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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A celebrity rooster and Miami Beach tourist favorite named Mr. Clucky could soon be evicted from the condo he shares with his owner.

The Miami Herald reports that a dramatic city hall plea from Mark Buckley wasn’t enough to stop officials from giving city code officers authority to remove Mr. Clucky and his hen girlfriend, Wallflower.

Buckley was also ordered to pay a $50 fine for the rooster, known for perching on the handlebars of his bicycle.

Miami Beach code prohibits keeping poultry and other livestock in residential areas.

But there might still be hope for Mr. Cluckey: Buckley can ask city commissioners for an exception or appeal to the courts.

Mr. Clucky has become a favorite subject of tourist photos and was even grand marshal of a parade.

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On the Net: http://www.mrclucky.com

MINNEAPOLIS – Next time, Minnesota’s Democratic Party says, it will closely check its Internet links before sending news releases.

The party on Thursday recalled a statement criticizing Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty because it mistakenly linked to a profane YouTube video of an elderly Chinese woman repeating obscenities.

Andrew O’Leary, executive director of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the Democratic Party is known in Minnesota, says the link was provided by an outside researcher.

He says the party did not check the link before sending the release to the news media.

O’Leary says the party “obviously made a mistake.”

The release challenged Pawlenty, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, for criticizing President Barack Obama at a Republican National Committee meeting.

KHABAROVSK, Russia (Reuters) –
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a judo black belt who last year shot a tiger, Friday demonstrated his softer side by donning a wet suit and tagging a whale.

During a trip to Russia's Far East, Putin waded into the Pacific Ocean and attached a satellite tracking tag to a Beluga whale named Dasha as scientists looked on, the government said in a statement.

"She won't eat us will she?" Putin asked. He then attached the device to the whale, which was held in place by a net, as part of research into the Beluga's migration pattern, ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Putin patted the whale and said "don't be angry," before helping scientists release her, state owned news agency RIA reported. He then fed fish to some other Belugas.

Last year Putin was feted by Russian media for saving a television crew from an attack by a Siberian tiger in the wilds of the far east by shooting it with a tranquilizer gun.

The former KGB spy cultivated a macho image during his eight years as president before stepping down last year.

Putin, 56, made it into glossy magazines across the world two years ago by baring his muscular torso for photographers while on a fishing trip.

Putin tagged the whale on Chkalov island, 700 kilometres (440 miles) northeast of the city of Khabarovsk, where he attended the launch of a new natural gas pipeline Friday.

(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton;)

NEW YORK (Reuters) –
The owner of a popular collection of "high quality" cadavers has sued the manager of an exhibition at New York's South Street Seaport, seeking to prevent it from taking control of the bodies.

The lawsuit by Premier Exhibitions, which stages human anatomy displays in U.S. and Canadian cities under the banner "Bodies … The Exhibition," stems from more than $1 million (598,000 pounds) of profits and licensing fees it says it is owed by Jam Exhibitions LLC, which promoted the New York display.

According to the lawsuit, Jam was removed as the New York promoter on July 20 and has said it has "insufficient funds" to pay what Premier is owed.

Atlanta-based Premier also said that, in light of Jam's removal, the exhibition manager Running Subway LLC has no legal right to continue managing the exhibition.

The lawsuit seeks to recover compensatory and punitive damages, remove Running Subway as manager, prevent Running Subway from "unlawfully possessing the specimens on display," and other remedies.

Jam, based in Chicago, did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment. A lawyer for Running Subway did not immediately return a call and e-mail seeking comment.

According to the "Bodies … The Exhibition" website, the displays feature "actual human specimens" that allow viewers "to peer inside yourself, to better understand how your elaborate and fascinating body works," and to help people become "more informed" about their own health care.

Tickets are also being sold for similar Bodies displays in Atlanta; Las Vegas; Quebec City; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The case is Premier Exhibitions Inc v. Jam Exhibitions LLC, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan), No. 09-6780.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by Andre Grenon)

LONDON (Reuters) –
Tottenham Hotspur are investigating whether criticism of the Premier League club's chairman on Darren Bent's Twitter page were posted by the England forward, a spokesman for the club said Friday.

The comments on the social networking website included an expletive aimed at chairman Daniel Levy amid a rant about Bent's frustrations over the drawn-out negotiations surrounding his possible transfer to fellow Premier League side Sunderland.

