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.

A spate of thefts targeting the bright red post boxes that have been a feature of Britain's street corners since the 19th century have forced the postal service to fight back -- with an arsenal of hi-tech tools.

Royal Mail has unveiled plans to use forensic tagging to identify stolen post boxes and even electronic tracking to keep a close watch on these reassuringly iconic landmarks of winding lanes and village greens.

Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi apologized Saturday after its Bangkok bureau chief posted an image of his genitals on a mobile forum set up by Thailand's foreign ministry, which warned of "consequences".

A spokesman for the channel said the unnamed employee had been removed from the job due to his "extremely inappropriate" behavior.

An Air India plane was forced to return to New Delhi two hours into a flight to Milan on Thursday after a "suspected rat sighting" in the cabin.

The airline said no rodent had been found, but it had no choice but to turn back and fumigate the aircraft after the report.

Chicken and beer make for a bad burglary.

A Florida family tells police they came home to chicken bones and empty beer bottles scattered about their kitchen floor and a would-be robber passed out on their couch.

A Texas businessman used an app to find his iPhone in a rural pasture after it fell about 9,300 feet during a flight from Houston.

The Wichita Falls Times Record News reported Thursday that Ben Wilson says his cellphone still works.

A surfer punched a shark after being attacked on Australia's east coast Friday, suffering bite wounds to his legs and hands in what a witness said was like "a Mick Fanning replay".

The incident occurred near a popular tourist spot north of Sydney, close to where a bodyboarder was mauled this month, and recalled dramatic images weeks earlier from South Africa when Australian three-time world champion surfer Fanning fought off a shark.

Etihad Airways said Friday that it will continue to fight a lawsuit by a passenger who says he was left with back pain because he was seated beside an overweight man on a 14-hour flight from the United Arab Emirates to Sydney.

James Bassos, of Brisbane, is suing the Abu Dhabi-based airline in the Queensland state District Court over a permanent back injury he says he suffered while trying to avoid his fellow passenger on the 2011 flight. The 38-year-old interior designer is claiming $227,000 Australian dollars ($166,000) for medical expenses and lost earnings.