Police armed with assault rifles descended on a man's home after members of a tree removal crew he'd told to clear off his property reported that he had a gun.

Turns out the "gun" the tree crew had seen on Michael Smith was just a life-sized tattoo of a handgun on his stomach.

A 19-year-old Finnish supermarket cashier with millions of Internet fans of her language imitation YouTube video is heading for America hoping her gibberish hit will open up a new career.

In two weeks, Sara Maria Forsberg's "What languages sound like to a foreigner" has drawn more than 9 million viewings, transforming her into a sought after celebrity that prompted the mayor of her hometown of Pietarsaari to hand her the town keys as a gesture of appreciation.

Dutch citizens and politicians united on Wednesday in posting voting booth selfie photos, an increasingly popular phenomenon that could threaten the principle of the secret ballot but also encourages people to vote.

Alexander Pechtold, who heads the centrist D66 party, was among the many Dutch voting in Wednesday's local elections who tweeted a #stemfie, a combination of "stemmen", the Dutch word for voting, and selfie.

A Tibetan mastiff puppy has been sold in China for almost $2 million, a report said Wednesday, in what could be the most expensive dog sale ever.

A property developer paid 12 million yuan ($1.9 million) for the one-year-old golden-haired mastiff at a "luxury pet" fair Tuesday in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the Qianjiang Evening News reported.

Chinese companies have offered up a fresh idea to help pollution-weary travelers while cashing in on public concerns over dirty air at the same time -- smog insurance.

The country's top online travel agency Ctrip.com and the leading insurer Ping An have "started to sell haze travel insurance", the state-run China Daily reported.

A car mechanic from Britain revealed on Tuesday he had predicted he would be a multi-millionaire "this time tomorrow" just hours before he won a £107.9 million lottery jackpot.

Neil Trotter, 41, from Coulsdon in south London, said he had told staff at his father's office on the day of the Euromillions draw Friday that he was feeling lucky.

Nepal may install ladders on Mount Everest's Hillary Step, the final rock wall which climbers have to scale to reach the summit, in a bid to ease congestion, the government said Monday.

Expedition organizers announced last week that extra ropes would be fixed on congested ice walls like the Hillary Step, where mountaineers have faced frustrating delays in the past.

Remember the afro, the natural hairstyle forever synonymous with the "black is beautiful" movement championed by African-Americans in the 1960s?

A group in Ivory Coast is trying to persuade black women to turn the page on their expensive hair-straighteners, extensions and wigs and go natural instead.

Britain's Prince Harry is pictured on October 7, 2013 in Dubai

A Facebook user posing as Britain's Prince Harry conned an Austrian floor layer out of nearly 30,000 euros after pretending to hire him for renovation work at Buckingham Palace, police said Saturday.

Rhode Island authorities say a 71-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease and dementia had lived with his dead wife's body for at least two days before officials entered the home this week.

Police in Johnston say the man's 67-year-old wife died a few days ago and he wasn't aware that she had passed. Authorities say there were no signs of foul play.