News of the weird

Flue outbreak: When police in Fort Worth, Texas, went to investigate a a householder's report of suspicious noises in the early hours of yesterday morning, they discovered a young man wedged in the chimney and unable to move. Ben Jordan, 17, had been sneaking in to visit his girlfriend but got stuck. He was freed by firemen and treated in hospital for cuts and bruises.

Drain blockage: A New York man yesterday got stuck in a drain where he had climbed to elude police officers. He had climbed on to the roof of his home when police arrived with an arrest warrant, then down a sump used to collect sewage water and finally into an 18-in drainpipe. He crawled about 500 metres along it before becoming stuck and eventually shouted for the police to rescue him.

Ginger Gay: Akanit Ratanovich, a member of a transsexual group in Thailand called the "Spice Gays", has said that she will continue performing with the group despite Geri Halliwell's recent decision to leave the Spice Girls. Ratanovich mimics Ginger Spice in the Thai version.