Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Smith most common surname in every English-speaking country around the globe, study finds, with Murphy most common in Ireland, use of surnames in England started around 14th Century but became law when King Henry VIII ordered all new births be registered in the name of the father
Cat owners bad at reading cat facial expressions according to study with more than 6,000 participants in 85 countries, cat expert who got a perfect score on test says many would benefit from education in cat body language
Model railway destroyed by thugs in May on display in Birmingham after being restored with GBP 107,000 in donations including GBP 10,000 from enthusiast Rod Stewart, Market Deeping Model Railway Club had GBP 30,000 display trashed at Stamford, Lincolnshire, on May 18
Lottery winner happier working in coal mine for 10 GBP per hour than after winning 9.7 million GBP and partying the money away, says he had ten years of fun but prefers to have normal life back
Swiss doctor dies after being crushed by fully grown giraffe knocked into his campervan by minibus at Kruger National Park in South Africa, the 5.5-meter-tall and 750 kg heavy animal dies by double impact
Quilty the cat held in solitary confinement with increased security measures after repeatedly helping other cats escape from cages at Houston shelter, has previously liberated dogs, receivs support in online campaign #freequilty
15-year-old Gabriel McFarlane from Scotland builds laser gun over a period of six months using 3D printer and parts found on eBay, can burst balloons, light matches and melt metal, says he might work on building a Tesla coil or a robot as his next project
Literary critic and Yale professor Harold Bloom dies at 89, author of The Anxiety of Influence and The Western Canon, championed Western civilization and criticized political correctness and the School of Resentment including Marxism, Afrocentrism, and feminism
Actor Robert Forster dies at 78 of brain cancer, known for his roles in Jackie Brown (1997), Medium Cool (1969) and The Delta Force (1986)
Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk win the Nobel Prize for literature for 2019 and 2018, respectively, the choice of Handke is considered controversial due to his support of the Serbs in the Yugoslav wars and his earlier criticism of the Nobel Prize which he has said should be abolished
Dutch Design Museum Den Bosch exhibits design from the Third Reich, sells 10,000 tickets in ten days while antifascists protest, selfies and other photography prohibited to avoid misinterpretations
Pundit Luciano Passirani dropped by Italian football channel Top Calcio 24 after saying the only way to stop Inter forward Romelu Lukaku from scoring was by "throwing him 10 bananas to eat"
BangBros online porn site makes bid on naming rights for home of Miami Heat currently known as American Airlines Arena, bids USD 10 million for 10-year deal, wishes to call venue the BangBros Center, or BBC, which isn't alluding to British Broadcast Corporation
Cametrione Moore-Brown gives birth to baby girl Christina weighing 9lb 11oz at 9:11pm on 9/11 – commemorations held across US to mark 18 years since the 11 September 2001 attack which left nearly 3,000 people killed
Barcelona-based vegan activist Mythical Mia steals 16 rabbits from Osono farm, resulting in 90 abandoned bunnies being euthanized, initial boasts on Instagram leads to account being disabled
Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan wishes to see a women for the role of 007 and refers to the importance of #Meetoo, the current star Daniel Craig is also positive, producer Barbara Broccoli has previously defended Bond's manliness and opposed gender ideology
Government decide to follow Japanese tradition of family-name-first order when using Roman alphabet to write Japanese names, practice to write given name first in foreign language began in 19th to early 20th centuries, writing in Japanese family name is always written first
Cardinal Achille Silvestrini dies at 95, the long-time Vatican diplomat played an important role in negotiations between Italian authorities and the Holy See on the agreement revising the Lateran Treaty in 1984
Owner of amusement park in German town of Löffingen shuts down ride that from a distance looks like two swirling swastikas, apologizes to anyone offended by the ride and says it won't be opened again until manufacturer makes modifications
New website Shameplane.com calculates how much Arctic sea ice melt a traveler's flight causes, spreading Swedish-born concept of "flygskam", or "flight shame"
