TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — One hundred sixty-three couples in Taiwan were married in a mass ceremony at 9:09 a.m. Thursday, the ninth day of the ninth month of the 99th year since the founding of their republic.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two men were arrested after bewildered diners at a McDonald's spotted them wrestling a 5-foot (1.5 meter) python named Boris in the restaurant parking lot, police said Thursday.

CHIPPEWA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Extra water, some fertilizer and a lot of patience was all one Michigan lawn service owner needed to convince his lady to say "I do."

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay — a name the company considered offensive.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Hardin County farmer said that some ears among his feed corn rows popped on the stalk in a phenomenon that agricultural experts believe is associated with irregular rainfall and high heat.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Baton Rouge Metro Council member wants the parish to support a public awareness campaign against men who wear their pants so low that their boxer shorts show.

PIRU, Calif. (AP) — A bobcat climbing a power pole got electrocuted and sparked a five-acre brush fire in California's Ventura County.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Call it Zombies 101. The University of Baltimore is offering a new class on the undead. The course is being taught by Arnold Blumberg, the author of a book on zombie movies, "Zombiemania," and the curator of Geppi's Entertainment Museum, which focuses on American pop culture.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco police arrested a man who scaled the exterior of a 58-story downtown skyscraper Monday and unfurled an American flag at the top.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hundreds of naked and partially nude cyclists have pedaled their way through Philadelphia to promote bicycling awareness and cleaner air.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian court sentenced a notorious wildlife trader to six months in prison Monday after he was caught smuggling 95 live boa constrictors in his luggage at the country's main airport.

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — One Nevada gubernatorial hopeful sees a speedy fix to Nevada's budget crisis. Nonpartisan candidate Eugene "Gino" DiSimone believes people would pay for the privilege to drive up to 90 mph on designated highways — and fill the state's depleted coffers.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Just in case it wasn't clear: Weapons and drugs don't make good charitable donations. Albuquerque police briefly evacuated a Goodwill store Thursday after someone left a pistol, ammunition, a grenade and some marijuana in a collection box.

BURR OAK, Mich. (AP) — A man gathering sweet corn in southern Michigan is the latest to have an unexpected encounter with an alligator.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — General rule of thumb: when looking to buy marijuana, don't text the sheriff. Authorities said a Helena teen hit a wrong number and inadvertently sent a message to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, saying "Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?" A detective pretending to be the dealer organized a meeting at a time when the boy knew he and another teen would be at a particular store.

BETHEL, Ohio (AP) — For a second time, an Ohio woman has given birth to a baby who couldn't wait and arrived on the drive to the hospital.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Diane Buckalew said she felt sick when she woke up and realized two rings she'd left on the bathroom counter the night before were gone.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A "D+" campaign logo aimed at encouraging recruitment at Drake University is getting a failing grade from some faculty, students and alumni.

NORTH EAST, Pa. (AP) — Police said an Erie-area woman somehow managed to zap both herself and her brother with a stun gun during a drunken dispute.

FARSON, Wyo. (AP) — The powdery substance that Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers found in a zip-close bag during a recent traffic stop didn't turn out to be drugs after all.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's smoking toddler has kicked the habit. Footage of 2-year-old Aldi Rizal — who smoked up to two packs a day — puffing away circulated the Internet in May and sparked an international outcry.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian man pleaded guilty to wildlife smuggling after his bag bursting with 95 live boa constrictors broke open on a luggage conveyer belt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, an official said Friday.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Two young goats wandered onto the thin ledge of a railroad bridge and spent nearly two days high above the ground until rescuers in a towering cherry picker plucked them from their perch, hungry but safe.

BETHEL, Ohio (AP) — For a second time, an Ohio woman has given birth to a baby who couldn't wait and arrived on the drive to the hospital.