Offbeat
Latest stories
Gillette ProGlide Heralds the End of Shaving

Gillette, the world’s leading Male Grooming brand, has launched its most technologically advanced razor, Gillette Fusion ProGlide™, across the Middle East, the company said in a press release.

At an event hosted by senior executives and scientists from Gillette and Procter & Gamble at YAS Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, guests learned how Gillette’s new ProGlide razor has “truly turned shaving into gliding, offering men throughout the region their most comfortable shave yet,” said Gillette.

W140 Full Story
Indonesian District Offers Cash for Vasectomies

A district in Indonesia handed out cash to civil servants who volunteer for vasectomies -- but the initiative upset women who fear their sterilized husbands will be more likely to have affairs, the Agence France Presse reported Wednesday.

Mukomuko district on Sumatra Island is offering one million rupiah ($109) to any of its 2,000 male employees who undergo the operation, in a bid to control population growth in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

W140 Full Story
Pit Bulls in Philippine Dog Fights Euthanized

Sixteen pit bulls rescued from a dogfighting ring in the Philippines were euthanized Tuesday for lack of facilities to rehabilitate them and prevent them from reappearing in underground arenas, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Roughly 300 dogs were rescued in separate raids late Friday in Laguna province south of Manila, said Anna Cabrera of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. Seventeen with the worst injuries were put down over the weekend, and the health of the living dogs and the progress of rehabilitating them will determine how many of them ultimately survive.

W140 Full Story
Cyprus Traffic Mayhem due to Power Failure

Most of Cyprus was blacked out early on Wednesday due to the failure of one of the Mediterranean island's main power plants, local media said.

The outage caused massive traffic jams during the peak morning rush hour, with police scrambling to control intersections where lack of traffic lights confused and angered motorists.

W140 Full Story
Michelle Obama Promotes Campaign Against Obesity

US First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on Tuesday night's episode of "The Biggest Loser" to promote her campaign against obesity -- and has hosted the US diet reality show's first White House workout.

The six competitors still vying for the title of "Biggest Loser" -- the one who loses the most weight -- got the shock of their lives when they were invited to Washington by the wife of US President Barack Obama.

W140 Full Story
Sex Change Might Not Bar Wannabe Beauty Queen

The Miss Universe Organization announced Tuesday that it might reverse an earlier decision and allow a transgender woman to enter the Miss Universe Canada pageant.

Jenna Talackova, 23, was born male, leading organizers to disqualify her last month as a finalist in the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant in May.

W140 Full Story
1-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Washing Machine

A 21 months old boy from Oregon drowned in a top-loading washer while helping his mother with laundry, the Associated Presse said Tuesday.

Ollie Hebb was his mother's helper on laundry day, climbing atop a bin so he could toss clothes into a top-loading washer.

W140 Full Story
China Artist Ai Weiwei Sets Up Home Webcams

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Tuesday he had set up four live webcams in his home in a symbolic reference to the 24-hour police surveillance he has been subjected to since his detention a year ago, the Agence France Presse said Tuesday.

Ai -- whose activism has made him a long-standing thorn in the side of Chinese authorities -- disappeared into custody on April 3 last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab-style protests in China.

W140 Full Story
Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Falls Unconscious and Dies

An 80-year-old woman was able to successfully land a twin-engine airplane in northeastern Wisconsin after her husband became unconscious at the controls and died, the Associated Press said Tuesday.

Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel says the dispatch center was told just after 5 p.m. Monday that a Cessna about 6 miles south of Sturgeon Bay had declared an emergency.

W140 Full Story
Lights Go out at Genoa Neighbors

Genoa and Sampdoria's next home games are at risk because the company supplying electricity to the Marassi stadium in Genoa have switched it off, Italian news agency Ansa reported on Monday.

The public company that runs the Marassi stadium, SportinGenova, is in arrears, which has prompted Exergia to cut the supply of electricity to the ground.

W140 Full Story