Millions of moths have engulfed Madrid in a population explosion blamed on spring rains, a sudden blast of summer heat and winds that have wafted them in as unwelcome guests to the Spanish capital.

Across the city, people are swapping tales of night-time battles to swat moths lured by the light into their bedrooms, a whole new genre of jokes has been born and the phenomenon has become a trending Twitter topic.

A rail company is offering one lucky couple the chance to get married aboard one of Tokyo's busiest commuter trains as it encircles the Japanese capital, it said Tuesday.

East Japan Railway (JR East) said it wanted to find a couple who would like to tie the knot aboard the usually heaving Yamanote Line, in the company of up to 120 friends and family.

The behavior of Thailand's Buddhist clergy has been thrust under the spotlight after footage emerged of three monks flying in a private jet, wearing earphones and sunglasses and travelling with a Louis Vuitton luxury bag.

The video, which has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube, has prompted fevered debate in the Buddhist-dominated kingdom over monks' adherence to austere principles which include living without possessions, beyond a handful of robes.

Hundreds of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts from all over the world received the pope's blessing on Sunday, drawing cheers and applause from pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for a pro-life mass.

Pope Francis, riding through the throngs aboard his popemobile, made the sign of the cross toward the bikers, who are in Rome as part of the European celebrations of Harley Davidson's 110th anniversary.

Belt-tightening in Japan's diplomatic service is cutting the quality of canapes on offer abroad, the foreign ministry has said, leading to fears Tokyo is losing the battle of the buffets to Beijing.

Diplomats in Tokyo say China appears to be ramping up its spending on its missions while Japanese diplomats are being forced to scrimp, the ministry said.

A British man who survived a fall from a 15th-storey apartment balcony in New Zealand was "extraordinarily" lucky to be alive, officials said Monday.

The 20-year-old, named in local media as Tom Stilwell from the English town of Brighton, was in a stable condition after his plunge in the early hours of Sunday morning, Auckland Central Hospital said.

The late Hugo Chavez lives on -- as a cartoon character, that is.

Months after the Venezuelan leader's death, Barrio TV depicts him high up in the clouds with the likes of independence hero Simon Bolivar and leftist revolutionary Che Guevara -- when Uncle Sam unexpectedly pops up.

A U.S. film production firm has lodged a lawsuit arguing that the most popular song in the English language, "Happy Birthday to You," should be public property and not subject to copyright.

Good Morning to You Productions (GMTY), which is making a documentary on the tune, said it was forced to pay Warner/Chappell $1,500 to use the song in order to avoid being fined $150,000 for unauthorized use.

Parking is such a precious commodity in Boston that one woman was willing to pay $560,000 for two off-street spaces near her home.

Lisa Blumenthal won the spots in the city's Back Bay neighborhood during an on-site auction Thursday held in a steady rain by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS had seized the spots from a man who owed back taxes.

A Philippine hacker has posted online what he claimed to be the president's personal mobile telephone numbers, with Benigno Aquino's spokesman Saturday denouncing the act as "cyber vandalism".

Aquino spokesman Ricky Carandang would not confirm if the numbers were really the president's, or if their release on the worldwide web had compromised the leader's personal security or state secrets.