A hoax? Joaquin Phoenix film gets viewers guessing (Reuters)
Reuters - Whether a hoax or not, a new documentary about Joaquin Phoenix and his transition from acclaimed, brooding actor to bearded, shambolic hip-hop wannabe has captivated viewers at the Venice film festival.

Giant hay bale kills former ELO cellist (Reuters)
Reuters - A giant bale of hay has killed a founding member of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) band after it tumbled down a hill and crashed into his van.

Vuvuzelas banned from European soccer competition (Reuters)
Reuters - Vuvuzelas have been kicked out of European competitions after UEFA said that the controversial plastic trumpets drowned out supporters and detracted from the emotion of the game.

Jaguar dumps swimmer after anti-gay tweet (Reuters)

Reuters - Luxury car maker Jaguar has cut its sponsorship of star Australia swimmer Stephanie Rice, a triple Olympic gold medalist, after she sent a tweet using an anti-gay slur.

German party mistakenly hands out porn pens to kids (Reuters)
Reuters - To sweeten their first day at primary school German children are normally given a cardboard cone filled with sweets, but schoolchildren in Essen this year opened their cones to find pens which project erotic images.

Tourist treat - famous toilets (Reuters)

Reuters - For tourists tired of traditional sightseeing tours, one Berlin tour guide is offering something altogether different: a tour of Berlin's public conveniences.

Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft (Reuters)
Reuters - A German company that fired a man for the theft of 1.8 euro cents (two U.S. cents) worth of electricity had no grounds for sacking him, a court ruled, dismissing the firm's appeal against his reinstatement.

Koranic teachers arrested over child begging (Reuters)
Reuters - Senegalese security forces have arrested seven Koranic teachers for forcing children to panhandle, a police official said on Friday, days after the West African state announced a crack down on public begging.

Man bites police over a pet peeve (Reuters)

Reuters - Police arrested an 82-year-old man after he bit and kicked officers who had arrived to mediate in a dispute with a neighbor over a domestic pet.

Canadian parents more lenient than Italians and French (Reuters)
Reuters - Canadian parents are more lenient with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy, according to a new study.

Finance Ministry says defrauded by staffer (Reuters)
Reuters - The Dutch Finance Ministry Thursday acknowledged it was defrauded out of more than 160,000 euros ($204,800) earlier this year by an employee of the ministry unit that handles the state's financing needs.

Dutch colleges angry over sex job ads for freshmen (Reuters)
Reuters - A number of Dutch colleges are considering legal action against the publisher of a move-in guide for new freshmen, after the company included an ad recruiting students for jobs as online sex workers.

Cup of tea forces jet to make emergency landing (Reuters)
Reuters - A British airplane en route to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany after a 56-year-old woman spilled a hot cup of tea on herself, German police said on Wednesday.

Man arrested for trying to dazzle pilots with laser (Reuters)
Reuters - A man appeared in court on Tuesday accused of trying to dazzle pilots with a laser beam as they were landing at France's second-busiest airport Paris Orly, aviation authorities said.

Older people enjoy reading negative stories about young (Reuters)
Reuters - Older people like reading negative news stories about their younger counterparts because it boosts their own self-esteem, according to a new study.

Long-lived Dutch might be bad news for insurers (Reuters)
Reuters - The Dutch are set to live longer -- good news for them but bad news for insurers that are expected to suffer from higher capital requirements and tighter profit margins as a result.

Malaysia uncovers nearly 100 live reptiles in bag (Reuters)
Reuters - Malaysian airport security arrested a convicted wildlife smuggler after finding almost 100 live reptiles in his luggage, the country's Wildlife and National Parks Department said.

Mushroom hunter "massacre" claims 18 lives in Italy (Reuters)
Reuters - At least 18 mushroom-lovers have been killed in accidents while hunting for their favorite fungi in the mountains and forests of northern Italy.

John Lennon's toilet sells for $14,740 at auction (Reuters)

Reuters - A toilet that belonged to late Beatle John Lennon fetched 9,500 pounds ($14,740) at auction on Saturday, around 10 times its estimate, the sale organizers said.