World Vignettes — Staying alive by dancing

Six years late

KRONACH: A Christmas greeting card took six years to reach its destination, a mere 12 km from the German town where it was posted, the bemused recipient has revealed. Despatched on December 20, 1991 in the southern town of Kronach, the letter arrived a few days ago at the home of Norbert Konradi in Mitwitz with no explanation for the extraordinary delay.

Mao’s birthplace

BEIJING: The birthplace of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong, is becoming increasingly popular among tourists, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. Mao was born on December 26, 1893 in Shaoshan village of central China’s Hunan province and died on September 9, 1976. More than 14 million people have visited the site in Shaoshan since 1986. They view Mao’s childhood home and his later residence built during the 1960s. They can also visit his parents’ graves and a museum with thousands of exhibits, including documents and papers belonging to Mao.

Pawn shops

MIAMI: Embarrassed that serial killer Andrew Cunanan’s address was in their hands for weeks, Miami police have computerised the city’s pawn shop records so fugitives won’t slip by them in future. Cunanan was being sought in the murders of four men when the FBI received word in mid-May that he may be in south Florida. Local police were asked to keep an eye out and on July 15 he apparently shot and killed Gianni Versace. But police had a chance to grab Cunanan a week before the shooting. On July 7, Cunanan pawned a gold coin, signed his real name and left his hotel address, his room number and a thumb print, as required by law. Such information is sent to police so they can investigate whether the goods are stolen. But the officer in charge of the slips was unaware Cunanan was being sought.

Deadly leap

AUCKLAND: Two New Zealand men leapt to their deaths over waterfalls in separate incidents on Friday. A 28-year-old man who leapt 55 metres to his death from the top of a waterfall had earlier had his car disabled by police after worried motorists reported his erratic driving. The man died after jumping from the Bridal Veil Falls in the central North Island. At the Hunua Falls South of Auckland, a 22-year-old man and a female friend leapt 30 metres into the water. Both had been drinking and ignored signs warning that 13 people had been killed doing the same jump. The woman survived.