Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli dies at 96, best known for his 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet as well as miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977), was also a senator (1994–2001) for Forza Italia party
KFC debuts vegan "chicken sandwich" from fake-meat brand Quorn as part of four-week testing period in the UK
French Professional Football League announces Uber Eats as new naming rights sponsor of Ligue 1, will pay EUR 32 million over two years from start of 2020/21 campaign, significant increase on previous deal, league to be known as Uber Eats Ligue 1
Ricardo Duchesne takes early retirement from professorship at University of New Brunswick after campaign from colleagues and accusations of racism, author of The Uniqueness of Western Civilization to focus on independent scholarship and writing
Florida man tells deputies cocaine on his nose is not his, police also finds bag of powder cocaine, marijuana and alprazolam pills during traffic stop, Hillsborough County sheriff’s office says
Millennial dads less capable than their own dads when it comes to DIY fixes, less likely to be able to change a car tire or unblock a sink, number of millennial dads owning a hammer 32% compared to 93% among boomer dads
Godzilla revamped into climate warrior in new climate fiction movie Godzilla: King of Monsters, battling to defeat climate-changing titans in an attempt to save earth, Godzilla historically used to mirror people's fears and anxieties, from Japan's atomic bomb trauma in the fifties to present-day American middle-class fears of wind, water and fire
German performance group first circus in world to replace all live animals with holograms, has been using laser projectors for several years and now shuns the use of animals altogether
D-day veterans of Normandy invasion commemorate 75th anniversary by recreating parachute jump, Harry Read, 95, says jump was wonderful in every way while John Hutton, 94, jokes about a sore backside after landing on boulders
Group of ancient humans discovered using DNA analysis, genetically distinct from both Western Eurasians and East Asians, lived in north-eastern Siberia 30,000 years ago, together with East Asians believed to be ancestors to native North Americans
Shogi genius Yoshiharu Habu earns his 1,434th win in his 2,027th match, setting a record for victories, 48-year-old Habu became a professional shogi player when he was 15 and won his first title at age 19
South Korea contemplates changing age system, historically Korean children turn one the day they are born and two the next New Year's Day, which means children born on New Year's Eve turn two on their second day of life
2020 Tokyo Olympics visitors will not be allowed to share pictures and videos on social media without prior consent of the IOC, specified in fine print on ticket lottery application form, unclear what preparations the IOC has made to handle requests for clearance
Charles Coulombe: Habsburg family laudably active in cultural, political and religious activities throughout former empire, could be key to reuniting Danubian countries, creating an entity capable of challenging secularist elements in Brussels and Western Europe
3-year-old Bloodhound forced into retirement from Massachusetts Police Department after amputating its front leg after cancer diagnosis, now adopted by family which includes another rescued Bloodhound
Toxic masculinity harmful concept according to Meryl Streep, who points out that toxicity is a trait of women as well as men
MacKenzie Bezos, ex-wife of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, promises to give half her fortune worth almost USD 37 billion to charity, joining Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in the Giving Pledge, acquired 4% of Amazon shares in the divorce settlement
Spanish police arrest football players from country's top two leagues for alleged involvement in match-fixing, possibly conducted by an organised criminal group, during 2018/19 season La Liga filed eight complaints of match-fixing in Spanish lower divisions
Japanese man dies of a cerebral edema caused by a drug overdose on flight from Mexico City to Narita Airport, 246 bags of cocaine found in his stomach and intestines during the autopsy
Donald Trump presents award to winner of Summer Grand Sumo Tournament Asanoyama in Tokyo, hands over the new 30 kilogram United States President's Cup inside sumo dohyo
Two Texas men drown trying to jump over open drawbridge in Louisiana with their car
Three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda dies at the age of 70
