Shakespeare or a peep show. It's all theatre, court rules

NICK Drainey's world view

THE NETHERLANDS

What would Gielgud say? Ogling at women taking off her clothes is on a par with watching Shakespeare, apparently.

The Dutch Supreme Court has decided sex shows should be thought of as theatre – at least when it comes to taxes.

The Netherlands' highest court has ruled that a peep show owner is eligible to pay sales tax at a lower rate because his services are a form of theatre. The government argued that they were simply strip shows – and thus taxed at a higher rate.

The sex show owner, whose identity has not been released, is now expected to be repaid thousands of euros in taxes.

AUSTRIA

A man who stole a moped in Austria 25 years ago has sent an anonymous confession letter to police, enclosing ?1,400 (1,218) cash to compensate his victim.

"Back then, I had no idea what the immaterial and material scope of such a crime could be, probably due to my lack of maturity at the time," the man wrote, police said.

He said if police could not find the former owner of the moped, they could donate the cash to local social services.

BELARUS

Anybody believed to be expressing doubts about a bank in a way that could cause panic should be reported to the police, Belarus's central bank has advised commercial banking institutions.

Belarus, where much of the economy remains in state hands, says it has suffered few effects of the world financial crisis, but the ex-Soviet state has requested a $2bn loan from the International Monetary Fund as a "security cushion".

"We are asking the banks' security service to monitor the behaviour of customers inside their branches," central bank spokesman Anatoly Drozdov said. "If they see someone is speaking loudly to other customers about whether the bank is in a critical position or advising against making deposits, they can ask the police for help. That person may then be detained for an identity check."

He said the move was intended to defend fair competition.

Belarus has been repeatedly accused in the West of crushing fundamental rights, though sanctions have been eased since detainees deemed political prisoners were released last August.

UNITED STATES

A 72-year-old man faces 15 years in jail for fatally stabbing a friend 28 times – after she took away the TV remote. Donald Zampini, from New Jersey, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and told the judge he could not remember stabbing 63-year-old Barbara Morris in her home.

MEXICO

A Mexican motorist staged a 14-hour sit-in protest in his truck after police tried to make him pay a huge bribe for driving through a red light.

Jesus Martinez said police tried to extort 8,000 pesos (400) from him after he ran a red light in Monterrey; the official fine is about 400 pesos. Martinez sat in his truck and refused to budge until cops gave in and issued him with a formal ticket. He stayed put even when his Hummer was towed to a police pound.

BELGIUM

Buy one, get one free: this is lengths one Belgian car dealer has gone to lure customers in these difficult times. Antwerp-based Cardoen sells about 10,000 new and nearly new cars per year, and until next weekend customers can choose from a range of new, full-price cars, starting with a ?22,800 (19,800) Hyundai van, and then pick a free car worth up to ?14,000 (12,150).

"People have been coming in from all over Belgium and abroad," Cardoen's commercial director Ivo Willems said. He said Cardoen wasn't losing money because desperate distributors in southern Europe had been selling to them very cheap.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

JENNIFER HUDSON

The estranged brother-in-law of Actress Jennifer Hudson has been charged with murdering three of her relatives, including her seven-year-old nephew. William Balfour was formally charged with three counts of first degree murder over the shooting deaths of Hudson's nephew Julian King, her mother and her brother.

JOE SATRIANI

Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued British band Coldplay, accusing the Grammy-nominated stars of plagiarising one of his songs. Satriani's copyright infringement suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Coldplay song 'Viva La Vida' incorporates "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental 'If I Could Fly'.

BRITNEY SPEARS

Britney Spears tried to put her widely criticised appearance on The X Factor behind her as she celebrated her 27th birthday with a special show on US television.

The troubled pop star continued the launch of her sixth studio album, Circus – her first since her attempted comeback with Blackout last year – during the tribute on ABC's Good Morning America.

But she mimed the lyrics and the show's co-host Diane Sawyer referred to how she wished the troubled pop star would "sit and talk to us".

BRAD PITT

Brad Pitt says he's proud of his growing family with partner Angelina Jolie and that the Hollywood couple will consider marrying if they "feel it's important to our kids". Pitt told NBC's Today show on Tuesday that the couple's six children enrich his life.

PATRICK SWAYZE

Actor Patrick Swayze is angry about American newspaper reports that say he does not have long to live.

Swayze, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, issued a statement affirming that he is winning his fight against the disease and responding well to treatment.

Swayze said: "It's upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I'm fighting."

REALLY

Politicians in Australia could be breath-tested for alcohol before voting on laws after a series of late-night incidents that have embarrassed the centre-left government.

New South Wales state MP Andrew Fraser resigned from his Conservative opposition front bench role after shoving a female colleague after Christmas party celebrations.

"Breath test this mob," said a front page headline in Sydney's mass-selling Daily Telegraph newspaper. State police minister Matt Brown was fired in September after allegedly "dirty" dancing in his underwear over the chest of a female colleague after a drunken post-budget party.