Around the world

Germany is obsessed with a cannibal murder case. With the accused saying things like "With every bite, my memory of him grew stronger," you can see why. There's a video, too -- not online just yet.

Here's a fun trip to North Korea, where every glance and sigh of the Great Leader and his kin are commemorated: "A spot where Kim Il Sung is said to have especially appreciated the view is dutifully marked with a six-foot stone tablet." But the best part is where we learn what North Korean comedy is like. "In a comedy act, a strongman wearing communist red gets the better of a weakling decked out in blue." The strong making fun of the weak -- now there's a new theory of comedy.

This story about a flash flood in Melbourne has an amusing picture.

Israelis are afraid of black cats. Come to think of it, the picture is rather frightening. I don't know if it's a picture of the cat in question, though. And in Northern Ireland, there's more news of "big cats" terrorizing the countryside. I found this story a month or two ago when it was just one "big cat." Now there are two: "one believed to be a black panther and the other a sandy coloured North American puma."