News of the weird

Fatal beard: A bearded woman and her female friend were shot dead in a karaoke bar in Portland, Oregon, by a man who, according to an AP report, was "apparently upset that one of the women refused to leave with him". Referring to the bearded woman, the bar manager, Heather Foong, said: "I think he thought she was a man. The police officers thought it was a man at first. It was some kind of problem she had all her life, I think."

Political strip: A nudist group in Florida has filed a federal lawsuit for the right to sunbathe naked on a beach, despite a local ordinance banning the practice. Central Florida Naturists contend that a county sheriff should not have the right to enforce local law on a federal property, and alleges "several years of continuing harassment of nudists".

Victory for lust: Peru's Congress has rejected an "anti-lust" proposal to ban miniskirts at work. "A woman's beauty is synonymous with denial and respect, and should not be dehumanised or stained by a tiny garment that leads to lustful behaviour," the bill said. Women's groups, however, maintained their right to dress as they please.