A woman in Vasto, Italy, was granted a divorce on the grounds that her mother-in-law employed "excessive and inappropriate interference" in the couple's private life.

The woman testified that her husband "would hang on her every word while she criticized everything about me."

After the divorce, the ex-husband moved back in with his mother.

YES, WE REALLY ARE THE POLICE

A criminal gang set up a phony police station in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in order to solicit bribes from anyone who came in and asked for help.

They were arrested after someone filed a complaint at the real police station, which was only about 100 yards away.

BE CALM, TAKE IT SLOW ... WHAM!

Two men who met at an anger-management class in San Francisco were arrested after they got into a fistfight with each other.

I MAY BE NAKED, BUT I'M NOT EASY

A homeowner in Cologne, Germany, hired a lady from a nude cleaning service to dust and vacuum his house while wearing only a frilly apron.

Since her ad said "satisfaction guaranteed," the man assumed she would be amenable to providing more personal services as well, and he acted accordingly. She screamed. He was arrested.

I DON'T SMELL ANYTHING, KA-BOOOM!

A woman broke into a vacant apartment in Eash Nashville, Tenn., and did not notice the natural gas leak when she lit up her crack pipe. The resulting explosion blew out the side of the building. She survived.

BUT THEY DO SEEM A BIT NERVOUS

Five timber wolves have made their home on the military firing range at Fort McCoy, Wis. They appear to be thriving.

THE CELL PHONE: A PRECIOUS COMMODITY

A woman was relieving herself into an open-pit latrine in Mombasa, Kenya, when she accidentally dropped her cell phone into the hole. She offered a $13 reward to anyone who would go down a ladder and get it.

It's a very poor country. Three men died trying.

MAYBE IT'S NOT SUCH A GOOD IDEA

An Arizona man who wrote a book on how to avoid paying child support was sent to jail for a year. The reason: He avoided paying child support.

NO OFFICER, EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE

A woman in Palm Springs, Calif., intended to dial 411 for directory assistance, but mistakenly dialed 911, police emergency, and then, realizing her error, hung up.

The hang-up prompted an automatic investigation, sending police to the woman's home. They determined there was no emergency, but noticed 76 marijuana plants, three handguns, a shotgun and some heroin.

(Mike Pingree is a columnist for the Boston Herald. Read a second "Looking Glass" column on the Internet at www.pingreeslookingglass.com.)