Watercooler Stories

Driving teacher spared jail for touching

IPSWICH, England, July 20 (UPI) -- An English judge spared a driving instructor a jail term for sexually harassing two teenagers, finding that the loss of job and partner was punishment enough.

David Austin of Chedburgh was convicted last month in Ipswich Crown Court of holding his cell phone against a 17-year-old's breasts while telling her they would make a good phone holder, and of fiddling with the button on another 17-year-old's blouse. He was sentenced this week to community service and 12 months supervised release, The Daily Mail reported.

Judge John Holt told Austin he was impressed by testimony from other former students of his courteous behavior toward them.

"It is a tragedy that on these two occasions, you allowed yourself to behave in the way you did," the judge said. "As a result you have lost your partner, job and house. Because of the loss of your job you have considerable debts so you have been punished significantly."

Mom gives son kidney for birthday

WISHAW, Scotland, July 20 (UPI) -- A Scottish mother has perhaps the ultimate 12th birthday gift for her son -- one of her kidneys.

Callum Richardson suffers from a disease that is gradually destroying his kidneys. He spends 10 hours a day in dialysis.

His mother, Heather Richardson, said she learned that she could donate a kidney to her son as soon as he turns 12, The Scotsman reported. She and her son have been extensively tested.

"It's the best birthday present I could have given him," she told the newspaper. "We just want to get the operation over and done with."

Richardson and her son learned last summer that steroid treatments wouldn't improve his condition. He suffers from nephrotic syndrome, caused by damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys.

They are scheduled for surgery Aug. 8, the newspaper said.

Callum said he loves his present.

"I have the best mum in the world," he told The Scotsman.

Chinese reporter arrested for bogus story

BEIJING, July 20 (UPI) -- Beijing Television said an expose that alleged dumplings in Beijing were filled with cardboard was a hoax and police arrested the reporter who filed the story.

The station apologized during its Wednesday evening news program for airing the report, which was produced by a temporary employee on its Life Channel, Xinhua, China's official government-run news agency, reported.

"We should apologize to the public for the Life Channel's failure to strictly examine the content of the report, resulting in the airing of a faked report which in turn undermined public confidence," the station said.

Police said the reporter admitted under interrogation that he fabricated the report, which was aired as part of the Life Channel's "Transparency" segment July 8. Police said four migrant workers and one other suspect have been detained as part of the investigation into the false report.

Name of boy, 8, on U.S. terror list

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 20 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old Kansas boy was denied boarding an aircraft in Cortez, Colo., because his name appeared on the U.S. terrorist no-fly list.

Bryan Moore showed up at the boarding counter for Great Lakes Airlines last week, and security was summoned when his name appeared on the list, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported.

Airline officials told the newspaper the boy, who is from Parker -- a town of about 280 people in eastern Kansas -- and his adult sister showed up just 20 minutes before the flight and there wasn't enough time to clear him to fly.

However, spokeswoman Carrie Harmon of the Transportation Security Administration said the ticket agent acted improperly.

"There are no children on any watch lists," Harmon told the newspaper. "If a child has a name similar to one on the list, the ticket agent is supposed to clear the child and immediately issue a boarding pass."

She said common names are on the list to ensure ticket agents verify the person's identity, the Star reported.