Disney's Ratatouille Film Boosts Demands for More Pet Rats

LONDON Oct 28 - As if your kid needed more excuses for having a rodent pet. With the launch of Disney's film "Ratatouille" featuring a chef-rat from Paris, demands for rodents have skyrockted in some parts of London.

According to Pets at Home spokesman Steve Fairburn, "It's early doors yet, but it seems 'Ratatouille' has done wonders for the image of rats," He also added, "Contrary to popular opinion, rats are actually one of the cleanest and least smelly pets you can own. They are incredibly responsive to learning and can be taught to do amazing tricks, much in the way that dogs and cats can."

It isn't just London that is experiencing a surge in demand for pet rats in summer but also parts of the USA, Germany and Sweden.

Run! It's Chilli Time!

LONDON Weds 3 Oct - How's this for bizzare? A Thai restaurant's sercret chilli concoction managed to set off alarm bells in Central London, causing police to shut down the area and breaking into the restaurant.

Streets were closed off around London Soho area as police investigated the cause of what they thought were 'chemical bio-weapons' in play. The Hazardous Area Response Team were dispatched immediately after someone thought they smelt something suspicious.

Chef Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon who made the chilli is baffled and amused at the whole event. "I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chillis that are deliberately burnt. To us, it smells like burnt chilli and it is slightly unusual," He told one London newspaper. "I can understand why people who weren't Thai would not know what it was. But it doesn't smell like chemicals."

Oktoberfest Man Stuck in Chimney for 12 Hours

BERLIN Fri 28 - How's this for one of those days? A drunken German man actually got himself in trouble with law by being stuck in a friend's chimney for 12 hours! He claimed that he was trying to get into his friend's apartment so instead of using the front door, decided to take an alternate route.

After drinking heavily at the Munich's Oktoberfest Beer Festival, he decided to pay his friend a visit at 2am. Upon finding the apartment door shut, he began his adventure by climbing onto the nearest neighbor building then heading for what he thought was a gap between the two walls.

The result? A 98 feet slide down the chimney with his head first. At around 2pm, an 82 year old janitor finally heard his cries for help and contacted police who had to knocked a hole in the wall to finally liberated him. Lucky for the man, he had only suffered minor injuries and is being treated for hypothermia.