Santa Claus Takes Down Mafia Suspect in Sicily

Santa Claus can do it all: deliver presents, climb down chimneys, fly through the Christmas sky in his sleigh. And, as it happens, he can also make arrests. On Thursday, he busted a suspected member of the Sicilian mafia. Santa Claus, as every child is aware, knows if you've been naughty or nice. In Italy, apparently, Santa also knows if you are a member of the mafia. And he might arrest you if you're not careful. That, at least, would appear to be the lesson of a rather unusual arrest in the Sicilian town of Catania. A policeman dressed in a Santa Claus outfit was part of a Thursday sting operation to apprehend a suspected member of the appropriately named Santapaola mafia clan.

The 37-year-old suspect was nabbed as he came out of a store where he was thought to have collected monthly protection money. The store's owner had allegedly been forced to pay €260 per month for the past 10 years. The suspected mafioso had been under observation for several weeks. The undercover Santa was waiting in the parking lot carrying a basket full of sweets -- which he carefully placed on the roof of the suspect's car as he made the arrest. According to media accounts of the arrest, the shopkeeper gave Santa a big hug following the arrest.

Good on you for giving back

Another 17 of America's richest people, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, junk bond pioneer Michael Milken and AOL co-founder Steve Case, have promised to give away most of their wealth. At 26, Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world's youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy. Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system.I wish there were more like him.

Different continent, same cop, same ticket

Man caught speeding by same policeman at opposite ends of the globe. A man living in New Zealand has been caught speeding by the same policeman who booked him when he was living in England. The speeding driver was nabbed in London two years ago, then moved to New Zealand only to be caught by the same police officer for the same offence. The New Zealand Herald reports the unidentified man was caught speeding near Leithfield in New Zealand’s South Island in September by Constable Andy Flitton – but it wasn’t the first time the two had met under such circumstances. The former London policeman had booked the man two years earlier before migrating to New Zealand – only to repeat the process. The NZ Herald reports that Flitton was writing out the speeding ticket when the man started asking him questions. "He asked if I had worked in London, I said 'yes'. He asked if I used to operate the laser gun on the A5 in North London, I said 'yes'," Flitton was quoted as telling the newspaper. "And he said 'I thought it was you, you gave me my last speeding ticket there two years ago'." The speeding driver had apparently only been living in New Zealand for two weeks before he was booked.

Julian Assange feels abandoned by Australia

Seriously Julian... what did you expect? A welcome home party and a couple of fat shrimp on the barby? The WikiLeaks founder says he's been all but "abandoned" by his home country. Assange spoke out during an online Q&A with the Guardian, the British newspaper, this weekend. "I am an Australian citizen and I miss my country a great deal," he wrote. Comparing his plight to that of David Hicks, a fellow Australian who was detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on terror charges, Assange accused Aussie officials of pandering to the United States. "Are we all to be treated like David Hicks at the first possible opportunity merely so that Australian politicians and diplomats can be invited to the best US embassy cocktail parties," he wrote. The government hit back saying Assange is entitled to return home whenever he pleases. If he doesn't, he will be offered the same consular support available to all Australian citizens abroad, they said. But that's hardly a welcome mat. Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, has called WikiLeaks' latest document dump "an illegal thing to do" and vowed to cooperate with America's investigation. Don't snivel man, you released the stuff, so now pay the piper.

Man Kills Girlfriend and Hides the Body, All While Still in Prison

This is one of the most bizarre stories from crime news in a while. Jackson Conquet was serving time in a Peruvian prison when his 22-year-old girlfriend, Leslie Paredes, came to visit him. While in his cell, Paredes tried to end their relationship and then an enraged Conquet grabbed her and strangled her. He then hid her body beneath a cement bench he'd fashioned. What's so utterly bizarre about the crime (apart from the fact that it took place from one of the last places you'd think a woman would be hurt by her partner) is that her body remained undiscovered for months. It wasn't until guards noticed a "strong smell" coming from Conquet's cell that they investigated and discovered Paredes' remains. Police have no explanation for how no one could have noticed that Paredes did not emerge from Conquet's room after their visit. Things that make you go... hmmmmmm!