Alligator Found on Train

OSLO: Norwegian customs officials carrying out a routine check were shocked to find a live alligator in luggage on board a train bound for Oslo,
officials said Monday.

The 75-centimetre (29.5-inch) caiman reptile, which is on the list of endangered species, was found during a routine baggage control on Sunday on a train travelling from the Swedish city of Gothenburg to Oslo, Norwegian customs inspector Wenche Fredriksen said.

"It was in a ventilation tube inside a bag," she said.

The reptile's owner, a 22-year-old man, said he bought the "pet" in Poland where he was a student and wanted to bring it home to Norway.

The caiman was turned over to veterinary authorities who were to decide its fate.

Women Uses Chicken As Therapist

POLSON: Therapy dogs can be a comfort for seniors and those recovering from illnesses and injuries. So how about therapy chickens? Jana Clairmont of Polson, Montana, calls her therapy birds - a white rooster and Cornish game hen – ‘Fowl Play’.

she took them to visit residents at Polson Health and Rehabilitation Center in northeast Montana, the Missoulian newspaper reported. Many seniors were raised on farms, Clairmont says, and holding a chicken can bring back memories.

As one man stroked the rooster, Alex, the bird stretched out his neck and rested it across the man's forearm, like a puppy. Clairmont has arranged visits to retirement and assisted living homes, and says she'd like to take Alex and Carlita, the hen, into classrooms this fall.

CCTV orders couple to stop having sex

LONDON: A couple were left embarrassed after a talking CCTV camera in a town centre caught them having sex, and ordered to stop.

The pair had been drinking earlier, and when they heard the booming command issued by operators, they immediately stopped and fled from the scene in Northampton.

Northampton Borough Council has talking cameras trained in three town centre streets, which issue warnings about littering, fighting, and street drinking.

While most messages are pre-recorded, there are some specific warnings that are issued by the CCTV operators themselves.

Andrew Simpson, the Northampton Borough Councillor who is responsible for CCTV, said that he was shocked to hear camera operators had spotted people having sex in the street.

"I certainly wasn't expecting them to pick up that kind of thing," the Mirror quoted him as saying.

"Clearly, I would imagine these people must have had too much to drink and had fairly low inhibitions.

"But at least they stopped when the camera operators told them too," he added.

In Japan, Its Raining Tadpoles

LONDON: Bizarre it may seem, but the sky is said to be showering tadpoles over Japan. The apparent downpour of tadpoles in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture has baffled residents — in fact, clouds of the dead creatures have fallen from sky in many cities in the region since the start of the month.

A man who was caughtin a tadpole downpour described hearing a strange sound in a parking lot in Nanao. He found 100 dead tadpoles covering the windshields of cars in an area measuring 10 square metres. Dead tadpole downpours were also reported by local officials 48 hours later in the city of Hakusan in the same prefecture.

Scientists have widely attributed the surreal raining of animals to strong winds, storms and water sprouts suckingup creatures before depositing them further inland. However, this explanation has not satisfied meteorologists in Ishikawa who were unsure how the tadpoles had arrived as there had been no reports of strong winds at the time.

Masters Degree Awarded to 96 year old Taiwanese Man

TAIPEI: A 96-year-old Taiwanese man who will receive his master's degree in philosophy this weekend said he was able to compete with younger students by pulling all-nighters before exams.

Chao Mu-he, better known to his classmates at Nanhua University in southern Taiwan as “Grandpa Chao,” said he began graduate school after being told he was too old to continue as a volunteer at a local hospital.

“I was bored after I left the hospital,” Chao said on Thursday. “I don't play mahjong or have other hobbies. I felt I had to do something with my life.” In London, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records said she could not say if Chao is the oldest recipient of a graduate degree because the company does not keep records in this category.

Chao said the most difficult part of his studies was coping with a poor memory. “I can't remember things as well as my fellow students,” he said. “So before a test I would wake up at midnight and study all night. That way, the material was still fresh in my mind when the test began.”

He specialized in the works of Chuangtze, a 4th century BC Taoist master. Twenty-five-year-old classmate Liang Yu-chen described Chao as a polite and modest man who got on well with fellow students and paid great respect to younger teachers - making a deep bow before addressing them.

“Grandpa Chao is a living example of Chuangtze's teachings,” Liang said. “He is always at ease, not fighting anyone.” A spokeswoman at Nanhua's graduate school, where Chao will get his degree Saturday, confirmed that he was born on July 4, 1912. Chao, who lives alone, said he was uncertain about his future plans. “I just want to stay healthy,” he said.

Marriage of Frogs to Please Rain Gods

CHIPOHA, ASSAM (India): Fed up with the prolonged dry spell in the region, villagers in Assam married off frogs in a unique custom to please the rain god, asking for an early monsoon.

Residents of the entire Chipoha village turned out to witness the unconventional marriage ceremony of the two frogs, caught by the villagers themselves.

The frogs were decked up with fine clothes. The female frog was even gifted a necklace by the village women for the marriage, which was conducted by a priest according to traditional Hindu rituals.

The residents believed that the marriage would bring plenty of rainfall to their village, which has been grappling with a prolonged dry spell for past couple of months.

"It's a traditional belief that when a frog marriage is performed, rain god is pleased and it rains. Since there has been no rain for the past couple of months, we have performed this frog marriage to invoke Barun Devata. I am sure the rain will come very soon," said Deepika Gogoi, a resident.

The marriage was a desperate measure by the villagers to get rainfall in the parched region.

"The marriage went off well. Our region is absolutely parched and we need rain. We didn't know what else to do. We hope that now the rains will finally come and people can start cultivation," said Uttam Goswami, a priest.

The farmers in Assam are facing major problems due to the protracted dry spell in the region. The lack of water has also affected their crops, mainly paddy.

Called 911 for Orange Juice

ALOHA (US): An Oregon man spent Memorial Day in jail after calling 911 to complain that a McDonald's worker was rude and didn't give him an orange juice he ordered. Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson said the man, 20, wouldn't listen when deputies told him the emergency number isn't to be used for straightening out fast-food orders.

A McDonald's employee also called 911 during the incident, complaining that the man and the people with him were blocking the drive-thru lane and knocking on the restaurant windows.

The man was accused of improper use of 911. The Oregonian newspaper reported that the man was bailed out of the Washington County Jail on Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

78 year old women beats 84 year old Hubby over Old Affairs

LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON: A 78-year-old woman arrested last month for allegedly beating her 84-year-old husband because she believed he cheated on her several times during their marriage was charged on Thursday with assault. Prosecutors said she hit him with a bowl, pipe and carpet sweeper. He suffered broken ribs, pelvis and a wrist.

One witness told police the woman admitted kicking her husband three times in the groin in the last six months because she believed he had an affair 35 years ago.

The woman was jailed on $70,000 bail.