Officials in a Polish town have opposed a proposition to name a playground after Winnie-the-Pooh due to the bear's unclear gender and immodest clothing.

The matter was debated in a closed-door meeting weeks ago in the central Polish town of Tuszyn, but didn't get much media attention in Poland until recent days.

A man with Down's syndrome in France got truckloads of cards -- some 30,000 from around the world -- for his 30th birthday, after his mother put out a call on Facebook that went viral.

By the time Manuel Parisseaux's birthday rolled around on Saturday so many letters had arrived his family in Calais in northern France had to store them in a neighbour's garage.

A cesspool filled with excrement has exploded in central China, injuring 15 people and knocking down a building, state-run media reported.

The blast was apparently sparked by a local man burning waste close to the cesspool, igniting methane gas which was emanating from the pit, the Xinhua news agency said late on Sunday.

Brazilian airline TAM changed one of its flight numbers after a renowned clairvoyant predicted a plane bearing the original number would crash shortly after takeoff.

Jucelino Nobrega da Luz, who says he predicted the deaths of Princess Diana and Brazilian racing legend Ayrton Senna, told authorities flight JJ3720, set to depart Wednesday from Sao Paulo to Brasilia, would develop engine trouble and crash on Sao Paulo's main Paulista drag.

Have you seen a man who loaded live giraffes into a Tanzanian military plane for delivery to Qatar? If so Interpol would like to speak with you.

The international police agency Interpol recently began a Most Wanted campaign of suspects who have carried out such environmental crimes as wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, illegal logging and trading in ivory.

A youth channel owned by Syrian state television claims to have broken the record for the longest non-stop chat show ever broadcast, airing a program that ran 70 hours.

Two hosts, Areej Zayat and Reine Neilah, broadcast the "From Syria With Love" show on the Talaqi channel from 9:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday to 7:00 pm on Friday.

She's short, brunette, has an average body shape and can even be given cellulite and acne: the 'anti-Barbie' doll is ready to go on sale in the United States.

The brainchild of 26-year-old graphic designer Nickolay Lamm, the "Lammily" doll will begin shipping next week with the sales pitch that "average is beautiful."

A New Mexico woman's missing kitten has been located in Maine, although exactly how the feline made the 2,300-mile trip remains a mystery.

The female kitten, named Spice, was turned into the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook earlier this month by a man who found her inside a duffel bag outside a Portland thrift store.

Sponsors of the annual holiday festival near Roseburg have commissioned a whopper of a centerpiece — a wooden nutcracker intended to stand 41 feet tall, weigh more than 16,000 pounds and work its jaw with enough force to crush coconuts.

The statue was created by a Willamette Valley woodworker using chain saws, The News-Review (http://bit.ly/1AoMDx3) reported.

Thailand's military-installed prime minister, known for scolding journalists, is trying a new tack: patting their heads and tugging their ears.

A video posted on Facebook by Bangkok Post reporter Wassana Nanuam shows Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha chatting Wednesday with reporters in the northeastern city of Khon Kaen. Some journalists kneeled in front of him to allow cameras a clear view.