More than 20,000 people a year are admitted to hospital in England after falling out of bed.
Another 12,000 are admitted after falling from a chair and 6,400 after falling from or onto ladders, while a further 1,200 people need hospital treatment after falling out of a tree.
The figures were released by the NHS Information Centre and cover March 2010 to February this year. Overall, falls accounted for almost 460,000 admissions to hospital – roughly 18,700 more than in the previous year. (PA)
Greatest is he
Wrinkled Jedi Master Yoda has been named the greatest screen puppet of all time.
The tiny green creature, who was first seen in The Empire Strikes Back, beat characters such as Sooty and Kermit The Frog.
Yoda, who was created by the team behind the Muppets, topped a poll by movie rental and online streaming service Lovefilm of top TV and film puppets. He beat Kim Jong-il from spoof film Team America into second, while Kermit was third. (PA)
Wheely dangerous
Wednesday mornings in June are the most dangerous time for cyclists, new figures suggest.
Data collected about accidents in Surrey have shown that June is the most perilous month, with 14 per cent of incidents happening.
Wednesday is the day when the most injuries occur (17 per cent) with 19 per cent of these happening between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. The figures released by Surrey County Council also revealed that cyclists are most likely to be hurt within 1km of their homes (39 per cent) and at junctions (71 per cent). (PA)
Mount climbdown
Austria has halted plans to sell two Alpine mountain peaks after national uproar over the project.
The mountains are in the easternmost part of Tyrol province, home to some of Europe’s highest ranges.
Local and opposition politicians had joined popular opinion against the deal. (PA)
Birthday Ban
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was forced to rough it on an overnight bus to meet Argentine leaders on Monday because of Chile’s volcanic ash cloud. Worse still – it was his birthday.
Ban became the highest-profile person to fall victim as the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue volcano, high in the Andes, entered a second week, spewing ash that has disrupted air travel from South America to Australia.
Mr Ban did not have time to change his arrangements after his flight was diverted to Cordoba and he had to slog it 700 kilometres overnight to Buenos Aires in a bus.
All ended well as Ban, who marked his 67th birthday on Monday, made it to the capital in time to meet Argentine leaders and win their support for a second term as secretary-general. (AFP)
Lost cause
A 780-year-old Catholic relic was stolen from a church near Los Angeles, just hours after it was put on display.
The relic of St Anthony was housed in a 16-inch tall case with angel-shaped handles of gold and silver on either side.
St Anthony is the patron saint of missing items. (PA)
Prayer.com
A Romanian company is offering an online service allowing people to send prayers to priests who will read them out during church services.
Romanian Orthodox Christians often write down prayers in church, which are then given to priests who read them aloud for a small fee.
Believers can now pay 80p per day online for their prayer to be read. (PA)
Live mower
A school in Pennsylvania is to use a herd of sheep to keep the grass near its solar panels neatly trimmed, saving up to £10,000 a year in maintenance bills.
The sheep will nibble grass in the morning and take refuge in the shade of the panels in the afternoon.
With the food already on hand, the school need only supply the sheep with water. (PA)
Cattle-class travel
Train travellers who sometimes feel they are travelling by cattle class have been given a new excuse for delays – cows on the line.
The bovine problem led to 15 train cancellations on a West Midlands’ section of the West Coast line between Nuneaton and Rugby last month, Network Rail said.
Other cancellations in May 2011 included ones on the East Coast line and in the Anglia region caused by cable theft leading to signal failure, NR said. (PA)
Witch switch
The town of Salem in Massachusetts is trying to downplay its links with witches to emphasise other aspects such as museums, dining, and its rich maritime history.
Salem was the site of notorious witch hangings in 1692. The association with witches draws thousands of tourists to its month-long celebration of Halloween, called Haunted Happenings.
Tourism officials say the city draws about a million visitors a year because of its history. (PA)
‘Bunga’ joke
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cracked a joke about “bunga bunga” – the alleged raunchy parties held at his luxury residence – following talks with his Israeli counterpart.
Pointing to a reproduction of a 19th-century painting at a joint press conference in Rome which featured Apollo strumming a lyre surrounded by nine muses, the 74-year-old Berlusconi said with a grin: “This is the bunga bunga of 1811. Self-irony is always important”. (AFP)