World Briefs

A Pole on holiday in Germany jumped from a ship into a chilly lake to prove his love to his wife, but instead lost his trousers and his wallet, and ended up being fined.

The 29-year-old man, who was not named, sprang from the deck of a tourist ship into the 15-degree-Celsius waters of Lake Moehne in western Germany.

Fearing a suicide bid, the captain summoned both the police and the fire brigade, Soest police spokesman Winfried Schnieders said.

The holiday-maker was rescued, minus trousers and wallet, which he lost in the jump, and was fined by the fire department for wasting its time.

He said he just wanted “to prove his love to his wife”, Mr Schnieders said.

The wife, however, “was not amused”, he added. (AFP)

Beach battle

Holidaying Britons battling to beat the Germans to the best spots on the beach might have more chance now.

The number of Germans taking beach holidays is falling, according to a new survey.

Germans are taking their trips, and their towels, away from seaside resorts and more towards cities and cruises, the poll for the ITB Berlin travel trade show found. (PA)

Blanket bid

A blanket signed by broadcasters who covered the Royal Wedding is for sale on auction website eBay to raise money for charity.

British Red Cross volunteer Paul Soffe, who was working as a first aid volunteer at the Royal Wedding media village, collected autographs from celebrities including Sharon Osbourne, Fearne Cotton, Philip Schofield and Jennie Bond.

“It’s certainly a bit more unique than a Royal Wedding mug!” he said. (PA)

Cat survivor

Spencer the cat is down to eight lives after surviving for a week in a crashed camper van.

An insurance adjuster found the 11-year-old grey cat, who was badly dehydrated, in the wreckage of the vehicle in South Carolina, USA.

His owner and her mother were unhurt in the crash, and a dog and two other cats also survived. (PA)

Lawyer exposed

An Austrian lawyer dropped his trousers during the questioning of his client by two female investigators, exposing his briefs.

The Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper said the incident happened in a police station in the western hamlet of Mayrhofen as his client was being quizzed about an alleged sex offence.

Regional criminal affairs chief Walter Pupp said the lawyer has been reported to the local bar association. (PA)

Bin man held

A homeless man has been arrested in New Mexico for failing to notify police that he had moved out of the rubbish skip he listed as his address.

Charles Mader, a convicted sex offender, is required to give the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department in Albuquerque a physical address.

Mr Mader, who was arrested at a homeless shelter, could face up to three years in jail for failing to register for a third time. (PA)

Defect giveaway

You could say his fingerprints – all 12 of them – were all over the crime.

An accused drug-trafficker was nabbed by police in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina after they confirmed his identity through the betrayal of a rare birth defect: six fingers on each hand.

“We had indications that it was him, but because he presented his brother’s papers as identification, we had no proof,” police commissioner Enio de Oliveira Matos said.

“Given this peculiarity, we requested information from the Institute of Identification in the state of Parana, where he was born, and with this feature it was possible to confirm his identity.”

The detained man had been wanted for drug trafficking. (AFP)

Beaver dam

An oil spill near the native village of Little Buffalo in Canada’s Alberta province was partly contained by a beaver dam, a provincial environment official said.

Oil began leaking on April 29 from a pipeline belonging to Plains Midstream Canada in northern Alberta about seven kilometres from the village, said Alberta Environment. In the end, it spilled 28,000 barrels.

The oil almost sullied a river, but it was contained by some small bodies of standing water and a beaver dam.

“It’s true that there is a beaver dam in the area and that it initially contained the spill,” provincial environment chief Rob Renner told reporters by phone.

“The break point of the pipeline has been isolated and there is no further flow of crude oil,” he noted. (AFP)

Husband’s flop

An Emirati man is being sued for a whopping $12 million for failing to have sex with his wife and causing her mental anguish.

The unidentified woman told the court that her Emirati husband did not sleep with her in the first four months of their marriage in 2008, and later she discovered that he suffered from erectile dysfunction.

The woman alleged her husband failed to fulfil her needs.

“Considering the conservative Arab values, and the woman’s situation in such a society, I remained silent and tried to adapt by praying to God that things would improve,” she said.

The woman, whose nationality was unclear, claimed 45 million dirhams (€8.24 million) in compensation. The husband forced her out of her employment and stripped her of her jewellery, she charged. (AFP)