Miscellaneous

Brian Allen: Grant Wood one of greatest American artists, was anchor figure in movement called regionalism which rejected foreign influence and celebrated values such as decency, stoicism and independence, wanted to create art that common man could understand

DJ Avicii dead at 28 in Muscat, Oman

Father of seriously ill toddler Alfie Evans meets Pope Francis and asks for help in struggle to take son to hospital in Rome, judge in Britain ordered last week that life support should be switched off for 23-month-old child that suffers from degenerative neurological condition that has never been definitively diagnosed

Around 250 priests from 50 countries participate in Vatican's annual exorcism course which covers theological and psychological background to practice, increasing demand among Catholics in many regions

American actor R Lee Ermey dead at 74, best known for role as Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket

John Fitzgerald: T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets finest work of distinguished Anglo-American 20th century poetry, acknowledges modern, dark and war-torn era while giving comfort and encouraging reader to search for Divine meaning

Czech-American director Miloš Forman dead at 86 after short illness, best known for directing Oscar-winning classics "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" and "Amadeus", fled Czechoslovakia in 1968 after Communist crackdown on "Prague Spring" uprising

Pope Francis gives blessing to Formula E car ahead of Rome's first ever E-Prix, race set on three-kilometre circuit in heart of city

Former Donkey Kong world record of 1,062,800 points removed from record tracking organisation Twin Galaxies' leaderboard after video analysis proved controversial player Billy Mitchell played on software emulator instead of on legitimate arcade cabinet

72-year-old Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja who lived with wolves between age 7 and 19 reports being disappointed with human life, would rather have stayed in wilderness than living in hustle and bustle of modern society

Prince Charles denies bringing private toilet seat while traveling when asked about it in Australia radio interview during visit to Commonwealth Games

Police in Uzbekistan apprehend two men for stealing livestock as calf was transported in backseat of Chevrolet Malibu

Accountant Scott Foster, 36, makes unexpected NHL debut for Chicago Blackhawks, played ice hockey in college and in rec-leagues, was expecting to just watch the game when Chicagos goaltender injured himself, got to make his debut when the second goaltender also injured himself in the third period, saved seven shots and kept a clean sheet

Charlie more common as name for girls than boys, one quarter of people named Blake are female, Marion has gone from girl's name to boy's name according to analysis of US name trends over 100 years

Hell does not exist, according to Pope Francis, sinful souls simply disappear rather than be tormented in eternal fire as previously taught by Catholicism

Elephant caught "smoking" in Nagarahole National Park in southern India, ingested what is believed to be wood charcoal and blew away the ash, charcoal has toxin-binding properties and can serve as laxative according to Wildlife Conservation Society

Order of Malta suspends historian Henry Sire following revelations that he wrote acclaimed book The Dictator Pope about Pope Francis under pseudonym, Sire claims procedure against him is illegal

Theories abound as strange creature washed ashore on Wolf Island, Georgia, what initially was thought to be seal identified by one expert as basking shark which took on prehistoric shape while rotting, long neck and small head leads locals to think of legendary sea monster Altamaha-ha

Lack of cat blood banks big issue for Japanese cats in need of transfusions, can be solved by artificial blood partially manufactured in space, first attempt conducted at the Japanese research module Kibo at the ISS, crystallization of protein much easier in gravity free environment, next up is space blood for dogs

Last living male specimen of northern white rhino dies at 45 years of age, only two females remain, scientists will try to secure offspring by artificial insemination

Constantin Reliu fails to persuade Romanian court to repeal his death certificate since appeal period for changing document has passed, certificate was issued after his wife lost contact with him when he moved to Turkey

Former Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai dead at 84 years of age, credited with reforming country's economy

British physicist Stephen Hawking dead at 76, worked on theories unifying quantum physics and relativity and in 1974 set out theory that black holes leak energy, a phenomenon that came to be called Hawking radiation

Dog dies on United Airlines flight between Houston and New York after staff force passenger to put animal cage in overhead storage bin

