Musicians that perform songs deemed vulgar or that "violate ethical standards" will now be punished in Cuba, the state-run Institute of Music said Friday.

In communist Cuba, most everything -- especially the airwaves -- belongs to the government. Aside from hotels that cater to foreigners, there is no MTV, VH1 or HBO. There are no independent radio stations or newspapers.

Carine Felizardo, a curvy model from the northern state of Para was late Friday crowned Miss Bumbum, a title rewarding Brazil's sexiest female derriere.

A jury of six women and five men picked the 25-year-old Felizardo among 15 finalists in the second annual edition of the contest, held in a Sao Paulo hotel.

From Mona Lisa to Mickey Mouse, a Philippine guesthouse owner has pieced together over a thousand jigsaw puzzles, and on Thursday her collection was officially declared the world's largest.

"It was just a hobby at first. It takes away my stress," Gina Gil Lacuna, 61, told Agence France Presse as she was awarded her certificate of recognition by Guinness World Records.

A Portuguese mayor hoping his town could cash in on its historic ties to former dictator Antonio Salazar has lost a bid to have a wine called "Salazar's Memories" registered as a trademark.

Portuguese media say the national intellectual property authority went sour on the idea, finding the proposed name at odds with modern values.

Aiden and Sophia are holding on as the most popular baby names of 2012 in the United States, a specialist website for mothers-to-be said Thursday.

Aiden was the most-chosen name for newborn boys for the eighth consecutive year, and Sophia the top pick for girls for the third year running, according to BabyCenter.com.

A wealthy Missouri man posing as "Secret Santa" stunned New Yorkers on Thursday, handing $100 bills to many in Staten Island who had lost everything to Superstorm Sandy.

The Kansas City businessman is giving away $100,000 this holiday season, and spent the day in New Jersey and New York giving away thousands. But he says money is not the issue.

Two French prosecutors have landed themselves in hot water after being caught tweeting during a trial, judicial sources revealed Wednesday.

The pair are being investigated over a Twitter exchange which suggests they were frustrated with the pace of proceedings in an attempted murder case in a court in the Landes area of southwestern France.

A Dutch zoo said Wednesday it was looking to give away four outcast elephants after a power clash of jumbo proportions forced the park to split up the herd.

The drama at the Noorder Animal Park in the northeastern town of Emmen unfolded after the herd's undisputed matriarch died in June leading to a massive power struggle, zoo biologist Webren Landman said.

Online auction site eBay pulled the plug Wednesday on the sale of a Barack Obama bobblehead doll seemingly pickled in urine by a flamboyant right-wing U.S. talk show host.

Bidding for what Glenn Beck titled "Obama in Pee Pee" reached $11,000 before eBay sent him an email stating: "You listed an item that contains urine. We do not allow the sale of bodily waste. Please do not relist."

Two people had winning tickets in the $550 million Powerball jackpot, beating the one in 175 million odds for the second largest lottery in U.S. history, the game's website said early Thursday.

Powerball's website crashed shortly after the winning numbers -- 5, 23, 16, 22, 29, with Powerball 6 -- were announced late Wednesday, as did that of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which oversees Powerball.