Offbeat

SYDNEY: A gigantic whale-like balloon with pendulous udder-like appendages, designed to mark the centenary of Australia’s capital Canberra, has divided opinion, with some branding it an ugly

WASHINGTON: Britain’s Prince Harry broke hearts in Washington’s corridors of power Thursday, showing more interest in land mines than in the excited fans who greeted him at the start of

WASHINGTON: Sophia is the top name for girls, according to the list released Thursday. King is among the fastest-rising baby names for US boys.

BEIJING: A Chinese court ordered a controversial professor who claims descent from the ancient sage Confucius to apologize and pay a fine after a heated online row over poetry, local media reported ye

MEDFORD, Oregon: A team of smokejumpers parachuting into a fire in the mountains of Southern Oregon landed in an illegal mari- juana garden being prepared for growing season.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s celebrity baby panda Lin Ping is almost 4 years old now. It’s time to move to China, find a mate and have cubs.

BEIJING: Authorities are investigating whether one of China’s top film directors fathered seven children in violation of the country’s strict family planning laws, state media and a loc

In a quiet corner of Pakistan’s breadbasket province of Punjab, one parliamentary candidate in Saturday’s general election lets his music do the talking.

RIO DE JANEIRO: A 28-year-old woman miraculously survived after her husband accidentally shot her in the mouth with a harpoon, Brazilian officials said Wednesday.

ROME: Tourist cruises along Rome’s Tiber River have been suspended indefinitely for the first time since they began a decade ago because the waterway is judged too dirty.