An Egyptian muezzin has been suspended by the authorities after being accused of intoning "Prayer is better than Facebook" in his early morning call for people to pray.

The action was taken against Mahmud al-Moghazi, who denies the charge, after devout Muslims complained that he had altered the traditional call to prayer, an official told AFP on Monday.

An elementary school teacher who was allowed to keep his job despite being late for work 111 times in two years said Friday that breakfast is to blame for his tardiness.

"I have a bad habit of eating breakfast in the morning, and I lost track of time," 15-year veteran teacher Arnold Anderson told The Associated Press.

China's air force has called monkeys and falcons into service to ensure safe skies for a huge military parade this week to mark Japan's defeat in World War II, reports said.

Almost 200 aircraft will take part Thursday in commemorations for the 70th anniversary of what Beijing calls the "Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War".

The Lebanese are never too far away from poking fun of their daily hardships and they were never less evident than during Saturday “You Stink” civil society protest.

References to popular songs, movies, and television shows were present among the myriad of banners and posters at the rally, which took place at Beirut's downtown area.

The cameraman who sent Usain Bolt flying at the world athletics championships presented him with a red bracelet on Friday to apologize, after footage of the incident went viral.

A red-faced Song Tao of China's CCTV placed the good-luck charm on Bolt's wrist by way of apology after he lost control of the electric scooter he was riding and clattered the Jamaican from behind.

It seems not even bombastic billionaire Donald Trump would go so far as to snatch something so close to the heart of Pope Francis.

The combative White House candidate denied on Friday a tabloid story that he was looking to buy the pope's favorite football club, San Lorenzo in Argentina.

A billboard in central Tel Aviv announcing the opening of an Iranian embassy that met with disbelief and curiosity turned out to be a hoax, organizers of the eye-catching stunt have said.

"Opening here soon - Embassy of Iran in Israel," proclaimed the five-storey tall hoarding emblazoned with the Iranian and Israeli flags this week. 

Usain Bolt's celebrations after completing a world championship sprint double came to a painful halt on Thursday after he was knocked over by a cameraman on an electric scooter.

The bizarre accident happened when the cameraman strayed too close to a barefoot Bolt as he posed for photos following his gold medal run in the 200 meters in Beijing.

Spanish officials have scrapped an 800-euro fine against a woman for posting a picture on Facebook of an illegally-parked police car after admitting the image did not contravene a controversial security law.

The offending picture, which was posted online last month, showed a police car parked in a disabled parking space in a town in the southeastern province of Alicante, accompanied by critical remarks using strong language. 

Japan's leading toilet giant opens a new museum this week dedicated to a century of lavatories, from its first water flushing model to the most cutting edge version with odor-neutralizers and variable water jets.

The museum operated by TOTO -- best known for its bidet-equipped Washlet series -- opens its doors on Friday in the southwestern city of Kitakyushu, where the company is based.