M Charles Stuart: Andrew Willard Jones' book about social order in kingdom of French king Louis IX shows how Christian monarchy sought to defend primordial condition of peace, while modern political thought starts from sovereign state's monopoly on violence, Medieval example illuminates how church and monarch could cooperate without one being subordinate

88 reported unprovoked shark attacks in 2017 resulting in five fatalities, slightly under average for last five years of six per year, humans kill over 100 million sharks every year

Rhesus macaques prefer logotypes paired with images of genitals and high status monkeys, Duke University study criticized by animal rights activists who say test subjects were dehydrated to compel participation

Invasive emerald ash borer has arrived in Vermont, expert warns that state's ash trees cannot be saved

Scientists say increasing Chinese milk consumption escalates climate threat due to demand for more cows and thereby more emission of greenhouse gases

Denis Urubko aborts attempt at solo climb of K2, expelled from expedition which aims to complete planned climb in March

Chris Power: Writings of Denis Johnson always in touch with death, true greatness achieved as author came close to end of own life in posthumously published The Largesse of the Sea Maiden

Russo-Polish mountaineer Denis Urubko makes risky attempt to climb mountain K2 alone after failing to persuade rest of team to push for summit in February, wants to complete first winter ascent of mountain, participated in January rescue of Elisabeth Revol on nearby Nanga Parbat

Indian state Tamil Nadu offers tax funded breast augmentations to the poor, mitigates risk that women opt for unsafe alternatives or take on large debts, says state health minister

American multiculturalism incompatible with European realities according to German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, idea of humanity as family contributed to fall of Rome and makes comeback as borders and distances which previously enabled generosity are eroded

Japanese farmers create banana with thin edible skin by slowly freezing growth cells to -60 degrees and then thawing them, current price about 6 USD per fruit from small scale production intended to be scaled up

Gerard Depardieu follows example of Eric Cantona by moving to Algeria, says it is a wonderful country with intelligent people which was once colonized by ignorant and illiterate Frenchmen

Billy Graham dead at 99 years of age, was most influential pastor in US during six decades and was confidant of 12 presidents

China demands US severely punish Michael Rohana who is said to have stolen thumb of terracotta soldier on loan to Philadelphia museum

Pope Paul VI will be made saint sometime this year according to Pope Francis, performed miracle where unborn child in fifth month of pregnancy was healed

Henry Eldon who runs restaurant The Cauldron in Bristol publicly shames people on Twitter for booking tables without showing up, increasing problem due to possibility of making reservations anonymously online, restaurants cope by demanding upfront payment on popular days like New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day

Labrador Poppy chases deer onto railway, gets run over by four trains but survives with only a few broken ribs by lying still in middle of tracks

Jonathan Newman: Jordan Peterson's theories about what causes humans to act in line with praxeology of Mises and Rothbard, such as thesis that values of individuals manifest in action

Lani Lewis Hunt in New Plymouth, New Zealand fined for driving a motorized cooler box under influence of alcohol, was going to store to buy cigarettes

Two-year-old Mohammed leaps onto metro train tracks in Milan, Italy, 18-year-old Lorenzo Pianazza who saves him hailed as hero

Competitors in Pyeongchang Olympics receive 38 condoms per person during games lasting 16 days, Tinder reports 1,850% increase in users near Olympic Village

Virgin Atlantic airline describes couscous salad served on plane as inspired by Palestine causing pro-Israel groups to protest on social media, changes description on menu which leads to similar emotional outbursts from pro-Palestinian groups

Woman dies after being hit by bullet fired during wedding ceremony in Hoshiarpur, India, father of bride arrested, casualties after ceremonial discharge of guns increasing problem in northern provinces like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh

Bangkok woman hit by train and dies while trying to take selfie at railway station, selfie related fatalities up from 15 to 70 globally between 2014 and 2016

2,7% of French restaurants with Michelin stars have female head chefs, Guide Michelin says that they evaluate only what is on the plate, women who have achieved a star report having to work as hard as men