"Do I wanna go Hull City? NO. Do I wanna go Stoke? NO. Do I wanna go Sunderland? YES," Bent's 'tweeter' page said after he was also linked in media with Hull and Stoke City.

A Spurs spokesman said investigations into the Tweeter comments were underway but had not yet been completed.

"It's still being looked into. We don't have answers yet When we do the matter will be dealt with internally. It's just a case of finding out whether it actually is his page or not."

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce told Sky Sports News the failure to agree on a transfer fee was the main stumbling block to agreeing a deal for Bent to join the north-east club.

"Only 24, 48 hours ago we thought we were virtually there. Obviously, other clubs have shown an interest.

"We're hopeful that we can still try and do a deal if we possibly can… we will obviously pick up discussions in the next two, three days and see what it takes," Bruce said.

(Reporting by Phakamisa Ndzamela; Editing by Ken Ferris

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A restaurant owner in southwest Turkey was shot dead after he tried to prevent his customers from smoking to comply with a new law on the use of tobacco indoors, Hurriyet daily said on Thursday.

A fight broke out after Hidir Karayigit, 46, ordered a group of customers to extinguish their cigarettes when they began smoking at his "meyhane," a traditional restaurant that serves alcohol, in the town of Saruhanli, Hurriyet said.

One of the customers shot Karayigit four times after he took away the group's cigarettes, said witness Hamza Havutcu, Karayigit's business partner who was also shot and wounded.

Turkey's government on July 19 introduced a nationwide ban on indoor smoking, including bars and restaurants, despite the fact that half of Turks aged between the ages of 15 and 49 smoke; one of the highest rates in the world.

"I'm deeply saddened that the first smoking-ban murder occurred in our town," Saruhanli Mayor Veli Yalcin told Hurriyet. "They either shouldn't have outlawed smoking or they should have outlawed alcohol along with smoking."

(Writing by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Jon Hemming)

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) –
India's unfancied rugby sevens side must bulk up if they hope to make an impact at next year's Commonwealth Games, eating seven meals and at least 15 eggs a day, the country's South African coach said on Friday.

"I have told them (his players) they must eat at least 15 eggs a day, six for breakfast and the remaining nine any time, any how, during the day," the country's South African coach Norman Laker told the Telegraph newspaper on Friday.

"The players have three meals a day and that's not enough. In South Africa, elite rugby players have seven meals a day."

India is rated a lowly 83rd out of the 95 teams in the International Rugby Board rankings which are currently headed by South Africa.

"Indian players weigh 72-77 kg on an average whereas the international players weigh between 88 and 100 kg. That is the weight difference you have to make up," Laker said ahead of the team's departure to South Africa for a training stint.

India is hosting the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.

(Reporting by Sanjay Rajan; Editing by Nigel Hunt.

TAIPEI (Reuters) –
A mobile phone lost at sea for four days washed up in perfect condition in Taiwan after drifting 37 km (23 miles) and was discovered by a park lifeguard who tracked down the shocked owner to return it, the finder said on Friday.

Yu Hsin-leh of Taipei lost the phone on July 24 while snorkeling near the Taiwan port city of Keelung, Taiwan's United Daily News reported.

On Monday, it turned up in Longdong Bay Park on the island's northeasternmost cape after floating past numerous towns and rocky outcroppings.

A small water-resistant case had protected the phone at sea, said park lifeguard Lin Huan-chuan, who found it.

Lin said he recharged the battery and called Yu's wife by finding her in the phone's list of saved numbers.

"All the phone's functions were normal," Lin said. "The owner was extremely surprised as he figured he had lost it for good."

(Reporting by Ralph Jennings; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

BERLIN (Reuters) –
Fans attending one of the world's biggest heavy metal festivals in Germany were asked on Thursday to avoid "hugging, kissing on the cheek, and shaking hands" lest they spread the H1N1 influenza. On its website, the health ministry of Germany's northern Schleswig-Holstein region optimistically advised revelers to restrain from any such sociable behavior so as to minimize the infection risk at the Wacken Open Air festival, which runs until August 1.

It also recommended fans did not share bottles of beer.

"We know that kissing and what have you can't be ruled out," said ministry spokesman Oliver Breuer. "They're just tips."

Stalwart rockers Motorhead, Anthrax and Napalm Death are among the bands due to perform at the three-day festival, which organizers expect to attract about 75,000 fans.

More than 430 people worldwide have died from the flu and more than 94,000 people have been, or are, infected.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Matthew Jones)