17-floor miracle

Minneapolis, Jan. 21 (AP): A man crashed through a double-paned window in a hotel yesterday and plummeted 16 floors but survived when he was caught by a roof overhang.

Police said Joshua S. Hanson, 29, had multiple broken bones and internal injuries.

Hanson and two friends returned from a night of drinking around 1.30 am and when the elevator reached the 17th floor, Hanson ran down a short hallway towards a floor-to-ceiling window. He apparently lost balance and crashed through the glass, then fell 300 feet, landing on the roof overhang one floor up from the street.

Brothel win

Amsterdam (Reuters): More than 30 brothels and sex clubs in Amsterdam which city authorities want to close over suspected links to organised crime have won the right to continue trading.

A court ruled the establishments could carry on offering the strip shows and sexual services, which have kept the district a tourist magnet for decades.