Odd News
- ScienceAFP
NASA confirms space station debris hit Florida man's home
An object that crashed from the sky into an American man's home was a hunk of debris ejected from the International Space Station, NASA confirmed Monday.NASA, which subsequently collected the object from Otero for analysis, confirmed in a new blog post that the predictions were true.
2 min read - PoliticsAFP
Not keen on Biden or Trump? Vote for 'Literally Anybody Else'
"Literally, nice to meet you," says the one presidential hopeful who many voters might feel sums up their feelings about American politics this election year."When I looked at American politics, I didn't feel like it was an accurate representation of not just me as an individual, but as America as a whole.
3 min read - WorldAFP
No-man's land bootleggers 'open as usual' despite Myanmar clashes
Fighting near the Myanmar-Thai border has sent thousands fleeing into Thailand but hasn't closed a lane of ramshackle shops in no-man's land offering bootlegged whisky, Chinese aphrodisiacs and Burmese cigarettes. A stone's throw away in no-man's land, the bigger concern was that the fighting would scare away those from Thailand looking for alcohol, dried fish and Burmese cigarettes.
2 min read - WorldAFP
VideoPhilippines trains pet dogs for search and rescue
With her owner holding her leash, Philippine pooch Hazel sniffs through rubble in a simulated search for survivors of a major earthquake in the capital Manila.Hazel is taking part in a programme training pet dogs and their owners in search and rescue so they can be deployed in the aftermath of a disaster.Every Sunday, around 46 mongrels and purebreds of all sizes are put through their paces by volunteer trainers at a facility in suburban Manila where they learn to find people, scale ladders, and
- WorldAFP
'HELP' written in palm fronds lands rescue for Pacific castaways
Sometimes all you have to do is ask for "HELP": That's what three men stranded on a deserted Pacific island learned earlier this week, writing the message in palm fronds which were spotted by US rescuers.They were reported missing last Saturday by a woman who told the US Coast Guard her three uncles never returned from Pikelot Atoll, a tiny island in the remote Western Pacific.
1 min read - WorldAFP
Top French court upholds 'veggie burger' label
France's top administrative court Wednesday waded back into a battle over the labelling of veggie burgers, suspending a decree banning plant-based products from being described as meat.It was based on a 2020 law before the nation's top administrative court -- called the State Council -- suspended application of the decree in 2022 after a complaint from French companies selling plant-based food.
1 min read - BusinessAFP
France's post office to scrap letters for food deliveries
With less and less people sending each other letters, France's post office is looking to evolve into a premium meals-on-wheels service, its boss said Wednesday.Increase this and you might keep France's 65,00 postmen and women employed "even when there are no more letters", he added.
1 min read - WorldAFP
Bosnian Formula One fan brings speed dreams to the mountains
Far from the glitzy racetracks where legendary drivers made their mark in the world of Formula One, Himzo Beganovic has turned his dreams of speed into reality along the dirt roads of northwestern Bosnia.- 'Indescribable' - A self-professed lover of "fast driving" and taking "dangerous turns", Beganovic has been turning heads along Bosnia's mountain roads where he reaches speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour (124 miles per hour).
2 min read - USAFP
Good-as-gold Iranian hands back recovered treasure to owner: report
An Iranian man searching through the rubbish found a bag containing gold and dollars and returned it to its owner, a local newspaper reported on Monday.The 52-year-old found the bag last month while searching through rubbish bins placed in the streets, the report said.
1 min read - WorldAFP
Paris Olympic medal production on track despite protests: national mint
The French national mint said on Monday that production of the medals for the Paris Olympic Games remained on track despite protests and stoppages by staff since last month.Around 50 employees demonstrated in front of the mint's central Paris headquarters on Monday, claiming that stoppages over the last fortnight had "blocked production" of the medals ahead of the start of the Games on July 26.
