Odd News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:23:19 -0400

By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at 1 in 175 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a suburb of Tampa, according to the Florida Lottery. ...

Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:56:55 -0400

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and Switzerland. ...

Denmark's de Forest wins Eurovision song contest

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:21:30 -0400

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her ethno-inspired flute and drum tune "Only Teardrops," despite tough competition from spectacular stage shows by performers from Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600 million

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:37:03 -0400

By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could exceed the $600 million figure being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery payoff in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday. "Oftentimes, the advertised amount is lower than what the actual jackpot ends up being," said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery. "It's entirely possible this $600 million jackpot will end up being a bigger jackpot. ...

Denmark favorite to win Eurovision Song Contest

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:24:15 -0400

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — An ethno-inspired flute and drum tune from Denmark is the bookmakers' favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, which also features a bizarre opera pop number from Romania and an Armenian rock song written by the guitarist of Black Sabbath.

Grizzly bear puts camera inside its mouth (VIDEO)

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:36:55 -0400

Brad Josephs was on the Alaskan peninsula shooting video for a new BBC special when a grizzly bear decided to start chewing on his camera. Luckily for Josephs, he wasn’t holding the camera at the time. Instead, he had planted his GoPro in order to some close-up shots of the bears to use in the [...]

Paw Warz: the Force is strong with these kittens

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:50:32 -0400

“A while ago, in a litter box not close at all….” If you love Star Wars, or at least love cats, you’ll enjoy this video. And if you enjoy them both, well, happy Friday. This new video from The Pet Collective is a re-imagining of the Death Star trench run from the first Star Wars [...]

Alleged crooks accidentally dial 911 during car break-in

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:40:41 -0400

Police say a man accidentally dialed 911 while he and a buddy were breaking into a car, unknowingly leading Fresno, Calif., officers right to their location. The two men, Nathan Teklemariam and Carson Rinehart, both 20, face charges of breaking and entering, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, according to Fox News. KGPE.com explains that [...]

Daring ‘dambuster’ WWII mission remembered with vintage flight

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:49:10 -0400

Aviation enthusiasts and military veterans crowded together outside Sheffield, England, to mark the 70th anniversary of one of World War II's most memorable air assaults—Operation Chastise, more popularly known as the "dambusters" mission. Vintage airplanes, including a Lancaster bomber, recreated a daring run Thursday that combined courageous flying with ingenious military creativity. On the night [...]

Birth of anteater has Conn. zoo staff puzzled

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:13:25 -0400

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) — An anteater has given birth at a Connecticut conservation center, prompting officials there to wonder how the mother conceived.

Funeral home has bicycle hearse for 1 last ride

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:13:08 -0400

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon funeral home in Eugene offers natural burials where the ride to the person's final resting place is on the back of a three-wheeled bicycle.

Canadian astronaut wrestles with gravity after spaceflight

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:59:14 -0400

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Back on Earth, Canadian astronaut and cyberspace tweeter Chris Hadfield is getting a rough re-introduction to gravity after a five-month stint aboard the International Space Station, the former commander told reporters during a video webcast from Houston. Hadfield became a social media rock star with his zero-gravity version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and a continuous stream of commentary on Twitter about his life in orbit. But living without gravity for five months has left him feeling dizzy, weak and prematurely aged. ...

Alaska man runs onto frozen lake to avoid jail

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:26:30 -0400

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage police say a young man who didn't want to return to jail ran out onto the uncertain ice of an Alaska lake to escape officers armed with an arrest warrant.

Aussie minister sorry he 'liked' exposed teen pic

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:46:32 -0400

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian politician says he has learned a valuable lesson in social networking after he "liked" a Facebook photo without realizing that it showed a teenage prankster exposing himself.

Idaho man sentenced to seven years for killing zoo monkey

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:40:40 -0400

By Laura Zuckerman (Reuters) - An Idaho man who admitted to breaking into a Boise zoo last year and killing a monkey was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday, court records show. Michael Watkins, 22, of Weiser, Idaho, in March pleaded guilty to attempted grand theft, a felony, and misdemeanor animal cruelty stemming from the break-in and beating death of the monkey at Zoo Boise in November. The primate was one of the zoo's two Patas monkeys, ground-dwelling animals from Africa that stand more than 2 feet tall and weigh about 35 pounds. ...

