An Indian village in a western coastal state has imposed a ban on couples kissing in public, claiming the sight of such "obscene" behaviour is unwanted by local residents.

The village parliament of Salvador-de-Mundo, eight miles north of Goa's capital Panaji, unanimously passed a resolution this week warning holidaymakers against engaging in public displays of affection.

A civil servant who made up deaths, and even claimed he was going to the same person's funeral twice, has been sacked in Japan.

Shigenori Natori was fired from his job managing public parks in Sendai, northeastern Japan, after taking 16 days of bereavement leave over a five-year period, supposedly because of the deaths of 12 relatives.

Heat and humidity are a perennial problem at the Malaysian Grand Prix but Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has a unique solution -- wearing a sanitary towel inside his helmet.

The German revealed that he uses the absorbent towels as sweatbands to stop moisture trickling into his eyes, a special "trick" which could give him an edge this week.

Thousands of tourists and residents basking in a hot sun filled the streets of the art deco district of Miami Beach to celebrate its 100th birthday on Thursday.

"Happy Birthday, Miami Beach," yelled one of the party promoters through a loudspeaker from one of the bars along Ocean Drive -- the seaside avenue lined with hotels, bars and restaurants. It was closed to traffic all day for the festivities.

A Lee Kuan Yew bun or figurine? The death of Singapore's founding leader on Monday has spawned unusual tributes and business ideas, ranging from the reverent to the ridiculous.

As tens of thousands of people pay their respects to the 91-year-old former prime minister's remains in parliament ahead of his funeral on Sunday, a mini-industry inspired by Lee's death has sprouted.

Long snubbed as the risible trademark of boorish Anglo-Saxon diners, the doggy bag is set to make its appearance in France, a top restaurant body said Wednesday.

The idea of taking uneaten portions of meals home has been frowned upon for decades in France, but the Union of Hotel Professions (UHP) said doggy bags had become necessary to combat the problem of food waste.

Gambling-crazy Singaporeans are capitalizing on the demise of Lee Kuan Yew by picking four-digit lottery numbers based on his time of death, or other combinations associated with the former prime minister.

Most numbers linked to Lee's death -- including his date of birth and the digits on the licence plate of the hearse that carried his remains to the Istana state complex for a wake -- have been sold out, a regular punter told Agence France Presse. 

A French court ordered the closure and demolition of a chip stand on Tuesday as demanded by former L'Oreal boss Lindsay Owen-Jones, who complained its frying odors were stinking up his luxury ski apartment.

A court in the winter resort of Albertville ruled in favor of Owen-Jones and four of his neighbors, who argued the shop's fried potatoes and its far-wandering cooking smells represented an "abnormal disturbance to the neighborhood," the lawyer for stand manager Valerie Maertens said.

Park rangers in the U.S. capital are gearing up for a wild goose chase. Literally.

The National Park Service said Tuesday it's making plans to relocate a large and growing population of Canada geese from the National Mall, the nation's symbolic "front yard."

It will be music to the ears of many -- buskers who know only three tunes will be politely urged to move on after finishing their repertoire under a new code of conduct published in London on Monday.

Bagpipe players will also be discouraged, as they create sounds that "can become annoying more quickly", along with anyone playing highly amplified guitars or drums, or beatboxing.