1 min read - WorldAFP
VideoBriton set to complete epic Africa run
A British man on a quest to run the length of Africa is set to complete his mammoth challenge later Sunday in Tunisia.Russ Cook's epic endeavour has seen him live up to his "hardest geezer (man)" nickname with health problems, visa issues and even an armed robbery to contend with on his over 16,000 kilometre (9,900 mile) journey.The 27-year-old set off from South Africa's most southerly point on April 22 last year.By the time he crosses the finish line in northern Tunisia he will have taken more
- WorldAFP
Green onion outcry: humble vegetable roils S. Korean vote
Foreign policy, the economy, or Kim Jong Un's nukes might be expected to top the agenda ahead of South Korea's crucial parliamentary election on Wednesday. But soon after the trend emerged, South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) banned green onions from polling stations, citing concerns of "election interference".
3 min read - WorldAFP
'Our version of Formula 1': Cambodian villagers race oxcarts
Villagers aboard Cambodian-flagged wooden carts ran their oxen at high speed on Sunday in an annual race to safeguard the centuries-old tradition as concerns mount over development encroaching on racing grounds. "It is our heritage, so we must preserve it," Sun Meanchey, director of Kampong Speu's culture department, told AFP. He also voiced concerns that grounds for such races are being taken over by homes and factories.
2 min read - USAFP
Angry God, omens, and 'Dark Brandon' - NY quake gets wacky
Was it God feeling angry?"God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent.
2 min read - LifestyleAFP
The Crookie: the French pastry craze that took over TikTok
A bemused Paris bakery owner has been besieged by smartphone-wielding youngsters over the past year, keen to snap themselves with the latest pastry craze: the crookie. He is pleased, but somewhat bemused, over the craze.
2 min read - ScienceAFP
NASA collects 'space debris' that crashed into Florida man's home
NASA said Tuesday it was analyzing an object that crashed from the sky into a Florida man's home -- which could well be a piece of debris jettisoned from the International Space Station."NASA collected an item in cooperation with the homeowner, and will analyze the object at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as possible to determine its origin," the space agency said in a statement to AFP on Tuesday.
2 min read - PoliticsAFP
Push to rename Washington airport in Trump's honor
Travelers flying into the US capital could soon be landing at "Trump International Airport" if several devoted lawmakers triumph in a legislative campaign that is almost certain to fail."As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity and strength than hearing 'Welcome to Trump International Airport' as they land on American soil," Reschenthaler said.
1 min read - PoliticsAFP
In April Fools' joke, Trump says he is suspending his campaign
You might argue it's a cruel joke no matter what side of American politics you fall on: Donald Trump sent a message to supporters Monday that appeared to announce he was suspending his reelection campaign, but it turned out to be an April Fools' fundraising bid.Happy April Fools Day!"
2 min read - USAFP
Sticky-fingered journalists on Air Force One put on notice
Normally they're the ones grilling Washington power players.
2 min read - WorldAFP
Sound of the Underground: the busker aiming to play every London Tube stop
Strumming his acoustic steel string guitar on a busy street in east London, 27-year-old Australian singer-songwriter Dan Tredget is a man on a mission. Tredget is already envisioning future challenges, including the possibility of extending beyond the Underground to include the Overground and the Docklands Light Railway in east London.
3 min read - USAFP
Philippines observes Good Friday with crucifixions and whippings
Catholic zealots in the Philippines re-enacting the last moments of Jesus Christ were nailed to wooden crosses while others whipped themselves bloody in extreme displays of religious devotion on Good Friday.- 'It's for my mother' - The extreme acts are frowned upon by the Catholic Church in the Philippines and health experts.
4 min read - LifestyleAFP
German collector turns back time as clocks go forward
Some 366 clocks cover the walls in the living room of 76-year-old Werner Stechbarth's apartment in Munich, the haul from a life spent criss-crossing the globe.His initial goal to have a clock for every day of the year -- a target of 366 for leap years like 2024 -- was reached long ago.
2 min read - USAFP
Crucifixions and whippings in the Philippines on Good Friday
Catholic zealots in the Philippines re-enacting the last moments of Jesus Christ were nailed to wooden crosses while others whipped themselves bloody in extreme displays of religious devotion on Good Friday.In San Juan village, a short, wiry man with wild, white hair playing the role of Jesus Christ and two others were dragged by neighbours dressed as Roman centurions to a raised mound where wooden crosses lay on the ground.