United Airlines expands list of banned emotional support animals with hedgehogs, ferrets, insects, rodents, snakes, spiders, reptiles and non-household birds after woman was not allowed to bring peacock on plane

French mountain climber Elisabeth Revol may have to amputate fingers and left foot after being saved in dramatic rescue operations from Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, was forced to abandon climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz who developed snow blindness and acute altitude sickness, says from hospital bed that she will climb again

Prince William inspired by Nordic child rearing practices when visiting Sweden and Norway, will let Prince George and Princess Charlotte play outdoors regardless of weather to promote physical and mental health

Two trailers loaded with 44 tons of chocolate stolen in Freiburg, both found near French border, one hauled by Polish truck, drivers eluded capture along with two thirds of stolen goods

Woman denied bringing peacock as emotional support on United flight, Delta has previously increased restrictions on support dogs to curb abuse and due to increasing number of biting attacks, defecation and urine on airplanes

Smugglers hide gold bars under toilet during international flight, courier supposed to pick them up after plane switches to domestic route to avoid taxes, airline sealed hiding place to assist confiscation by police

Man dead at Mumbai hospital after carrying oxygen tank into room with MRI machine employee had assured was turned off

Mort Walker, creator of long-running cartoon Beetle Bailey, dies in Connecticut aged 94

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad dead at 91, founded company in 1943 at 17 years of age and worked until very end of life according to motto that most things remain to be done

Dwight Longenecker: Poetry nurtures imagination and helps to create order in a chaotic world, reading and writing poems more vital than ever in our techno-utilitarian age

Scythian princely tomb discovered in southern Siberia close to two similar sites, better preserved than Egyptian tombs due to absence of looting and favorable weather conditions

Garbage collectors in Turkish capital Ankara opens library filled with discarded books in abandoned brick factory, make 6,000 titles available to public

Belgian train driver Cédric Grumiaux admits to deliberately delaying trains in order to get fired from state-owned SNCB to start better private sector job without one-year notice period, says 70 other drivers used same tactic

Four English amateur rowers believed to have set new world record for fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing by rowing close to 5,000 km from Canary Islands to the Caribbean in 29 days and 15 hours, raised GBP 250,000 for mental health charity

45-year-old Indian Jalandhar Nayak constructs 8 km stretch of road in two years with just pick axe and crowbar to reduce sons' commuting time, local officials to lay remaining 7 km of road and says to pay Nayak for his work, reporter impressed by care not to cut down trees and that road was good enough for cars to travel on

David Bentley Hart: Translations of Paul's letters too influenced by religious interpretation, should focus more on actual text, misunderstanding that Paul taught doctrines of original sin or eternal hell

Flemish socialists propose law change enabling Belgians to be cremated and buried with their pets

German Ulrich Wegener dead at 88, founded elite anti-terror unit GSG-9 and was known as "hero of Mogadishu" after leading 1977 mission in city where 91 aircraft passengers were freed without injury after being taken hostage by four Palestinian terrorists

New Zealanders build sand island to circumvent local New Year liquor ban, mayor as well as police commander hail the creativity

Australia's Prime Minister Turnbull fined AUD 250 because he failed to wear life jacket when he moved his rubber boat 20 meters

Panda craze at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo when giant panda cub Xing Xing is shown to the public for the first time, 2,000 lottery winners allowed to watch the 6-month-old cub through a glass window

François Gabart sets new world record for fastest solo round-the-world navigation with 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds, beats previous record set by countryman Thomas Coville by more than six days

Irish man marries long term friend to avoid inheritance tax, the two neighbours and friends since 29 years are free to date women after ceremony

Surgeon charged with assault after marking two patients' livers with his initials while carrying out transplant operations in Birmingham, pleads guilty and faces maximum penalty of six months in prison

East German village Alwine including road and nine dilapidated residential buildings sells at auction for EUR 140,000 to sole bidder, 16,000 square meter area formerly owned by Europe's oldest fuel briquette factory but people fled as factory closed after 1990 German reunification

