UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

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Man, 76: Mom of girlfriend, 25, approves

LONDON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A 76-year-old British lawyer who left his 55-year-old girlfriend, a judge, for a paralegal who is 25 says he has the blessing of the young woman's mother.

Anthony Arlidge of London said he met Heather Lockwood last September and they quickly fell in love, causing him to end his relationship with Judge Constance Briscoe and move out of her $1.5 million home to get an apartment with Lockwood, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Arlidge said he and Lockwood are "very happy" together.

"I've met her mother and she says if her daughter is happy then so is she," he said.

Briscoe described the situation as "ridiculous."

"I was shocked and upset but have not fallen out," she said. "They're both very intelligent people but I think it's bonkers."

"Tony is too old for a midlife crisis. It is hilarious. I don't know what she wants or what she is trying to do but good luck to them," Briscoe said.

Las Vegas offers secret agent tour

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A Las Vegas tour company is offering two-person groups the chance to take a specialized three-day tour of the city while pretending to be secret agents.

The Secret Agent 702 tour, being offered by the Papillon Group in conjunction with with Andre's Restaurant and Lounge at the Monte Carlo, the Bank Nightclub at Bellagio, Dream Racing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Flightlinez at Bootleg Canyon, the Light Group and Hotel32, is billed as a tour that "transforms mild-mannered Las Vegas visitors into sexy spies looking for the thrill of a lifetime," the Las Vegas Sun reported Friday.

The $6,800 tour includes limousine, helicopter and zipline rides as well as disguises, fancy dining and the chance to drive a Ferrari F430 GT at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The tour, open to people ages 21 and up, is being offered through Dec. 30.

Passenger sends pilot to the ER

ROME, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Authorities in Italy said a pilot was taken to the emergency room for injuries sustained when an angry passenger slammed a door into him.

Witnesses said the 52-year-old passenger, whose name was not released, was complaining loudly on the Blue Panorama plane in Rome Thursday when the passengers were told the flight to the Greek island of Karpathos was being delayed 5 hours, ANSA reported Friday.

The man slammed a door against a pilot, requiring the man to be taken to the emergency room. Authorities said the pilot was ordered to take five days of rest for his injuries, which were not specified.

The passenger was detained by police but potential charges against him were unknown Friday.

Canadian police ban tattoos, piercings

MEDICINE HAT, Alberta, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Tattoo advocates are decrying a policy imposed on police officers in an Alberta town requiring them not to have any visible tattoos or piercings.

Medicine Hat Police Chief Andy McGrogan said policy, which was put in place after a Medicine Hat police officer asked for permission to display a tattoo while on duty, is based on the results of a 2011 survey in the town that indicated residents prefer police officers not to display tattoos, piercings or unnaturally colored hair, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

"It's not what I think, it's what members of the community think," McGrogan said. "At the end of the day, our community has spoken and we just changed our policy to reflect that."

Samantha Barron, who owns a Medicine Hat tattoo shop, said she does not agree with the policy.

"I think it's pathetic that the police officers with tattoos now have to hide who they are," she said. "And it makes them less a part of our community."

McGrogan said the policy may be revisited in the future.