The Belgian capital's emblematic Manneken Pis statue of a little boy taking a very public leak, beloved by millions of tourists, is getting a thorough examination to prove whether he is the real deal.

The small statue standing about 60 centimetres (23 inches) tall in a fountain in the heart of Brussels has suffered many indignities since he was first put up in the early 1600s, prompting the authorities to replace it with a replica in the 1960s.

As relations with western nations cool, Thailand's generals have visibly cosied up to China since seizing power in a coup last year.

But one Thai general appears to be especially enamored.

A German judge ordered two football hooligans who attacked a fan of a rival club and tore off his team gear to take the "painful" step of buying him new Bayern Munich merchandise, media reported Wednesday.

The judge in the southern city of Munich, Karin Jung, told the daily Bild that she presented the defendants, both supporters of the 1860 Munich team, with the choice of replacing the Bayern Munich gear or serving 15 months in jail.

Aristotle may have been more on the money than he realized in saying man is a political animal, according to research published Wednesday linking genes with liberal or conservative leanings.

Or, to be precise, a specific variant of one gene that would seem to exert greater sway over women than men.

New Yorkers living in the borough of Brooklyn woke to a strange sight on Tuesday -- a giant sinkhole had swallowed an enormous chunk of road.

The sinkhole, formed by the natural process of erosion, appeared shortly after 7 am at an intersection in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, according to the Fire Department.

A small British town has appointed its first resident jester in more than 700 years, naming him in an elaborate medieval ceremony.

Russel Erwood was officially dubbed Erwyd le Fol (French for 'fool') during an event in the main square in Conwy, north Wales, on Sunday which included falconry, knights and a parade.

A disoriented whale stunned onlookers and delighted tourists at Buenos Aires' bustling waterfront Monday, swimming alongside boats and periodically surfacing to the perplexed crowds.   

The small whale, whose species was not immediately confirmed, turned up well off its healthy course -- near the docks in glitzy Puerto Madero, the capital's upscale neighborhood.

Pictures of Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman flashing a watch worth an alleged $620,000 on Monday sparked controversy in the crisis-hit country.

Dmitry Peskov, who is given a broad remit to voice the views of the Kremlin strongman, was photographed wearing the pricey timepiece as he tied the knot with Olympic ice dancer Tatiana Navka on Saturday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

A giant picture of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected Saturday onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display.

The "Projecting Change on the Empire State Building" initiative was designed to raise awareness about the plight of endangered animals and was billed as a first of its kind.

Chinese authorities have seized thousands of bottles of spirits laced with chemicals used to make erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, officials said.

Two manufacturers in Liuzhou were found to be adding elements including sildenafil and tadalafil, the chemicals more commonly known by their brand names Viagra and Cialis, to their baijiu products, the local food and drug administration said in a statement.