KYOTO, Japan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Kyoto residents and restaurant owners have organized to protect the Japanese city's geishas from pushy and obnoxious tourists.
ROME, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Two of Italy's most notorious mob bosses have fan pages on Facebook, with one group calling for Bernardo Provenzano to be made a saint.
GLASGOW, Scotland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Scotland said an 81-year-old woman struggled with a man who tried to steal her purse and foiled the attempted crime.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A poll of U.S. adults found football was far and away the favorite sport of respondents, with 41 percent calling the game their favorite sport to watch.
CROOKSTON, Minn., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Polk County, Minn., worker was sent home Tuesday after the front-end loader he was driving on frozen Red Lake River fell through the ice.
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The mayor of New York said former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will push the button to drop the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball.
IRVINE, Scotland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Scottish man said his bank has apologized after his online statement showed his account was overdrawn by $145 billion.
WALNUT HILLS, Ohio, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An Ohio man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for stealing toothpaste from a store -- his 109th misdemeanor conviction.
GLASGOW, Scotland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Scottish pilot who landed his plane blind after suffering a stroke at a altitude of 15,000 feet says his goal is to eventually get back into the cockpit.
NORTHGLENN, Colo., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Police in the Denver area are looking for a kidnapping suspect who came out on the short end of an alleged attempt to abduct a 12-year-old boy.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Authorities said they have arrested a man after he allegedly robbed a Chicago bank and left behind a threatening note written on the back of his own pay stub.
CAGLIARI, Italy, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An Italian woman said she found a package containing 160,000 euros in cash and checks -- the equivalent of $225,129 -- and turned it in to police.
Car wash spray gun-slinger stops robber ... Madison has 'image' problem on Web site ... 'Duchess' won't leave Carnegie Hall home ... Man may face court action over roosters ... UPI Quirks in the News.
PLUM, Pa., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Pennsylvania said they used an industrial-strength vacuum to pull a Shih Tzu puppy out of an abandoned well.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Jacksonville, Fla., 8-year-old gathered signatures on a petition and wrote a letter to the mayor after her neighbor's cat was taken away, her mother said.
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Police in Middletown, N.Y., said three alleged car-strippers were caught in the act and arrested after one of them accidentally dialed 911 on a cell phone.
STOKESBY, England, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Stokesby, England, man said local officials have threatened him with legal action for allowing noisy roosters to live in a tree in his back garden.
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Portland, Ore., car wash worker used what he calls his "quick draw" on the spray gun to foil a would-be robber who ran off after getting a hose-down.
BIRMINGHAM, England, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An Indian national who had overstayed her British visa responded to a call for jury duty, although she was not selected for a trial, officials said.
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A 28-year-old Tampa, Fla., man says he hopes to convince prospective employers of his ingenuity by auctioning his resume on eBay.
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Facing eviction, 96-year-old Editta Sherman says she'll have to be dragged out of the apartment she's lived in above New York's Carnegie Hall since 1946.
MADISON, Wis., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Wisconsin officials say they are ironing out glitches on a state Web site, particularly an image that shows the Capitol --- with a Minneapolis skyline.
TORONTO, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Canada's public broadcaster is asking listeners to come up with 49 Canadian songs to air as a welcome when Barack Obama becomes U.S. president next month.
British government missing computers … As economy lags, psychics prosper … Australian 'Crusoe' seeks 'Girl Friday' … Foreclosures a boon for skaters … Watercooler stories from UPI.
Goldfish survives 13 hours out of water … Venice to hold mass 'kiss-in' … N.Y. man mails love letters for free … Police say teens sought ghosts in school … The world as we know it from UPI.
Fireworks explode over the Golden Gate Bridge during the 75th anniversary celebation of the Bridge in San Francisco on May 27, 2012. UPI/Mohammad Kheirkhah
