And Finally

Witnesses and complainants have been told to bring their own water and tissues to court after a cash-strapped courthouse scrapped its provisions. The money-saving move applies across the board, meaning police, prosecutors and defence lawyers will also be denied free water and tissues.

A judge cited hit TV sitcom Seinfeld as he allowed an appeal from a man convicted in absentia after missing a rescheduled court hearing. The man had attended court on time for the original scheduled hearing, which was subsequently cancelled, but then missed the rescheduled hearing by a couple of hou

A bank robber who disguised himself with a pillow case had to remove it mid-robbery when he realised he couldn't see through it. Matthew Davies, 47, forgot to make eye holes in the pillow case he put over his head while robbing a bank in the Scottish town of Dunfermline last year.

Japan is planning new legislation to protect its prized wagyu beef from being reared in neighbouring China. Farmers are worried that smugglers are ramping up efforts to bring wagyu cattle to China in defiance of a two-decade export ban.

A goalkeeper who was hit by a football has won a £500,000 payout over the injury. Darren Conquer, 47, ruptured his biceps tendon during a football game in 2003, but the injury was not properly diagnosed until the following year.

A man has asked a judge to let him resolve a dispute with his ex-wife and her lawyer through "trial by combat" with samurai swords. David Ostrom, 40, told the court that he could secure the Japanese swords within 12 weeks to allow for the trio to "resolve our disputes on the field of battle".

A woman was arrested after allegedly telling police she worked for the CIA, while wearing a hat that said "FBI". Police were called to a petrol station in South Bend in the US state of Indiana after a woman showed up and tried to access their CCTV footage.

Police have released video footage of three unlucky robbers locking themselves in a jewellery store in the middle of their crime – twice.

A man has named 17 of his cats as co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit against animal welfare authorities. Damon Fields has been told he can only keep five of the 17 cats after a neighbour filed a complaint about the smell.

A shuttle bus was allegedly hijacked at Dublin Airport yesterday morning without any passengers realising. Three people were sitting in the bus waiting to be taken to the nearby Carlton Hotel when two men boarded and drove it away, The Irish Times reports.

Police responding to reports of a woman screaming for help were relieved to find the screams were coming from a parrot. A woman called police after hearing screams of "help, help, let me out!" from inside her neighbour's house.

A terrified couple who thought they were being burgled were left red-faced after the intruder turned out to be a Roomba. Thomas and Elisa Milam called the police after they heard noises in their house at night, not realising it was the robotic vacuum cleaner they had bought for Christmas.

A judge has released a CD of original songs he wrote based on his courtroom experiences. Judge Michael Thorpe said song-writing has "helped me think about these folks and deal with them a little differently".

Luke Skywalker has been arrested for possession of cannabis following a traffic stop. Officers in Garden Ridge in the US state of Texas pulled over the 19-year-old because his car lacked a front license plate.

A bus driver who was sent home after turning up to work in a kilt did not suffer anti-Scottish discrimination, a court has ruled. Bosses at Grand River Transit in Ontario, Canada sent Tracy Macdonnell home after he came to work on a casual Friday in a kilt in tribute to his heritage.