A bear got into an empty car, honked the horn and then sent it rolling 125 feet into a thicket while still trapped inside, a US family said.
Ben Story said he and his family were asleep in their home south of Denver when the bear managed to open the unlocked door of his 2008 Toyota Corolla and climb inside.
A peanut butter sandwich left on the back seat is probably what attracted the bear, Mr Story said. The door apparently slammed shut when the car jolted to a stop, he said, trapping the bear inside. Police freed the bear by opening the door with a rope from a distance. The bear then ran off into the woods. (PA)
Water mystery
The mysterious disappearance of gallons of water from a village's supply is being investigated.
Residents of Ingham, in Suffolk, have complained that showers and taps suddenly run dry and they have no water for up to 45 minutes at a time without any warning.
Anglian Water said it believes a thief is tapping into the supply and has launched an investigation. (PA)
Honesty box
Residents in a tiny village are fighting back against the decline in rural services by successfully opening a grocery store in a disused phone box.
The "store" in Draughton, North Yorks, has been up and running for two weeks and is operated according to the "honesty box" principle, with residents leaving payment for any goods they take.
The community was left without access to basic items after the post office closed following the retirement of its owners in 2008. (PA)
Toy story
A toy gun belonging to a young member of a Middle Eastern royal family sparked a security alert at Heathrow airport.
The child's imitation weapon was left in a bag on a flight from Paris, from where the dignitaries had boarded through a VIP channel.
Civilian security guards in London alerted police after discovering the forgotten luggage. But the toy was returned to its owner once its innocent nature had been established, Scotland Yard said. (PA)
Rescue helicopter crashes, kills five
A Japanese rescue helicopter crashed yesterday on a mountain near Tokyo, killing five out of seven people on board.
The helicopter was carrying two pilots, three aviation security officers and two rescuers on an operation to rescue a climber in Saitama prefecture. The five who were confirmed dead in the crash included the helicopter's 54-year-old pilot and the co-pilot, police said.
They were mobilised to rescue a 55-year-old woman, who accidentally fell in a waterfall basin.
"Police do not know the state of the woman," said another police spokesman, but local reports said she was also in a serious condition. (AFP)
Vodka tasters keep Polish tipple pure
For Poland's army of vodka tasters, the rules are strict: no smoking, no coffee, and no perfume, not to mention the 6 a.m. starts.
In Poland professional vodka tasters keep the potent tipple, first distilled in the region in mediaeval times, smooth and pure by using their keen sense of taste and smell to safeguard the reputation of a top-selling brand name.
Samples of crystal clear vodka made using rye are heated and poured into covered glasses to capture all their aroma. The vodka is then closely observed, shaken, tasted and then evaluated on the basis of its strength, taste and smell.
Candidates who apply to become new tasters have to discern between sweet, salty, acid or metallic-tasting vodkas and classify them according to the degree of alcohol content. (AFP)
Pen mightier than the sword
A man has been arrested at Comic-Con in San Diego for injuring another man with a pen amid a crowd of thousands awaiting a film preview, authorities said.
Police Officer David Stafford said the two men got into an argument over sitting too close to each other. He says one man was struck with a pen and was treated in hospital for a minor cut around his eyelid, the other was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. (PA)
Animals get voice in Swiss politics
Swiss animal lovers have founded a political party to represent the interests of their four-legged friends, Swiss news agency ATS reported yesterday.
The Animal Party Switzerland was established on Saturday with an economist, a lawyer and the head of the Swiss vegetarian union as founding members, said the agency, quoting Thomas Maerki, who heads the new party.
The party - which plans to contest elections next year - has set up a page on Facebook with the slogan "because animals need a voice," and a pledge to "represent the interests of animals in politics and the economy."
In Switzerland it is illegal to flush goldfish alive down a toilet, and owners of some animals such as budgies and hamsters must guarantee that the animals have social companions. Even sheep and goats must have at least a "visual contact with their fellows". (AFP)