An 81-year-old lady from Chicago, Illinois claims the image of the Virgin Mary has appeared on the stomach of a sand turtle her grandson bought for her. Shirley McVane claims the Virgin Mary, one of the most revered figures in the Roman Catholic Church visited her home because their house if "holy. "

An icon of the Virgin Mary has been stolen from a monastery in Greece. A police operation headed by the deputy chief of national police is underway to find the 700-year-old replica. The icon is thought to have cured the sick and protect those who believed in its powers. People believe the icon's powers will bring tragedy to both the party who stole it and the people who relied on its protection.

Celebrity chocolatier Martucci Angiano has been displaying a column of drippings that workers believe resembles the Virgin Mary. Bodega Chocolates employees have been praying to the 2-inch-tall figure and placing rose petals and candles around it.

An estimated 2,000 magicians from around the globe, from China to the Virgin Islands are taking part in this week's World Championship in Magic in Stockholm, Sweden. A report by the AP says tables floating shoulder-high, cards sailing through the air, rabbits pulled out of habits, a table levitating were just a few of the tricks the competitors were presenting.

Italy's highest appeals court rules that forcing a wife to kneel and scrub the house floor is a crime. The court upheld the conviction of man for mistreatment after his wife left him for years of alleged abuse and threats. The court says, "The husband humiliated and burdened her in every way, to the point of forcing her to clean the floor on her knees as a punishment for the insufficient dedication that in his view the woman put into housework. " The man was ordered to pay compensation to his wife and provide child support for their son. She is now living with her parents. Yet, just a day earlier, another of Italy's courts ruled that calling someone a "faggot" is punishable by law. The court has been criticized in the past for being comprised of conservative macho men. In two controversial rulings, the court found that calling a foreigner "dirty negro" is not always racist and that sexually abusing a teenage girl is less serious if the girl is not a virgin.