A Vietnamese zoologist has warned that wildlife in Vietnam is being eaten to extinction by an increasing number of locals.

About 200 species of wildlife are sold by poachers to restaurants and resorts that serve a growing number of diners seeking exotic food, professor Dang Huy Huynh, chairman of Vietnam Zoology Association, told participants to a government-sponsored wild animal protection and preservation seminar in Ninh Binh province on Wednesday.

Twenty-eight finalist candidates for the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest will be known on July 21, the New7Wonders Foundation said Friday.

The non-profit foundation, which organized and manages the worldwide contest, will announce the finalists at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland at 12:07 GMT or 14:07 local time.

A man dubbed the 'bling-bandit' for the flashy watch and ring he wore while robbing banks is now in custody, but he's not the usual suspect.

The bling-bandit turned out to be Athelson Kelson, 59, a retired New York Police Department detective and a decorated Vietnam Veteran.

Familiar faces on wedding banquets involving a Canadian groom and an Indian bride were the giveaway that aroused the suspicion of Canadian immigration officials that marriage for convenience syndicates were behind the move to fast track the acquisition of resident visas by Indian nationals.

After their curiosity was challenged, visa officers compared files of wedding photos submitted as proof of a legitimate wedding, which led to the conclusion syndicates were behind the rent-a-guest modus operandi.

A ton of live snakes have been discovered by Vietnamese Customs officials onboard a plane from Bangkok.

Custom officials said the snakes were contained inside 60 boxes marked 'fresh fish,' onboard the cargo hull of a Thai Air plane.