UK police take escaped emu under their wing

An escaped emu was apprehended by police after running amok during rush-hour traffic.

Police in north Devon, UK, were called in after the 1.2-metre-high bird was found running around the streets of Barnstaple.

It had escaped from its owner's home and was even trying to enter other people's homes.

After officers enlisted the help of the public to catch it, the emu was put in the care of an animal ambulance service. It is to be reunited with its owner.

"I must admit that while I'm not normally scared of birds, I was a bit nervous with this one," acting sergeant Zoe Parnell, who co-ordinated the search, told the Daily Telegraph.

Tokyo's Santa trainees

A school in Tokyo is helping the country gear up for the Christmas season by training people to be Santa Claus.

"There are many children who don't believe in Santa Claus anymore," Masaki Azuma, head of the Santa Claus Academy, told Reuters. "So I said to myself: 'Let's bring Santa Claus back.'"

The school trains Santa-san wannabes in areas such as magic tricks, answering children's hard questions and getting into the mindset of being a jolly old elf. The students then go off to tour local schools and retirement homes during the Christmas season.

Romney confetti probe

Police in New York are investigating how highly sensitive and confidential documents about Mitt Romney's security detail ended up as confetti for a Thanksgiving Day parade.

The confetti contained information on the presidential nominee's motorcade locations, as well as social security numbers and bank account information of Romney's security detail and other police officers. The information on the shredded paper was noticed by a parade spectator, who brought it to the attention of the police.

Authorities are as yet unaware how the documents ended up as confetti.

Bus ride sun boost

Commuters in the Swedish town of Umea will be treated to a little bit more sunshine this winter as they wait for their bus rides.

The energy company Umea Energi will install ultraviolet lights in the town's bus stops in a bid to help people battle the effects of fewer daylight hours.

In December, the sun rises around 10 am and sets there around 2.30pm.

"This is so people can get a little energy kick as they are waiting," the head of marketing for the company told Reuters.

Tribute to toilets

The humble toilet is finally getting its due with a new monument park in South Korea dedicated to the abode.

The park, in Suwon, features a collection of statues and examples of different types of toilets from around the world. It was set up by the World Toilet Association and is arranged around a toilet-shaped house that belonged to Sim Jae-duck, the association's founder.

Sim, who died in 2009, became famous for supplying toilets to soccer fans during the 2002 World Cup, hosted by South Korea, jointly with Japan.

* Neil Vorano