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Swedish court orders church bell inquiry

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 21 (UPI) -- The Swedish Environmental Court ruled the health effects of church bells should be more closely investigated following a complaint about a Stockholm church.

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The complaint from Jan Brannstrom, 65, who lives near St. Goran's church in Stockholm, was dismissed by the church council, which said "those that live near a church tower should understand that noise from the church bells would be heard inside an apartment," The Local reported Tuesday.

Brannstrom complained that the sound of the church's bells is excessive and sought to have the bells muffled during the day and silenced at night. The Environmental Court did not grant Brannstrom's request, but ruled the Stockholm Environment & Health Protection Board should investigate the matter with a formal inquiry into the level of noise pollution from the church bells.

The court criticized the board for not taking action sooner.

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"The board should in each case instruct the parish, or somebody else, to examine relevant decibel levels. By not doing so the board has not met its obligations," the court ruled.


Parrots knock out electricity

NEW YORK, April 21 (UPI) -- Power company Con Ed said about 1,500 customers in a New York neighborhood lost electricity due to Quaker parrots nesting in equipment.

The company said the customers were without power for about 45 minutes Monday because of problems caused by the nests of the parrots, also known as monk parakeets, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"These things are prolific -- very prolific -- and the reason they build these condos of nests around our lines is the warmth," Con Ed spokesman Chris Olert said.

Olert said the power outage in the Beechhurst neighborhood of the city's Queens borough was caused when heavy rains soaked the birds' nests and caused electrical equipment to overheat. He said the situation has happened several times before and costs $20,000 to repair each time.


Police: Men confessed to bronze pig theft

CHULA VISTA, Calif., April 21 (UPI) -- Police in southern California said two men confessed at police headquarters to stealing a $15,000 bronze pig from a restaurant.

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Investigators said the two men, ages 34 and 35, came into Chula Vista police headquarters at about 2 p.m. Monday and confessed to stealing the 3-foot-tall statue from Miguel's Cocina April 5 before returning the item to its owner, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.

Chula Vista police spokesman Bernard Gonzales said one of the thieves called the restaurant owner Thursday to say the pig theft was a prank and the item could be found outside the Fourth Avenue library. Officers found the pig hidden under a blanket outside the library later that night.

Gonzales said both men were arrested on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy.


NZ plans to legitimize island names

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, April 21 (UPI) -- The New Zealand Geographic Board says it wants to make the names of the country's North and South Islands official and find new Maori names for the islands.

Don Grant, chairman of the geographic board, said the body discovered while searching for Maori names for the islands that their English names have never been made official, The Dominion Post reported Tuesday.

"Interestingly, while researching this issue, we noted that 'North Island' and 'South Island' are actually not official names under our legislation, despite their common long-term usage," Grant said.

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Grant said the board plans to turn to the public for information on the traditional Maori names for the islands.

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