Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
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
Swedish Royal Court posts job listings for 3 gardeners and 200 seasonal castle workers, locations range across summer palaces and grounds and include requests for help with host and visitor reception, ticket sales, gift shop staff, café operations, and tour guides
John C. Bogle dies at 89, founder of the Vanguard Group, the Malvern-based mutual-fund company, where he pioneered low-cost, low-fee investing and mutual funds tied to stock-market indexes
Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip involved in road traffic accident near Sandringham Estate, the 97-year-old unscathed but very shocked, two persons in the other vehicle slightly injured
Four minor pro tennis players arrested in France on suspicion of game fixing for gambling ring, Grigor Sargysan deemed the "Maestro" in charge of Jules Okala, Mick Lescure, Yannick Thivant and Jerome Inzerillo, he was arrested in Belgium last summer on numerous charges related to racketeering
Gillette faces backlash from consumers after new ad attacking men, depicts men as jointly responsible for bullying, violence and sexism, claims only a few men stand up against toxic masculinity while the others either actively engage in, or passively watch, harassment of women and children
White House celebrates Clemson national college football championship with American fast-food dinner, President Trump personally financed a meal of hamburgers and pizza due to cooking staff on furlough, claims "we have some very large people that like eating"
Californian man attempts to light gas station on fire over dispute at filling pump, police engaged in a standoff with Juan Roman after fears he was armed, the situation was resolved when negotiations led to a request for cigarettes in return for surrender which was settled by a police robot with a vaping pen
Woman in vegetative state at palliative care facility gives birth to baby boy, police seeking DNA samples of male caregivers at Hacienda HealthCare to establish patrimony, the anonymous victim is a member of nearby San Carlos Indian tribe and survived a near-drowning event over a decade ago
Practice of Heathenry on the rise amongst US military personnel, active group onboard Navy's John C. Stennis aircraft carrier observes 800 year-old Norse rituals, since 2013 the "Hammer of Thor" icon has been available for use on veteran headstones
Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie divorce after 25 years of marriage that resulted in three sons and an adoptive daughter, the Amazon founder is the richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of USD 137 billion
Former TV sportscaster Bo Gunnar Hansson accused of sexually molesting young boys, the famous Swede approached numerous children as young as 13 at Florida parks and groped their genitals, a local judge forced him to post USD 100,000 bail and surrender his passport
Ivory from woolly mammoth found in trinkets from Cambodia market, UK government sponsoring ivory DNA testing in measure to stop illegal trade, 30,000 elephants killed annually for their tusks, genetic samples intended to identify sourcing of ivory supply for targeted enforcement
Israeli author Amos Oz dies at 79 after a short battle with cancer, regarded as Israel's greatest writer he won dozens of awards and his books have been translated into 45 languages, among the country’s most vocal peace activists and supporters of a two-state solution
British fisherman survives hypothermia after being dragged 5 mi through the ocean by his pilotless boat, Nathan Rogers fell overboard and clung to his netting until the boat hit a pier in Cornwall
Camille Herron breaks two world ultra distance running records at Desert Solstice in Arizona, ran 162.9 miles in 24 hours and completed the first 100 miles in 13 hours 25 minutes, she celebrated her 37th birthday on December 25 and has proved competitive against male athletes
Prada withdraws imaginary creatures with alleged resemblance to blackface, part of Pradamalia collection the fashion house claims not to have any reference to the real world, "that such lapses of judgment are still happening in 2018 is frankly unacceptable," The National writes
IOC allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sport if they can show Testosterone levels below the arbitrary level of 10nM for 12 months, "the acceptance of athletes that were born men, developed muscle mass, bone mass, lung and air capacity as men" a threat to the virtue of women’s competitions, writes former Brazilian Olympian Ana Paula Henkel
Nebraska public school principal bans Christmas decorations in classrooms, Jennifer Sinclair detailed a list of culturally offensive items in an internal memo, images of Santa, Christmas carol singing and candy canes all prohibited, Sinclair placed on administrative leave by school district
