Cricketer Herath alive and bowling despite death rumors

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumors of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.

Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

The most prolific wicket-taker in test cricket last year, the 34-year-old leg spinner claimed two Australian wickets to seal a haul of four for 95 and then contributed nine runs with the bat.

Team mate Dimuth Karunaratne told reporters at the conclusion of the day's play that the team had been dumbfounded by the rumors.

"I heard about it when we having breakfast but I had no idea where that came from," he said with a laugh.

"Guys from Sri Lanka were calling us asking ‘when is the funeral?' and stuff like that.

"Rangana is alive," he added, somewhat unnecessarily.

Herath's efforts were not enough to prevent Australia taking an iron grip on the third test match on Saturday and move to the brink of a 3-0 series sweep.

That could all change, however, if he and Dinesh Chandimal, who finished the third day unbeaten on 22, are able to dig in on Sunday, inflate their lead beyond the current 87 and give Sri Lanka a decent target to bowl at.

The Sydney track has traditionally offered a lot of turn for spinners in the last couple of days of a test and, as Herath's 60 wickets last year showed, there are few better spinners operating in test cricket at the moment.

"The wicket is turning a lot now and the Aussie guys are playing the fourth innings, so I think Rangana... can do something," said Karunaratne.

Vaas has no position with the test team and remains, also unharmed, in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan reporters said.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

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Hundreds hold Colo. vigil for elk killed by police

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The elk was honored with a makeshift memorial of candles, songs and stories.

Several hundred people attended a vigil Sunday in Boulder, Colo., for the elk that was killed by a police officer. It had wandered into a neighborhood, where it was fatally shot by an on-duty police officer.

The officer has said the elk appeared injured before he shot it. He has been placed on leave.

Police say an off-duty officer who had called in sick the night the elk was killed took the carcass home to be processed for meat. The Boulder Daily Camera reported Monday (http://bit.ly/WpKRmq ) that officer has a website that offers taxidermy services.

The second officer also has been placed on leave. State wildlife officials are investigating.

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Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/

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Ore. deputies: Wooden statue was a bear to steal

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A bear that weighs more than 200 pounds is missing, and it's not in hibernation.

The sheriff's office in Washington County, Ore., says the wooden statue of a bear was stolen from a home in Portland during the weekend.

The homeowner bought the 5-foot-tall statue in 1996 for $1,700 and had it displayed in the front yard for many years.

Sheriff's Sgt. Bob Ray says the theft occurred in the overnight hours, and it would have taken at least two people to carry away the bear.

Investigators are confident the public will help them quickly solve the crime. Authorities have yet to receive any tips, but Ray says "you can't hide that bear."

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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

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Ruby Tuesday Inc. posted a fiscal second-quarter loss Wednesday and said it plans to close up to 24 locations and sell one of its restaurant chains.The company, based in Maryville, Tenn., has struggled ...

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Antique Spitfire plane collapses on UK runway

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LONDON (AP) — Airport officials say an antique Spitfire aircraft owned by engine company Rolls Royce collapsed shortly after landing at East Midlands Airport in central England.

The airport said in a statement the World War II-era plane's undercarriage failed as it touched down Monday afternoon. The pilot was unharmed and the damaged aircraft was towed away.

The sleek-looking Spitfire played a pivotal role in the Battle of Britain, when the single-seat fighter helped beat back waves of German bombers. More than 20,000 were built, although only a few dozen remain in working order today.

Rolls Royce, which built the Merlin engines used to power the fighters, says it bought this plane in 1996. It typically appears at airshows and corporate functions.

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Welcome to Macca's as McDonald's goes Aussie

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Looking for a McDonald's in Australia this month? You may bump into a "Macca's" instead.

The international fast food giant will temporarily change signs at selected stores across the country to "Macca's," the affectionate Australian nickname for the chain, in celebration of Australia Day, which falls on January 26 - a move that is its first such globally.

"We're incredibly proud to embrace our ‘Australian-only' nickname," said Mark Lollback, the company's chief marketing officer in Australia, in a statement on Tuesday.

"What better way to show Aussies how proud we are to be a part of the Australian community than change our store signs to the name the community has given us?"

Surveys have showed at least 50 percent of Australians use the nickname.

Thirteen stores will change their store signage this week, starting from the state of New South Wales on Tuesday, the company said. The regular signage will return from Feb 4.

Australian English has a number of unique turns of phrase. According to a national survey, "Macca's" is the second most recognised Australianism, just behind "footy" for Australian rules football.

The popularity of the nickname has also prompted McDonald's to call on Macquarie Dictionary, the authority on the English language in Australia, to include "Macca's" in their online version, a proposal supported by one third of Australians, the company said.

(Reporting By Maggie Lu Yueyang; editing by Elaine Lies)

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French actor Depardieu meets Putin, picks up Russian passport

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - French film star Gerard Depardieu met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea town of Sochi and obtained his Russian passport, the Kremlin said on Sunday, after he left his homeland to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires.

Putin signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu, who objected to French Socialist president Francois Hollande's plan to impose the 75 percent tax rate. His decision to quit France had prompted accusations of national betrayal.

The Russian president and Depardieu were shown on state-run Channel One shaking hands and hugging each other early on Sunday during what the Kremlin said was a private visit by the actor to Russia.

"A brief meeting between the president and Depardieu took place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "On the occasion of his visit to Russia, he was handed a Russian passport."

Peskov did not say whether Putin personally gave Depardieu the passport or if he picked it up through standard procedures. He said the actor also told Putin about his career plans.

Depardieu, star of the movies "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card", is a popular figure in Russia, where he has appeared in many advertising campaigns, including for ketchup. He also worked there in 2011 on a film about the eccentric Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.

