October 2001

Pumpkin Liberation Army steal pumpkins to make soup
Monday, October 29, 2001
Members of the Belgian Pumpkin Liberation Army have stolen 53 Halloween pumpkins to turn into soup for poor people. Read the full story...

Reindeer banned from Santa's grottoes amid foot-and-mouth fears
Monday, October 29, 2001
Fears about the spread of foot-and-mouth have led to reindeer being banned from Santa's grottoes across the UK. Read the full story...

Villagers baffled by bird 'suicides
Monday, October 29, 2001
Villagers in India are perplexed by birds apparently committing suicide en masse. Read the full story...

Police officer disciplined for helicopter doughnut run
Monday, October 29, 2001
A police officer and a pilot in New Mexico have been disciplined for taking a force helicopter on a doughnut run.
Read the full story...

Council funds prostitute for disabled man
Monday, October 29, 2001
A Dutch council is paying for a disabled man to have sex once a month with a prostitute. Read the full story...

Toy Monkey becomes Norwegian celebrity
Friday, October 26, 2001
A toy monkey has become a celebrity in Norway after it made a 300-mile journey across the North Sea. Read the full story...

Bride banned for showing too much cleavage
Friday, October 26, 2001
An Italian priest interrupted a marriage because the bride was showing too much cleavage. Read the full story...

Offices evacuated after lift rage
Friday, October 26, 2001
Workers have fled an office block in Canada due to a lift rage row. Read the full story...

Man demands lager and cigarettes as ransom
Friday, October 26, 2001
A man who took his girlfriend hostage down-graded his ransom demands from £10,000 and a car to a crate of lager and two packs of cigarettes.
Read the full story...

Man jailed for giving unwanted foot massages
Friday, October 26, 2001
A Frenchman has been sentenced by a court in Nancy to six months in prison for giving a woman an unwanted foot massage. Read the full story...

Man carries out promise to cut off tongue for goddess
Friday, October 26, 2001
A farmer in India has sliced off his tongue to keep a promise to a Hindu goddess. Read the full story...

Obsessive who collected urine from women's loos escapes jail
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A Dutch man who's obsessed with women's urine inserted bags in public toilets to collect it. Read the full story...

Fans in legal row over Bonds' $2m baseball
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A fan who caught Barry Bonds' record home run ball is suing another fan after the ball was removed from his grasp. Read the full story...

Pub regular goes to same pub almost every night for 51 years
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A pub regular has spent over a hundred thousand pounds on pints of beer. Read the full story...

Snorting pig frog holds up road work
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A tiny endangered frog which sounds like a snorting pig is holding up a multi-million pound development in Iowa. Read the full story...

Taxi driver accused of overcharging swallows receipt
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A Prague taxi driver allegedly swallowed a receipt to destroy evidence gained by inspectors that he'd been overcharging. Read the full story...

Cat owner rents three-bedroom flat for dead mother's cat
Thursday, October 25, 2001
A Dutch cat owner is renting a three-bedroom flat for her pet to live in. Read the full story...

Court grants divorce after wife gives husband frog in his tea
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
A court has granted a Zambian man a divorce after his wife served him a cup of tea with a frog in it. Read the full story...

Skull rolls past worker on shredding conveyor belt
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
A worker in a paper sorting factory spotted a human skull seconds before it was crushed by a shredding machine. Read the full story...

Volunteer from crowd faces amputation after snake charming mistake
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
A boy volunteer used by a snake charmer may lose two of his fingers after being bitten. Read the full story...

Armed robbers scared off by washing-up liquid
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
A Lancashire woman fought off three armed robbers by squirting them in the eyes with washing-up liquid. Read the full story...

Shops stock Mother Christmas outfits to avoid accusations of sexism
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Shops are stocking 'Mother Christmas' outfits to avoid being taken to court over sex discrimination. Read the full story...

Monastery installs firemen's pole for late monks
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
An Austrian monastery has installed a firemen's pole to make sure monks get to their prayers on time. Read the full story...

Hunter shoots himself falling from tree
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
A deer hunter is in hospital in the US after accidentally shooting himself when he fell out of a tree. Read the full story...

Drunken skater fails police alcohol test
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Austrian police have stopped a skater with an alcohol level almost five times higher than the limit for driving. Read the full story...

Student has baby in class, returns next day to take exam
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
A student in South Africa has given birth in a classroom in front of all her classmates. Read the full story...

Councillor want's 'Toilet Paper Law'
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
A councillor in the Philippines is trying to bring in a "Toilet Paper" law requiring all businesses to stock free tissue paper. Read the full story...

Police chief loses licence for driving through red light
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
A Romanian police chief has lost his driving licence after his president saw him drive through a red light. Read the full story...

Failed bank machine bomber calls police to arrange arres
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
A Norwegian bank robber asked police to arrest him when his attempt to blow up a cash machine failed. Read the full story...

Name change likely for Anthrax Street
Thursday, October 18, 2001
A woman in North Carolina says she cringes when she tells people she lives on Anthrax Street. Read the full story...