From "bunga bunga" to "pianists" - Italy's political slang

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:55:56 -0400

By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - An encyclopedia of Italian political slang has shone a light on a colorful and Byzantine world where lawmakers and journalists speak a language you won't find in any ordinary dictionary. The confusing nature of Italian politics has come to the fore in recent months, with an electoral result in which the leading party won the lower house but not the senate, a resulting two-month stalemate, and the final formation of a government led by none of the candidates who campaigned. ...

A toothbrush that comes with caffeine?

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:06:25 -0400

Step aside, Starbucks. Coffee lovers may be able to get a shot of caffeine right from the toothbrush, if a patent from Colgate-Palmolive goes through. No need for the double latte down the street: That caffeine could be administered through a patch while you're polishing those pearlies. According to the patent application, “The present invention [...]

Man returns to restaurant—over a decade later—to pay off old debt

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:51:38 -0400

At Albuquerque's Le Cafe Miche, a teenage boy and his girlfriend enjoyed a fancy Valentine's Day dinner. But when the check came, the teenage Don Juan realized he was $40 short. This was in the late '90s. The boy spoke to the restaurant's owner and chef, Claus Hjortkjaer. The kind Chef Claus took pity on [...]

Umbrella-toting Marines protect Obama, Turkish PM from raindrops

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:44:17 -0400

When you're the President of the United States, you don't hold your own umbrella. Highly trained Marines do it for you. There was an unexpected bit of rain during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday. As drops fell on the two world [...]

Texas senior, 18, bags 800-pound record alligator

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:17:42 -0400

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area high school senior has bagged a 14-foot, 800 pound alligator — the heaviest ever certified in Texas — on his first alligator hunt.

Man finds $4.85 million Lotto ticket in cookie jar

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:30:10 -0400

A man facing foreclosure on his Geneva, Ill., house found a solution to his problem in the unlikeliest of places—the cookie jar. Richard Cerezo was going through his old lottery tickets, which he kept in a cookie jar, the Chicago Tribune reports, and took them to the 7-Eleven to see if he had any winners. For [...]

Wash. state woman spots stolen car in drive-thru

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:51:08 -0400

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — A Washington woman whose car was stolen from her apartment complex saw the stolen SUV hours later — in the drive-thru of the McDonald's restaurant where she works.

Exhibition of secretly shot photos upsets NYers

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:51:07 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — Residents of a New York luxury apartment building are livid over an exhibition of photos secretly snapped through their apartment windows.

Portland police officer stops car chase to help duck

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:08:49 -0400

A Portland, Ore., police officer in pursuit of a speeding car, put the chase on hold to help a duck in distress. In a dash-cam video released by the Portland Police Bureau, viewers are treated to what looks like the beginning of an exciting high-speed chase. A car zooms past a hiding police cruiser, and [...]

Deer smashes Pa. bus windshield, takes short ride

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:32:55 -0400

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A deer has taken a ride on a western Pennsylvania bus.

Coin tossing breaks tie in Philippine mayoral race

Thu, 16 May 2013 01:06:01 -0400

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — What do you do when two candidates running for mayor in the Philippines get exactly the same number of votes? You get them to toss a coin.

Mutts no more. In D.C., they call them ‘Xoloitzcuintli’

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:28:34 -0400

Say you've got a dog and you're not sure what breed it is. Maybe it's part poodle? With a little bit of Labrador? And it drools a lot, so maybe there's some St. Bernard mixed into the DNA? Most people call these dogs "mutts." But in Washington, D.C., owners are being asked to refer to [...]

