Yesterday was a ...

Good Day for dictators, as the gold-plated, engraved pistol of ex-president Somoza of Nicaragua was sold at auction in Miami for $5,750 (pounds 3,800). The purchaser, who is the financial director of a Miami company, said: "I am a proud Nicaraguan. To have this is a symbol of my respect for the president."

Bad Day for tax collectors, as a construction worker in South Korea threw the equivalent of two months' salary out of his window, shouting: "If you politicians need the money that badly, take it. This money would keep my wife and children, but I've sprinkled it for you."

Wet Day for beer-drinkers, as a Miami man was taken to hospital in a critical condition after the beer truck he had stolen crashed into a lake after being pursued by police helicopters.