Worst racehorse maintains hopeless record in 101st race
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Britain's worst racehorse has failed to break his duck after trailing in last in the 101st race of his career. Read the full story...

Fishing winner disqualified after failing lie detector test
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Organisers of a fishing competition in California have disqualified the winner for failing a lie detector test. Read the full story...

Man sentenced to sit in chair after refusing jury service
Thursday, October 18, 2001
A Pennsylvania man who refused jury service has been sentenced to sit in a chair for three days. Read the full story...

Phone tycoon dossing down after losing £50 million
Thursday, October 18, 2001
A mobile phone millionaire is dossing down in his brother's flat after losing his £50 million fortune. Read the full story...

'Sleepwalker' jailed for trying to snatch guard's gun
Thursday, October 18, 2001
A Nigerian has been jailed after claiming he was sleepwalking when he tried to snatch a gun from a prison guard. Read the full story...

Firefighter admits starting forest blazes to boost his wages
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
A firefighter has admitted starting two blazes in Cleveland to boost his wages. Read the full story...

Sea of golf balls closes city ring road
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Gothenburg's ring road has been partially closed after thousands of golf balls were thrown in a tunnel. Read the full story...

Anthrax joke backfires
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
A US man is in trouble for putting an envelope of white powder on his bosses desk for a joke. Read the full story...

Kidnapper releases victim but leaves ransom behind
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Japanese police are hunting a kidnapper who released his young victim but left his ransom money untouched. Read the full story...

Australian government appoints its own "pimp"
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
An Australian state is appointing its own "pimp" to increase the number of brothels. Read the full story...

Inflatable rugby captain keeps birds at bay
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
A rugby fan uses seven inflatable versions of England skipper Martin Johnson to frighten birds off his allotment. Read the full story...

Driver wakes residents when he falls asleep on horn
Monday, October 15, 2001
A New Zealand motorist woke residents of a street when he fell asleep and rested his head on the horn. Read the full story...

Michael Jackson impersonator arrested at baseball game
Monday, October 15, 2001
A Michael Jackson impersonator has been arrested at a baseball game. Read the full story...

Ref stops play as fans chant about his wife
Monday, October 15, 2001
A referee stopped a football match because fans were shouting obscenities about his wife. Read the full story...

Lolly pop man banned from dancing on street corner
Monday, October 15, 2001
Officials in Dallas have banned a lollypop man from entertaining children with his dancing routine. Read the full story...

Arizona man starts three month stretch for having messy garden
Monday, October 15, 2001
An Arizona man is starting a three month jail sentence for refusing to clear his garden of rubbish. Read the full story...

Conker contest hit by battle of the sexes
Monday, October 15, 2001
A battle of the sexes brought the World Conker Championships to a controversial end. Read the full story...

Drunken wedding guest shoots bride
Friday, October 12, 2001
A wedding guest in Turkey has accidently shot both the bride and a relative with the same bullet. Read the full story...

Two-year-old sent 60mph speeding ticket
Friday, October 12, 2001
The parents of a two-year-old are trying to work out how their son has received a ticket for speeding. Read the full story...

Dog Party to fight elections in Switzerland
Friday, October 12, 2001
Animal lovers in Switzerland have formed a new political party to represent dogs.
Read the full story...

Stop attracting crows with discarded dead pets
Friday, October 12, 2001
Egyptian officials want people to stop throwing dead pets in the street because they're attracting aggressive crows. Read the full story...

Turkish man dies in freak fall after being interrupted during sex
Friday, October 12, 2001
A Turkish man died instantly after he grabbed a live electricity cable when he was interrupted having sex. Read the full story...

Woman who forgot own birthday wins lottery
Thursday, October 11, 2001
A woman who inadvertently changed her regular lottery numbers when she forgot her own birthday has won a fortune. Read the full story...

Police search for cherry tree poisoner
Thursday, October 11, 2001
Scottish police are hunting a poisoner who has targeted two Japanese cherry trees.
Read the full story...

Salon accidentally charges woman £2,500 for haircu
Thursday, October 11, 2001
An Ipswich hairdressers is trying to track down a woman accidentally charged £2,500 for a haircut. Read the full story...

Underground cow shed and bar for sale
Thursday, October 11, 2001
An underground bunker made as a bomb shelter for cows and later turned into a bar is up for sale. Read the full story...

Disqualified driver caught driving 146 times without a licence
Thursday, October 11, 2001
A Norwegian driver faces a year in jail after police caught him driving without a licence for the 146th time. Read the full story...

Man believes tiger was his lover in previous life
Thursday, October 11, 2001
Indian police have arrested a man for threatening to kill a tiger he believes is his lover from a previous life. Read the full story...

Man phones police when prostitute says he's taken too long
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
An Italian man complained to police on his mobile when a prostitute told him he'd taken too long to have sex. Read the full story...

Undertakers 'dump dead boyfriend on woman's porch'
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
A Missouri woman says she came home to find undertakers had dumped her dead boyfriend on her porch. Read the full story...

Man survives crash then falls off cliff
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
A New Zealand student survived a car crash, only to die a short time later when he answered a call of nature. Read the full story...

