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An American woman has revealed how she was swindled out of $400,000 (£269,000) by Nigerian internet fraudsters, in what is believed to be one of the biggest cases of its kind ever recorded.
A manhunt is under way in western Germany for a convicted drug dealer who escaped by mailing himself out of jail.
The 42-year-old Turkish citizen - who was serving a seven-year sentence - had been making stationery with other prisoners destined for the shops.
At the end of his shift, the inmate climbed into a cardboard box and was taken out of prison by express courier. His whereabouts are still unknown.
The chief warden of the jail told the BBC this was an embarrassing incident.
The prison authorities in Willich, near Duesseldorf, said the man, who was tall and broad-shouldered, had hidden in a box that was about 150cm by 120cm.
When the weekly express courier arrived to pick up several boxes of merchandise, the one containing the prisoner was also loaded into the back of the lorry.
The 42-year-old Turkish citizen - who was serving a seven-year sentence - had been making stationery with other prisoners destined for the shops.
At the end of his shift, the inmate climbed into a cardboard box and was taken out of prison by express courier. His whereabouts are still unknown.
The chief warden of the jail told the BBC this was an embarrassing incident.
The prison authorities in Willich, near Duesseldorf, said the man, who was tall and broad-shouldered, had hidden in a box that was about 150cm by 120cm.
When the weekly express courier arrived to pick up several boxes of merchandise, the one containing the prisoner was also loaded into the back of the lorry.
Wheat Ridge, CO -- Police say a beer truck driver was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his rig overturned on a highway exit ramp in Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Investigators said the Coors beer truck being driven by Bobby Dodge, 56, overturned on the eastbound Highway 58 exit ramp to eastbound Interstate 70 at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after the driver accelerated past the posted 20 mph speed limit for the ramp, KMGH-TV in Denver reported Wednesday.
Investigators said the Coors beer truck being driven by Bobby Dodge, 56, overturned on the eastbound Highway 58 exit ramp to eastbound Interstate 70 at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after the driver accelerated past the posted 20 mph speed limit for the ramp, KMGH-TV in Denver reported Wednesday.
Sheboygan, Wis. -- Police in Sheboygan, Wis., say a man reported a burglary only to be arrested when officers found drugs and paraphernalia at his home.
Investigators said officers responding to a burglary report filed by Justin Luecke, 28, spotted a marijuana pipe in Luecke's bedroom and marijuana stems and seeds in his living room, the Sheboygan Press reported Wednesday.
Officers returned to Luecke's home later in the day with a search warrant and found marijuana, marijuana packaging, a scale and two varieties of unauthorized prescription pills, the arrest report said.
Investigators said officers responding to a burglary report filed by Justin Luecke, 28, spotted a marijuana pipe in Luecke's bedroom and marijuana stems and seeds in his living room, the Sheboygan Press reported Wednesday.
Officers returned to Luecke's home later in the day with a search warrant and found marijuana, marijuana packaging, a scale and two varieties of unauthorized prescription pills, the arrest report said.
Superior, WI -- Jim Kotera of Highland, Wis., says his 19,875-pound ball of twine is likely a world record for such an unusual collection of string.
Kotera said by collecting bits of twine from area neighbors, he has been able to amass an elliptical twine ball that is approaching 20,000 pounds and is a worldwide attraction, the Superior (Wis.) Telegram reported.
"I had heard that there were people out there claiming to have the world's largest ball of twine and I decided that I would beat them," Kotera said.
Kotera said by collecting bits of twine from area neighbors, he has been able to amass an elliptical twine ball that is approaching 20,000 pounds and is a worldwide attraction, the Superior (Wis.) Telegram reported.
"I had heard that there were people out there claiming to have the world's largest ball of twine and I decided that I would beat them," Kotera said.
© AFPThe spoof edition fooled many readers
More than 1m free copies of the 14-page "special edition" newspaper were distributed mainly in the cities of New York and Los Angeles.
Another bogus story was about all Americans being given free health care.
Comment: Imagine . . . . . .
© unknownPrincess Anne will visit the house later today
The prime minister said it marked the 'beginning of the end of the beginning' as the FTSE 100 climbed by 12 points and then stayed there for 20 minutes.
The sale was completed shortly after midday, but was kept under wraps until Downing Street had been informed.
It was finally confirmed in a newsflash from the Press Association at 1.26pm.
The soon-to-be-former owner Tom Logan said: "We had given up hope, what with the banks being s**** and everything.
"But then this couple turned up, had a poke around in the kitchen, fiddled with the central heating, flushed the toilet and then suddenly said, 'we'd like to buy it.'
"My wife collapsed, I got a nose bleed and the dog started howling like a coyote."
© The Daily TelegraphGarden gnomes: Keep out of churchyards
Garden gnomes have been banned from cemeteries by a church diocese because leaders say they are "unnatural creatures".
The gnomes, along with plastic flowers and other decorations such as teddy bears, have been called "inappropriate" and tacky by the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
The church banned the garden figures from Wrington and Congresbury cemeteries in Somerset, and have said they will remove any that they find as part of new guidelines issued by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Worshipful Timothy Briden.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Bath and Wells said: "There is no such thing as a real gnome so why should we have such unnatural creatures in churchyards?"
The spokesman added: "Things such as gnomes and plastic flowers are not permitted because they are aesthetically unattractive and they make it harder to maintain the grounds.
© Claire LimTea monitors should ensure that office staff
use urns rather than kettles
use urns rather than kettles
News that the quango Envirowise is calling on employers to appoint a "tea monitor" to make sure staff don't overfill the office kettle should have George Orwell's grave turning green with envy, to mix a metaphor.
Damn, the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four will be cursing in his celestial attic, why didn't I think to have Big Brother spy on Winston Smith's tea?
Envirowise, which is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, estimates that more than 30 billion cups of water are needlessly boiled each year in British offices. It has advised that companies re-introduce tea urns and encourage staff to brew collectively, in tea pots.
Comment: The Nigerian scams are well-known. So why do people still fall for things like this? Wishful thinking and mechanical behavior. The same reasons they believe the politicians and the news media. It goes on and on.