A South African man mistakenly listed as dead by authorities has been fighting to prove he is alive so he can get a passport, register a car and change his wife's marital status from "widowed".
Claude Pretorius has been battling the bureaucratic error since 2006, when he discovered while applying for a passport that the Department of Home Affairs had listed him as dead. Mr Pretorius said he got a sworn affidavit from police affirming that he is alive and was issued a new identity number, enabling him to buy a car.
But the problem resurfaced last year when he tried to register the car with the traffic department.
"I found out that my status has again been changed to deceased," he said. Three weeks ago Mr Pretorius was given a ticket for failing to license the vehicle. (AFP)
Girl injured in second coyote attack
A coyote has attacked a three-year-old girl playing in her back garden in suburban New York, the second such attack on a child in the same area in four days.
Rye Mayor Doug French said the girl was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the attack. Her home is behind the Rye Nature Centre, which is located on a 47-acre wildlife preserve.
The latest incident occurred as Rye Police Commissioner William Connors was addressing a group of residents about the last coyote attack. On Friday, two coyotes attacked a six-year-old girl in her front garden. She was treated for scratches and bites at a hospital and released. (PA)
Mayor apologises for trouser malfunction
A lord mayor apologised yesterday after his trousers fell down during a visit to a local library.
Colin Hall, Lord Mayor of Leicester, suffered the mishap on a visit to Southfields library in Leicester.
Mr Hall was a guest at a Summer Showcase organised by Global Education Leicester/Shire, a network which works with teachers and education institutions to promote greater understanding of global perspectives when his trousers came loose and fell down at the event.
A city council spokesman said: "The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Colin Hall, attended a function at a local library yesterday where he suffered an unfortunate problem with his trousers. He was not wearing a belt and the trousers came loose and fell." (PA)
Jumping Jack flash
A man called police from the back of a moving lorry which he jumped on because of a dare from a friend - then travelled about 10 miles on an Ohio highway.
In the call, Brandon Farmer told a Fayette County dispatcher that it was a stupid idea and that he was "holding on for dear life".
A police officer pulled over the truck and spotted Mr Farmer - who had been drinking and was charged with disorderly conduct - still clinging to the back. The driver was unaware of the extra cargo onboard. (PA)
Return of the 1920s
In 21st-century Berlin, the Roaring Twenties are in once again.
The era is recreated in clubs and ballrooms across the German capital every week as history buffs, tourists and revellers seeking to swap the city's well-known house and techno scene for something more retro-jazzy pack regular dances and event parties.
Among the most popular is a series of parties dubbed Boheme Sauvage, which has grown from a private salon held in the living room of organiser Inge Jacobs to an extravaganza attracting hundreds and featuring swing bands, an absinthe bar and a casino where guests play with Reichmarks. (PA)
Errors galore!
Exams given to 11th and 12th-graders in Massachusetts were rife with spelling, grammatical and factual errors. Two tests given in May to about 2,600 students contained about 100 errors combined.
The mistakes included the phrases "truning around" and "For God's skae", as well as a note on one test that read "This is the end of the Test", when there were two more pages. (PA)
Horsing around
Six horses owned by a Saudi Arabian prince were the unlikely cause of a delayed flight after they became agitated in the cargo hold.
A Cairo airport official said an EgyptAir pilot was forced to turn the plane, which had 189 passengers on board, around on the runaway because a commotion erupted in the hold.
The pilot called for the airport vet, who tranquillised the horses, and after an 80-minute delay the plane bound for the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jiddah took off. (PA)
Liberation Army lonely hearts club
What will the lonely hearts of the People's Liberation Army do now?
Rigid restrictions on internet usage imposed this month on the 2.3 million-strong Chinese armed services are sure to cramp the already lacklustre social lives of the predominantly young, male force. Online dating was given the boot, along with blogs, personal websites and visits to internet cafes.
Military experts said restraints are necessary to avoid compromising security for a Chinese army that prizes secrecy. (PA)