No smoking, no perfume and no mobile phone use - the list of rules at one newly built block of flats in Zurich is so long, it is a wonder anyone chooses to live there.

'I just bolted.' A swarm of wasps nesting under a fire hydrant gave firefighters more than they bargained for over the weekend.

They are seven simple words we all take for granted. But as Joanne Milne heard her doctor recite the days of the week, she was overwhelmed with emotion, fighting back tears and gasping to catch her breath.

A Norwegian man has shown that his love for cheeseburgers and McFlurries goes further than most people after tattooing a McDonald's receipt on his arm.

How much does it cost UK police to change a lightbulb? It sounds like it should be a joke, but the answer won't have British taxpayers laughing.

A box from South Africa containing animal skulls crawling with maggots has been stopped at the border by biosecurity staff.

A killer whose 31-year marriage and ordinary job hid a dark past has been arrested after 37 years on the run.

A message in a Powerade bottle sent by two young friends sought love from exotic shores.

Twin sisters in Australia have shelled out more than A$200k ($214k) to look identical and share a job, a Facebook account, a bed - and a boyfriend.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's stock image-esque photo of himself on the phone to US President Barack Obama has been lampooned by Twitter heroes.

Hundreds of people stripped off on Sunday to take part in the second annual Sydney Skinny in an attempt to break the world record for the largest nude ocean swim.

A puzzle that has confounded mathematicians for almost a century is closer than ever to being solved, it has emerged. But there's one slight problem.

A runaway calf on Dunedin's Southern Motorway sparked a pursuit involving six police cars before officers cornered the beast and "jumped on it".

A gay Hong Kong heiress has written an open letter to her father, asking him to accept her - and drop his HK$1b reward to find a man that'll marry her.

Cadbury has vowed to launch an investigation after a picture of a wasp embedded into one of its chocolate bars was posted on Twitter.

Were you born on December, 1, 1974? If so, there is someone very interested in meeting you.

An Auckland grandmother opened her suitcase four years after her last overseas trip to discover $50,000 worth of amphetamine stashed in a side pocket.

"Somehow he got flattened." The wife of a Tihoi farmer who suffered "bumps and bruises" after being sat on by a cow is still unsure how the accident happened.

"I've heard of other cats taking socks, but he is prolific." Like a real-life Slinky Malinki, Oscar the cat sneaks out each night to steal from his neighbours.

A Wanganui man facing violence, weapons and burglary charges yesterday apologised for past bad behaviour in court, baring his nipple as he did so.

An airline pilot has reported a near-miss with a "rugby ball-shaped" UFO that passed within a few metres of his passenger jet near Heathrow airport.

A firefighter turned "dog whisperer", the mystery of the South Island black panther and wild otters in Southland all made headlines this year.

Florida wildlife officials say a man tried to trade a live alligator for beer at a Miami convenience store.

A young girl in the UK is set to be reunited with her favourite teddy bear following a remarkable social media appeal launched by the woman who found it.

A Fox News presenter has told viewers it is a 'fact' that both Jesus and Santa Claus are white.