Prince William landed a Royal Air Force helicopter in the garden of his girlfriend Kate Middleton's family home but the Defence Ministry defended his actions, saying he achieved essential training objectives.
The News of the World reported yesterday that 25-year-old William, second in line to the British throne, asked Ms Middleton's parents' permission to land at their home in Berkshire, southern England, because of a shortage of landing slots in the neighbouring county Hampshire.
Aviation analyst and RAF-trained pilot Jon Lake told the weekly paper the April 3 flight was "ridiculous and inappropriate", but the ministry said the two-hour training mission was fully authorised as part of Prince William's four-month RAF attachment.
Venerated icon torched
Chile's government and clergy expressed dismay over the weekend after a sacred carving of the country's patroness, the Virgin of Mount Carmel, was set on fire in the capital's cathedral.
Police said a man, apparently a beggar, entered the cathedral and, after lighting a candle, set fire to the 19th century wooden image.
Most Chileans consider themselves Catholic, and the Church has a strong influence in politics and society.
"This attack injures all Chileans," Chief Government Minister José Antonio Viera-Gallo told reporters. "The Virgin of (Mount) Carmel is a symbol of faith, and at the same time a symbol of our motherland."
Police snatch river beaver
New York police guarding the United Nations during Pope Benedict's visit on Friday made a rare discovery and rescue - of a beaver struggling to swim past the world body's headquarters.
Soon after the Pope left the UN, police harbour and scuba units patrolling the East River spotted the 1.20-metre-long, 18-kilogramme animal. Beavers have only recently returned to the city with the first sighting of one in more than 200 years made in February last year.
John Harkins, commanding officer, NYPD SCUBA, said in a statement that the animal had been tilting unnaturally and showed "laboured breathing." After securing it in a safety noose the officers pulled it aboard their vessel. "It has pretty big claws," Lt Harkins said of the beaver which has now been taken to an animal hospital.
Punished for dip with dolphin
Two British men have been found guilty of harassing a local celebrity dolphin during a booze-fuelled late-night swim in the English Channel.
Michael Jukes, 27, and Daniel Buck, 26, were each ordered to do 120 hours of community service and pay £350 (€440) costs at Dover Magistrates Court on the south-east English coast.
They were found guilty of intentionally or recklessly disturbing a wild animal - tourist attraction Dave the dolphin - when they decided to have a swim while heading home from a drunken party at around 5 a.m. on June 9, 2007.
Mr Buck admitted being pulled along by the dolphin by grabbing hold of its dorsal fin and Mr Jukes said he had stroked its belly. A witness told the court that one of them shouted: "People pay hundreds of pounds to do this in Florida and I'm doing it in Folkestone!".
The pair said they did not realise they were doing anything wrong and said they even thought the animal had "enjoyed itself" as much as they had done.
Bargain flights bungle
Irish airline Aer Lingus has partially backed down over its refusal to honour an online offer that mistakenly sold business class transatlantic flights for €5.
The flights would normally have sold for €1,775 and the airline said about 300 bookings were involved, with some of those including multiple seats.
In a statement, the former state airline said it was offering the customers involved in the debacle "the option to travel in economy class at the price of their original booking." It said that after a full investigation "it appears that some customers may have genuinely believed that they were making a booking in economy class."
"It is regrettable that this technical error occurred and Aer Lingus recognises and accepts that customers were upset and inconvenienced. Aer Lingus apologises unreservedly to all customers," the statement said.
Pong lingers over London
A foul smell which hung over parts of southern England has been blamed on winds bringing fumes from across the Channel, weather experts said. The manure-like smell was reported in London, Kent, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, East Anglia and as far west as Devon.
According to the Met Office, the smell is believed to have been caused by a combination of agricultural and industrial pollution carried on the wind from northern Europe.
Sarah Holland, a forecaster for the Met Office, said yesterday: "Over the last few days, fresh winds have been blowing eastwards. The origins of the smell come from Europe and have brought in pollution. "When the wind blows from the west, it is coming from the Atlantic so it brings in virtually no pollution, but when it is eastwards it is coming across land."
Weather experts were trying to locate the source of the odour but another theory is that the smell of muck-spreading from mainland Europe has been carried on the wind to the UK.