By Devin D. O'Leary

AUGUST 25, 1997: 

Dateline: Cuba--The Cuban "hard salsa" band La Charanga Habanera got a six-month suspension from local authorities who branded their on-stage antics too hot to handle. The official Cuban newspaper Granma reported last Sunday that the public was "profoundly offended" by the group's "violent pelvic movements" at a recent festival in Havana. In a related story, Elvis rolled over in his grave.

Dateline: Brazil--The Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has escaped justice once again. Last Wednesday, Brazil ratified its first-ever extradition treaty with England. The South American nation has long been a safe refuge for international criminals, including Biggs, who fled there 27 years ago after escaping from a British jail. Biggs was a member of the gang that in 1963 stole £2.6 million from a Royal Mail train. Since then, Biggs has become an international celebrity, recording albums with the Sex Pistols and having his famous heist dramatized in a 1988 motion picture. A spokeswoman for the Brazilian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Biggs would "not be arrested immediately, even if England issues an extradition request." Biggs, now 68, has led a crime-free life since arriving in Rio De Janeiro.

Dateline: Thailand--Talk about your bad karma. An unfinished statue of Buddha being erected in a temple in northern Thailand's Philsanulok province fell over, killing three and injuring seven. Ninety percent of Thailand's 60 million are Buddhist.

Dateline: Florida--Police in Lake County are mulling over charges against a mom who--in the middle of an argument with her hubby--ordered her two kids, six and eight, into the house and told them to shoot dad with their BB guns. They complied, and dad ended up in the hospital with seven BB pellet wounds to the chest, arm and face.

Dateline: Washington--Troy J. Williamson was on the air hosting his public access sex show, "Fulfilling Your Fantasies," when Seattle police burst into the studio and arrested the shirtless TV star. Apparently Williamson had failed to register as a convicted sex offender under a recently passed state law. Williamson was convicted in 1991 for patronizing a 14-year-old girl for prostitution.

Dateline: New York--Actress-turned-director Penny Marshall recently hosted a publicity event at NYC's Fashion Cafe to debut K-mart's Sesame Street line of clothes. As she attempted to teach co-host Big Bird a dramatic twirl, Marshall lost her footing and grabbed onto the 7-foot-tall bird for support. Much to the horror of the preschool crowd, Marshall latched onto Big Bird's right wing and ripped it from its socket. Big Bird tried to cover up the traumatic disarming by informing the audience, "It'll grow back."

--Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary

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