Purported "original" light saber from 1977 Star Wars film pulled from auction, claims about its origins and authenticity were raised by fans online, actor Mark Hamill tweeted "#BuyerBeware" after sharing further skepticism about the device
Irish woman splits up with the ghost of 300-year-old pirate Jack whom she married earlier this year, will explain all in due course but warns spirituality isn't something to mess with, the split another blow for Jack who was executed in the 1700s
Angela Merkel resorted to a cheat sheet with a headshot at the Argentina G20 meeting as she faced Scott Morrison, the fifth Australian prime minister in as many years
Rock fragments from 1970 Soviet moon mission auction for USD 855,000 in New York, the moon rocks originally belonged to the widow of USSR's space program director
Spanish authorities hide "Winnie the Pooh" street performer ahead of Chinese state visit, Xi Jinping has been compared to the Disney character since 2013, Chinese government blocked a related film release in 2018 due to association with political dissent
Magnus Carlsen retains World Champion chess title in 3 rounds of time-limited games, defeats American Fabiano Carauna who hoped to become first US player since Bobby Fischer in 1972 to win title
Men's rights activists begin #ThotAudit campaign to report unpaid income for online sex workers, citing "broken sexual marketplace" supporters notifying US IRS of potential tax evasion
Catholic priest paraded through Maltese town in Porsche-chariot pulled by children, Father Sultana recently appointed to Gozitan parish says this is a traditional custom
Stan Lee dead at 95, created Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk and several other superheroes at Marvel Comics
Wheelchair and physics thesis belonging to Stephen Hawking exceed projected price in recent auction, the two items sold for over USD 1 million while expected to fetch only GBP 165,000 combined
Teenager dies eight years after swallowing garden snail as a dare at a party, got infected with rat lungworm and spent 420 days in a coma
Anti-social behaviour reported during Tokyo Halloween celebration, teenagers reportedly climbed a statue, littered and kept making noise after midnight, police reports theft of a wallet and cases of sexual harassment, party-goers spontaneously gather next day to clean up, says they want to be able to celebrate next year as well
The annual Friesland shit week added as Dutch intangible cultural heritage, traces its origins back to 20th century transportation of manure, the week kicks of with the feces arrival and reaches its zenit with the shit-transportation-race between Workum and Warmond
82-year-old Turkish woman shoots burglar with shotgun, the 52-year-old male suspect got into a physical altercation with her and managed to run off with some of her jewelry
Libertarian principles tested empirically in virtual world Liberty Minecraft, new server with more consistent incentives sees increased activity from players, according to founder Nathan Dempsey in quarterly report
Mysterious man with a gun spotted by passenger on Japanese bullet train, police officers board the train in Nagoya only to reveal the man as another police officer on his way to Tokyo, after confirming the safety of the train it can depart, however 36 minutes delayed
Brooklyn bookshop hosts witch hexing of Brett Kavanaugh designed "to cause him harm and see him undone", the event was livestreamed and a Catholic priest in California vowed exorcist prayer in response
Fan Bingbing said to have paid 130 million USD to the Chines tax-authorities in order to avoid trial, the entertainment industry recent target for tax-collectors as many artists and actors have two contracts, one official to show the government and one real that shows the true value of the services they provide
Street artist Banksy claims auction shredding hoax did not go according to plan, a video release claims the shredder was intended to completely strip apart "Balloon Girl" during auction
British Library unveils exhibition intended to show "Dark Ages" were time of enlightenment, curator Claire Breay argues period between 5th century and Norman Invasion was a time of high art, literature and complex political administration
11 year old Keisuke Fukuchi wins the Othello World Championship in Prague, thus becoming the youngest ever champion
Fishmongers protest the closure of historic Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, the government plans to relocate the market to a newly constructed USD 5 billion facility starting Oct 11, wholesalers and customers consider the new location inconvenient and potentially dangerous as the site of a former gas plant on reclaimed land
US Coast Guard support staff member who scratches head in way that can be construed as OK sign in background of TV interview gets removed from response duty during investigations, Coast Guard Lt. J.B. Zorn says "whatever that symbol means, it doesn't reflect the Coast Guard and our core values" and that "it won't be tolerated"
