California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Wednesday merging two separate state departments into a new agency to combat high-tech identity theft. The California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection was created to assist consumers, law enforcement, businesses and advocacy groups in compliance with consumer privacy laws. It combines the Office of Privacy Protection in the Department of Consumer Affairs with the state Information Security Office.

A couple visiting from Spain got the shcok of their lives after a shopping mall security guard banned them from the premesis and labeled them terrorists; simply for taking pictures with their family. According to Kim and Trevor Sparshott, a security guard at the Fareham Shopping Centre asked them to leave when they were spotted taking photographs of their grandchildren. The cameras were supposedly bannned "because of the risk of a terrorist attack. " the guard then "barred the couple from the center for life. " The Sparshotts, who now reside in Malaga, Spain, said they were only visiting their family in Gosport, Hants.

A customer of the Indian River Mall discovered more than $5,000 hidden inside a sneaker while shopping for shoes. He reportedly found the cash stashed inside the toe of the sneaker, as he was trying it on. The 71-year old man, who chose to remain anonymous, was reportedly looking for a pair of size 10 shoes. A store clerk at the Dillard's store went to the storeroom and brought back the shoes. Upon putting it on, the man felt a mass in the shoe's toe, and thought it was a balled-up tissue paper.

A woman was accused of sexual assault after a mall Santa told officials that she had groped him while sitting on his lap. Police said that the woman suspected was Sandrama Lamy, 33, of Danbury, Connecticut. "The security officer at the mall sand Santa Claus had been sexually assaulted," Detective Lt. Thomas Michael, who was sent to investigate the claim. According to police, Lamy was window shopping with a friend when she decided to get her photograph taken with the mall Santa.

Around fifty Christmas shoppers dreaming of spending a shopping spree Lille, France ended up some 100 miles off from their destination after blunder in satellite navigation send their bus to another Lille in Belgium instead. "It was ridiculous," one passenger described the error. "The coach driver obviously had two Lilles to choose from on his sat-nav and he picked the wrong one.