German police Thursday captured two men suspected of stealing from 15 cars and two garden sheds by following their footprints in the snow for several miles.
Policemen were checking up on a car whose alarm had been set off just after midnight in the town of Hoentrop when they found a smashed window and two sets of footprints which they followed more than ten streets.
"At one point the tracks disappeared because someone had cleared the pavement outside their home in the middle of the night," police said in a statement.
After this minor setback, the officers picked up the trail again. The two sets of footprints led them directly to the entrance of a flat where the burglars not only stored their booty but also left their shoes and gloves to dry.
20051231
This is going to disappoint some people
Pregnant women coached through their first delivery do not fare much better than those who just do what feels natural, according to a study released on Friday.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern found that women who were told to push 10 minutes for every contraction gave birth 13 minutes faster than those who were not given specific instructions.
But they said the difference has little impact on the overall birth, which experts say can take up to 14 hours on average.
"There were no other findings to show that coaching or not coaching was advantageous or harmful," said lead author Dr. Steven Bloom, the interim head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Dallas-based university.
"Oftentimes, it's best for the patient to do what's more comfortable for her," he added.
Bloom and his team studied 320 first-time mothers who had simple pregnancies and did not receive epidural anesthesia.
About half were given specific instructions by certified nurse-midwives during the second stage of labor, when they were fully dilated. The rest were told to "do what comes naturally."
On average, coached mothers trimmed the final stage to 46 minutes compared to 59 minutes, according to the study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Women in both groups experienced about the same number of forceps use, Caesarean deliveries and skin tears, among other complications.
The results were published in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Less clear was whether extra pushing encouraged by a coach could lead to bladder trouble.
In an earlier study, the researchers tested bladder function in 128 of the mothers three months later.
While such problems usually resolve on their own over time, women who had been coached had a smaller bladder capacity and felt the urge to urinate more often, they previously found.
Senior author Dr. Kenneth Leveno, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the school, said it was still not clear if the bladder problems could lead to long-term complications and more studies are needed.
"We don't want to alarm patients about this," he said.
Friday's finding that coaching "confers neither benefit nor harm might be pre-empted if it is confirmed that coaching has deleterious long-term effects," the study concluded.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern found that women who were told to push 10 minutes for every contraction gave birth 13 minutes faster than those who were not given specific instructions.
But they said the difference has little impact on the overall birth, which experts say can take up to 14 hours on average.
"There were no other findings to show that coaching or not coaching was advantageous or harmful," said lead author Dr. Steven Bloom, the interim head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Dallas-based university.
"Oftentimes, it's best for the patient to do what's more comfortable for her," he added.
Bloom and his team studied 320 first-time mothers who had simple pregnancies and did not receive epidural anesthesia.
About half were given specific instructions by certified nurse-midwives during the second stage of labor, when they were fully dilated. The rest were told to "do what comes naturally."
On average, coached mothers trimmed the final stage to 46 minutes compared to 59 minutes, according to the study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Women in both groups experienced about the same number of forceps use, Caesarean deliveries and skin tears, among other complications.
The results were published in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Less clear was whether extra pushing encouraged by a coach could lead to bladder trouble.
In an earlier study, the researchers tested bladder function in 128 of the mothers three months later.
While such problems usually resolve on their own over time, women who had been coached had a smaller bladder capacity and felt the urge to urinate more often, they previously found.
Senior author Dr. Kenneth Leveno, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the school, said it was still not clear if the bladder problems could lead to long-term complications and more studies are needed.
"We don't want to alarm patients about this," he said.
Friday's finding that coaching "confers neither benefit nor harm might be pre-empted if it is confirmed that coaching has deleterious long-term effects," the study concluded.
20051230
Why yes, I'm familiar with that model..
A 44-year-old German businessman whose digital camera was stolen at a restaurant was relieved when he managed to buy exactly the same model on the eBay Internet auction site to match his accessories.
But he became suspicious when it emerged the seller came from his home town. It proved to be the same camera.
Police said Thursday they were questioning the 34-year-old vendor who, a statement said, "claims he got the camera at a flea market, but was also offering other cameras on the Internet."
But he became suspicious when it emerged the seller came from his home town. It proved to be the same camera.
