The high cost of lawyers' fees has resulted to a rise of Americans handling their own court cases, with assistance from legal self-help sites and groups. The kind of self-handled cases has gone beyond civil cases involving small amounts of money to domestic problems, divorces and child custody matters, according to the National Center for State Courts.

In a stark contrast of outcomes, two men who attempted to fly hundreds of miles on lawn chairs tied to helium balloons have landed. An Oregon man, Kent Couch, 48, successfully flew from his home more than 200 miles into Idaho Saturday, landing safely in a field and welcomed by excited towns people.

Two Spanish children have been sent to a mental health institution by their parents to get treatment for addiction to their mobile phones. The children had allegedly ceased to undertake normal activities without first having their phones. The children, aged 12 and 13, were admitted to Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, in northeastern Spain near Barcelona, three months ago. Their concerned parents brought them in after they spend an average of six hours a day on their phones, talking, texting or playing games.

An Indonesian writer threw $10,700 in cash from an airplane on Sunday to promote a book he wrote. Tung Desem Waringin was promoting the second business book he has authored by flying four times over a stadium in Serang city and throwing money out into the air.

MP Pierre Poilievre of Nepean-Carleton threatened on Monday to block Ontario's funding of sex change surgeries under the province's health insurance system. "People are waiting too long for basic cancer treatment and MRIs and the Liberal government found money for the (Dalton) McGuinty sex change program instead," Polievere told the Ottawa Sun.