The remains of a giant rat, estimated to weigh about a ton, was discovered in Uruguay proving that mammoth rodent once roamed the face of the earth some four million years ago. Archaeologists said they have unearthed the half-meter long skull of the giant prehistoric rat, which by any standard, is bigger than a bull, in a chunk of rock in Rio de La Plata on the coast of Uruguay.

The California Highway Patrol managed to catch one of four minivan thieves, thanks to a three-pound Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix named Tink. Police were responding to a call of a stolen minivan, with three juveniles and an adult as the suspects. The four fugitives then crashed the vehicle into a hillside near the home of Wendy Anderson.

It was a festive and rich Christmas for 1,850 Spaniards holding the winning number 06381 for Spain's lottery. With a $3. 1 million jackpot, the winners received $430,000 each. The jackpot money was spread across 11 Spanish provinces where the tickets were sold, including Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante. In contrast, ticket holders of the second prize all came from Barcelona.

Anna Plumstead didn't know that her attic in Wiscasset,Me. held a very priceless treasure: A rare early copy of the Declaration of Independence delivered to her town in 1776 as part of a campaign to spread the message of independence throughout the original 13 coloniesThe copy, printed in Salem Massachusetts in 1776, was discovered after Plumstead died in 1994. The document changed hands through a series of auctions after finally ending up with a private collector from Virginia who paid $475,000 for it in 2001.

A house fire that resulted in $50,000 worth of damages was started by the family dog, said firefighters. A woman who was frying fish was reported to have gone to take out the garbage, when the dog shut the door behind her. The fish was still frying in the pan, and eventually resulted in shooting flames and heavy smoke.