U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill received a customary Singapore honor Friday -- an orchid named after them -- as they paid an official visit to the tropical city state.

Singapore has long used orchid naming to recognize international leaders, with high-profile political figures including Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher having blossoms at Singapore's National Orchid Garden.

Former U.S. president George HW Bush said Friday shaving his head in support of a young leukemia patient whose father is in his security detail was "the right thing to do."

The former president was interviewed at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, by his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager, a correspondent with NBC's Today show.

An obese South African man has been told he is too fat to live in New Zealand despite shedding 30 kilograms since he moved to the country six years ago, a report said Saturday.

Albert Buitenhuis -- who now weighs 130 kilograms (286 pounds) -- and his wife, Marthie, said they face deportation after an application to renew their work visas was rejected because of his weight.

A 12-year-old girl in the southern French city of Bordeaux has been caught by police after using stolen cheques to buy 2,600 euros ($3,440) worth of candies and pastries.

Local police said Thursday that the girl had stolen a chequebook in March from a neighbour and used it over several months to buy the sweets from local bakeries.

Swaziland beer drinkers face a thirst-inducing shortage of brews in the coming weeks, as the kingdom's biggest brewery upgrades its bottling equipment, beer makers said Thursday.

A local subsidiary of brewing giant SABMiller said a $6.1 million project to replace an ageing bottling line has shut down beer production, but not that of soft drinks or traditional brews.

Pope Francis on Thursday showed that his message of renewed faith in Jesus Christ can compete with the Rolling Stones and their Sympathy for the Devil.

Seven years after the rock legends lured throngs to Copacabana for an epic concert, organizers of a Catholic youth event say Pope Francis attracted 1.5 million to Rio de Janeiro's legendary beach.

A Southern California husband and wife who were born on the same day and celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year have died just a day apart.

The couple's son Les Brown Jr. tells the Long Beach Press-Telegram (http://bit.ly/18CyufA) Thursday that 94-year-old Helen Brown died July 16 and 94-year-old Les Brown died July 17. She had stomach cancer. He had Parkinson's disease.

An uninhabited private island off the coast of Greece will go on auction at a starting price of 10 million euros ($13.2 million) in September, the company organizing the sale announced Wednesday.

The sale of the island, part of the Spalathronisia archipelago that sits 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the Halkidiki peninsula, a tourist hotspot in northern Greece, is just the latest from the country's crisis-hit landowners.

A Canadian looking to prove his swimming skills, and drunk, provoked an international rescue when he jumped into the Detroit River and swam to the United States, police said Wednesday.

John Morillo, 47, told the Windsor Star after being released from custody on Tuesday the stunt was "very stupid" but he relishes now being able to boast to friends about his exploit.

Former U.S. President George HW Bush shaved his head this week in solidarity with the young son of a member of his security detail who is suffering from leukemia.

A photo released by Bush's office shows two-year-old Patrick, who is undergoing leukemia treatment, and the elderly ex-president sporting bald heads and similar blue polo shirts and khakis.