Parking meter 'Robin Hoods' provoke New Hampshire city's ire

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:29:09 -0400

By Jason McLure LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - In December James Cleaveland made an unusual New Year's resolution: to do all he could to keep police in the city of Keene, New Hampshire, from issuing parking tickets. Cleaveland and a group of friends took to the streets with pocketfuls of change and began shadowing the city's three parking enforcement officers, stuffing coins in expired meters before they could issue $5 tickets. ...

Baby Tasmanian devils are devilishly cute — and endangered

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:33 -0400

Australia’s Tasmanian devil is becoming devilishly close to going extinct. The ferocious sounding marsupial is in danger of dying off due to the highly contagious devil facial tumor disease. According to the site Zooborns, the species is in danger of disappearing in the next 20 years. Wild populations in Tasmania already have plummeted in some [...]

Tiny camera in Illinois offers bug's eye view

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:20 -0400

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A tiny new camera developed at an Illinois university is giving researchers a bug's eye view.

Feel your pain: Video shows men using ‘labor pain simulator’

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:17:54 -0400

A viral video that was first posted on Mother’s Day shows two men undergoing a simulation meant to mimic the pain experienced by women in childbirth. “It feels like someone is taking a saw and just carving up my abdomen,” one of the men says while writhing as electrodes attached to his midsection send a [...]

Turks see art as good investment but also path to prestige

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:49:41 -0400

By Asli Kandemir ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's contemporary art scene is buzzing. Collectors pay millions for the hottest works at exclusive auctions, high-end galleries are springing up by the dozen, and more and more Turkish artists are holding exhibitions abroad. The clients are the usual family magnates and super-rich - Istanbul ranks fifth in the world on the Forbes list of billionaires. But they also include an expanding class of young professionals looking for investment opportunities and a touch of prestige. ...

Police: Break-in suspect found stuck in own vehicle

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:16:43 -0400

A woman accused of breaking and entering and then stealing from a hotel was arrested in what would have been her getaway car on Monday morning in Curtis, Mich. The twist: The woman had locked herself in the car and couldn't get out because the interior door latches were stuck and she'd dropped her keys, [...]

Helmet cam shows workers atop Washington Monument

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:01:41 -0400

The Washington Monument is ready for its face-lift. Workers recently put up the last of the scaffolding that surrounds the 555-foot, 5 1/8-inch-tall structure, and to help you feel like you were there, the National Park Service has released a stomach-churning helmet cam video documenting the end of the four-month process. The world’s tallest freestanding [...]

NH city sues parking meter 'Robin Hood' group

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:08:24 -0400

KEENE, N.H. (AP) — The city of Keene, N.H., has sued a group that feeds change into parking meters that are about to expire, saying members are harassing enforcement officers.

Conn. chef set to feast on cicadas during invasion

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:08:23 -0400

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut chef Bun Lai is already known for his Mexican grasshopper dish and his fried rice with meal worms and crickets. But he might soon also be recognized as the cicada chef.

Conn. chef planning to feast on cicadas

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:16:01 -0400

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A chef in Connecticut is looking forward to the upcoming cicada invasion, and the chance to try out a few recipes for the insects.

Fire chief feels the heat after escorting son to school prom in department truck

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:19:00 -0400

How cool would it be to roll up to your high-school prom in a fire truck? Well, it would probably be less cool for your Dad if he let you be chauffeured without getting permission first. A Pennsylvania fire chief is coming under fire after it was revealed he allowed his son to ride in [...]

Stinky corpse flower blooms again at Ohio State

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:07:00 -0400

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A large rainforest plant known as a corpse flower because of its awful smell is blooming again at an Ohio State University greenhouse, and there's more excitement because another corpse flower there is expected to open soon.

Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil dies after being hit by car

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:12:11 -0400

By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A man less than two weeks into a planned journey to dribble a soccer ball from his home city of Seattle to Brazil, the host nation for the 2014 World Cup, died on Tuesday after being struck by a car in Oregon, police and the man's supporters said. Richard Swanson, 42, was struck as he walked on the shoulder of a road on the outskirts of Lincoln City just east of the Oregon coast, said Lincoln City Police Sergeant Randy Weaver. Swanson's soccer ball was found nearby, Weaver said. ...