Angry neighbour shot undies

An angry Italian was arrested for taking pot shots at his neighbour's undies with a rifle.

Massimo Lazzaretti, 69, allegedly let fly with a legally owned hunting rifle he had at his home in Carnago after the 56-year-old woman had hung out her washing.

A police spokesman said: "The two neighbours had fallen out some time ago and he said he thought by leaving bullet holes in her underwear he would frighten her enough to stay away from him.

"He succeeded in frightening her but only to the extent that she called us immediately."

Lazzaretti has been charged with endangering public safety.

Watermelon - the natural Viagra

Fresh watermelon has a similar effect to taking Viagra, according to scientists.

But men would have to eat at least six slices to have the same effect as one Viagra tablet - and it's not as 'organ-specific'.

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra.

Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body's enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.

"Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it," said Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M University's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Centre.

"Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it's a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects."

Todd Wehner, who studies watermelon breeding at North Carolina State University, said anyone taking Viagra shouldn't expect the same result from watermelon.

"It sounds like it would be an effect that would be interesting but not a substitute for any medical treatment," he said.

The nitric oxide can also help with angina, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, according to the Texas study.

Quake pig doubles in size

A pig that survived 36 days trapped under debris from the Chinese earthquake has doubled in size since his rescue.



The pig lost two-thirds of its body weight while he was trapped, when he survived by eating charcoal and drinking rainwater.

Named Zhu Jianqiang (Pig Strong Will) in an internet poll, he has since been adopted by Jianchuan Museum where he has become the most popular attraction.

Curators say Zhu Jianqiang is recovering well and has a new playmate, a goat which also survived the earthquake.

The museum has promised to take good care of the pig for the rest of his natural life - and say he has already doubled in size from 50kg to nearly 100kg.

Luckily for the museum, the pig has been promised a life-long supply of pig feed from a Chinese company -and has also been offered free insurance.

The insurance company promised to pay the museum nearly £400 if the pig dies from a natural disaster, such as another earthquake.

Doggy dudes hit the surf

About 60 doggy dudes have been taking to the waves for America's largest surfing competition for dogs.

Kitted out in obligatory surf-wear, including Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses, about 60 dogs took part in the 3rd Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Competition at Imperial Beach in California



Kitted out in surf-wear, including Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses, the dogs competed in the 3rd Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition at Imperial Beach in California.

Each dog and team had three waves to impress the judges who were scoring on confidence level, length of ride and overall ability to "grip it and rip it."

But there could only be one top dog in each category and TJ the Spanish spaniel took first place in the 'Small surf dogs' category, Stoli the black Lab scooped gold in the 'Large' surf dogs category, and Zoey the Jack Russell (with his owners) fetched first in the 'Teams' category - dogs surfing with their owners.

Singing dentist gets £1m contract

An NHS dentist has signed a £1m record deal after stunning executives with his operatic interpretations of pop songs.

Andrew Bain had spent a decade perfecting patients' smiles when he decided to make a last-ditch attempt for a career in music.

The 34-year-old tenor recorded a cover of Prince's Purple Rain in his bedroom and sent it to major music companies, reports the Daily Mail.

Simon Cowell's record company Sony BMG offered him a contract so quickly he still has to carry out dentist appointments for the next three months.

"Not only have I finally got a record deal, but they understand my eclectic taste in music. Who needs yet another version of Nessun Dorma?

"Opera really was the pop music of its day, so I feel that mixing this style with the pop songs of today is a natural progression despite what the critics might say," he said.

Mr Bain has been offered a four-album deal and has started recording pop covers of bands Snow Patrol, Abba and The Smiths for release in September.

Due to his day job he can only practise for an hour or two a day and have lessons once a fortnight.

Lancaster-born Mr Bain, who lives in Stockwell, South London, said: "I try and sing every day. Fortunately I have thick walls and understanding neighbours.

"I'm very grateful for my dentistry career. I don't think I'll leave it entirely behind although in what form that takes is hard to say. My friends will still be wanting free check-ups."

Highway to Hell popular at funerals


AC/DC's Highway to Hell is becoming one of the most requested funeral tunes in Australia.



Ding Dong the Witch is Dead from the Wizard of Oz, and Another One Bites the Dust by Queen are also popular, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Funeral managers at Centennial Park, the largest cemetery and crematorium in Adelaide, said only two hymns still rank among its top 10 most popular funeral songs: Amazing Grace and Abide With Me.

Highway to Hell, which includes the line: "Going down, party time; My friends are gonna be there too", is just outside the top ten, with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven.

Leading the funeral chart is crooner Frank Sinatra's classic hit My Way followed by Louis Armstrong's version of Wonderful World.

"Some of the more unusual songs we hear actually work very well within the service because they represent the person's character," Centennial Park chief executive Bryan Elliott said.

Among other less conventional choices were Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Monty Python, Hit the Road Jack, and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

Curry grounds plane

A BA jet diverted after passengers thought they smelt poison gas was really grounded by curry.

The flight from Belgrade to London made an emergency evacuation after passengers panicked, fearing a terrorist gas attack.

But an official investigation into the incident at the Nikola Tesla Airport in the Serbian capital has revealed the fumes had escaped from a giant container of curry spices in the plane's cargo hold.

"The smell spread from the package of an aromatic food spice," confirmed the Serbian Ministry for the Protection of Human Environment.

At first, officials suspected a canister of powerful acidic chemicals had burst open in the hold.

But health officials have blamed the curry for the security scare.

"The chemical that was found in the cargo hold of the airplane did not leak out," said the spokesman. "It was sodium-selenite. But the smell did not spread from there."

Dozens of passengers had to flee the plane after it was returned to Belgrade and contained on a special emergency procedure runway at the airport.

Emergency workers wearing breathing apparatus helped screaming passengers off the plane before the source of the fumes was discovered.