Raven chicks born at Tower of London for first time in 30 years, born to parents Huginn and Muninn, Ravenmaster at the Tower for 13 years Chris Skaife says he feels like a proud father
Internet’s most famous cat, Grumpy Cat, dies aged seven after complications from a urinary tract infection, one of internet's first "petfluencers" who gained fame online for her perpetually gloomy gaze
Transgender powerlifter Mary Gregory stripped of four women's world records after obligatory doping control, physiologically classified as a male according to US Powerlifting Federation rules
Southwest Airlines passenger removed from flight delayed for several hours after jokingly telling a flight attendant they should be passing out vodka instead of water because they had been waiting so long
Donald Trump to attend ongoing Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo during state visit at end of May, says he's always found sumo fascinating and will present newly made trophy to the winner of the championship, "the Trump Cup" among names considered for the trophy
New baby giraffe at Seattle zoo outfitted with therapeutic shoes to help treat abnormalities in his rear legs, two-piece shoes made of high-density polyethylene and plywood after consulting colleagues at other zoos and medical literature
Plougastel-Daoulas in Brittany offers EUR 2,000 reward for anyone who can decrypt inscriptions on mysterious rock believed to be centuries old, "ROC AR B… DRE AR GRIO SE EVELOH AR VIRIONES BAOAVEL… R I OBBIIE: BRISBVILAR… FROIK…AL" read parts, accompanied by pictures including a sailing boat and the two dates 1786 and 1787
Organizing committee of 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan warns restaurant and hotel operators not to run out of beer, would cause loss of revenue and could prompt thirsty rugby fans to spread bad publicity on social media
72-year-old French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin crosses the Atlantic Ocean in barrel-shaped capsule using ocean currents alone, made the 4,500 km journey from Canary Islands to the Caribbean in 122 days
Norwegian woman dies from rabies contracted while on vacation in Philippines, sustained scratches when playing with stray puppy she found, cleared and sterilized cuts but did not seek further medical attention, back in Norway she fell ill but doctors scrambled to figure out what was wrong with her
20-years-old Texan dies after hitting powerline while roof jumping, "great way to go for a young man, albeit a little foolish", his shattered father says, looking with joy and expectancy to joining his son in the presence of the Lord
Fundraiser Send a Friend a Goat lets donators in Tri-Cities, WA who give USD 50 prank unsuspecting friends by having a baby goat delivered, recipient will be asked to make a donation of any amount to pay for removal of the goat, in 2018 over USD 40,000 was raised to help children with life-threatening illnesses
Emperor Naruhito performs Kijitsu-Hokoku-no-Gi rite dressed in Korozen-no-Goho, reports dates of upcoming Sokuirei-Seiden-no-Gi and Daijosai ceremonies to sun goddess Amaterasu, ceremonies will confirm his ascension to the chrysanthemum throne, is accompanied by empress Masako and prime minister Shinzo Abe
Canned non-carbonated water Liquid Death marketed toward trendy teetotaling youth using masculine and violent rhetoric, founded by former Netflix Creative Director
Indian army says it discovers Yeti footprints near Mount Makalu base camp, snowman's 32 inches by 15 inches traces found in straight line, molecular biologist says DNA samples could reveal more about the animal
Emperor Naruhito gives first speech to the nation at the traditional Sokui-go-Choken-no-Gi ceremony, promises to fulfil his duties as a symbol of Japan and the unity of the Japanese people
Emperor Akihito begins last day as Emperor by visiting his ancestral deity, the sun goddess Amaterasu, to start his abdication process, in the evening attends the Taiirei-Seiden-no-gi abdication ceremony, formal abdication takes place at midnight
Minecraft creator Marcus "Notch" Persson not welcome when video game celebrates its 10-year anniversary, has made comments about heterosexual pride day and that it’s ok to be white on Twitter, current owner Microsoft says his opinions are not representative of Minecraft
PepsiCo sues four Indian farmers for cultivating its patented FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for its Lay’s potato chips as it has lower moisture content
10-foot-long anaconda crossing road causes traffic jam in Brazil, helpful motorists get out of their cars and direct traffic to keep anaconda safe from traffic
