World news in brief

Rubber Ducky Sees World A giant Rubber Duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is towed along Hong Kong’s Victoria Habour May 2. Since 2007 the 54-foot-tall Rubber Duck has traveled to various cites including Osaka, Sydney, Sao Paulo and Amsterdam.

Middle-age suicides increase

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say suicides among middle-aged Americans climbed at a startling rate over the past decade, a period that included the recession. Overall, the suicide rate for the age group jumped 28 percent from 1999 to 2010. And among whites, it shot up 40 percent.