A bad move

A 51-year-old Indiana County man was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh on Wednesday after he accidentally shot himself in the hand with a gun.

The man was attempting to clean the gun, which he owns, yesterday at C.S. Kim Karate Inc., a Trooper of state police at Indiana County said.

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Steroid charges

Texas -- A well-known Fort Worth karate instructor is out of jail after being booked on steroid charges.

Police said the man, whose Web site says he is a sixth-degree black belt, picked up a package at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that he claimed contained a T-shirt and a book.

Police said it contained banned steroids instead.

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Pleaded guilty

A 42-year-old, former karate instructor pleaded guilty Tuesday in Marion Superior Court to vicarious sexual gratification with a former student.

The Marion County Sheriff's Department arrested the man in July after two brothers, who now are 20 and 22, told officers about incidents that occurred when they were younger than 16.

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He "exploded"

Australia -- A former martial arts instructor accused of raping and murdering a 48-year-old real estate agent told police he "exploded" and "put a choke on her", a Supreme Court jury heard yesterday.

The prosecutor told the jurors and Justice John Coldrey that the 36-year-old accused man, raped and murdered the woman after they arranged to look at a property in Melton.

Mr Horgan said the accused gagged the a mother of two, stripped her and finally choked her to death.

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Got off easy

A bumbling burglar who smashed in a storefront window in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, at 3 a.m. somehow failed to notice the Champion Fight Club next door.

Club owner Dave Lochert, who heard the sound of breaking glass, took it from there, chasing the man down and punching him twice in the gut to make him drop his hammer.

When the man tried to run for it, Lochert told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, "I put him in a hold, swept his feet out from underneath him and dropped him to the ground."

The guy was lucky that's all he got. Lochert is trained in judo, taekwondo, white crane kung fu, ninjutsu, Muay Thai, boxing and kickboxing.

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"Bonzai Shadowhands"

Los Andeles -- Rainn Wilson, who plays the sycophantic Dwight on "The Office," is making his screenwriting debut on a project in which he will star as a once-great ninja who is now living a life of mediocrity.

Fox Searchlight has picked up the dark comedy, "Bonzai Shadowhands," which Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking") will direct.

While "Bonzai" will be a comedy, the tone will be somewhat serious, said Reitman. "It's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' meets 'Midnight Cowboy' ... We wanted to do something that was more than a light comedy. We feel it could be a movie that had something to say."

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Time served

Canada -- On Thursday afternoon, Justice Brian Joyce sentenced the 40-year-old karate school operator to one day in jail in addition to the equivalent of five months already served.

The man pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation in September.

The incident which gave rise to the charge took place in the man's apartment, recounted Joyce, and involved a former karate student that he had remained friends with.

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Accidental?

"Accidental martial arts punch to the throat"? I suppose the rape, murder and dismemberment were accidents too?

Story:
The Ohio Parole Board will hold another hearing to decide whether a man convicted in the 1985 killing and dismemberment of Mentor-on-the-Lake teenager Michelle Hayes should be released from prison.

And once again, the victim's family will try to stop Stephen B. Cohen from getting out of the Marion Correctional Institution any time soon. Cohen, 38, is serving eight to 25 years.

Grant told officials he killed 17-year-old Michelle with an accidental martial arts punch to the throat because she resisted his sexual advances.

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No ban

Malaysia -- The death of a Muay Thai kickboxer on Tuesday following injuries suffered during a tournament was an isolated case and the state government will not reimpose a ban on the martial art.

State Women, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Abdul Patah Mahmood said fighters knew the risks involved and guidelines had been set following the state government’s lifting of the ban on the sport two months ago.

Thai kickboxing fighter Rusuwan Abdul Rahman, 21, had collapsed during a freestyle bout in Pasir Tumbuh on Sunday.

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Green Party seeing red

What people somehow tend to forget is the a nunchaku is extremely easy to make. Yet I totally agree that this is a weapon that should not be sold as a toy.

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New Zealand -- A martial arts weapon with enough power to crack a human skull has the Green Party seeing red. It is so disgusted that wooden nunchuks are being sold for just a few dollars, it is laying a complaint with the Minister of Consumer Affairs.

In the hands of a trained martial artist, nunchuks (sic.) are at best a very lethal weapon.

Police also want sales restricted. They are finding more and more people with nunchuks in their cars.

