Dead man rides on tram all night

A Croatian man who boarded a night tram and died in his seat rode through the city for more than six hours before the driver discovered he was dead, a Croatian daily reported Monday. The 61-year old, identified as Tomislav K., boarded a tram shortly before midnight Friday. He soon fell asleep and died as the tram rolled on through the night and most passengers trickled out, the Jutarnji List said. Toward the morning, he remained the only traveler. The driver, separated by a glass partition from the rest of the tram, tried to wake him up at the end of his shift and realized he was dead, the daily said.

Thousands of sex offenders discovered on MySpace

Thousands of convicted sex offenders have registered for profiles on social networking Web site MySpace, posing a risk to children who are among the site's most avid users, eight U.S. attorneys general said on Monday. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and counterparts in seven states called on the company, owned by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., to hand over the offenders' names and addresses. Sources told the attorneys general that MySpace had discovered thousands of sex offenders on its site in an internal investigation, Blumenthal said. He did not give the identity of the sources. "Our objective is to assure that these convicted sex offenders are removed from this site and other social networking sites," Blumenthal said by telephone after holding a news conference in Hartford, Connecticut. "The information about convicted sex offenders on MySpace is simply more evidence that additional measures such as age verification are necessary to protect children," he said.

Soccer stars win sex toy suit

German sex shop chain Beate Uhse must pay German soccer stars Michael Ballack and Oliver Kahn 50,000 euros ($67,380) each for using their names for vibrators without permission, the company said Monday.

The company had marketed the sex toys, dubbed "Michael B." and "Olli K.," before Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006. Although the surnames of the two German soccer stars were not used, it was clear they referred to Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. Kahn and national team captain Ballack sued Beate Uhse in court for unauthorized use of their names and won. "The products have been withdrawn," the spokeswoman said. "We have to pay 50,000 euros to each of them."

Pollution threatens national liquor

The water purity of a river tapped to make China's national liquor is being threatened by uncontrolled building of other drinks factories along its banks, the official Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

Kweichow Moutai, maker of the fiery Maotai drink served at Chinese state banquets and used to toast guests ranging from Margaret Thatcher to Kim Il-sung, draws water for the brew from the Chishui River in remote southwest Guizhou province. But authorities are investigating how 39 illegal alcoholic drinks plants have sprung up by the river, polluting both the air and water, Xinhua said.

"It seriously threatens the environmental security of the Chishui River and the production base of Maotai," it added.

Naked Balloon Sculpture Amuses Crowds

It would take one very large fig leaf to restore modesty to Milan's main park after the installation of a 70-foot floating sculpture of a naked man. The balloon self-portrait by Polish artist Pawel Althamer has been hovering outside the Renaissance Palazzina Appiani in Parco Sempione since Monday, drawing second takes, amused looks and some reprobation about exposing children to nudity.

Dressed Up Dead Fawn Left Near Theater

The police log entry said it all: "Deceased fawn was dressed up like an infant and abandoned at the Pantages" Theater. Why would anyone dress up a dead newborn deer, lay it in a basket and leave it outside an ornate downtown landmark? "Your guess is as good as mine," said Tom Sayre, a spokesman of The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County. The outfit included an infant sleeper and a bib that read, "You think I'm cute? You should see my aunt," Sayre added. An officer found the fawn Tuesday night, said police spokesman Mark Fulghum. It was unclear how the animal died but the odor indicated it had been dead for awhile, he said. A Humane Society vet thought it might have been stillborn. "It's just bizarre," Fulghum said.

Workers Rescued From Fish Feces Tank

This nasty rescue is no fish tale. Rescuers cut through a filtration tank of dense fish feces to reach four workers who fell into the sludgy dung Friday while cleaning the 18-foot tank at a western Massachusetts farm. The workers became trapped for 45 minutes after a bracket holding a plastic filtration pad collapsed as workers stood on it to clean the fiberglass tank at the Australis Aquaculture fish farm, said Turners Falls Fire Capt. David Dion and the fish farm's manager, Josh Goldman. One of the farmhands was submerged in what Dion described as a sand-and-feces mix, while the other three had their heads above the sludge, he said. Dion said rescue workers cut a hole in the side of the tank at the farm, which raises barramundi, a fish farmed as a replacement for grouper. "It was very slimy and it was heavy," he said. "Never seen anything like it in my life." One worker who fell under the feces was airlifted to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield, but was talking with paramedics and did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, Dion said. The other three were taken by ambulance to a local hospital with minor injuries.