Two alleged Israeli mobsters refused to appear in court for a hearing because they weren't allowed to bring in coffee, cookies, sandwiches and napkins, the Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday.
Brothers Yitzhak and Meir Abergil were supposed to appear in a Jerusalem court on Sunday for the first day of hearings on their appeal against extradition to the United States on drugs, money laundering and other charges.
Israel Prison Service regulations allow inmates scheduled to appear in court to bring documents and food, Haaretz said. (AFP)
Supergrass to split after 17 years
Supergrass are to split after 17 years following a series of summer shows.
The band - whose hits include Allright, Moving and Richard III - said they were heading their separate ways due to "musical differences".
They said in a statement: "Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years - we still love each other but, cliche notwithstanding, musical differences have led to us moving on and of course we all wish each other well in the future."
Supergrass will round off their career with four farewell shows in June, starting at Glasgow Barrowlands on June 8, then Manchester's Academy, the Brixton Academy in London and a final show in Paris on June 11.
The band drew early acclaim with debut single Caught By The Fuzz in 1994 and went on to reach No 2 in the singles chart twice. (PA)
Pole dancing at Cambridge University
A Cambridge University society plans to launch a series of pole dancing classes.
Members of the Cambridge Union will be offered fitness classes in the prestigious society building.
Female students can pay £2 to learn to dance in the Blue Room of the union, which is more commonly used as a centre for debates. Statesmen such as Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have spoken at the society. (PA)
Standing tall
Taller women earn more money than their shorter female colleagues, a poll has found.
Those who stand at a height of at least 5ft 8in are twice as likely to earn more than £30,000 a year and pocket an average of £5,000 more annually, according to the survey.
Asked to give their salary and measurements, a fifth of women (20 per cent), who were paid £30,000 and above were in the tall category compared with 10 per cent of those who were under 5ft 8in. (PA)
'Ossi' woman sues for discrimination
A German woman is suing a firm after it rejected her application for a job because she was from the former communist east of the country, Spiegel magazine reported yesterday.
The firm in Stuttgart in western Germany returned the woman's curriculum vitae marked with the word "Ossi", the slang word for easterner, and a minus sign, the magazine cited her as saying.
"I am not putting up with it," the woman, identified only as Gabriela S., told Spiegel. "I see no alternative but to punish the firm like this. It will only hurt if they have to pay."
"It is time to put a stop to this Ossi-Wessi business."
The firm, which may have to pay more than €4,500 if it loses a court case beginning this week, has said that although the "Ossi" comment was unfortunate, it was not the reason the woman was not hired. (AFP)
Meet Mr Zero or Ghost
Unhappy with your name? Then spare a thought for those rare Chinese families whose surnames mean "zero" or "ghost".
A man in China's southern province of Jiangxi has spent the last 20 years compiling a list of unusual family names. Most Chinese people share a few common surnames, like Zhang, Wang, Li, Liu and Chen. The Chinese expression for "ordinary people" literally means "the old one hundred surnames".
But Cheng Yinglian's interest was piqued after reading a newspaper many years ago and discovering a person with the surname Gui, meaning "ghost". Since then, he has scoured newspapers, books and other publications to find similar rare surnames, coming up with about 2,000 to date.
Those he has found include Ling, or "zero", Cu, or "vinegar", Miao, or "second" and Yi, or "one". (Reuters)
More Marilyn mementos
Just when it seemed every last bit of Marilyn Monroe had been auctioned, including the crypt above hers at a local cemetery, the couch from her psychiatrist's office has come on to the market.
It will be offered during the Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas in June.
Other Monroe-abilia up for grabs includes her Chanel No 5, personal photos, bank statements, scripts, signed cheques, and the chair used in the star's final photo shoot. (PA)
Mobile phone is life saver
A walker was rescued when he used his mobile phone to call for help while buried beneath a snowdrift in Washington state.
Ian Rogers was caught in an avalanche on Granite Mountain and managed to make one call before his phone went flat.
Police were able to narrow down the area from his description and a search team found him suffering from minor hypothermia after four hours. (PA)