■ United Kingdom
Racial tensions spark riot
One man was stabbed to death and several other people hurt, including a police officer, when days of tension in Birmingham over the alleged rape of a black girl by south Asians erupted into riots on Saturday. Mobs pelted police with bricks, stones and bottles or smashed shop and car windows with bats and sticks, witnesses said. At least one car was torched. The riots erupted after members of the Afro-Caribbean and south Asian communities held what police and media said was a peaceful meeting designed to reassure the black community and encourage the girl to come forward. However, members of the black community claim she is reluctant to contact officers because she may be deported as an illegal immigrant.
■ United Kingdom
Man hands out his savings
A man stunned shoppers in Worcester by handing out his savings to "make people happy." Chris Aljaradat withdrew ?10,000 (US$17,670) from his bank before dishing out the cash to surprised passers-by. He lobbed £20-pound notes into the air before thinking of something better to do and wandering away -- £2,000 the worse off. "I am not really sure why I did it, but I just decided to help other people for a change and to try and make people happy," Aljaradat said.
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