Customs agents inspecting a shipment of plantains thought some of the green bananas seemed unusually hard and cut them open, finding more than 750 pounds of cocaine stuffed inside what turned out to be phony fruit. Smugglers molded the plantains out of glass fiber, filled them with cocaine and painted them to look like the real fruit, a large, green member of the banana family popular in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Organizers of a memorial for Hunter S. Thompson plan to erect a 150-foot structure to shoot the gonzo journalist's ashes onto his ranch where he kille dhimslef in Februrary. Jon Equis, the event producer working with Thompson's family, says the tower will be 12 feet wide at the base and 8 feet wide at the top, where a cannon will be placed - actor Johnny Depp says he will foot the bill for the structure.

After several criticizing reports, the federal government revises its Website containing information for parents about educating their children about sex. In its first month, the site received about 5 million hits. Recently, the section on sexual orientation was changed to address some of the concerns voiced by the gay rights community.

A newlywed couples' honeymoon hanky-panky got a little out of hand when the groom broke his arm. Yu Haitao and his bride Fang Shuling claim the hotel facitilties were responsible for the injury. Yu, 28, underwent a 20,000 yuan ($2,415) operation on Tuesday after tumbling off the bed in preparation for traditional "tease-the-newlywed" games.

On Thursday, The Italian Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman seeking damages from her ex-husband after failing to tell her he was impotent. The woman, identified as Cristina S. , is charging her husband with denying her "a right to sexuality" and the promise of a family.