Classified Odd

Escaped lion terrorizes South African town

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A lion that escaped from a private South African game reserve has been terrorizing residents of the small northern town of Makhado for a week, police said on Thursday.

Drug-taking bear star 'Ted' to appear at Oscars

LOS ANGELES, California - "Ted," the drug-smoking, foul-mouthed teddy bear who was a blockbuster hit last year, is to appear at the Oscars next month, his on-screen sidekick Mark Wahlberg said Thursday.

Amateur prospector finds 5-kilogram gold nugget

MELBOURNE - An amateur prospector has made the find of a lifetime in southern Australia, unearthing a gold nugget weighing about five kilograms (11 pounds) just outside the town of Ballarat, reports said Thursday.

Fury over horsemeat in burgers

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron voiced concern Wednesday about the "extremely disturbing" discovery of horsemeat in beefburgers sold in supermarket giants.

Pre-school kids shown porn movie

ROUEN, France - A class in a French nursery school was left to watch a hardcore porn film for several minutes in what authorities on Wednesday termed an "extremely regrettable accident."

Chimpanzee birth to be live-streamed

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A primate sanctuary in South Africa on Tuesday announced it will live-stream the birth of a baby chimpanzee on the Internet, an online event it claims will be a world first.

No stars in 'Star Wars' jump into hyperspace

PARIS, France - Remember that dazzling moment in the "Star Wars" movies when the Millennium Falcon goes into hyperspace and a kaleidoscope of stars streaks past the ship? 

No rest for the dead with surround-sound coffin

STOCKHOLM - A Swedish man has designed a coffin with built-in speakers linked to a music playlist that can be updated by the living.

Thief posts own picture on victim's Facebook page

JOHANNESBURG - A suspected thief appears to have mistakenly posted his own picture on his victim's Facebook page using a stolen tablet computer, South African media reported Friday.

Python clings to plane during a flight

SYDNEY - It was not quite a "Snakes on a Plane" scenario, but passengers on a Qantas jet watched in amazement as a three-metre (nine feet) python clung to the outside of their aircraft during a flight.