Putin asked Depardieu whether he was pleased with his work in the movie, TV footage of their meeting showed, with the French actor saying he had already sent Putin some excerpts from it.

Depardieu bought a house in Belgium last year to avoid the French income tax increase. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu's decision to seek Belgian residency "pathetic" and unpatriotic, prompting an angry response from the actor.

Putin said last month that Depardieu would be welcome in Russia, which has a flat income tax rate of 13 percent, compared to the 75 percent on income over 1 million euros ($1.30 million) that Hollande wants to levy in France.

He offered Depardieu a Russian passport, saying he had a close, special relationship with France and had developed warm ties with the actor, even though they had rarely met.

Some of Putin's critics said the passport move was a stunt and pointed out that the president announced last month a campaign to prevent rich Russians keeping their money offshore.

($1 = 0.7666 euros)

(Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Editing by Pravin Char)

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U.S. Franciscan friars go digital, accept prayer requests via text

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The largest group of Franciscan friars in the United States is offering the faithful a new way to pray in the digital age by accepting prayer requests via text messages.

The Friars of Holy Name Province, who staff 40 parishes and have colleges, soup kitchens and food centres along the eastern seaboard, as well as groups in Peru and Tokyo, are among a few religious groups offering this type of digital service.

Its "Text a Prayer Intention to a Franciscan Friar" initiative, which is described as faith at your fingertips, is a novel way for Roman Catholics to connect.

"People are always saying to friars, 'Can you say a prayer for me?' Or 'Can you remember my mother who has cancer?'" Father David Convertino, the New York-based executive director of development for the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province, said in an interview.

"I was thinking that a lot of people text everything now, even more than email, so why not have people have the ability to ask us to pray for them ... by texting."

The faithful simply text the word 'prayer' to 306-44, free of charge. A welcome message from the friars comes up along with a box to type in the request. When the it is sent, the sender receives a reply.

The intentions are received on a website and will be included collectively in the friars' prayers twice a day and at Mass.

It is one of several ways the friars hope to reach a younger audience, increase the number of faithful and spread the faith. They have already renovated their website and the next step is moving into Facebook and tweeting.

"If the Pope can tweet, friars can text," said Father David.

The friars also have a presence on LinkedIn and have been streaming some of their church services.

"We're trying," said Father David when asked if the friars are well into the digital age, adding that they were "rushing madly into the 19th century."

Most of the 325 friars, whose average age is about 60, are comfortable with the technology.

"We have a friar who is 80 who was texting today," said Father David.

The friars are following the example of 85-year-old Pope Benedict, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, whom the Vatican said had 2.1 million followers on Twitter just eight days after sending his first tweet.

The Pontiff tweets in several languages, including Arabic, and plans to add Latin and Chinese to them.

"We're really excited about this working," said Father David, about the new program. "I think we'll be able to keep up (with all the intentions). That's what we do, we pray for people."

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy)

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Man who rode horse while drunk gets time served

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BUNNELL, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man accused of riding his horse while intoxicated during a police chase has changed his plea and was sentenced to time served.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/VKmkMq) reports 29-year-old Charles Larkin Cowart pleaded no contest Tuesday to obstructing an officer without violence and interfering with railroad tracks. He originally pleaded not guilty to the Sept. 24 ride through Bunnell, north of Orlando.

Circuit Judge David Walsh also sentenced Cowart to three years of probation. He had been held in the Flagler County Jail on $7,000 bail.

Police say Cowart told them he was on his way to this grandmother's house. He refused their request to get off the horse and took off. Eventually, the horse became exhausted and Cowart ran. He was arrested a short time later.

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Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com

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Body of man poisoned after winning lottery will be exhumed

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CHICAGO (Reuters) - The body of a Chicago man who died of cyanide poisoning less than two months after winning $1 million in the Illinois Lottery will be exhumed for further examination in two to four weeks, according to the Cook County medical examiner.

An affidavit to exhume the body of Urooj Khan, 46, will be filed Friday with the Cook County Circuit Court, Mary Paleologos, a spokeswoman for the county, said on Wednesday. Once a judge approves the request, which should take one to two weeks, it will probably take another one to two weeks to arrange the exhumation with the cemetery, Paleologos said.

Khan's death on July 20 was at first determined to be caused by heart disease. No autopsy was performed, since there was no trauma present and the death appeared natural. Toxicology results indicated no drugs or carbon monoxide present.

But several days after the body was released for burial, an unidentified family member contacted the doctor in the case and asked that the medical examiner revisit it.

The medical examiner's office ordered comprehensive toxicological testing. On November 23, final test results confirmed a lethal level of cyanide in the blood, according to the medical examiner, and the death was ruled a homicide.

The medical examiner's office said exhumation of the body "is necessary to complete an investigation" into Khan's death.

Chicago Police would say only that they are investigating the case as a murder and are working closely with the medical examiner's office.

Khan had presented the ticket claiming his winnings to Illinois Lottery offices on May 31, according to Lottery spokesman Mike Lang. Khan had decided to take the lump-sum payment, which amounted to about $424,500 after taxes. A check was sent from Springfield, Illinois to Khan July 19 or July 20 -- so it is unlikely Khan ever saw it, Lang said.

The check was paid August 15, Lang said. He said it is common that when winners die before receiving their winnings, the money is paid to the estate.

Khan's estate is in Cook County probate court. The next status date in the case is January 24.

Steven Kozicki, an attorney for Khan's wife Shabana Ansari, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. Kozicki told the Chicago Tribune that Ansari had been interviewed by Chicago police detectives and had nothing to hide.

(Reporting By Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune and Nick Zieminski)

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