Etc...

Monkey business?

The proverbial 800-pound gorilla can sleep anywhere he wants. But what about an 18-inch monkey? The owner of a pizzeria in Lehre, Germany, can rule out one answer: The ladies' restroom. That's where he and one of his waiters lured Lala, an escapee from a nearby circus, with rolls and salad. Lala disapproved of the the accommodation and created a minor flood by stuffing the sink with paper and running the tap. The story has a happy ending, though. She was returned home and the pizzeria owner got a $5,700 reward.

Police in Rio de Janeiro had little trouble nabbing their suspect in a recent carjacking and cellphone theft. The reason? The alleged bandit, negotiating their return with his victim for $345, helpfully gave his bank account number. "It was no Swiss account, so we quickly found him," said an investigator. What's more, the victim only turned to police when the thief didn't hand over his car.

Canada will be the best country in which to do business during the next five years, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, business information arm of the London-based firm that publishes The Economist magazine. The US, No. 1 in its 1998-2002 survey, fell to fifth place, which the unit attributed to greater exposure to geopolitical risk, major economic imbalances, and other factors. The world's 60 richest nations were evaluated on 10 categories such as tax policy, infrastructure quality, and openness to foreign trade and capital (Hong Kong and the rest of China received separate consideration). The Economist unit's top 10 places to buy and sell:

1. Canada
2. Netherlands
3. Finland
4. Britain
5. US
6. Switzerland
7. Singapore
8. Hong Kong
9. Denmark
10. Ireland - PR Newswire