KISHIGAWA, Japan, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A cat turned "station master" is credited with attracting thousands of new passengers to a nearly bankrupt rail line near Kishigawa, Japan.

The number of passengers rose by 55,000 since Tama the cat began "working" at the unmanned Kishi station in Wakayama Prefecture in January 2007, Kyodo News reported.

The line, run by Wakayama Electric Railway Co., was on the verge of bankruptcy until Tama, who wears a little station master's hat, came on the scene and began drawing fans from across Japan, the report said.

Tama -- a friendly pet cat whose owner has a kiosk next to the station -- has her own line of products for sale to tourists who flock to watch her walk around and greet passengers.

Hidden sword prompts product removal

LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A 31-year-old man says his discovery of a sword hidden inside a walking stick has prompted the product's removal from a British department store chain.

Steve Pearn said from the moment his partner gave him a walking stick purchased from the British retail chain TK Maxx he knew something was a bit odd about the item, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Pearn told the newspaper the stick seemed unusually heavy so he examined it and found a tapered sword inside.

"We got the fright of our lives when the blade appeared out of the stick. It was huge and very sharp," he said.

A TK Maxx spokeswoman said after hearing about the hidden weapon, the company removed the product from its stores.

"We took urgent steps to remove them from the floor today, therefore they are not available in any of our 220 stores," the unidentified official said, adding the store had been unaware of the weapon's existence.

The Telegraph said TK Maxx officials, whose store was also blamed for selling a jacket with a penknife attached to it, have said they will improve their regulatory policies.

Suspect sought in theft of 160 bras

FORT MYERS, Fla., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Police in Lee County, Fla., say they were searching for whoever stole 160 brassieres from a Victoria's Secret store.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office said nearly $6,000 worth of designer undergarments were taken Thursday in the most recent incident in a series of bra thefts in the area, The Miami Herald reported.

Two Victoria Secret's locations in southwest Florida have been targeted for major bra thefts since February, resulting in a total of 452 missing bras worth nearly $19,000.

Several other Victoria Secret's locations have experienced smaller thefts during the same time frame, police say.

Police told the Herald last Thursday's theft occurred when an unidentified woman entered the store and began putting bras inside a bag while store employees were occupied. The suspect then fled with the merchandise.

World's tallest man becomes a dad

SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The world's tallest man, 7-foot-9 Bao Xishun, is standing taller after his wife gave birth to a boy in China, a doctor says.

A senior doctor at a hospital in China's Hebei province said the herdsman and his wife, Xia Shujuan, are elated after having a 22-inch boy, Sky News reported.

"Bao is quite happy. The baby is healthy and a normal size," said the doctor, identified only as Zhang.

Bao won back his world's tallest man title from Leonid Stadnyk in August after the Ukrainian decided not to be measured under new Guinness World Record guidelines.

While Bao had hoped to have a son of equal stature who could one day play basketball, the infant's initial size was far from record-breaking.

Sky News said the unofficial record length for a newborn worldwide was set last year in China when a baby came into the world at 29.5 inches.