CANBERRA (Reuters) - Alcohol has been banned in two small Australian Aboriginal communities to stop young people from a nearby alcohol-free township from risking their lives by swimming a crocodile-infested river to get a drink.
Aboriginal elders from the communities of Perrederr and Nardirri, about 270 km (168 miles) southwest of the tropical northern city of Darwin, asked for the ban, which was granted by the Northern Territory Licensing Commission.
"In the recent past ... young people had been known to swim across the Moyle River from a restricted area in order to drink at Nardirri," the commission said after a petition by Felix Gumbaduk, a traditional owner of land covering the two communities.
"The Moyle River has a healthy population of crocodiles and it was a real concern to him not only that someone may be killed but that his family might be blamed," the commission said.
Perrederr and Nardirri are home to about 40 people.
Australia's 400,000 Aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders, who make up two percent of the 20 million population, remain the most disadvantaged group, dying 20 years younger than other Australians amid high rates of unemployment and alcohol abuse.
Since 1979, Northern Territory Aboriginal communities have been able to have areas declared alcohol-free with penalties including forfeiture of cars or boats used to transport alcohol, fines of up to A$2,000 ($1,500) and up to two years in jail.
Crocodile attacks make headlines in Australia, yet only about a dozen people have been killed in the past 20 years. But the Northern Territory's population has exploded to around 70,000 animals in the wild with another 18,000 in six crocodiles farms. ($1=A$1.33)
RALEIGH, N.C. - When Jackie L. Eley's pickup truck was repossessed, more than just her ride was taken away. The 130 watermelons in the truck bed also were repossessed.
Revenge, though, has been sweet.
The state Court of Appeals has ruled that the repo firm, Mid-East Acceptance Corp., must pay Eley $1,365 Ч three times the melons' value Ч as well as legal fees.
Eley's truck was repossessed July 29, 2002, a day when the temperature would reach 98 degrees with 89 percent humidity. She had missed two payments.
The men refused to let her unload the produce. And their boss refused to let Eley retrieve her melons later that day from the yard.
Two days later, the company had second thoughts.
"The watermelons are rotting, and the smell is polluting the storage lot," the company wrote to Eley, demanding that she take her melons or pay the cost of removing them.
Eley refused.
As she testified, "The melons were spoiled. They wouldn't do me any good. They took the truck, they took the melons. They were their melons then."
GLENEAGLES (Reuters) - U.S. President Bush says he has finally reached his limits.
Bush went for a mountain bike ride on Wednesday, his 59th birthday, shortly after arriving at the Gleneagles luxury resort in Scotland for a meeting of world leaders. He promptly crashed at speed into a standing police officer, causing minor injuries to both.
Bush appeared at a news conference on Thursday with bandages on two fingers of his grazed left hand.
"I think I found my limitations," he said.
Bush said he had spoken with the officer on Wednesday evening: "He's doing fine. I'm less worried about myself and more worried about him. It just goes to show that I should act my age."
"We were flying, coming in," Bush said.
"By the way -- when you ride hard on a mountain bike, sometimes you fall, otherwise you're not riding hard."
"And it was at the end of a good hour ride, the pavement was slick, and the bike came out from underneath me just like that person on the Tour de France the other day."
The American cyclist David Zabriskie crashed while wearing the Tour leader's yellow jersey on Tuesday.
"He's a lot better bike rider than I am," Bush said.
Bush began cycling seriously a couple of years ago when a knee injury forced him to give up running.
His usual trails are near his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and near a Secret Service training facility at Beltsville, Maryland.
PHOENIX, AZ -- Apparition's of Jesus have appeared on walls and in chapels. Now, in Arizona, a patient at a dentist's office says he sees one on an x-ray.
The dentist, and staff at a Phoenix dentist's office agree that the x-ray contains an image resembling Jesus.
The patient came in for a routine exam on Tuesday and when the x-ray was developed, he saw the image of Jesus.
The patient describes himself as a devout Christian, but says he's never before seen Jesus in an x-ray.
By the way, the patient's exam was perfect.
Two men are behind bars in Suffolk, charged with murdering a 14-year old girl in a drive-by shooting over the 4th of July weekend.
Suffolk police say it was during the early morning hours of July 2nd when Diane L. Holland, standing with a group of friends in the 300 block of Hunter Street, was hit by bullets sprayed from a passing car.
Holland was struck in the chest. A 16-year old boy was shot in the leg. He survived, but Holland didn't. Her killers remained a mystery for close to two weeks.
But officials say a break in the case came Wednesday night when Suffolk police arrested 21-year old Vanshawn Rodgers and 20-year old Willie L. Waters Jr.
In addition to first degree murder charges, Suffolk police have also charged Rodgers and Waters with the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Two men were rushed to a Portsmouth hosptial late Wednesday night, both suffering from stab wounds.
Police say were called to the 3100 block of Havenwood Court around 10:15pm.
Officials say at least three men were arguing when one of them allegedly stabbed the other two.
Both of the injured are at Maryview Hospital. Their conditions are not yet known.
Police have not released the victim's identities, or any suspect information.
Newport News police say a murder suspect wanted in connection with the shooting death of a 24-year old last month turned himself in to authorities Wednesday afternoon.
Damian Lanard Claud, 28, is charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Officials say the murder happened in the 100 block of Radcliff Lane June 26th.
When police arrived in the early morning hours, they found Julian Paul Nichols suffering from gunshot wounds in a downstairs apartment.
Nichols, of Merrimac Lane in Newport News, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe Nichols had been visiting the residence when an altercation occurred resulting in the shooting.