Philanthropist Ray Dalio asks successful entrepreneurs to take Myers Briggs type personality test, results show they'd choose to achieve their professional goals over pleasing others, not a bad thing as it simply means they will do whatever it takes to accomplish their dreams, even if it may upset some people
Emperor Akihito visits tomb of his father, the late emperor Showa, to report his imminent abdication from throne, last of eleven scheduled rituals marking the completion of preparations for Akihito's retirement
Fake online reviews commonplace, users write fake reviews online in exchange for money and free products, some companies avoid using review sites because of risk of competing with phony reviews, using consumer's personal data to create fake verified reviews, known as "brushing", leaves a paper trail showing goods have been bought and delivered
England RFU puts Billy Vunipola on five-year warning over his defence of Christian Instagram post by Israel Folau, which led to Folau being sacked by Rugby Australia, Vunipola told of his responsibilities to share RFU's values on inclusivity and respect, warning will be taken into account in future disciplinary proceedings for a period of five years, his club Saracens intends to educate him soon
Man places USD 85,000 wager at 14-1 odds on Tiger Woods winning the Masters and wins USD 1.19 million, flew from Wisconsin to Las Vegas with the USD 85,000 cash in a backpack and placed the bet after two casinos had rejected his wager, was USD 25,000 in debt after his protein supplement business had gone under four months ago
Seventy-one-year-old Florida man uses squirt gun to shoot his urine at woman walking her dog past his home, is taken into custody and admits to shooting his bodily fluids and says he'd do it again, is released after posting USD 500 bail bond
Rugby star Israel Folau sacked by Rugby Australia over allegedly anti-gay Instagram posting in which drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters are told Hell awaits, Folau see no cause to reconsider his stance and is content to walk away from rugby if that is God's plan for him, reports say he may have legal case for religious discrimination
Measles parties held to intentionally infect children a terrible idea, Canadian professor warns, could give you much more significant chance of disability later in life
UK grocery chain Waitrose apologize after being accused of racism over naming dark chocolate duckling "Ugly", sold in box together with white chocolate duckling "Fluffy" and milk chocolate duckling "Crispy"
Taiwan doctor finds four sweat bees living inside woman's eye, Dr Hong Chi Ting pulls the 4-millimetre insects out by their legs and sends them as specimens to another organisation to be studied, the bees are attracted to sweat and drink tears for their high protein content
Automatic vacuum cleaner locked into bathroom triggers woman to call the police, suspecting a burglar, after deputies surround the house, request a canine to the scene and command whoever inside to come out of the bathroom, they draw their guns and open the door to find a Roomba
Canadian family decides to keep driving when its 87-year-old patriarch dies in backseat while returning home from Florida vacation, when stopped at US-Canada border authorities find the father who had died from a heart attack at least a day before, family cited high cost of US health care, plus cost of shipping the body back to Quebec as reason for not stopping
Police in Fukuoka tackles shortage of female recruits through fashion show and online videos, aimed at students in the southwestern Japanese city, proportion of female recruits only around 9%, Fukuoka police say they've been dealing with string of attacks and crimes connected to gangsters and could not allocate manpower to recruitment efforts
Tennessee woman apprehended and placed in back of police car after a skirmish at car wash, steals the police car, drives off and comes to a stop after driving over spike strips, charged with burglary, evading arrest, vehicle theft and vandalism
Hundreds of Hungarians in Monty Pythonesque "silly walk" parade in central Budapest on April 1, Benedek Petrok, who organised the march, said event provided opportunity for people to forget about their daily problems
New Zealand Chief Censor David Shanks concerned over computer game which lets players re-enact the Christchurch mosque shootings, says gamer culture can include people "with reduced empathy", the game isn't available on the platform Steam and its developers have been banned from taking payment through Paypal and Stripe
