A Berlin burglar's break-in took an unexpected turn when he stumbled upon a corpse and felt compelled to call the police.
"He called to say he'd just broken into a flat and found a dead body," said a spokesman for Berlin police yesterday. "He gave the address of the place and hung up."
Officers discovered the 64-year-old resident of the flat dead in his bedroom. The man had passed away about two weeks ago, and authorities are not treating the death as suspicious. The burglar has not been heard of since. Local media said he fled the flat empty-handed.
Suspected of insider trading
Two reporters and a director at public broadcaster NHK are being investigated by Japan's securities watchdog for suspected insider trading using information from an internal editing system, Kyodo news agency reported NHK as saying yesterday.
The employees are suspected of trading 1,000 to 3,000 shares last March after learning from a prepared news report that Zensho Co Ltd, a restaurant chain operator, planned to acquire shares of sushi restaurant chain Kappa Create Co Ltd, Kyodo reported the broadcaster as saying.
The three employees may have gained up to 400,000 yen (€2,500) each from the trade, Kyodo said.
Stray rocket hits house
Russia's military yesterday offered compensation to a homeowner after a small rocket veered off course and hit his country house outside Moscow.
Russian internet chatrooms were buzzing late on Wednesday after local news agencies reported that "an unidentified flying object dropped two bombs near Moscow".
A defence ministry official said two rockets had gone astray during a military exercise near Moscow on Wednesday afternoon. One hit the roof of an unoccupied house 3.5 kilometres away.
"The damage is estimated at 60,000 roubles (€1,667). It will be compensated for in two days," said Yevgeny Konashenkov, spokesman for Russian land troops. "The owner of the house treats the incident with understanding. He has no legal claims."
Stolen boomerang returns home
Proving boomerangs really do come back, an Australian town was yesterday celebrating the return of a boomerang stolen from an outback museum by an American tourist 25 years ago.
The boomerang, a flying blade used mainly by Aborigines to hunt animals, was posted home to the city of Mount Isa in the northern state of Queensland by a Vermont man who named himself in a letter only as Peter.
"I removed this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber. It was the wrong thing to do. I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," according to a note read out to Australian media by Mt Isa mayor Ron McCullough, who added Peter had also sent a cheque.
Clinton plays flight attendant
Hillary Clinton, flight attendant? Not exactly, but the Democratic presidential hopeful did impersonate one briefly on Wednesday as her new campaign plane made its first voyage with journalists, staff and the candidate herself on board.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard the maiden flight of Hil Force One," said the former first lady, startling reporters on the flight from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada. Air Force One is the name of the plane that carries the US president.
"My name is Hillary and I am so pleased to have most of you on board," she said over the loud speaker, an oblique reference to her sometimes contentious relationship with the media.
Mrs Clinton had been travelling on a chartered jet, with reporters relegated to a separate media plane or commercial flights. Now, with the race for the Democratic nomination going nationwide, the campaign has put the full entourage on one aircraft.
Catching flu from banknotes
Bank cashiers and others working with large quantities of paper currency are vulnerable to catching various types of flu from the germs living on notes, a Swiss researcher said on Wednesday.
Yves Thomas, head of the National Influenza Research Centre at Geneva University Hospital, said that flu viruses could survive on banknotes from 24 hours up to 17 days.
"Our studies have convinced us that it is possible to catch flu from banknotes, but the chances are very, very slim and there is no cause for concern among the general population," he said.
"All the same, bank employees and others who have to handle large quantities of notes daily could be at risk," Prof Thomas said. "This could be reduced if they wear gloves, or even a mask for those who have to examine currency closely."