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Bass ackwards

India -- An 11-year old boy of Puducherry chose a novel way to spread social messages — by running 36 kms backwards along the thoroughfares of the city.

The boy started running at 11.30 am on Friday from Anna Salai, went around the city limits and completed his run at the same place at six in the evening.

In between, he took brief breaks to deliberate on topics ranging from AIDS awareness and eradication of illiteracy to significance of national integration.

He also spoke on the life and contributions of great leaders like Swami Vivekananda and Dr BR Ambedkar. Further, he displayed his skills in the ancient Tamil martial art, Silambam.

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Whipped

An 8-year-old Greenwood boy was reportedly whipped with a stick at a local karate school, and the school’s chief instructor and the boy’s mother are facing charges stemming from the incident.

According to an incident report, the father said he recently learned his son had been getting into some trouble at school. He said his ex-wife, the boy’s mother, had given the karate instructor permission to punish the child, and he said the boy claimed the instructor had whipped him with a long stick.

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Karate chaos

Karate England, the governing body of the sport, was in chaos last night after a statement posted on its website stated that the organisation had stopped trading and that the liquidator had been called in.

But when contacted by The Times, Victor Charles, the acting president of the board, said that the statement was premature and that Karate England remained a going concern.

Karate England was created from an amalgamation of three organisations in November 2005. It received more than £400,000 of public money from Sport England but is labouring under debts understood to be about £160,000. At an extraordinary general meeting in Burton upon Trent last month there were angry accusations of extravagance and mismanagement.

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Karate fight

Great going folks - really nice way of teaching kids respect and control! And "disgruntled" ... How about plain stupid?

Story:
A disgruntled father punched a teenage girl after she knocked his son to the ground in a karate match Wednesday, city police said.

Officers went to the Annapolis Karate and Learning Center in Annapolis for a report of an assault that occurred at 6:30 p.m.

A woman told police her 13-year-old daughter had a sparring session with a 12-year-old boy when she knocked him to the ground.

The boy's father yelled at the girl and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground. The woman went to the commissioner's office and a summons for second-degree assault was issued.

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Excited delirium

Canada -- Three London police officers have been cleared of wrongdoing in the death of a promising martial arts expert whose organs failed a week after his arrest.

The Special Investigations Unit, Ontario's police watchdog, was called after Mitchell Koh, 34, died eight days after being arrested by police Sept. 12 and subsequently being admitted to hospital for doing drugs.

An inquest may be held to determine exactly how Koh died, an SIU spokesperson said yesterday, but that could not be confirmed at press time.

The SIU report says two police officers went to a Southdale Road convenience store about 6 a.m. on Sept. 12 after a report of a man waving a stick and two knives inside.

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A bad lock-in

Houston -- A Tae Kwon Do instructor is under arrest Monday night. He’s accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old student.

The alleged assault happened at American Kids Athletics. It allegedly happened during a lock-in when children spend the night.

“They have lock-in every once in awhile. You pay a fee, the parents get to have a night out and the kids get to have fun,” a parent said.

The Harris County sheriff’s office responded, saying, “Medical examination shows there was some kind of trauma and was enough to warrant charges.” Lt. Ruben Diaz added, “He was given a polygraph and failed.”

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Slowly going blind

If 14-year-old Tara Smith could ask people to do one thing for her, it would be to not treat her differently.

Tara was diagnosed with keratonus, a degenerative disease of the cornea, two years ago.

Since that time she has lost complete vision in her left eye and has been left with 6-60 vision in her right eye.

But slowly going blind has not stopped Tara from winning several gold medals in judo this year.

She took gold in the senior girls open and silver in the senior girl’s 0.55kg division at the Auckland International Championships in June and was also named winner of the girls open at the North Island Championships in August.

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Confuse-Us speaks #8

Right ...

Story:
Jake Haromszeki, Sierra Lourenco and Doug Klatskin pack a serious punch.

The martial arts students are on the Canadian National Karate Team and will represent the country at the WKA World Karate Championships Nov. 4 to 11 in Spain.

"To be on the national team you got to practice every day and work with people that can help you improve," said 12-year-old Sierra, who's been involved in karate since she was three.

Sierra says she hopes to obtain a 10th degree black belt - the highest rank in the judo world - and start her own karate dojo.

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Sexual exploitation

Canada -- She was a young, promising athlete with unlimited potential to go far in taekwondo.

Her 35-year-old coach and instructor knew it, but his interest in her went far beyond the competitions and training.