Police said Thursday they were questioning the 34-year-old vendor who, a statement said, "claims he got the camera at a flea market, but was also offering other cameras on the Internet."
20051228
U.S. Navy officer arrested in alleged hit-and-run incident in Japan
Japanese police have arrested a U.S. sailor on suspicion of hitting three young boys with her vehicle in Tokyo and fleeing from the scene, a news report said Wednesday.
A 23-year-old female sailor from the Atsugi U.S. Navy base in Kanagawa prefecture (state), outside Tokyo, was arrested last Thursday for allegedly hitting three third-grade boys at an intersection in Tokyo last Thursday, seriously injuring one boy, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
She fled the scene in her vehicle, but police caught up with her about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the accident site, the report said.
The sailor admitted to the hit-and-run incident, but was released hours after her arrest in line with legal agreements between Japan and the U.S., Kyodo said.
Officials at the National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department refused to confirm the case. Repeated calls to U.S. military representatives in Japan went unanswered late Wednesday.
The U.S. maintains nearly 50,000 military personnel in Japan. Residents have long complained about noise, pollution and crimes associated with U.S. bases.
A 23-year-old female sailor from the Atsugi U.S. Navy base in Kanagawa prefecture (state), outside Tokyo, was arrested last Thursday for allegedly hitting three third-grade boys at an intersection in Tokyo last Thursday, seriously injuring one boy, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
She fled the scene in her vehicle, but police caught up with her about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the accident site, the report said.
The sailor admitted to the hit-and-run incident, but was released hours after her arrest in line with legal agreements between Japan and the U.S., Kyodo said.
Officials at the National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department refused to confirm the case. Repeated calls to U.S. military representatives in Japan went unanswered late Wednesday.
The U.S. maintains nearly 50,000 military personnel in Japan. Residents have long complained about noise, pollution and crimes associated with U.S. bases.
20051227
Auction for World Cup rubbish relaunched
German decorator Matthias Blume said Monday he had relaunched the bidding process for the name tags of the 32 World Cup finalists used in the televised draw after receiving bogus offers.
Blume, who found the slips of paper in a rubbish bag while cleaning up after the draw in Leipzig on December 9, said bidders must now register with passports before making offers.
"We had to cancel the auction because some of the bids were not serious," Blume told Reuters. "We've now taken steps to ensure there are only serious bids."
One bid of 120,000 euros ($142,400) turned out to be a prank, Blume said.
He said the seven-day auction for the orange and white slip of paper reading "Germany," hosts for the 2006 World Cup, started Monday and bids were at 15,000 euros.
Two further slips of paper would be offered each day, with "England" and "Australia" next in the internet auction on Tuesday. The auctions for the slips of paper would last 10 days, the 31-year-old said.
Soccer's governing body FIFA has challenged Blume's attempts to capitalize on the slips of paper.
"FIFA has sent a warning to the legal representatives of the person concerned and pointed out that this is a violation of FIFA's name rights and that the auction should be stopped," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said last week. "If that doesn't happen, we will have to look at further legal steps."
But Blume has hired a lawyer and said he was going ahead with the auction.
"The material was found in the rubbish bin by me and I'm the owner now," he said Monday.
Blume, who found the slips of paper in a rubbish bag while cleaning up after the draw in Leipzig on December 9, said bidders must now register with passports before making offers.
"We had to cancel the auction because some of the bids were not serious," Blume told Reuters. "We've now taken steps to ensure there are only serious bids."
One bid of 120,000 euros ($142,400) turned out to be a prank, Blume said.
He said the seven-day auction for the orange and white slip of paper reading "Germany," hosts for the 2006 World Cup, started Monday and bids were at 15,000 euros.
Two further slips of paper would be offered each day, with "England" and "Australia" next in the internet auction on Tuesday. The auctions for the slips of paper would last 10 days, the 31-year-old said.
Soccer's governing body FIFA has challenged Blume's attempts to capitalize on the slips of paper.
"FIFA has sent a warning to the legal representatives of the person concerned and pointed out that this is a violation of FIFA's name rights and that the auction should be stopped," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said last week. "If that doesn't happen, we will have to look at further legal steps."
But Blume has hired a lawyer and said he was going ahead with the auction.
"The material was found in the rubbish bin by me and I'm the owner now," he said Monday.
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