Burt Reynolds dead at 82, starred in movies such as Deliverance, Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run
New Zealand town of Omaui plans "cat"-aclysm in response to environmental impact of household pets, villagers will be prevented from owning cats in the future to protect local wildlife
An Austrian man tried to board two separate trains with a horse in tow, the state rail agency authorities excluded his horse from travel over safety concerns
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan dead at 80, led UN from 1997 to 2006 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001
American soul singer Aretha Franklin dies of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 in her home in Detroit
A British social media community is feting a private citizen after video was uploaded of him stopping a moped theft, the "heroic" individual reversed his Ford Fiesta at high speed into the people attempting to steal the bike, an estimated 30,000 bicycle thefts occur in the UK each year
American cyclist couple on humanitarian goodwill bike tour murdered by ISIS operatives in Tajikistan, the 29-year old couple sought to prove "Evil is a make-believe concept we've invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans", died with two other foreign nationals after being rammed by a car and stabbed to death on the side of the road
Parisian government faces public outrage over red-box public street urinals aimed at reducing uncontrolled street urination, critics charge the devices disturb the environment at important cultural sites, the devices are also deemed "sexist" as they provide for male needs but not female urination
Academic researcher at London's Globe Theatre warns of disadvantaging dark-skinned actors with traditional lighting and costume, says non-white actors risk melding into background sets and costumes without proper attention, insists that the issue is completely unrelated to political correctness
Slovak woman arrested for harassment and malicious persecution after playing a full-volume aria by Verdi outside her home for 16 years, what was initially an attempt to drown out the barking of a neighbor's dog turned into a total audio assault from morning to night
French historical theme park Puy du Fou puts six trained rooks to work picking up cigarette ends and trash, birds to be encouraged via box delivering bird food for each trash deposit
Santorini locals forced to cross breed donkeys with stronger mules to adapt to heavier tourists, charities Help the Santorini Donkeys and The Donkey Sanctuary call on Greek government for regulations
Polish brewery The Order of Yoni launches beer made from "vaginal lactic acid of hot underwear models", reassures consumers that the ladies were checked and that the scientific process removes possible unsavoury elements
Turkish teacher apprehended by police for selling same car to 80 people, made USD 10 million in advance payments
Elon Musk calls British rescue diver Vern Unsworth "pedo" on Twitter in response to him stating the miniature submarine was impractical for the Thai rescue mission
American woman fined EUR 4,000 for negligent endangerment after bringing unexploded World War II shell to Vienna airport, hoping to take it home as a souvenir.
Slovakian EU diplomat Eva Tvarožková dodges paying NZD 14,314 in unpaid rent and incidentals plus NZD 6,000 bond by using diplomatic immunity according to Tenancy Tribunal ruling, landlord Matthew Ryan who planned on donating the money to charity says he doesn't think this is what the Geneva Convention was created for
German earlier tennis star Boris Becker during bankruptcy proceedings in the UK claims diplomatic immunity due to being a cultural attache to the Central African Republic, country's ambassador to the EU Daniel Emery Dede confirms Becker's diplomatic passport and that he's unpaid and has never visited the country but that they hope his aura attracts business people
Scientists drop prepared cane toad sausage from helicopters in remote Australia to save native quolls from eating the toxic toads, sausage laced with nausea-inducing chemical to scare the native predators off the especially dangerous first invasion wave
Karpatalya wins soccer World Cup for non-FIFA affiliated associations by beating Northern Cyprus 3–2 after penalty shoot-out, Padania seals third place with dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Székely Land
Everything that could go wrong did, according to George Soros who says he did not anticipate Trump election victory due to living in own bubble, also says Trump is willing to destroy world
Anthony Bourdain is dead, the Chef and TV Personality was 61 years old
Solo: A Star Wars Story first film in series to not make profit, losses expected to exceed USD 50 million
Dutch PM Mark Rutte mops parliament floor after spilling cup of coffee, initiative to personally clean up caused mess loudly cheered by bystanders
Full list of Bilderberg 2018 attendees released, names include Niall Ferguson, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel