USA: A 7-year-old Houston girl managed to get out of an after-school education programme with a fake excuse note that she wrote herself, in large print with misspellings.

A man accused of killing four relatives at a Thanksgiving holiday dinner was captured at a motel in the Florida Keys where police said he had eluded authorities for about a month by checking in under a fake name and address, and hiding his car with a cover.

A couple in Florida enjoying a plate of steamed clams made an unusual discovery - a rare purple pearl.

A 600-pound tiger was still on the loose today in the Florida town of Loxahatchee after escaping a day earlier from the home of an actor who played Tarzan in 1960s movies.