"Reiwa" the new Japanese era name, derived from Japan’s oldest poetry collection "Manyoshu" written in the 8th century, first time an era name has been sourced from classical Japanese literature
Australian court rules farting boss not bullying, claimant says he was forced to move out of shared office space to avoid supervisor's flatulence, boss still entered his small and windowless office and repeatedly broke wind, leading claimant to spray supervisor with deodorant and call him "Mr. Stinky"
Man and his girlfriend arrested after cops say they were having sex on Ferris wheel in Cincinnati while intoxicated, each ride in the enclosed gondolas consists of four spins and lasts 12 minutes
Johannesburg Metro Police Department introduces red and blue body lights affixed to officer’s shoulders, will ensure visibility and form part of clampdown on reckless driving
New male birth control pill 11-beta-MNTDC passes initial safety tests, estimated 10 years before it hits the shelves, pill combines two hormonal activities in one and decreases sperm production while preserving libido, Dr Christina Wang from LA BioMed says
Hail storm smashes 4 million avocados in under 10 minutes at huge orchard in New South Wales in Australia, 80% of the fruit on the 12,000 trees knocked off and onto the ground, hail stones jagged and up to three inches in size, remaining avocados downgraded from premium fruit to class 2 fruit worth half the value
Florida man dies from electrocution while using 20-foot metal pole trying to get pigeon off power line, engineers at prestigious MIT conclude birds are able to perch on power lines without electrocuting themselves because they’re not touching the ground
Major baby boom as nine labor and delivery nurses at Maine hospital are pregnant at the same time, says they’re glad to experience their pregnancies together and plan to be present for the delivery of each baby
British Airways flight destined for Düsseldorf lands in Edinburgh by mistake, after flight paperwork is submitted incorrectly
Army vet Del Hall of Cincinnati, Ohio, down 25 pounds using beer-only diet for Lent inspired by 17th century Bavarian monks, as director of sales at a brewing company a variety of beers are readily available
Naked man attempts boarding plane to Crimea at Moscow airport, shouting clothes make him less aerodynamic, offender detained by police
27-year-old Russian detained after security screening finds drugged 2-year-old orangutan in suitcase, planned keeping the ape as pet, also carried two geckos and five lizards, risks up to five years in prison and USD 7,000 in fines for the attempted smuggling
Uri Geller promises in an open letter to Theresa May to stop Brexit using telepathy, claims he predicted May would become prime minister when she touched Winston Churchill’s spoon on his Cadillac
Romanian restaurant owner Ștefan Mandachi builds one-metre-long stretch of motorway on plot of land he owns next to busy main road in north-eastern region of Moldavia to protest country's poor highway infrastructure, Transport Minister Răzvan Cuc declares road illegal due to lack of permits but says he understands Mandachi's concerns
Christchurch insulation company Beneficial Insulation under fire for sun wheel logo, NZD 14.88 per square meter pricing and camouflage print staff uniforms, Insulation Association of New Zealand removes company from website as an interim measure before further investigations
Japan will announce the new era name on April 1, chief cabinet secretary will create short list of three candidates from dozen finalists submitted by scholars, government plans to decide on the new name after a 2.5 hour long meeting with experts and all Cabinet members, before reporting the new name to the Emperor and the crown prince
Valve removes the controversial game Rape Day from Steam before official launch, game described as a visual novel enabling the player to verbally harass, kill and rape women, content also includes sexual assault, non-consensual sex, obscene language, necrophilia and incest
Family throws USD 500 in USD 20 bills out onto California freeway on way back from a funeral, relative says it’s an Oakland thing and a way to honour the man who died, other cars stopped and drivers and passengers rushed out to grab the money, when officers arrived at the scene the money was gone
Luke Perry dead at 52 after massive stroke, best known for his portrayal of Dylan McKay on the series Beverly Hills, 90210
World’s top-ranked bridge player Geir Helgemo suspended after testing positive for synthetic testosterone and clomiphene at a World Bridge Series event in Orlando last September, the Norwegian representing Monaco had all titles, medals and points from the 2018 World Bridge Series revoked
