Ancient Romans dined on giraffes, pink flamingos and exotic spices from as far away as Indonesia, according to a new scientific study of excavations in Pompeii near Naples in southern Italy.

The study of food waste dug up by researchers from the University of Cincinnati in the United States led by archaeologist Steven Ellis found that menus in the city were far richer and more varied than previously thought.

British government plans for new laws to penalize 'annoying' behavior were defeated in the House of Lords on Wednesday by critics who warned they might be used against anybody from carol singers to nudists.

Unelected members of the upper house of parliament voted 306 to 178 to amend plans for new court-imposed injunctions to prevent nuisance or annoyance (Ipnas), the breach of which could lead to a prison term.

Arab Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahhab humorously tried Wednesday to slap a person's neck during a live broadcast.

The incident happened after the pro-Damascus ex-minister held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri at his headquarters in Ain el-Tineh.

Dennis Rodman has sung "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before leading a squad of former NBA stars onto the court at a Pyongyang stadium for a game Rodman said is part of his "basketball diplomacy" with the North that has been heavily criticized in the United States.

Rodman dedicated the game Wednesday to his "best friend" Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area.

Austrian hazmat specialists called in after Geiger counters showed alarmingly high readings for a dump truck arriving at an incinerator have found the problem — radioactive adult diapers.

After unloading the truck, firefighters from the hazardous materials unit of the city of Linz found nearly two dozen diapers from a hospital that had become contaminated with radioactive iodine. The substance is swallowed during some medical and diagnostic procedures.

An inmate who went on the run from a Kentucky prison begged to be let back in just a day later because he was so cold, U.S. police said.

Robert Vick escaped from the Blackburn jail on Sunday but turned up at the "Sunset Motel" in Lexington the next day asking for the police to be called, Sherelle Roberts, a Lexington police spokeswoman, told Agence France Presse.

It was meant to be Chile's first drawbridge, in Valdivia, but was built with at least one traffic deck upside-down, so opening day will have to wait, officials said Tuesday.

The 30-million dollar project was supposed to open this month, and become an instant landmark connecting Valdivia with Teja island by bridging the Cau Cau River.

Resembling a Russian nesting doll, the pint-sized robotic device wants to be your "mother."

The electronic device with wireless connectivity can transform any object in the home into a smart one.

Hundreds of horses in Romania received blessings on Monday in a baptismal tradition dating back centuries to mark the Orthodox holiday of the Epiphany.

In the rural countryside, people arrived on horseback or in horse-drawn wagons to parade their animals before the priest who sprinkled the horses with holy water.

Carrefour Argentina scrambled to reassure customers Monday after a delicacy from a cake supplier listed "12 grams of cocaine" as an ingredient.

The French supermarket chain, which has more than 500 stores across Argentina, said it regretted what it called a "joke in bad taste," apparently made by a worker at the supplier.