Chimp bites off Berlin Zoo director's finger

BERLIN (Reuters) – The director of the Berlin Zoo made famous by the polar bear cub Knut has had his finger bitten off by a chimpanzee called Pedro.

Bernhard Blaszkiewitz, 55, was feeding Pedro walnuts as he showed a visitor round the zoo Monday when the ape grabbed his hand and bit off his right index finger.

"Pedro is the boss of the group so he has to demonstrate a certain dominance in it to prove himself," zoo spokesman Andre Schuele said Tuesday. "Under normal circumstances, a chimp would never have the chance to reach a keeper or our director."

Doctors sewed Blaszkiewitz's finger back on but said it was not clear if the operation would be successful.

Schuele said the incident would have no repercussions for the 28-year-old Pedro.

(Reporting by Jacob Comenetz; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Scrap workers find $128,000 in safe

BERLIN (Reuters) – Workers at a steel plant near Berlin found 100,000 euros ($128,500) in a safe that a bank had sent to be scrapped -- but they did the decent thing and gave it back.

An employee at Germany's Postbank had failed to take out the cash before sending the safe to the scrapyard. Spokesman Ralf Palm blamed "the carelessness of an employee when a branch office moved in December."

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Stupid News:Nudist vows to hike on after jail

Stupid News:Not Actual Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - A naked German hiker has vowed to carry on rambling in the nude despite spending 10 days in jail for breaking public nudity laws. '

Thomas Kranig, a spokesman for the administrative court in Ansbach, said Siegfried Grawert went to jail because he "refused to pay a fine of 500 euros assessed for violating the public nudity code."

Grawert, a janitor, told a local German newspaper he planned to continue campaigning for the right to partake in organized all-natural hikes despite his troubles with the law.

Naked hiking has gained a following since the German Society of Nudists joined the German Sports Association.

Nude bathing is accepted and allowed in parts of Germany, especially on designated beaches on the Baltic Sea coast. But naked joggers have been fined in the past for running through forests wearing nothing but socks and shoes.

(Reporting by Josie Cox)

Stupid news:Police hunt high-speed skateboard outlaw

Stupid news:Police hunt high-speed skateboard outlaw

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police are trying to track down a man filmed riding a skateboard down a steep stretch of south German motorway at 100 km an hour (62 mph), far above the speed limit

They believe the man who raced down the Ulm-Stuttgart motorway for three km (two miles) before he stopped and fled was a professional stuntman, Goeppingen police spokesman Uli Stoeckle said.

A video of the skateboarder, broadcast on German television networks on Wednesday, showed a helmeted figure wearing a red and white protective suit building up speed by holding onto the back of a motorcycle before letting go and freewheeling.

"We put out an all-points bulletin and have received information that gives us useful clues to who the man may be," Stoeckle said. "We are particularly concerned about copycats who may imitate the stunt, putting their lives at risk."

The film clips show several cars escorting the skateboarder, enabling his collaborators to record the event. The clips have since surfaced on Internet websites.

The German magazine Stern said the mystery man is known in skateboarding circles as a professional stuntman and takes part in international downhill skateboarding competitions.

Stoeckle said the man faces charges for interfering with traffic safety and endangering motorists, and would lose his driver's license and face a "substantial fine." He denied media reports the skateboarder would face a one-year jail sentence.

There are no speed limits on German motorways but there are restrictions on many sections, especially steep and dangerous stretches. The section the skateboarder was using has an 80 km an hour (50 mph) speed limit.

(editing by Tim Pearce)