UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Britons warned of unusual foreign laws

LONDON, July 30 (UPI) -- A British travel agency has released a list of foreign laws of which British travelers may not be aware, including a Florida law against singing in a swimsuit.

Online travel agency Sunshine.co.uk said its new traveler's guide is aimed at keeping Britons out of trouble in places such as Milan, Italy, where a law states people must smile at all times unless at a funeral or hospital, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

The guide says a law on the books in Switzerland prohibits flushing the toilet after 10 p.m. and a Hong Kong law states the wife of a cheating husband can legally kill her spouse with her bare hands.

"Aside from the more serious rules, such as showing affection to a non-marital partner in public or walking around in swimwear in Dubai, there are many outdated rules around the world that people should be aware of," a spokesman for Sunshine.co.uk said.

Chris Brown, managing director of the Web site, conceded that many of the laws included in the guide are likely not enforced.

"All jokes aside, we are very committed to reassuring our customers about the rules and regulations of their chosen destinations and we welcome the inquiries from Brits predominantly visiting locations like Dubai, Turkey and Egypt," Brown said.

Perfume set off gas leak worries

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 30 (UPI) -- Texas firefighters said a suspected gas leak that sent 34 people to hospitals turned out to be caused by a spray of perfume and people's imaginations.

Lt. Kent Worley, a Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman, said two employees "reported some dizziness in close association with someone spraying on some perfume" Wednesday. A supervisor made an announcement "over the building's PA system saying that anyone feeling these symptoms should exit the building to an outside location," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.

Worley said many reported the symptoms as a result of "psychosomatic behavior," which medical experts often refer to as "contagious fear," tied to the mistaken belief that a gas leak was to blame.

The building was declared safe by a hazardous materials team and more than a thousand people went back to work in the building.

'Cowtown' Calgary cops to wear cowboy hats

CALGARY, Alberta, July 30 (UPI) -- Police officers in Canada's self-proclaimed "Cowtown" of Calgary, Alberta, will soon be wearing standard-issue cowboy hats as part of their uniform.

Chief Rick Hanson said the wardrobe change isn't related to the city's status as host of the world's largest annual outdoor rodeo event -- the Calgary Stampede -- but rather in response to the officers' comfort, the Calgary Herald reported.

Hanson said 64 officers who work outside soon will wear wide-brimmed black cowboy hats to match their black uniforms. He said the wider brims keep more sun off the head and prevent rain from running down the back of the neck.

He said the force is also looking into alternative headgear for the prairie city's harsh winters, possibly similar to the imitation fur flapped hats the Royal Canadian Mounted Police wear, the report said.

Pickens returns slab, court battle looms

HOLDENVILLE, Okla., July 30 (UPI) -- Billionaire T. Boone Pickens has returned a concrete slab bearing his childhood signature to the Oklahoma driveway from which it was taken.

Pickens had a crew remove the slab from the Holdenville home, which once belonged to his grandmother, in early July and the current owner of the property immediately demanded its return, The Oklahoman reported Thursday.

The slab is back where it began, but Mayor Jack Barrett, who contends the slab is a piece of Holdenville history and was placed in a publicly owned portion of the driveway, said final ownership will be decided by a court.

"Then we'll decide whether to give it to Mr. Pickens as a gift or auction it off," Barrett said. "If it's city property, we might have to do that. On the other hand, Mr. Pickens has been very gracious to this community."