Stricter absenteeism rules had little effect on British students after truancy rates rose 33 percent. The British government has spend almost $2 billion to overcome the problem, but 63,000 more British students skipped classes in the '06-'07 school year, compared to '05-'06.

Family holidays and ailments topped the list of the reasons why British pupils skipped school. Schools Minister Kevin Brennan said 3.47 percent of the absences were attributed to illness, especially among female students and poor pupils on free school meals. This was followed by family holidays which accounted for 0.7 percent of the absences. The family holidays ate up 6.8 million schools days, although 90 percent of the students who availed of this had the school's permission.

Travelers using long-distance buses are being warned to take extra caution after Swedish police said cases of thieves using midgets in robbing long-distance coaches is on the rise.

Police said the thieves are able to steal from the unsuspecting bus passengers by sneaking the dwarves into the luggage holds in sports bags and once they are inside, the midgets out from the bags and sift through the luggage of the train passengers.

A $10,000 reward was announced by a California family for the safe return of their small dog.

Louie, the tiny 5-month old Yorkshire terrier puppy was allegedly stolen at a supermarket parking lot, from Pauline Jolly's car.

Six-year-old Justin Daniel Junio successfully swam across a six mile channel in the southern Philippines. After three hours and forty six minutes of swimming in Hilutungan Channel, Cebu's boy swimmer reached Malibago, Lapu-Lapu City safe and sound.

Justin was accompanied by his trainer in the water while his father Jose watched him from a navy boat that has been trailing him from the beginning of the swim at the Hilutungan Island.

The world turned upside down for an Iowa bird shooter when he accidentally became the shooting target of hunting dogs.

James Harris, 37, shot a bird at the start of the pheasant season in Iowa on Saturday, but dogs stepped on the gun he left on the ground while trying to retrieve the dead bird and shot pellets into his leg.