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N.Z. Police Alarmed at Breastfeeding Motorists

New Zealand police said Tuesday they were shocked at the number of mothers they found breastfeeding babies while driving along motorways in the country's largest city Auckland.

Police said they stopped three breastfeeding drivers this month while carrying out a 10-day operation aimed at ensuring children were properly restrained in vehicles.

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Saudi Female Driver Defies Ban, Has Fatal Accident

A Saudi woman who defied a driving ban in the kingdom was injured and her companion killed when their car overturned in the northern Hael province, a police spokesman said on Monday.

"One woman was immediately killed and her companion who was driving the car was hospitalized after she suffered several injuries" when their four-wheel-drive vehicle overturned late on Saturday, said police spokesman Abdulaziz al-Zunaidi.

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German City Says 'Sex Meter' a Success

A German city that introduced a surcharge on street prostitutes via kerb-side meters said Monday the program had been a success and would continue.

The Bonn government said a "sex tax" covering levies on sauna clubs, "erotic centers" and automated pay stations similar to parking meters that were rolled out in August had brought in around 250,000 euros ($326,000) last year.

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Indian Minister Tied Up in Shoelace Row

An Indian minister has vowed to wear only laceless footwear after he was caught by television cameras using a young man to tie up his shoes at a public function.

Gauri Shankar Bisen, a minister in the state government of Madhya Pradesh, has apologized and admitted that it was a "mistake" to have the young student work on his shoes as he awaited the start of an event in the state.

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Could Neckties be Cool Again?

Now that older men have ditched it to look cool, the stylish young are reclaiming the necktie as their own, with the once-derided accessory making a stealthy comeback on the menswear runways.

"I never wear one," Antoine Arnault, the 34-year-old son of luxury tycoon Bernard Arnault told Agence France Presse on the sidelines of the first ever menswear show by the LVMH-owned shoemaker Berluti -- where ties were a full part of the look.

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Evicted 101-Year-Old Detroit Woman Can't Go Home

The federal government now says a 101-year-old Detroit woman it promised could move back into her foreclosed home four months ago can't return because the building's unsanitary and unsafe.

Texana Hollis was evicted Sept. 12 and her belongings placed outside after her 65-year-old son failed to pay property taxes linked to a reverse mortgage and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosed on the home.

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Riding The Dragon: 2012 Predictions from Chinese Masters

Want to know what's in store for 2012? Who will win the US election? Will the eurozone implode? China's feng shui masters tackle the big issues with their predictions for the Year of the Dragon.

As Chinese communities around the world prepare to ring in the new year on Monday, astrologers and geomancers are predicting the dragon will bring natural disasters and financial volatility, especially to crisis-hit Europe.

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Polish Pol Threatens to Smoke Pot in Parliament

The leader of a new left-wing party in Poland threatened to light up a joint in Parliament on Friday — but just burned incense instead.

Janusz Palikot is campaigning to get soft drugs legalized and to otherwise liberalize the conservative country.

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Mexico Police: Robber Rode Skateboard to Banks

Mexico City police say they have arrested a would-be bandit who rode his skateboard to bank robbery attempts.

Police say Sergio Ledesma and his skateboard have been turned over to prosecutors after he allegedly attempted to rob two banks by whispering threats to tellers.

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U.S. Man Jokes after Nail Removed from His Brain

Dante Autullo thought his doctors were joking. The suburban Chicago man was sure he'd merely cut himself with a nail gun while building a shed. But they assured him the X-ray was real: A nail was lodged in the middle of his brain.

Autullo was recovering Friday after undergoing surgery at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where doctors removed the 3 1/4-inch (7.62 centimeter) nail. It had come within millimeters of the part of the brain that controls motor function.

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