Robbie, robots and a million-dollar loo

It's been a week where celebrities, toilets, and even robots made headlines for all the wrong reasons but top of that Pop star Robbie Williams unexpectedly found himself in the role of anti-corruption crusader in Bulgaria.

Two Bulgarian transport inspectors were sacked after demanding a €500 bribe from Robbie's tour convoy during a traffic stop. The officials resorted to Google Translate to explain their scam to bemused lorry drivers, even suggesting those short of cash nip to an ATM.

"Robbie Williams is more efficient at fighting corruption than Bulgarian institutions," quipped one Bulgarian commentator.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, a different kind of flush sparked outrage. Locals balked at the city spending nearly $1 million on a public toilet at the star-studded Runyon Canyon hiking trail. The two-stall convenience has been branded "Hollywood's most expensive loo," especially in a city that recently cut firefighting budgets despite raging wildfires.

Sport also had its share of peculiarities. The Ryder Cup in New York saw American fans abandon golf's famed etiquette, pelting Irish stars Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry with abuse — and worse, a beer bottle aimed at McIlroy's wife.

Yet the week's most unexpected show of sportsmanship came from Donald Trump, who graciously congratulated the European victors after they mocked him online.

Elsewhere, fortune literally sat forgotten in a coat pocket. A German man discovered he'd been holding a €15.3 million winning lottery ticket for six months. His big splurge? A new sofa.

And in California, police trying to nab a reckless taxi driver were left red-faced when they found no one behind the wheel. The culprit: a driverless Waymo car. Officers admitted they couldn't issue a ticket — there isn't a box in their citation books for "robot."