7 November 2007: Please don't hand it in

A police station in Devon had to be evacuated after a man left a hand grenade on the front desk, having found it while digging on his allotment.

Officers at Paignton police station called in explosives experts after the World War II device was brought in by a member of the public.

The finder had unearthed it while working on his allotment, put it in his car and brought it to the station.

"In retrospect we would have preferred him to leave it where it was," said a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police, who continued: "Our advice is that if people do find something like this, call us and we'll get the experts in."

6 November 2007: Green Donkeys

A Sicilian town has replaced its rubbish trucks with donkeys and claims to be saving money as well as helping to beat global warming.

The town of 10,000 people has replaced its four rubbish trucks with six donkeys. The donkeys each carry two wooden boxes and are accompanied by refuse men who have been renamed "ecological operators".
As well as significantly reducing its carbon emissions, the town estimates that it will save about £40,000 over five years. Other towns in the region are expected to follow.

5 November 2007: The Balkans Have It

A Bulgarian woman and a Romanian man have the world's best-looking bottoms, according to the jury of a backside beauty contest sponsored by a lingerie firm.

As well as a 10,000 euro cash prize, Kristina Dimitrova, who is 19, and 24-year-old Andrei Andrei each won a modelling contract for the company's next international advertising campaign and a year-long insurance policy for their rear ends in case of injury.

Some 15,000 people from 29 countries responded to a call by a European company to post photos of their backsides on the Internet. The site drew more than five million visitors.

2 November 2007: A flying centegenarian

A British pensioner has marked her 100th birthday in style by paragliding from the top of a mountain.

Peggy McAlpine, who has seen the reign of five British monarchs and 26 prime ministers, leapt from a 2,500-foot peak in the Five Finger mountains in Cyprus for the 15-minute tandem flight.

She was handed a glass of champagne on touch-down by her cheering fans, who toasted her success in a bid to enter the record books by becoming the oldest person to paraglide.

Peggy is not new to airborne antics, having bungee-jumped from scaffolding aged 70.

1 November 2007: Train Scare

Passengers on a German train were shocked to discover a blood-covered body. When they couldn't get any response from the man they sought help.

A first aid team called to the scene soon cleared up the confusion. The 24-year-old man had fallen into a drunken slumber on his way home from a Halloween party in Hamburg.

Police told the man to remove his make-up after which he was allowed to continue his journey.