Wolverhampton Internet prankster cements his own head inside microwave, friends are forced to use air tubes to help man breathe after which firemen are called in to solve situation

Leonardo's painting Salvator Mundi sold to Saudi prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud for USD 450 million, will be sent to newly opened Louvre in Abu Dhabi

Pfizer's patent for Sildenafil expires whereby the company releases price-deducted generic version of its own product to handle upcoming competition, the price is expected to decrease by 90 percent in the long run

Tatsuo Horiuchi creates art in Excel, the 77-year-old wanted to start painting after his retirement, but thought that colours and dedicated computer software was expensive and complicated, prefers Excel over Paint since the former has more options and is easier to use

32-year-old Indian goes to emergency room with acute abdominal pain, discovered to have swallowed 150 nails, 263 coins worth INR 2,000 and dog chain made of steel, suffered from depression and had swallowed metal for over a year

Yokozuna Hakuho clinches the Fukuoka tournament victory with one day still to go, admits to feeling some anxiety before the tournament since he had to sit out the last Grand Basho due to injury

Swiss mountain village Albinen offers CHF 25,000 to adults who choose to move there, new residents must be under age of 45 and are required to build house worth at least CHF 200,000

London buses to run on biofuel partially made from old coffee grounds, coffee shops across UK will contribute, expansion planned for regions where drink is popular

Cult leader Charles Manson dead at 83 – was sentenced to death in 1971 for directing seven murders, but sentence turned into life behind bars as California did away with death penalty

Voice actress Hiromi Tsuru deceased at 57, known for the voice of character Bulma in Dragon ball

AC/DC co-founder and guitarist Malcolm Young dead at 64, suffered from dementia the past three years

40-year-old man goes to hospital in Nanchang, China with acute abdominal pain, CT shows eel in descending colon, successfully removed surgically, patient reticent about how it got there

The US Navy confirms that their aircraft were used to draw a male sexual organ above state of Washington, unacceptable behavior that the staff will be held responsible for according to comment

Russian Ministry of Defence tweets supposed evidence for US collusion with ISIS, uses screenshot from mobile phone game AC-130 Gunship Simulator

Thousands of tourists each year mistake the Maishima garbage incineration plant for nearby Universal Studios theme park, built as a fusion of technology, environment and art by Austrian Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Bob Dylan violates practice and retains copyright to his Nobel Prize speach, which is traditionally donated to the Nobel Foundation, launches his own website where he sells a deluxe version for USD 100

Nobel foundation to divest in producers of nuclear weapons, was criticized for hypocrisy after awarding ICAN peace prize, unfortunate timing says executive director Lars Heikensten

Singer, pianist and songwriter Fats Domino dead at 89, famous for hits such as Blueberry Hill and Ain’t That a Shame

Sketch drawn by Donald Trump showing iconic Empire State Building sold for USD 16,000 at auction, part of proceeds will be donated to local radio station WHDD-FM

Inmate sues Oklahoma as he didn't receive medical help with severe erection that he received after ingesting pill from another inmate, at hospital the staff think the inmate should go see an urologist, but is sent back to prison and released for medical reasons

First issue of men's magazine Playboy after passing of founder Hugh Hefner features transgender playmate

Eternal Olympic flame from the '64 games went out four years ago, was hastily re-lit by staff at museum where it's kept, cover-up was initiated to not crush the dreams of the people

World Medical Association approves new physicians' pledge, now also encompasses respect for patient autonomy, colleagues and students, as well as requiring doctors to share their knowledge and take care of their own health

Finnair flight AY666 flies last time to HEL on Friday 13th before changing code to AY954

Icelandic ram Einhyrningur famous for fused-together horns to be sold at auction to raise funds for local charities, said to be loner within herd despite internet fame

German term for "homeland", Heimat, again used by politicians across spectrum after period where it was thought of as regressive and associated with Nazi era, professor says people may think world's become a village they don't want to live in