Yesterday, the former Pan-American Games martial arts coach, now living in Aylmer, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation, admitting he carried on a sexual relationship with the girl after she turned 14 until she was 16.

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Abuse past rebounds

Australia -- A martial arts instructor and former air cadets leader has been jailed for four years after being convicted of sexually abusing four teenage boys in the 1970s.

The 52-year-old state advertising manager was found guilty by a Brisbane District Court jury yesterday of six counts of indecently dealing with a boy under 16 years and one count of indecently dealing with a boy under 14 years.

During the week-long trial, the court heard the offences happened in the 1970s while the man, then aged 20-23 years, was involved with co-ordinating air cadet groups or students for his Brighton kung fu school.

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Self-inflicted blows

UK -- Karate England, the governing body of the sport, created to great fanfare last November, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy amid allegations of extravagance and mismanagement.

The Times can reveal evidence that raises serious questions about the role of Sport England, the quango that is understood to have allowed hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money to be spent by the governing body.

At an extraordinary meeting of Karate England in Burton upon Trent on Sunday, criticism was levelled at Nick Halafihi, the former head of Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league club, who was chief executive of Karate England until being dismissed for gross misconduct in September for alleged threatening behaviour at a board meeting. The board was also criticised.

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Street brawl

What else - a martial arts expert with a karate kick ...

Story:
A young Brit was paralysed from the neck down by a martial art expert as a 20-strong gang attacked him and a pal.

James Edward and Mark Bell, both 20, were found unconscious in Benidorm following the street brawl at 2am. The lads had been drinking on Saturday night in the so-called British quarter when they were attacked.

Spanish cops are investigating whether mechanic James was karate kicked in the back or hit with a cosh.

He shows no outward signs of a sustained beating, leading cops to think one attacker knew exactly where to punch or kick.

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Jekyll and Hyde

A 51-year-old British businessman was murdered outside his home on a peaceful Caribbean island. Vincent Connolly was shot four times as he stepped out of his car after spending the evening at a bar on the British Virgin Islands.

Yesterday police were investigating the possibility that Mr Connolly, who had a black-belt in karate, was seen arguing with a man outside the Mad Dog bar before he was shot.

And one local barman said Mr Connolly had an 'aggressive' side to his personality. He said: "I had an altercation with him a few weeks ago.

"He was a real Jekyll and Hyde character - a nice guy when he was sober but very aggressive after a few drinks.

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A watchful eye

It's sounds kind of strange (at least to me) if parents don't get involved in their kids after school activities.
In our school we take it for granted that the parents stay and watch the classes - at least they are always more than welcome to!

Story:
A Kissimmee karate instructor has been in custody at the Osceola County Jail since early October, after several students alleged that he sexually abused them while they were under his supervision.

Unlike day-care centers and public schools, there are no safeguards in place to monitor the welfare of children when they attend extracurricular activities after school.

Marie Martinez, program manager for Orange County's Children's Advocacy Center, said it is not uncommon for child victims of sexual abuse to alert an adult, but the real issue is whether the adult listens. Some children will reveal a bit of information to test the adult's reaction, she said. But most child-sex victims are kept quiet with bribes and threats, she said.

Statistics show that up to 90 percent of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone the child knows, Martinez said, adding that adults the children tell are "oftentimes conflicted" if the perpetrator is a person they know and have trusted.

There is no governing body that regulates most after-school programs, but Martinez suggested parents make unannounced visits to their activities.

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One day ...

An inspirational piece from colfaxrecord.com: "Weimar girl says she'll walk on her own 'one day'"

Story:
California -- When Hope Adrian was first diagnosed with spastic deplegia (stiff legs) Cerebral Palsy, she was too young to understand her condition.

The complications caused damage to Hope's brain when she was born and resulted in the neurological disorder, which she knows all too well today.

"I am able to keep my balance when I walk, the only difference is that I am not able to stop quickly - I have to grab onto something," Hope said. "I can get up on my own too, it just takes a little more effort for me."

Though she doesn't have complete control of her legs, Hope doesn't let it slow her down too much.

She is active during recess at school and participates in soccer, karate, gymnastics and Girl Scouts.

'Ice' in East Timor

An explosion in the use of a dirty form of the drug "ice" among East Timorese youths is fuelling gang violence on the streets of Dili and sparking fears its distribution may be part of a wider move to destabilise the country's Government.

