JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A gang stripped a South African man before gluing him to an exercise bicycle while they ransacked his house, according to a report Thursday.

SAPA news agency said the attackers, dressed in suits, hijacked a man in his 50s and forced him at gunpoint to take them to his home in Johannesburg.

“The victim was then forced to strip, after which he was superglued to the seat of an exercise bicycle, his hands were superglued, as were his feet and then his mouth was superglued shut,” SAPA quoted Mark Stokoe, a spokesman for emergency services Netcare 911, as saying.

The man was rescued about three hours later when his partner arrived home, SAPA said.

South Africa is battling one of the world’s highest crime rates which has prompted concerns that violence might mar the 2010 soccer World Cup, which the country is due to host.

Lovemaking hedgehogs disturb the peace

German police called to investigate unusual noises in the garden of a Bremen house late on Monday were surprised to find that a pair of amorous hedgehogs were to blame.

After illuminating the garden with spotlights, officers discovered the animals making love beside the pond.

"The pair were loudly engaged in ensuring the continuity of their species," said Bremen police spokesman Ronald Walther.

"All those spectators did not worry them in the least, indeed they even intensified their activities, so the officers turned off the lights," he added.

The hedgehog breeding season runs from April to September and their lovemaking is typically accompanied by very loud puffing and snorting, usually by the female as she tries to ward off the male.

Man killed in head-on collision travelling on bonnet of car
NZPA | Tuesday, 7 August 2007

A 42-year-old man who died after a head-on collision near New Plymouth last night was travelling on the bonnet of a car before the fatal crash, police said today.

Darin Paul Maxwell, 42, of New Plymouth, died when the black Mazda Lantis he was travelling on collided with another vehicle on State Highway 3, several kilometres southeast of the city, about 10pm.

The drivers of both vehicles remain in hospital in critical and serious condition, police said.

Witness accounts put Mr Maxwell on the bonnet of the Mazda at the time of the accident.

Detective Sergeant Greg Gray said police would not comment further on why he was on the bonnet of the car at this stage, but confirmed Mr Maxwell and the driver of the Mazda knew each other.

Police want to speak to anyone who saw the Mazda travelling between Inglewood and New Plymouth between 9.30pm and 10pm yesterday.

The accident happened near where SH3 intersects with Mangorei Rd.

Anytime. British is the only language I translate fluently.