It's a terrifying image transfixing Washington: President Barack Obama's bruising enforcer Rahm Emanuel, naked, in a communal shower, berating a congressman over perceived political cowardice. The legend of Emanuel, revered as a master of the US capital's dark arts by allies and foes alike, is being further embroidered by a tour-de-force of score settling by resigning Democratic lawmaker Eric Massa.

An electric power button symbol inched past other entries to win New York's condom wrapper design contest, the city said Tuesday. The winning design shows the familiar "on" symbol found on computers and other electronic devices. It defeated nearly 600 other hopefuls before coming out on top of the five finalists, which included a top hat, a suggestive train tunnel and even a municipal manhole cover.

A Siberian traffic policeman was arrested for taking a 2,000-ruble (67-dollar) bribe and then trying to conceal his crime by eating the money, investigators said Tuesday. The police captain in the Chelyabinsk region, Alexei Nikolayev, extorted the bribe from a driver on March 2 in exchange for not reporting a traffic offence, investigators said.

Five women stripped naked in Mexico legislative building Monday to protest to demand the resignation of President Felipe Calderon, the country's congressional news agency reported. "We are exposing our bodies to expose the Calderon government," said a banner unfurled by the women, who shouted "Felipe Calderon out" -- a phrase also written on their bodies.

Two glass vials said to contain the ghosts of an old man and a young girl have been sold online in New Zealand for nearly 2,000 US dollars. The sale for 2,830 New Zealand dollars (1,978 US) to a company selling electronic aids for giving up smoking was confirmed Tuesday after auction website Trademe ruled out a phantom bidder who had pushed the price up to 5,000 dollars.

A nuclear bunker from the Cold War era in Britain was sold on eBay for more than 20,000 pounds (30,000 dollars, 22,000 euros) Monday. The underground bunker in the Peak District of Derbyshire, central England, went on sale at a starting estimate of 500 pounds on Thursday, but more than 40 bids sent the price tag soaring.

It may seem odd, but the locals swear it's true. People in a Japanese mountain region have reported a number of kangaroo sightings, and journalists are now trying to stalk the marsupials. The descriptions given by the apparent eyewitnesses seem close enough. For years they have spoken of a beige animal with large ears, one to 1.

The French have long been considered masters of cuisine but Britons spend longer in the kitchen and prepare a wider variety of international food, according to a survey out Tuesday. The French eat out more and stick to family recipes while at home, found the cross-Channel study by BBC Olive magazine and French title Madame Figaro.

Sandra Bullock vowed to proudly display her best actress Oscar statuette next to her Golden Raspberry award after completing a unique and dubious double here Sunday. The 45-year-old became the first performer to win an Academy Award and a less coveted "Razzie" in the same weekend in a memorable one-off.

A Malawi presidential guard who lost his loaded gun during a drinking binge at nightclub was on Friday fined more than 20 times his salary, officials said. Kingsley Mpasu was fined 1,920 dollars (1,410 euros) after pleading guilty to a charge of losing his service handgun, used to protect President Bingu wa Mutharika.