An adviser to the East Timorese Prime Minister said that an exploding level of methamphetamine use had contributed to the fighting that had left up to 10 people dead in the past week.

"It's nothing to do with enjoyment," said Jose Sousa-Santos, the Prime Minister's youth liaison officer. "It's more a pre-battle ritual."

He said much of the violence centred on two large martial arts gangs that contained about 30,000 members across the country.

"Keeping those two groups from going at it is probably my main concern at the moment," Mr Sousa-Santos said.

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He couldn't kick

After tae kwon do master Anthony Hong met his newest pupil, he was up all night, trying to figure out how he would teach the boy.

The Korean martial art is known for its high and fast kicks. But Hong's student, Colin Waltari, couldn't kick. Tae kwon do fighters use their arms to block and punch. But Colin's arms were busy holding onto his crutches.

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Different versions

South Africa -- A 23-year-old man is charged with murdering his parents in Crown North, Johannesburg, in October last year.

His sister, 18, and his wife, 22, are charged with being accessories to the crime and defeating the ends of justice.

Different versions of the event of the murders, which occurred on the first day of Ramadan, were heard in court. One version suggested that the father, 50, had killed his wife and, in revenge, his son had shot him dead.

Another version suggested that on the night in question, the mother, 49, had shot her husband before turning the gun on herself.

The state prosecutor was fired up on Tuesday, the first day of the trial. She put it to the court that on the night in question, at about 11 p.m., the accused, a firearms instructor and a black belt in karate, had entered his parents' bedroom and pumped six bullets into his father as he lay sleeping. Then he followed his mother into the bathroom and shot her in the face.

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Gamers ...

An avid Dungeons & Dragons player "became his fantasy" when he slashed his co-worker to death with a homemade sword in October 2004, his attorney said Wednesday.

The defense attorney said his client was in the throes of a schizophrenic episode on Oct. 27, 2004, and believed he was a ninja killing a foe when he attacked and killed his 43-year-old co-worker.

The prosecutor said she believes the accused actions were not based on fantasy. She said his was instead acting out his "own grudge and own anger" against the victim and his other co-workers who he thought were bullying him over his obsession with fantasy-based games, his black nail polish and other eccentricities.

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Failed suedo

Only in the 'Land of the great Suemo' (tip: it's not Japan), can stupid cases like this be brought to trial.
What's next - someone getting sued for making a student sweat, or messing up a student's hair? "Terrible folks, they even sweat in there - yuck!"

Story:
A woman whose nose was broken during a sparring match at a Long Island, N.Y., karate school was an experienced practitioner of the sport and had assumed the inherent risk of injury or "even death," a state judge has concluded in dismissing her lawsuit against the school and its owner.

Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Robert W. Doyle granted summary judgment to Empire State Karate of Smithtown and its president, Joyce Santamaria, dismissing a lawsuit filed against them by Carolyn Martezian.

In his decision, the judge denied a motion for summary judgment filed by a third defendant, Ralph Bertelle.

Bertelle, an employee of the school, struck Martezian in the face during a sparring match on Sept. 25, 2003. The injury required reconstructive surgery.

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Still kicking

Respect! Now punks, remember this lesson.

Story:
A 70-year-old British pensioner, trained in martial arts during his military service, dispatched a gang of four would-be muggers in a late-night attack in Germany.

The man, a native of Birmingham who now lives in Germany, was challenged by three men, demanding money, while a fourth crept up behind him. Recalling his training, the Briton grabbed the first assailant and threw him over his shoulder.

When a second man tried to kick him, the pensioner grabbed his foot and tipped him to the ground. At this point, the three men, thought to be aged between 18 and 25, fled, carrying their injured accomplice with them.

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An "argument"

If this is an argument, then I'm not sure I want to know what their fights are like ...

Story:
A Commack man pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he threatened his mother with a samurai-style sword during an argument over his late wake-up time, authorities said.

The 20-year-old got into the argument with his mother (50) on Thursday morning because he had overslept, Suffolk County police said.

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Child phobia

UK -- Britain is in danger of 'becoming a nation fearful of its young people', according to new research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

A report to be published by the thinktank next month also concludes that Britons are less likely than their European neighbours to prevent teenagers from committing anti-social behaviour.

The study argues that a lack of adult supervision of teenagers in modern communities where residents no longer know their neighbours has 'increased the risk of youth crime and violence'.

