A Chinese businesswoman who has blown $6.8 million in the gaming haven of Macau in two years, scooped a slot machine jackpot just as she was threatening to sue the casino.
The woman won a $640,000 slot machine payout on Monday at the Wynn Macau, part of the gaming empire of US tycoon Steve Wynn. It was the second-highest slot machine payout in Macau's history.
Her win came a day after she threatened to sue Wynn Macau over the huge sum she has lost on slot machines since 2007, claiming that payout rates on the machines are too low. The woman, from Zheijiang province, was also unhappy because Wynn staff refused to let her, family and friends play 20 machines at the same time in a calculated attempt to beat the odds.
The woman who was described as a self-proclaimed billionaire, had insisted she was not addicted to gambling and in spite of the payout, she has threatened to continue her legal battle. (AFP)
Airline plans in-flight nuptials
A budget airline wants to organise weddings in the sky, aiming to be the first carrier to let couples tie the knot at cruising altitude, it said yesterday.
Easyjet has applied to local authorities at its base at Luton airport, north of London, seeking permission for pilots to officiate in the sky-high nuptials.
"More and more couples are looking for an extraordinary wedding: under water, during parachute jumping, on the football ground - creativity knows no bounds," said the airline.
"If our request is replied positively, then so-called 'floating on cloud nine' would get a new meaning for people in love," said Paul Simmons, easyJet's UK regional general manager.
A "small charge" would be levied for the service if approved, a spokesman added.
Luton Borough Council said it was awaiting full details of the proposal before assessing whether it could approve in-flight weddings. (AFP)
Storm in a DD cup
A curvaceous British woman who launched an online petition against a department store which charges customers extra for oversized bras saw support for her campaign top 10,000 people yesterday.
Beckie Williams, 26, took action - after her complaints to Marks and Spencer were rebuffed - by launching a Facebook group called Busts 4 Justice, whose popularity has snowballed in recent days. The group in its online write-up describes the £2 (€2.2) extra charge on bras bigger than a DD cup as "criminally unfair" and urges "busty ladies" to "join forces to end this blatant discrimination."
Ms Williams - who wears a 30G bra - says she was "very disappointed" by the department store's failure to change its policy of charging extra for large cups.
"It's ridiculous," she said. "You don't do it for other items of clothing so I don't understand the logic."
The retailer, however, insists its bras are priced fairly to include the cost of wider straps and better support. (AFP)
Record-breaking 43-metre cigar
A Cuban cigar roller broke his forth world record, creating a 43.38-meter-long stogie that doubled his previous best.
Sixty-five-year-old Jose Castelar smoked his own 2005 record of a 20.41-meter-long cigar, and vowed to continue to roll record-breaking creations.
"I'm going to continue until I do one that is the length of the Malecon" he said, referring to Havana's famous 10-kilometre seafront promenade.
Mr Castelar - who has rolled for a Saudi prince, among others - received a Guinness world record for his troubles.
Mr Castelar explained he learned to make cigars when he was 14 years old.
However, the athletic-looking sexagenarian said he limits himself to smoking one cigar a day. (AFP)
Eco friendly plane is windowless
Tourists heading south for the winter may be transported to their destination in windowless airliners flying in formation like geese if Airbus accepts the advice of tomorrow's potential aircraft engineers.
The European plane maker is offering €30,000 for the best idea from proposals submitted by 2,350 students in 82 countries after launching a global competition for new concepts. Airbus said yesterday it had narrowed down the entries to five - not all of which may appeal to the travelling public.
The proposals include a suggestion from a Spanish university for a windowless cabin. Despite the impact on passengers who prefer a window seat, the designers have found that an aircraft constructed this way would be more eco-efficient.
A Czech proposal would use electric motors to taxi the airplane and Singapore students want to tap solar power for electricity. But the most revolutionary concept is a US proposal by students from Stanford University to adapt the "V" formation used by geese and other migrating birds to fly long distances. By slipstreaming behind the bird in front, the birds can save energy to fly further and take it in turns to lead. (Reuters)