Customer spots poison stems in salad

A customer shopping at a discount supermarket store in Germany found stems of a poisonous weed in mixed salad bags, triggering concerns about potential health risks, the store said. Traces of senecio vulgaris or common groundsel, that can cause extensive liver damage if ingested in large amounts, were discovered by a customer with a specialized knowledge of plants in a Plus store in the northern city of Hanover.

Speeding player thought police were fans chasing him

Sunderland midfielder Grant Leadbitter, explaining to a court why he was caught speeding, said he thought the police patrol car following him was in fact a car full of Newcastle United fans chasing him for a fight. "My heart was beating fast, I was scared and I wanted to get home as quickly as possible," The Guardian newspaper quoted the Premier League player as telling the court when describing why he had accelerated to 112 mph.

Nude drunk loses way in hotel

An extremely drunk, naked man lost his way at a New Zealand hotel and ended up sleeping in the wrong room, forcing its female occupant to hide in the bathroom, local media reported. The 29 year-old Australian man had gone back the hotel in the resort town of Queenstown with a woman, but got up in the night and wandered into a bedroom where a couple were sleeping.

Bride spends first night with crate of vodka

A bride in Germany spent her wedding night passed out next to a crate of vodka in the back seat of a car and had to be rescued by police when the BMW began to overheat in the sun. Police in the western city of Cologne said Monday the inebriated 30-year-old remained unconscious even after they smashed the car window to get her out.

Woman in trouser case banned from travel

Sudan has barred Lubna Hussein, a woman who faces 40 lashes for wearing trousers in violation of decency laws, from traveling abroad, she said Tuesday. Hussein said she tried to leave for Lebanon Tuesday after a television channel asked her to appear in a program there.