NICOSIA (Reuters) -
The odds-defying World Cup results that
have confounded sports pundits have left a new class of savvy
young Cypriot bettors laughing all the way to the bank and
their parents -- and the authorities -- on the warpath.
Authorities Wednesday were looking into claims that 12- and
13-year-olds obsessed with the game have lined up to bet on
World Cup fixtures -- something perhaps unsurprising on the
gambling-mad Mediterranean island .
But local law says punters must be at least 18, the
Philelephtheros daily reported.
"If bookmakers started asking every single client for an
identity card they would probably go bust," the father of a
14-year-old told Reuters.
Encouraged by a string of wins, his son has been betting
almost daily since the World Cup started.
"I don't know what I am more angry at, the gambling or the
winning. We haven't spoken in a week," he said resignedly.
OSLO, Norway -
A Norwegian court has ruled that it is legal to bark in public even for human beings.
The case, which made national news on Tuesday, came up after police arrested a father of seven because he barked in public.
Trond S. Hansen, 57, was walking home from a dinner party in downtown Oslo with two of his children, ages nine and seven, in early May, according to the ruling.
Along the way the children quarreled and the youngest started crying. The father tried distract them by barking.
A witness who feared that a dog was mauling a child called police after looking out the window to find that it was actually a man barking, the ruling said.
Police arrested Hansen and charged him with disturbing the peace, public drunkenness and child neglect. They jailed him for the night and turned his children over to welfare authorities.
In court, police said Hansen smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred. Another witness said he was not drunk and Hansen said his slurred speech was due to his false teeth coming loose.
The Oslo preliminary court found no evidence of drunkenness, neglect or illegal barking.
"The court finds it proven that the defendant barked in a public place at night. The court, however, is in doubt that the barking was so loud that it disturbed the peace," the ruling said.
The defendant was awarded 4,000 kroner (dlrs 500) in legal costs. Prosecutors admitted that the case should never have gone to court and did not plan to appeal.
"The whole thing seemed unreal," the man was quoted as telling the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten. "I feel like I've been subject to an abuse of power."
The ruling was released in late May but did not make news until now because of a journalists' strike.
Slashdot Mirror
Authorities Wednesday were looking into claims that 12- and 13-year-olds obsessed with the game have lined up to bet on World Cup fixtures -- something perhaps unsurprising on the gambling-mad Mediterranean island .
But local law says punters must be at least 18, the Philelephtheros daily reported.
"If bookmakers started asking every single client for an identity card they would probably go bust," the father of a 14-year-old told Reuters.
Encouraged by a string of wins, his son has been betting almost daily since the World Cup started.
"I don't know what I am more angry at, the gambling or the winning. We haven't spoken in a week," he said resignedly.
The case, which made national news on Tuesday, came up after police arrested a father of seven because he barked in public.
Trond S. Hansen, 57, was walking home from a dinner party in downtown Oslo with two of his children, ages nine and seven, in early May, according to the ruling.
Along the way the children quarreled and the youngest started crying. The father tried distract them by barking.
A witness who feared that a dog was mauling a child called police after looking out the window to find that it was actually a man barking, the ruling said.
Police arrested Hansen and charged him with disturbing the peace, public drunkenness and child neglect. They jailed him for the night and turned his children over to welfare authorities.
In court, police said Hansen smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred. Another witness said he was not drunk and Hansen said his slurred speech was due to his false teeth coming loose.
The Oslo preliminary court found no evidence of drunkenness, neglect or illegal barking.
"The court finds it proven that the defendant barked in a public place at night. The court, however, is in doubt that the barking was so loud that it disturbed the peace," the ruling said.
The defendant was awarded 4,000 kroner (dlrs 500) in legal costs. Prosecutors admitted that the case should never have gone to court and did not plan to appeal.
"The whole thing seemed unreal," the man was quoted as telling the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten. "I feel like I've been subject to an abuse of power."
The ruling was released in late May but did not make news until now because of a journalists' strike.