If marathons weren’t hard enough already: strap a tree to your back
This Sunday in South Africa, an accountant, an entrepreneur and a boxing executive are among 20 friends running the Cape Town marathon – with saplings strapped to...
Offbeat
Pope stuck in elevator for 25 minutes, freed by fire brigade
Pope Francis arrived late for his weekly address in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, explaining that he had been stuck in an elevator in the...
The longest toilet break? Belgian sits for five days in bid for record
A Belgian man sat on a toilet for nearly five days this week in a bid to set a world record. Jimmy De Frenne, a...
Australia’s central bank takes ‘responsibilty’ for embarrasing note typo
SYDNEY, May 9 (Reuters) – Millions of A$50 ($35) banknotes in Australia have an embarrassing typographical error that was overlooked by the country’s central bank...
Italian museum looks to unlock da Vinci hair mystery
An Italian museum says it plans to carry out DNA tests on a lock of hair it believes might have belonged to the Renaissance artist...
At $40,000 a bottle, Tokaj aims to revive royal wine
A Hungarian winemaker in the Tokaj region known for its golden dessert wine is selling a vintage for $40,000 a bottle, hoping to revive the...
Pet deer kills man in Australia in rare attack
A pet deer killed a man and badly injured his wife in Australia, police said on Wednesday, the first known attack in years though it...
AI predicts who survives ‘Games of Thrones’
If you are a “Games of Thrones” fan and appreciate the element of surprise, stop reading now. Students at the Technical University of Munich have...
Burger King pulls chopsticks ad after outcry in China
Burger King pulled a promotional video in New Zealand showing customers trying to eat burgers with chopsticks after it sparked an outcry in China and...
Florence study proves artist Leonardo da Vinci was ambidextrous
An in-depth study of Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest-known drawing has proved that the great Renaissance artist was ambidextrous, Italy’s Uffizi Gallery said on Monday. The...
At Athens pinball museum, arcade gamers go back in time
On a side street near the Acropolis, a new museum is exhibiting items a little different from the elegant white marble statues of ancient Greek...
Hungarians let off steam in ‘silly walk’ parade (V)
BUDAPEST, April 1 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Hungarians marched through central Budapest in a “silly walk” parade on Monday, copying flamboyant moves from British comedy...
Google barred from LGBT+ equality index over ‘life-threatening’ app
One of the United States’ top LGBT+ charities ejected Google from a gay and transgender rights ranking on Thursday for hosting an app that advises...
Lawsuit says TGI Fridays potato skins contain no potato skins
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) – It is acceptable to sell French fries that are not made in France, but a new...
Labrador fetches top US dog breed honor for 28th year
The loyal and dependable Labrador Retriever hung on for the 28th year in a row to the title of America’s most popular dog in 2018, the American...
Erdogan: ‘You will not turn Istanbul into Constantinople’
President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday described a mass shooting which killed 50 people at two New Zealand mosques as part of a wider attack on...
Yachtsman inflates trousers to survive 3 hours in sea (V)
WELLINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – Knocked overboard in rough seas off New Zealand, a German yachtsman credited his jeans with saving his life after fashioning...
Use of toilet paper wiping out habitat, heating planet
Americans use more toilet paper than anyone else in the world, helping destroy the habitats of native people who live where it is sourced and contributing to global...
Carlsberg rolls out the smart barrel
It is almost a barman’s dream – a keg that can monitor beer levels and alert the brewery for more supplies when stocks are running...
Indonesia police apologise for using snake in interrogation (V)
JAKARTA, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Indonesian police have apologised and pledged disciplinary action after officers draped a live snake around the neck of a suspect...