Britain to India: Diamond in royal crown is ours
British Prime Minister David Cameron says a giant diamond his country forced India to hand over in the colonial era that was set in a royal crown will not be returned. Speaking on the third and final day of a visit to India aimed at drumming up trade and investment, Cameron ruled out handing back the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, now on display in the Tower of London. The diamond had been set in the crown of the current Queen Elizabeth's late mother.
Florida man charged with harassing manatee after posting photos
A Florida man posted photos on Facebook showing himself hugging a baby manatee and was arrested on charges of harassing the endangered sea cow, wildlife officials said on Wednesday. A tipster saw the photos and alerted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which arrested Ryan William Waterman on a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
Mike the fearless brown bear shot by Swiss gamekeepers
A brown bear dubbed Mike by its fans has been shot and killed by gamekeepers in a mountainous border region in southeastern Switzerland after several run-ins with locals, Swiss officials said on Wednesday. How to deal with the bear, known as M13 by authorities, had sparked controversy between gamekeepers and environmentalists far outside the Graubuenden canton, which borders on Italy and Austria and where the animal was most often spotted.
"Keep your so-called workers," U.S. boss tells France
The CEO of a U.S. tire company has delivered a crushing summary of how some outsiders view France's work ethic in a letter saying he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day. Titan International's <TWI.N> Maurice "Morry" Taylor, who goes by "The Grizz" for his bear-like no-nonsense style, told France's left-wing industry minister in a letter published by Paris media that he had no interest in buying a doomed plant.
Bird invasion brings real-life horror to Kentucky city
Millions of birds have descended on a small Kentucky city this winter, fouling the landscape, scaring pets and raising the risk for disease in a real-life version of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film, "The Birds." The blackbirds and European starlings blacken the sky of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, before roosting at dusk, turn the landscape white with bird poop, and the disease they carry can kill a dog and sicken humans.
Belgian boar hunters come up short in mass cull effort
Efforts to cull a sprawling population of wild boar in Belgium's northern forests met with limited results this week after a party of 200 hunters managed to kill only one animal. The hunt was organized on Monday by local wildlife officials in a northern forest near the town of Postel, where several road accidents have been linked to wild boar.
Fake horse racing blog dodges Italy's election polls blackout
Which horse are you backing in the Italian election? A blog appears to have found a way around a publishing ban on polls in the two weeks before the vote by writing up the results of pretend "underground horse races", which appear to reflect each party's standing.
Mexican duo fined for obscene gestures in celebrations
Two players have been fined in Mexico for making obscene gestures while celebrating goals they scored in first division matches at the weekend. Panamanian Luis Tejeda of Toluca and Efrain Velarde of UNAM Pumas grabbed their genitals and shouted at the crowd as they stood facing the stands.