provocation, according to the suit filed in Oregon state court last Friday. In her attempt to run away from the agitated waterfowl, Ruddell fell to the ground, breaking her right wrist and spraining an elbow and shoulder, the suit claims. The incident occurred in May of 2012.

Stephen Colbert dropped in on David Letterman's late night CBS talk show, the Late Show on Tuesday, to get a glimpse of the rigors of the high-profile job he will take over in 2015. "He just stopped by to sign the lease," Letterman said of his successor in his opening monologue. Continuing the passing-of-the-torch theme, the host quipped, "You look right at home", as Colbert took his seat.

Ohio man must pay for fake distress report: Court

An Ohio man whose hoax distress call triggered a massive US coast guard search and rescue mission on Lake Erie must pay $489,000 in restitution, a US appeals court said Tuesday. Danik Kumar, a licensed pilot, told authorities in March 2012 he saw what he thought was a distress flare coming up from a boat as he flew over Lake Erie near Cleveland. When asked by Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport to take a closer look, Kumar did not see a vessel, but reported seeing more flares and a fishing boat with four people on board wearing life jackets and active strobe lights, the opinion said.

Thieves tap UK pipeline, steal liters of fuel

UK police are hunting a gang of thieves who are thought to have tapped into an underground oil pipeline, stealing thousands of liters of fuel, a newspaper reported on Monday. More than 30,000 liters of diesel may have been taken from the pipeline running from Esso's Fawley Refinery, the Daily Echo reported. That would be worth about 41,000 pounds ($70,000) at pump prices. Oil theft from pipelines is relatively rare in Britain but a major problem in some parts of the world, such as Nigeria, where it is estimated to cost the government up to $1 billion per month.

Filipinos nailed to cross in Easter ritual

Nearly 20 Filipinos and a Danish filmmaker were nailed to crosses to re-enact the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday, a practice the Roman Catholic Church frowns upon as a distortion of the Easter message. The annual Philippine ritual draws thousands of spectators to San Fernando, 80 kilometers north of Manila, to see penitents flagellate themselves and a series of crucifixions in a recreation of Christ's death on the cross.

Cathay passenger armed with chocolate bar

A passenger on board a Hong Kong-bound Cathay Pacific flight, armed only with a Toblerone chocolate bar, demanded the plane fly to Sochi so he could watch the Winter Olympics, a court heard. Antti Oskari Manselius, 23, from Finland, also made a false bomb threat on the Feb 14 flight from Amsterdam and said he was robbing the plane, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday. Manselius pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct and giving false information about a bomb when he appeared in court on Thursday, the Post said. He said he was trying to entertain the other passengers and was making "fun and jokes".

Ohio couple married for 70 years dies hours apart

An Ohio couple who met as teenagers and were married for 70 years, almost never sleeping apart, died from natural causes within a span of 15 hours, according to their daughter. Helen Felumlee, 92, died on April 12 at their home in Nashport, Ohio, about 55 miles east of Columbus, and her husband Kenneth Felumlee, 91, passed away the next day, according to their joint obituary. "We knew when one went, the other was going to go," daughter Linda Cody told the Zanesville Times Recorder. "We wanted them to go together, and they did."

Reuters

(China Daily 04/27/2014 page4)