A five-year-old boy recovering from cancer became a superhero for a day Friday, as San Francisco transformed itself into Gotham City and thousands turned out to see the Batkid fly to the rescue.

Even President Barack Obama got in on the act after the story went viral, sending pint-size caped crusader Miles Scott a video message telling him "Way to go!"

A Japanese man who runs on his arms and legs broke his own Guinness world record for the 100-meter dash on Thursday.

Kenichi Ito finished in 16.87 seconds, shaving more than half a second off his 2012 run of 17.47 seconds.

As the greatest urbanization drive in history swells China's cities with ranks of identikit apartment blocks, one culinary businessman is indulging his architectural appetite with a visual feast of extravagant, outlandish castles.

"I don't have any hobbies, except for planting trees and building castles," said Liu Chonghua, standing on a crenelated turret atop the largest of the six he has constructed.

A famous hotel rebuilt every winter in northern Sweden using only ice said Thursday it would install fire alarms this year.

The hotel, located in the small Arctic town of Jukkasjaervi, is following a request by the authorities to guarantee the safety of its guests.

Two Ecuadoran women were arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport after trying to smuggle out 400,000 euros ($537,000) in cash -- including by swallowing some of the money, Dutch border police said on Thursday.

The two women, aged 38 and 39 were detained over the weekend after arriving on a flight from Madrid, Dutch gendarmerie spokesman Alfred Ellwanger said.

A Japanese condominium complex has decided to ditch noisy lawnmowers and their paid pushers for a more natural option: goats.

The suburban Tokyo complex has obtained four grass-munching animals to help beautify the walled property and chomp on weeds in those hard-to-reach areas.

A Chinese suitor who gave his future bride an auspicious 8.88 million yuan ($1.5 million) in cash drew ire Thursday for the extravagant display of wealth in the still-developing country.

Some 18 porters transported baskets and boxes filled with the money, which together weighed more than 102 kilograms (224 pounds), the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported.

Political correctness took a distant back seat late Wednesday as Brazil's business hub of Sao Paulo played host to tabloid heaven with a contest honoring women's rear ends.

Namely, the 2013 edition of Miss Bum Bum -- in which 15 young women competed for the right to be crowned as the owner of the most delightful derriere.

An abandoned puppy rescued from a rubbish dump in India has trekked to Everest Base Camp, becoming what is believed to be the first dog to tackle the peak, his owner said Wednesday.

Former professional golfer Joanne Lefson told Agence France Presse she adopted the 11-month-old dog, called Rupee, in the mountainous Indian town of Leh last September and decided to take him on a trip to base camp at 5,364 meters (17,598 feet).

To most people, noise pollution is a jet engine roaring over their head. For one Spanish woman, it was a neighbor playing the piano more softly than a spoken conversation.

The woman has taken her neighbors in the apartment below — a 27-year-old pianist and her parents — to court. Now prosecutors want to send all three to jail for over seven years on charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.