Entitled, Freedom's Orphans: Raising Youth in a Changing World, the IPPR report warns that people are becoming increasingly wary of the nation's teenagers as a result, claiming that 1.5 million Britons considered moving away from their local area last year as a result of young people 'hanging around'.

The IPPR claims that research shows that teenagers involved in structured activities such as martial arts and sport are less likely to demonstrate 'problem behaviour' as teenagers.

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He jumped in

Goa, India -- Fatorda people on Friday could witness his live action of saving a 24-year-old girl, who had fallen into a drinking water well.

According to the Margao police, the girl accidentally fell in the well after she lost balance while sitting on the fence.

People raised an alarm after the fall, but no one would dare jump in the well to rescue her. But it was to her good fortune that Flavaiano Miranda, a 25-year-old karate student, was passing by Fatorda, when he heard the screams of the people and girl. He dashed towards the well, jumped in and rescued the girl.

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Constance Rice

Constance Rice is a fighter.

In more ways than you’d think. Angry at herself for not fighting back when a man physically attacked her in college, she took up martial arts. She vowed to put the next guy in the hospital — and did.

But she actually prefers legal combat. Her fearlessness has made her one of the most successful civil rights attorneys in the country.

Next to getting three innocent men off of death row, however, Rice said her most important achievement was earning her black belt in tae kwon do. It was one of the hardest things she ever did.

"It's an all-male world, and it's physical combat. Women aren't trained to do that," said Rice, who convinced a South Korean instructor to take on his first female student years ago. "So not only do I do verbal combat and legal combat, but I do physical combat."

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Judo?

Lima, Ohio - Police responding to a caller who mistook a judo class exercise for a hostage situation pulled over an SUV and drew their weapons on the driver and her family.

No one in the SUV was part of the class, and police said they don't not know why the caller thought the gunman got in the vehicle.

The caller saw someone wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a weapon enter a class inside a YMCA and then order everyone to lie down on the floor, police said Wednesday.

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Another molester

Arizona -- Police arrested a 39-year-old Tempe man Tuesday on suspicion he molested a 14-year-old girl and exposed himself to her in public. The man was arrested after the teen, who he had been tutoring, said he inappropriately touched her.

Police said the man knew the girl and her family. He was a martial arts instructor at a Tae-Kwon-Do school, said Tempe spokesman officer Brandon Banks.

Banks would not say if the girl was the man's student at the martial arts studio, but said he regularly instructed children of her age.

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Faithful student

"Push away those distracting thoughts and empty everything," says physical therapist Tom Hobin.

Kathryn Thames, one of his most faithful students, is 99 years old.

All the students are between the ages of 69 and 99, but they say if you just bring them their Tai Chi, they'll be happy.

Kathryn Thames she says she is not done yet, not by a long shot.

"I believe I was put here for some reason and I've been here 99 years so there must be some reason I'm still here. So I keep working at it to see what that is," said Thames.

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A jiujitsu hold

The karate (aka "krotty") kick. The judo chop. And now ... (drum roll and silence please): The jiujitsu hold!

Story:
The gang assault charge says that Szyller and Sengun Coskun, who is separately indicted, beat a victim and rendered him unconscious for nearly half an hour after choking him with a jiujitsu hold.

A search of Szyller’s apartment turned up 22 bags of cocaine, an eighth of an ounce of uncut cocaine, more than 1,000 clear plastic bags and several jiujitsu magazines and DVD’s, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Szyller has been a longtime student of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.

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Chan and Li

The seemingly inevitable on-screen team up of martial arts experts Jackie Chan and Jet Li has been confirmed after it was announced that the two will face off in a new family action film.

The family film tells the story of the monkey king and his quest to find immortality, with Li set to play the the lead role as the regal ape and Chan agreeing to take on the part of a monk named T'sa Ho.

While not quite the confrontation that was expected, the martial arts duo have both expressed their happiness at the fact that the much-anticipated film collaboration has taken place.

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Heavy security

UK -- A shoplifter felt the full force of the law - after picking a fight with a former World's Strongest Man finalist.

And 22-stone Lee Bowers, of Alderhill Street, Earby, said he did not even break sweat dealing with 19-year-old thief Lee McLeod.

When confronted by security guard Mr Bowers he refused to go with the officer, tried to barge his way past and then went "wild", the court was told.

However, McLeod was no match for Mr Bowers, 39, who still competes in international strongman and ju-jitsu competitions.

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