Rescued cockerel makes love match
A cockerel which was rescued by a farmer after being evicted from a Tyneside council estate finds love.

US boy takes car in school dash
The parents of a six-year-old boy in the US are charged with neglect after the boy drove their car for 10km trying to get to school on time.

Pink iguana rewrites family tree
A type of iguana missed by Darwin during his Galapagos trip promises to rewrite the animal's history in the islands.

Orkney athlete's 72-hour triumph
A renowned endurance athlete from Orkney wins a 72-hour race by 34 miles

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled
Two German children aged six and five are stopped by police on their way to Africa for a secret "wedding" in the sun.

Fence hope for Tasmanian Devils
Australian scientists say they want to build a fence on Tasmania to prevent the spread of a cancer that could wipe out the Tasmanian Devil.

Guyana leader in Facebook 'scam'
Guyana's president asks police to investigate who is impersonating him on Facebook, the social networking website, reports say.

Resolutions 'bad for your health'
Deciding to turn over a new leaf in the new year could do more harm than good, a mental health charity warns.

School title decision questioned
MP Richard Caborn queries the decision to drop the word 'school' from a primary school in Sheffield.

Car worth £3m is found in garage
A vintage Bugatti car, which gathered dust in a Tyneside garage for 47 years could fetch £3m at auction.

FROM NEWSBEAT >>
Weird and wonderful: The best of 2008's OddBox
A travelling gnome and a fish pedicure. Here's some of the best bits of 2008's Odd Box

Somersaulting truck, leaping bike
A leaping motorcyclist and a somersaulting trucker claim they have broken new world records in Las Vegas.

Taking the plunge for New Year
People in the Netherlands, US, and Italy took a traditional dive in icy waters on 1 January to celebrate New Year's Day.

Surf's up in Bangladesh
Surfing is starting to take off in Bangladesh thanks to the efforts of the country's first man to ride the waves.

Baby, 14 pounds, born in US
A baby has been born in Orange County, California, weighing 14 pounds and two ounces (6.410 kg), double the weight of the average newborn.

Germans create 'future hotel'
Scientists in Germany have developed the "Hotel Room of the Future" to show hotels how they can use the latest technology.

Lego living
The man who gets his 'kicks from plastic bricks'

So long Woolies
What do people actually buy in Woolworths?

No belly button?
Is a barely-there navel for cosmetic or medical reasons?

US v UK teeth
Why is there a transatlantic dental divide?

Style crime?
Can fake tan ever be seen as sophisticated?

'Gator gobbler
Python explodes after swallowing 6ft alligator