2 min read - WorldAFP
Macron quips about cuddly 'wedding' pics with Lula
French President Emmanuel Macron joined social media users Thursday in their jokes that likened his cozy pictures with Brazilian President Lula to those from a wedding album."They are going to marry in the Amazon and have their honeymoon in Paris," joked one user on X, while others said pictures from the trip could make up a wedding album.
2 min read - LifestyleAFP
Blond vs pink: French-Swiss battle for 'fourth' chocolate
A fourth chocolate -- "blond" -- has been slowly making inroads into French confectionary, but has failed to win official recognition and faces competition from a pink Swiss variety. - Swiss competition - Despite efforts, Valrhona has not managed to convince French lawmakers to reopen its legal definitions.
2 min read - WorldAFP
Macron and Lula's 'bromance' sets social media fans alight
Wedding photos or a diplomatic visit?"They are going to marry in the Amazon and have their honeymoon in Paris," joked one user on X, while others said pictures from the trip could make up a wedding album.
2 min read - LifestyleAFP
Paris crowns champion waiters in one-of-a-kind 'cafe race'
Visitors to central Paris were treated on Sunday to the sight of hundreds of aproned waiters surging through the mediaeval streets, in a one-of-a-kind race designed to show off the profession months ahead of the Olympic Games. First staged in 1914, the "course des garcons de cafe" (cafe waiters' race) was held on Sunday for the first time since 2011 -- four months before the city hosts the Olympics in July and August.
3 min read - WorldAFP
The unexplained: Giant Swedish archive logs paranormal phenomena
Newspaper clippings, books and first-hand accounts of people who said they visited other planets are catalogued in a giant Swedish archive on paranormal phenomena, attracting the curious and researchers from around the world.Swedish artist Ida Idaida spent a month doing research in the AFU archives to create a giant sculpture made of dark wood.
4 min read - USAFP
Blooming good: World's biggest tulip garden marks 75th edition
The world's biggest tulip garden opened to the public on Thursday for its 75th edition, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to enjoy a bewildering array of seven million bulbs in the western Dutch city of Lisse.Most visitors however, said they were just enjoying the outdoor flower garden.
2 min read - BusinessAFP
Hermes faces US lawsuit over 'refusal' to sell Birkin bag
Fashionistas desperate to get their hands on an exclusive Birkin handbag are suing Hermes in California on grounds the company won't sell them one unless they buy other luxury products first.One of the plaintiffs, Tina Cavalleri, says she inquired about buying one of the coveted handbags from the French company in 2022.
2 min read - USAFP
Child bank robbers, dubbed 'Little Rascals,' nabbed in Texas
Three boys aged 11, 12 and 16 -- dubbed the "Little Rascals" by the FBI -- have been arrested for allegedly robbing a Texas bank.The FBI had released a photo of the pint-sized suspects following their March 14 bank robbery, adding a caption that read "believe it or not, they just robbed the Wells Fargo."
1 min read - WorldAFP
Thai PM meets $500,000 albino buffalo in 'soft power' push
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took the bull by the horns Wednesday as he welcomed an unusual visitor to his offices -- an enormous white buffalo that recently sold for $500,000. And big bulls are big business -- last year a farmer in northern Phitsanulok province reportedly sold his 1.4-tonne bull for more than $1.45 million.
2 min read - SportsAFP
'Curse of the Colonel' KFC statue disposed of in Japan
A plastic statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken's founder Colonel Sanders that was a lucky charm for superstitious Japanese baseball fans has been "disposed of" 15 years after being dredged out of an Osaka river, the firm said.But as the years went by and the Tigers' fortunes faltered, a belief took hold among fans dubbed the "Curse of the Colonel" that success would only return if the life-sized doll was recovered.
1 min read - WorldAFP
25 speeding tickets in 19 days lands Frenchman in Norway jail
A Frenchman who had been in Norway for just over a month has been handed a 21-day prison sentence for amassing 25 speeding tickets in 19 days.The man had his sentence reduced by three days, from 24 to 21, due to his full confession.