GBP 13 Lidl Scotch wins first-round World Whiskies Awards "Scotch Blended 12 years & under" category, Queen Margot Blended Scotch Whisky bested competitors including Johnnie Walker Black Label and Islay Mist
Shooting range in English New Brighton stands by using pictures of teen IS terrorist Shamima Begum for target practice despite some criticism, says having received "record number of requests from customers"
800-year-old Crusader corpse decapitated by vandals in Dublin crypt, St. Michan's church has seen other criminal acts against its reliquaries in 1996, most recent incident also disturbed 400-year-old mummified body of a nun
Australian Press Council rules cartoon depicting Serena Williams US Open tantrum did not breach media standards, states cartoon showed Williams acting childish rather than complaints' concern about "ape-like" behaviour and that exaggeration and absurdity are common cartoon expressions
Legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld dies at 85 after short illness, known for his signature ensemble of sunglasses, dark gloves and a ponytail as well as for making controversial comments, he caused outrage over anti-immigrant comments during German refugee crisis in 2017
Swiss actor Bruno Ganz dies at 77 at his home in Zurich, famous for his roles in films such as Downfall and Wings of Desire
Vladimir Putin injures finger during sparring session after he participates in trilateral talks on Syria with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Sochi, says the increase of adrenaline improves your mood, makes you take a different look on the world around you and helps you get real
Leonard Casley, founder of micro-nation Hutt River in Western Australia, dies at 93, Prince Leonard formed the principality in 1970 after a stoush with State Government over wheat quotas, in 1977 the province declared war on Australia over legal battle with Taxation Office, to which Prince Leonard in 2017 was ordered to pay AUD 3 million in income tax, Prince Graeme says he will continue his father's fight
Lincolnshire couple tackle a butter knife-wielding burglar who tries to steal a prized collection of model trains, 85-year-old former railway worker Mr Headington, who has had two hip replacements, and his wife managed to restrain the burglar by sitting on him, the offender jailed for two years and four months
Japanese bonsai owners urge thieves to water stolen 400-year-old bonsai tree worth USD 127,700, the Shimpaku Juniper was slated to appear in a Japanese beauty competition this month, a total of seven bonsai trees were stolen
52 polar bears invade Belushya Guba on Novaya Zemlya, no longer react to noise and light signals from guards patrolling with cars and dogs, some bears have entered buildings, state of emergency declared and task force to assess the situation on its way
Picture of what looks to be a kiss on the lips between Pope Francis and Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb causes a stir online, the two religious leaders celebrated the signing of a document on fighting extremism together at an inter-religious meeting in Abu Dhabi, the act was more of a peck on the cheek than a full-blown smooch
Disney's first-ever official LGBT pride event take place in June this year, “Magical Pride” includes late-night access to the park, a dance party and a parade through Disneyland Paris, organizers partner with LGBT influencers saying "Dress like a dream, feel fabulous and experience Walt Disney Studios Park like never before"
5,500 World Cup fans remain illegally in Russia, people with match tickets and FAN ID allowed to enter Russia during the tournament without a visa provided they left by December 31, Nigerians make up the largest group with 1,863 citizens, expulsion of those still in the country expected to be completed by April
Wikileaks reveals Pope Francis forced the abdication of Prince and Grand Master of the Order Matthew Festing over conflict within the Order of Malta, its critics says the move abolished the sovereignty of the Order and is part of a power struggle between conservative and liberal elements within the Church, the conflict originated from approval of funds for aid mission in Burma distributing condoms
A third of all donations made through GoFundMe raised to cover health care costs, also popular in countries with universal health care for covering associated costs
Tamawashi becomes the second oldest to win a first title in the modern age of sumo, winning the January Sumo Grand Basho at age 34, double joy as his wife gives birth to the couple’s second child the same day, which is the best part of the day, he exclaims