PHOENIXVILLE (Pennsylvania) - POLICE in suburban Philadelphia say a man fed up of children playing in his cul-de-sac blared a pornographic soundtrack to chase them off.

Irate neighbours told police they could hear the sexually explicit audio a block and a half away.

CAMP LEATHERNECK (Afghanistan) - THE new commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Wednesday foreign troops need to make a 'cultural shift' away from conventional warfare and focus on winning the support of Afghans.

General Stanley McChrystal, who took charge of some 90,000 international troops in Afghanistan last week, said most forces were designed for conventional 'high intensity' combat aimed at 'destroying the enemy' and using 'every asset' available.

NEW YORK - FIVE French tourists got a harrowing start to their New York visit: a wild police chase.

As they looked for a ride at the Air France terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, the visitors were lured to a van that was not licensed to provide taxi service, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman John Kelly said.