French livestock farmer Francois-Xavier Craquelin believes a little pampering goes a long way when it comes to producing meat prized for its melt-in-the mouth tenderness.

Cattle at his farm in northeastern France enjoy classical music, a special massage machine and even regular tipples of Normandy cider.

Police in the South African coastal city of Port Elizabeth said they arrested two suspected thieves found inside a cash machine on Monday.

The pair were discovered in a compartment behind the screen of the machine at a township petrol station in the early hours of the morning.

The impending royal visit by Prince William, his wife Kate and their baby son George provided ample fodder for April Fool's Day pranksters in New Zealand and Australia on Tuesday.

Coach firm InterCity said the British royals had decided to use a humble bus for part of their tour of New Zealand next week "in keeping with their frugal, down-to-earth public image".

A firefighter put his reptile-handling experience to good use when he rescued a 6-foot-long python from a burning home in western Michigan.

Muskegon firefighter Scott Hemmelsbach told The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1jQ2Vbf ) that he reluctantly agreed to enter the two-story, smoke-filled house Sunday night to retrieve the snake. He says he cradled the "weighty" snake before carrying it to safety.

A snake slithered into a rugby arena on Monday, grabbing the attention of fans and TV cameras.

Broadcasters showed images of a brown snake — about 1-meter (3-feet) long — in a grassy area between the field and the stands at Robina Stadium in the first half before it reportedly disappeared down a drain.

It's not every day that you can stand in line at the Louvre Museum next to a flock of live sheep.

But that's what happened to tourists Friday caught up in a protest by small farmers beneath the glass pyramid of the Paris museum.

A U.S. newlywed who pushed her husband off a cliff barely a week after the couple married was jailed for 30 years Thursday, officials said.

Jordan Linn Graham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder over the death of her husband Cody Lee Johnson in July last year in Glacier National Park in Montana, where they had gone hiking.

An embarrassed French minister has apologized to the head chef at the Elysee Palace after she was caught on camera describing the food at a China-France state dinner as "revolting".

Trade Minister Nicole Bricq was caught out after saying the meal served to Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the state banquet on Wednesday night was not up to scratch, unaware that microphones were picking up her comments.

U.S. President Barack Obama took time out during his trip to Rome for a half-hour private guided tour of the Colosseum, saying he was amazed by the size of the ancient Roman amphitheater.

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum were entirely closed to the public during the visit in which Obama was accompanied by red-headed Barbara Nazzaro, technical director of the Colosseum.

A group of farmers have brought to life the "Transformers" films, toys and TV series and built giant robots out of old car parts, in rural China.

The original toys, which were a huge hit with children in the 1980s, could be turned from cars into robots and back again. Their popularity spawned a hit television show, and more recently, the movie franchise.