The disappearance and recovery of a hotel guest's diamond ring seemed mysterious.

At first, the owner of the 700,000-euro jewel suspected hotel staff at the luxury Ritz hotel in Paris of stealing it. The Malaysian businesswoman reported to the police that her ring disappeared from a table in the hotel room where she left it on 8 December.

Hotel security guards did a meticulous search and found the ring inside a vacuum cleaner bag on 10 December, Agence France-Presse reported. There was no explanation for how it ended up inside the vacuum cleaner.

Meanwhile, a replica of the top hat of American ex-president Abraham Lincoln was stolen in Louisville, Kentucky on 9 December.

The hat was specially made by sculptor Ed Hamilton, who learned of the theft from the Waterfront Development Corporation, a nonprofit that oversees the Waterfront Park.

In his reaction posted on Facebook, Hamilton was in disbelief that the top hat resting next to the statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting on a rock at the park was gone.

Installed in 2009, the larger-than-life Lincoln sits about 8 feet tall, including the rock he is seated on, CNN quoted Hamilton as saying.

The bronze hat measuring two feet high and weighing 18 kilos was bolted to the rock in two places, but the thief must have been so strong and determined that he or she was able to pry it from the base, Hamilton said, according to CNN.

The Louisville Metro Police said it was investigating the disappearance but has no suspect yet.      

With AFP