1 min read - WorldReuters
Belgian collects a treasure trove of 60,000 vintage tin boxes
GRAND-HALLET, Belgium (Reuters) - The colourful tins piled high around Belgian collector Yvette Dardenne used to contain goods ranging from chocolates, toffees, coffee and rice to tobacco, talc and shoe polish, and come from as far away as India. Yvette Dardenne, 83, has accumulated almost 60,000 vintage tin boxes from all over the world since starting her collection some 30 years ago. The collection, which now occupies four houses, all began with a Cote d'Or chocolate box illustrated with a
1 min read - WorldReuters
Penguins missing visitors, say keepers, at locked-down Thai Zoo
The flip flop sound of penguin feet rang out at an empty zoo in Thailand on Thursday as a parade of birds waddled out of their enclosure for their daily splash in a pool to keep them healthy during a COVID-19 lockdown. Thailand is fighting its biggest coronavirus outbreak yet and has introduced strict movement curbs that have seen many public places, including zoos, shuttered. "I noticed that they felt a bit confused because when they walk out, there's usually a lot of people waiting for them,
2 min read - WorldReuters
UK PM Johnson worried about his dog's 'romantic urges' in Downing Street
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that his dog Dilyn had "romantic urges" and was "endlessly at people's legs" in Downing Street. Johnson and Carrie Symonds revealed in 2019 that they had adopted a rescued Jack Russell-cross puppy named Dilyn. "Do you have to worry about his romantic urges?" Johnson asked a police dog handler with an Alsatian.
1 min read - EntertainmentReuters
Feline okay? The app that tells you if your cat's happy
Cat owners who love to take pictures of their furry friends now have a new excuse to pull out their smartphones and take a snapshot: it may actually help the cat. A Calgary, Alberta, animal health technology company, Sylvester.ai, has developed an app called Tably that uses the phone's camera to tell whether a feline is feeling pain. A 2019 study published in peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports found that the so-called 'feline grimace scale,' or FGS, is a valid and reliable tool for acute
2 min read - WorldReuters
Samoan seasonal workers sing during Australian hotel quarantine
Australia's strict hotel quarantine requirements leaves most people frustrated and angry, but a group of quarantined seasonal workers from Samoa sang from their hotel room balconies in Hobart to say thank you instead. They were also doing this to thank the Australian Defence Force, police and government for their efforts, according to Dennie Teniseli, who filmed the video on June 18 not long after the group flew in. Australia has since March 2020 shut its international border to non-citizens b
1 min read - WorldReuters
Australia man ties bedsheets together to escape 4th floor hotel quarantine - police
A man in the Australian city of Perth escaped mandatory quarantine in a hotel by scaling down a rope made of tied together bedsheets from a fourth-floor window, police said on Tuesday. After arriving in the West Coast city on an interstate flight from Brisbane, the man had his application for entry refused under the state's tough border entry rules intended to stop the virus entering from elsewhere in the country. The man was told to leave the state within 48 hours and taken to a hotel for tem
2 min read - ScienceReuters
World record as tightrope walkers cross Swedish Arctic valley 600m up
Four German tightrope walkers have set a new world highlining distance record by crossing a 2.1 km-long valley in Swedish lapland on a line suspended at a height of 600 metres. Reuters' video footage showed a barefoot man sway and teeter as he delicately tiptoed across the line between two mountain peaks in a snow-capped valley. "I just focused on being very slow, being extremely clean and just reaching the end," said Quirin Herterich, who was first to cross the line before compatriots Lukas I
1 min read - USReuters
'Bubble man' roams San Francisco streets, bringing joy
The massive bubble Kurth Reis conjured last month, rising like a genie from a bucket of soap, startled a small girl visiting San Francisco's Embarcadero, almost enveloping her as she scampered away. Reis was in the military and later did jail time, burning bridges before a motorcycle crash hospitalized him in 2018, he recounted. His girlfriend, Kelly Sullivan, deserves much of the credit, or blame, for what she calls his soapy "addiction."
