A pit bull is on probation after ripping the bumper off a police car and chewing the tires on three other cars flat.

The mixed breed named Winston spent two weeks locked up in the Chattannooga, Tennessee animal shelter after the bizarre attack was captured on a police surveillance camera.

His owners said they had no clue why he went wild, chewing through two fences and attacking four different cars. He had never shown any aggression before that day, his owner said.

Winston was eventually caught by an animal control officer using a pole after police failed to subdue him with pepper spray and a Taser. He was held in the city's animal shelter where he was described as a model prisoner.

A judge said she would drop a citation naming Winston a "potentially dangerous dog" after six months if he completes obedience training and doesn't act up again. (AFP)

High rise

People really do have to break the bank to stay in Monte Carlo, according to a hotel price guide.

Monte Carlo hotels were the most expensive in the world for UK travellers in 2009, averaging £172 a night, a survey by Hotels.com found.

Despite a 27 per cent drop on 2008 prices, Moscow was in second place, with its hotel rooms averaging £169 last year. (PA)

Gunmen hit the jackpot

About 10 masked gunmen stormed a Swiss casino yesterday and stole hundreds of thousands of francs.

The French-speaking robbers armed with sub-machineguns and pistols fired several shots in the robbery at the Grand Casino in Basel but no one was hit. However, several gamblers and a security guard were slightly injured by kicks and blows.

The attack took place at about 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) at the casino close to Basel airport and the French border. The gunmen, dressed in black and wearing crash helmets, drove up in two French-registered cars. They smashed their way in with a hammer and robbed cash desks on two floors while gamblers and staff threw themselves to the floor. As they left, they dragged a woman from a car blocking their getaway. (Reuters)

'Posh up'

Some airline pilots "posh up" their accents to make them sound more professional, it has been disclosed.

More than half of pilots said they used their "telephone voice" on the public address system on planes to make them sound more professional, a poll by travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk found.

The survey showed that four in five airline passengers were most at ease if a pilot had an RP - received pronunciation - standard "Oxford" accent. (PA)

Travels with the parents

Cash-strapped young people are continuing to holiday with their parents well into adulthood, according to a survey. More than half of people in their 20s have been on trips with their mother and father since turning 18, the poll by travelsupermarket.com found.

As many as 37 per cent of twenty somethings cited money-saving as the reason for falling into the "parent trip", although 43 per cent said they enjoyed spending time with their mothers and fathers. (PA)

Pensioner goes wrong way

A 95-year-man surrendered his licence after driving the wrong way down a major road for nearly five miles, police said.

Police said they received more than 20 emergency calls as the man headed north on the southbound A12 near Mountnessing, Essex.

Officers blocked slip roads to stop traffic getting on to the carriageway then stopped the pensioner, from Colchester, Essex, when he turned off the road, said a police spokesman. (PA)

Hard to stomach

As many as 20 per cent of British tourists taking the plane to Spain end up with tummy pain and other ailments, a survey showed. Spain tops the list of countries in which UK holidaymakers fall ill, the survey by health product Bimuno found.

Greece and Egypt are the next destinations where Britons are most likely to be laid low with a holiday complaint. (PA)

Ties the knot at 96

A 96-year-old temple keeper has become Taiwan's oldest groom on record after marrying a woman less than one third his age.

Lin Chung, who runs a Taoist temple in south Taiwan's Tainan county, is the talk of town after marrying a 30-year-old woman from mainland China's central province of Hunan.

Mr Lin, who has two adopted children although he was single, said he was "instructed" by the gods to go to Hunan three years ago to find his future wife. He decided to tie the knot despite strong objections from his 68-year-old adopted son, who suspected that the elderly man was conned.

"I must have a companion in my old days... I've never been married before so why can't I marry her? (My son) is unfilial," he was quoted as saying.

Mr Lin is currently applying for his wife to come to Taiwan to live with him. (AFP)