Bird arrested in Burundi on suspicion of spying
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
A bird carrying a satellite tracking device has been arrested on suspicion of spying. Read the full story...

Man found guilty of sleeping with his girlfriend
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
A man in the US has been found guilty of living and having sex with his girlfriend while unmarried. Read the full story...

Company boss finds suspected burglar asleep in office
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
A company boss in Malaysia found a suspected burglar sleeping in his office when he arrived for work. Read the full story...

Pub regular swallows competition fish
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
A drunk pub regular in Holland forgot his glass contained a goldfish and swallowed it. Read the full story...

Police catch alleged drunk driver twice in an hour
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Police in Germany have caught an alleged drunk driver twice in an hour. Read the full story...

Man's pet python swallows his pet pit bull dog
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Police in California say a man's pet python has swallowed his pet pit bull dog.
Read the full story...

Man picks major winning lottery ticket for third time in three months
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
An Australian man is celebrating his third lottery win in three months. Read the full story...

Drugged monkeys scare town
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Residents of an Indian town are complaining their lives are being made a misery by a troupe of drugged up monkeys. Read the full story...

Driving examiner jailed for taking thousands of bribes
Monday, October 8, 2001
A Chicago driving examiner has been jailed for taking thousands of bribes to pass unsafe drivers. Read the full story...

Burger King staff burned in team building firewalking session
Monday, October 8, 2001
Burger King employees have been burned in a firewalking exercise to build team spirit. Read the full story...

Woman complaining of sore back, gives birth
Monday, October 8, 2001
A woman, who went to hospital with a bad back, has given birth to her first child. Read the full story...

Robber finds bank door locked after arriving too late
Monday, October 8, 2001
A man, has been arrested in Connecticut after turning up to rob a bank to find the front door locked. Read the full story...

Baby shares his name with 20 Man Utd players
Monday, October 8, 2001
A new born baby in Norfolk shares his name with Sir Alex Ferguson and 19 Manchester United players. Read the full story...

Statue of Liberty stuntman ordered to sell parachute equipment
Monday, October 8, 2001
A French stuntman who crashed into the Statue of Liberty has been ordered to sell his equipment to pay for fines and compensation. Read the full story...

Student gave class and teacher dope-laced biscuits
Friday, October 5, 2001
A California student gave biscuits laced with marijuana to fellow pupils and a teacher. Read the full story...

Motorist found shooting at broken-down car
Friday, October 5, 2001
Armed police in Australia surrounded a frustrated motorist firing shots into his 18-year-old Nissan that wouldn't start. Read the full story...

Squirrel sparks power cut in downtown Oklahoma City
Friday, October 5, 2001
A squirrel has cut off the electricity supply to part of Oklahoma City after tripping a circuit breaker in a substation. Read the full story...

Patriotic condoms cause row in US
Friday, October 5, 2001
A US birth control group is handing out patriotic condoms in red, white and blue. Read the full story...

Staff sacked by e-mail
Friday, October 5, 2001
Staff at a high-tech company operating near Cambridge are angry after colleagues were sacked by e-mail. Read the full story...

Husband demands divorce over garlic cooking
Friday, October 5, 2001
A Romanian is demanding a divorce because his wife uses too much garlic in her cooking. Read the full story...

Pensioner found 130 miles from barber's shop
Thursday, October 4, 2001
A pensioner who set off for an early morning haircut at his local barber's ended up taking a 30-hour journey of more than 130 miles. Read the full story...

Teenager misses holiday because passport says she's 65
Thursday, October 4, 2001
A teenager is missing out on a family holiday because her passport says she was born in 1936. Read the full story...

Bus driving couple use buses on wedding day
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Two bus drivers from Aylesbury used a coach each to get to the church on time for their wedding. Read the full story...

Sit-down protester is run over by stolen car
Thursday, October 4, 2001
A California motorist sitting on a road in protesting at police was ran over twice by a stolen car. Read the full story...

Horse race mayhem as dog attacks favourite
Thursday, October 4, 2001
A dog caused mayhem at a racecourse when it attacked a horse and its jockey minutes before a race. Read the full story...

Videos could train Fish in survival
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Showing farmed fish videos could improve their chances of survival in the wild, according to an expert. Read the full story...

Gang killed and ate at least seven prostitutes
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
A gang in Kazakhstan killed and ate at least seven prostitutes. Read the full story...

Policeman sacked over 'fat bastard' arrest
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
A Florida policeman has been sacked after allegedly arresting a woman who called him a "fat bastard". Read the full story...

Teenager named best dog look-a-like
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
A Dutch teenager has won a contest for looking like his dog. Read the full story...

10-year-old takes live alligator home
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
A 10-year-old boy wrestled an alligator and took it home to prove he had seen it in a local river. Read the full story...

Royal Navy greets Chinese admiral with wrong flag
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
The Royal Navy accidentally greeted a Chinese admiral with the flag of Taiwan, the Ministry of Defence says. Read the full story...

Drunk robbers left money behind
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Five robbers have bungled a a raid, after getting drunk on the job. Read the full story...

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