A New York man is suing his photographer for failing to capture two key parts of his wedding ceremony: the last dance and the bouquet toss. In addition to seeking a refund of US$4100 for the cost of the photography services, the groom is demanding an additional US$48,000 to fly key individuals to New York to recreate the events for another photographer.
Several problems, however, have come to light – the wedding took place in 2003, the happy couple has since divorced and
the bride has allegedly moved back to her native Latvia. In his lawsuit, Todd J Remis also complained that the photographs were ‘unacceptable as to colour, lighting, poses, positioning’ and that the video of the wedding, which lasted six hours, was only two hours long. The defendant, H & H Photographers, called the case ‘an abuse of the legal system’ and said the costs of defending the lawsuit had already matched the amount sought by Remis.

Hikers who like to go au naturel take note – Switzerland’s highest court has ruled that local authorities can impose fines on people hiking nude in the Alps. The federal Supreme Court, by a vote of three to two, threw out an appeal by a Swiss man who was fined 100 francs for hiking past a family picnic area with no clothes on in the eastern region of Appenzell. Judges said the eastern canton (region) of Appenzell was entitled to uphold a law on public decency, and the ban on naked hiking was only a marginal infringement on personal freedom and not unconstitutional. The mountainous cantons
of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, which only gave women the right to vote two decades ago, are
popular among nude hiking enthusiasts. However, the citizens of the canton voted overwhelmingly to ban the practice in 2009 because they were tired of seeing people walking naked in their mountains.

A Ukrainian wearing a Darth Vader costume has visited Odessa City Hall to demand a plot of land on which to park his spaceship, local Kiev authorities said. “I am Darth Vader,” he told a guard at the entrance, speaking through his voicedistorting face mask. “I heard that land is being carved up in the city of Odessa and that many deputies, city administration and the mayor have joined the Dark Side.” He declared to three guards at the city hall, “I have come for my parcel of land for the spaceship.” The visit comes on the heels of a controversial decision by municipal authorities to distribute coveted coastal land plots among just five Ukrainians for free, the local website Dumskaya.net said. Although the local mayor has publicly admitted a mistake, he has not reversed the decision. ‘Darth Vader’ delivered his official application to a municipal official and said that he would receive an answer within 30 days as to whether he can receive land on the hills of Odessa for his landing craft. Odessa City Hall spokeswoman Anna Osipchuk appeared offended. “We are not the Dark Side. There are only Princess Leias here,” she said.