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Missing zoo meerkat case solved with 3 charged in Australia

SYDNEY (AP) — It wasn't grand theft. It was tiny.

Japan cybersecurity and Olympics minister: 'I've never used a computer'

Japan's recently appointed cybersecurity and Olympics minister has told parliament he has never used a computer in his life, though he is responsible for overseeing cybersecurity preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, was named to the two posts last month by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, having never held a cabinet position before during his 18 years in parliament. The minister made the admission at a parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday when asked by an opposition lawmaker if he was computer literate.

Referee banned by FA after rock, paper, scissors blunder

Referee David McNamara has been handed a three-week ban by the English FA for asking two captains to play rock, paper, scissors to decide the kick-off before a Women's Super League (WSL) match after forgetting his coin, British media reported on Tuesday. The incident took place ahead of Manchester City's home game with Reading on Oct. 26 and involved their England skipper Steph Houghton and visiting captain Kirsty Pearce. A coin toss to decide who kicks off is a requirement under the Laws of the Game but McNamara left his coin in the dressing room and allowed the captains to play rock, paper, scissors to determine kick off and playing ends, the BBC reported.

Syracuse profits by handwriting thousands of late-tax notes

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A city in New York state has found a novel way of motivating residents to pay their back taxes: personal notes handwritten by city officials.

France seizes jet at takeoff after Ryanair doesn't pay bill

PARIS (AP) — Storms, strikes, computer failures — you can now add "your plane has been seized by the government" to the list of things that can delay your flight.

What's in a number? Dutchman, 69, seeks age change to 49

UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) — Self-styled positivity guru Emile Ratelband thinks age is just a number. And his is a number the Dutchman wants changed.

GOP candidate called 'Bigfoot erotica' devotee wins race

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Despite being labeled a "devotee of Bigfoot erotica," a Republican candidate won a closely watched congressional race in Virginia.

'Frog ladders' help critters escape death-trap drains

A small group of British conservationists are installing mesh- covered ladders in roadside drains to save trapped amphibians from certain death. The Warwickshire Amphibian and Reptile Team -- the memorably acronymed WART -- hopes that by placing 20 of the rust-resistant aluminum ladders down drains near known breeding pools in England's West Midlands, they can boost the dwindling amphibian population. "The amphibians are coming to breed and then hitting the road, getting across the roads, hitting the curb, along the curb and into the drains.

Montana woman rescues wandering llama from Yellowstone park

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — A pack llama that escaped from a guided hike in southern Yellowstone National Park in August was rescued by a Montana outfitter last weekend, just days before most of the park's entrances were to close for winter preparations.

Rotten shark made you queasy? A vomit bag for every guest at the Disgusting Food Museum

"It tastes like chewing on a urine-infested mattress," said Samuel West, who, as curator of the Disgusting Food Museum, knows a thing or two about unpleasant victuals. "It's a fermented sort of rotten Icelandic shark," he says. "Anthony Bourdain, the late TV personality, called it the single most disgusting thing he'd ever eaten, and I totally agree with him." From spicy rabbit heads to fruit bat soup, the collection, now on display in the Swedish city of Malmo, aims to challenge perceptions of taste and help visitors contemplate why one culture's abomination is another's delicacy.

Police: Men arrested in pumpkin smashing crime spree

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Police in the southern Oregon town of Grants Pass have arrested two men suspected in a pumpkin-powered crime spree, ending weeks of incidents of smashed gourds and broken car windows.

Relief: Police recover stolen inflatable colon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There was a sigh of relief after police recovered a giant inflatable colon that is used to teach about the dangers of colon cancer.

100s of Oregon 'witches' paddle down river, minus the brooms

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of "witches" traded in broomsticks for paddles in Oregon during the last weekend before Halloween.

Look what we found: Tiny female lion cub in French garage

PARIS (AP) — France's customs agency says it's made an extremely surprising discovery in a garage in Marseille: a lion cub.

'Corpse flower' that smells like dirty diapers to bloom

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — Just in time for Halloween, a rare "corpse flower" that gets its nickname from its putrid smell is expected to bloom next week at Dartmouth College's greenhouse.

Indian diamond merchant makes gift of 600 cars to staff with Modi's help

Six hundred employees of Hari Krishna Exporters, a diamond trading company run by Savji Dholakia, received cars made by Indian manufacturer Maruti Suzuki, while around a thousand more staff were offered gifts of cash deposits and apartments in a huge outdoor ceremony in Surat, Gujarat. Indians often give each other gifts in the run-up to Diwali, a major Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil that this year falls on Nov. 7. Dholakia is famous across India for giving lavish gifts to his employees at Diwali, including hundreds of apartments in 2016's ceremony.

Eggs with benefits: Sydney's same-sex penguins become parents

The yet-to-be-named chick, weighing 91 gm (3.21 oz), was born on the evening of Oct. 19 and is the first sub-Antarctic penguin born at the aquarium. The couple, who formed a bond before the 2018 breeding season, doted on the adopted chick, said Tish Hannan, an aquarium official. "The first 20 days of a penguin chick's life are the most vulnerable, so it is extra-important the chick is very happy, healthy and well fed by his parents," she added.

Goodwill workers in NJ find original 1774 'rebel' newspaper

BELLMAWR, N.J. (AP) — A quick eye by Goodwill workers in southern New Jersey turned up framed pages from an original 1774 Philadelphia newspaper with an iconic "Unite or Die" snake design on the masthead.

UK police hunt shoplifter who looks like David Schwimmer

LONDON (AP) — British police are hunting a shoplifter who bears a striking resemblance to Ross Geller, the character played by David Schwimmer on the TV show "Friends."

Scientists find tiny baby octopus floating on Hawaii trash

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii scientists found two tiny baby octopuses floating on plastic trash they were cleaning up as they monitored coral reefs.

Hawaii bonsai tree stolen after owner raised it for decades

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii police are trying to find a rare bonsai tree that was stolen from a nursery owner who says he spent 56 years caring for it.

Seeking to remove MLK sculpture that doesn't look like him

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A community activist says he has gathered more than 6,000 signatures to replace a large sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. in a western New York park.