Vampire fraud

Palermo, July 24 (Reuters): An Italian couple stole 50,000 euros from a woman in the Sicilian city of Palermo after convincing her they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the Anti-Christ if she did not pay them.

The man, a cabaret singer, and his girlfriend took the money from their victim over four years by selling her pills at 3,000 euros each that they said would abort the Anti-Christ’s son.

Police uncovered the fraud after the 47-year-old woman’s family became concerned when they discovered she had spent all her savings, local news agencies AGI and ANSA reported.

Wait to win

Key West (Florida), (Reuters): A Florida mailman credited his persistence with winning Key West’s annual Ernest Hemingway look-alike competition, beating nearly 160 snowy-haired men resembling the Nobel Prize-winning writer. Bob Doughty, 61, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, a US postal service letter carrier clad in a wool cable knit turtleneck, said his favorite Hemingway book was The Old Man and The Sea. He won the contest, held on Saturday, on his 13th attempt. “Longevity and patience. Keep trying,” he said.

Maid rush

Jakarta, July 24 (Reuters): When an Indonesian reality TV show was announced featuring baby-faced actor Ari Wibowo’s search for a maid, thousands were suddenly jostling for a job that normally means low pay, endless hours, and sometimes abuse. From English teachers to top chefs, up to 18,000 people throughout the country joined the battle to become “maid idol” for Ari, whose good looks have made him one of Indonesia’s top-rated television stars. That may be because, in a country where a typical maid might make around $30 a month plus room and board, the “maid idol” will receive 10 million rupiah ($1,040).