3 min read - USReuters
Lot in Canadian village for sale with small catch: It's under water
A 19-acre (7.7-hectare) lot for sale in a protected bay on the Canadian side of Lake Erie may look like a steal at C$99,000 ($80,292), especially with the average home in Canada now worth C$688,000, but there is a catch. The vacant lot on Brock Street in the village of Shrewsbury, Ontario, about 65 miles (105 km) east of Detroit, has no actual address, though the neighborhood gets high marks for being quiet and car-friendly. Canada's housing market has been on a tear through the COVID-19 pande
2 min read - WorldReuters
Cambodia PM weighs in to get pet lion returned to owner
A pet lion that authorities seized from a house in Cambodia's capital last week was reunited with its owner on Monday - after a personal intervention by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Police and wildlife officials initially raided the property on June 27, saying they were rescuing the animal after videos of it appeared on the social media app TikTok, and neighbours raised the alarm. In the days that followed, social media posts appeared saying the lion should be returned to the owner, who had denied
2 min read - BusinessReuters
With 3D printed 'steaks', Spanish startup eyes the mass market
As demand for plant-based alternatives to meat rises, Barcelona-based startup Novameat is using its 3D printing technology to manufacture vegetarian "steaks" that it hopes will reach the mass market next year. Novameat plans to sell its "steaks" directly to consumers and to businesses such as restaurants interested in producing plant-based meat, business development manager Alexandre Campos told Reuters on Tuesday. The Spanish company, which developed its technology in 2018, was showing how it
1 min read - BusinessReuters
'Free meat for a year' offered in JBS U.S. vaccine sweepstakes
Meatpacker JBS SA said on Thursday it will give away beef, pork and chicken for the next year to 50 U.S. families that participate in company-sponsored vaccination clinics over the coming weeks. The Brazilian company's arm in the United States and Pilgrim's Pride, a U.S. chicken company mostly owned by JBS, came under fire last year as thousands of meatpacking workers fell sick with COVID-19. "We've made great progress, and our vaccination rates are much higher than the rates in the communitie
2 min read - WorldReuters
Italian hospital uses CT scan to unveil secrets of Egyptian mummy
Ancient Egypt met modern medical technology when a mummy underwent a CT scan at an Italian hospital as part of a research project to discover its secrets. The mummy of Ankhekhonsu, an ancient Egyptian priest, was transferred from Bergamo's Civic Archaeological Museum to Milan's Policlinico hospital, where experts will shed light on his life and the burial customs of almost 3,000 years ago. "The mummies are practically a biological museum, they are like a time capsule," said Sabina Malgora, the
1 min read - LifestyleReuters
Ukraine's inseparable couple ditches the handcuffs and parts ways
After 123 days handcuffed together to save their on-again off-again relationship, Ukrainians Alexandr Kudlay and Viktoria Pustovitova have split up, shedding their bonds on national TV and saying the experiment had brought home uncomfortable truths. The young couple from the eastern city of Kharkiv decided to handcuff themselves together on Valentine's Day, in a last-ditch attempt to break the cycle of breaking up and making up. Pustovitova said personal space is what she missed most, although
2 min read - BusinessReuters
Kyrgyz cricket farm hopes to tap Chinese insects market
With one eye on the lucrative Chinese market just across the border, an entrepreneur has launched Kyrgyzstan's first cricket farm and is producing high-protein insect flour and fried cricket snacks. Accompanied by loud chirping from his one tonne of crickets at the farm, Adyl Gaparov said his idea was inspired by online articles about breeding crickets. "Our main business is producing cricket flour with high protein content," Gaparov said.
2 min read - WorldReuters
Supermarket chain says Polish workers found cocaine in banana boxes
Supermarket chain Carrefour SA said on Friday it had notified local police after employees at one of its Warsaw stores had found suspicious parcels in a delivery of bananas, which police later confirmed to be cocaine. "They immediately notified the police, who quickly secured the batch of goods and started an investigation that is currently underway," Carrefour said in an email to Reuters, adding that it was cooperating with the investigation. Warsaw police said the packages contained over 160
1 min read
