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Old Foes to Battle for World Record on Everest

An 82-year-old Nepalese man who holds the world record for being the oldest person to summit Mount Everest will defend his title against a familiar octogenarian competitor, organizers said Thursday.

Min Bahadur Sherchan's record for scaling the world's highest peak at 76 is being challenged by arch rival Yuichiro Miura of Japan, who is already on his way up the mountain.

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Chinese Paper Mocked over Phallic Headquarters

Unamused Chinese censors have been at work to stop people sniggering over the new Beijing headquarters of the People's Daily newspaper, which bear an unfortunate resemblance to a giant penis.

Photos of the imposing tower, which is still under construction, had Internet users tittering away, especially given one of Beijing's other landmarks -- the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters, nicknamed "The Big Underpants".

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Two Teens Take Lives over Unfinished Homework

Two teens in eastern China committed suicide after "failing to complete homework assignments" state-run media said on Friday, in an extreme case highlighting the immense pressure schoolchildren can face.

In a highly competitive education system that emphasizes rote learning and passing exams, Chinese students spend on average 8.6 hours a day in class and can expect several more hours of assignments afterwards.

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Giant Rubber Duck Sails into Hong Kong

An inflatable bright yellow rubber duck six storeys high sailed into Hong Kong harbor on Thursday to the cheers of hundreds of people who gathered to watch the classic bathtime-inspired artistic creation.

The 16.5-meter-tall (54-feet) artwork, conceived by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, dwarfed other craft as it was towed past the city's iconic skyline by a tugboat a fraction of its size.

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Greek Police Prevents 'Greeks Only' Food Handout

Police have stopped members of a far-right party in Greece from staging a free food handout aimed only at Greeks in the capital's main square.

Golden Dawn had said it would give food to needy Greeks in Syntagma Square Thursday, ahead of Sunday's Orthodox Easter. Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis had vowed the handout would not be allowed.

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Mexico City Subway Baby to Ride Free for Life

Who says there's no such thing as a free ride?

Mexico City's mayor says a baby boy born in one of the city's subway stations will be allowed to ride the trains free for life.

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Pink Floyd Poser Arrested for Theft by Swindle

A man is accused of pretending to be a member of British rock band Pink Floyd at a U.S. hospital — and racking up as much as $100,000 in unpaid medical bills.

Police say the 53-year-old man went for treatment April 20 and claimed he was Pink Floyd singer-guitarist David Gilmour and that he didn't have health insurance. He was treated and released, but not before signing an autograph.

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Love-Lorn Tiger Enters Indian Zoo

A lonely male tiger that left the jungle and entered a zoo in eastern India in quest of a mate has been trapped, an official of the state-run park said on Wednesday.

"It seems to have strayed into the zoo attracted by a tigress," Sudarshan Panda, director of the Nandankanan Zoological Park near Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern state of Orissa.

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Indonesian Policewomen Wow Protesters with Gangnam Style

A group of policewomen took an unusual approach to crowd control at a May Day protest in Indonesia Wednesday, breaking into a performance of "Gangnam Style" to keep demonstrators happy.

Thousands of protesters in the city of Surabaya in eastern Java cheered with excitement as around 80 female officers did the signature horse-riding dance from South Korean rapper Psy's global hit.

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Ecuadoran Ambassador in Supermarket Checkout Fight

Even ambassadors, it turns out, are turf-conscious when it comes to waiting in the supermarket checkout line.

Ecuador's envoy to Peru has admitted getting into a fight -- backed up by his wife -- with two women he said tried to cut in front of him in a store in Lima.

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