Franz Kafka papers scattered across Europe finally brought together in Jerusalem as last batch arrives in Israel after 11-year search, includes hundreds of personal letters, drawings and journals, will now be published online, National Library of Israel says
McDonald's UK admits paper straws too thick to recycle, straws infuriates customers who say they dissolve in soft drinks and make milkshakes hard to drink, the replaced and dumped plastic straws company call "100 per cent recyclable" are fetching high prices on eBay
United Airlines flight from Glasgow to Newark cancelled when both pilots turn up drunk, arrested by police on suspicion of being under the influence of drink or drugs, incident comes three years after two other UA pilots were jailed for being drunk before flying same route
Canadian woman encounters a cougar while walking her dog in British Columbia, failing to scare off the cat by waving her arms and yelling, she plays Don't Tread On Me by Metallica on full volume and the puma bolts
Man donates his deceased mother's body to Alzheimer's research, her remains are secretly acquired by United States military for USD 6,000, strapped to a chair and blown up in an experiment
Wet Las Vegas spring spawns grasshopper hordes large enough to show up on weather radar, state entomologist says he's seen this type of swarms at least four times in 30-plus years, appears after a wet winter or spring
Thai Future Forward Party (FFP) accused of being a threat to constitutional monarchy and of links to Illuminati, former adviser to chief Ombudsman points out the upside-down triangle in FFP's logo resembles the sign of Illuminati, who was behind efforts to overthrow monarchies in Europe and played a role in US Declaration of Independence, FFP counters allegations in Facebook video
Palaeontologists unearth 6.5-foot thigh bone weighing half a tonne belonging to sauropod dinosaur around 140 million years ago, found in dinosaur fossil-rich dig site in Charente in south west France
Actor Rutger Hauer dies at 75 in the Netherlands after a short illness, played the murderous replicant Roy Batty in 1982's Blade Runner
Yokozuna Kakuryu wins his sixth Grand Basho after defeating Yokozuna Hakuho in deciding final match of Nagoya tournament, says back-pain almost made him withdraw, but support from family and the fans kept him going
Indian man fatally bitten by snake rips serpent apart with his teeth before being rushed to Lunawada hospital, where poison kills him hours later, while others ran away from reptile, he boastfully picked it up
Korean fashion designer builds device to help disabled goldfish swim, with swim bladder disorder, after many fish died due to swim bladder disorder, he used plastic components to create floatation device he calls a wheelchair, with help of YouTube videos and online tutorials
KLM apologises after trivia tweet reveals where in a plane you are most likely to die in case of a crash, followed by second tweet encouraging followers to guess where safest seats are to win a prize, branded insensitive for whimsically sharing stats
Continuous loop of children’s songs "Baby Shark" and "Raining Tacos" played throughout night to keep homeless from sleeping on patio of city-owned rental banquet facility in West Palm Beach, FL, homeless Illaya Champion says it’s wrong and that he’ll still sleep there
Police inspector at Japanese police academy mistakenly stabs rookie officer during drill, takes out a survival knife to bring a sense of tension, planned to stop just before it reached the victim's body, but one stab reaches part of victim's lungs, is admonished by superior and fined USD 4,600, the young officer quits shortly after the incident
Black British woman Lashana Lynch next 007 as James Bond retires from MI6, at the same time the phrase Bond girls has been replaced by Bond women, spymaster M is played by Ralph Fiennes
US Food and Drug Administration warns dog owners not feeding their pets food containing xylitol, the sugar substitute causes a rapid release of insulin, causing dogs' blood sugar levels to plummet to life-threatening levels, in humans xylitol does not stimulate release of insulin
Pilot sets new world record for the fastest journey around the globe via North and South poles, covering 24,966 miles in 46 hours and 40 minutes, English pilot Hamish Harding and NASA astronaut Col Terry Virts stopped three times for pit stops in Chile, Mauritius and Kazakhstan
Ross Perot dead at 89, became billionaire as founder of IT company EDS and ran for US president 1992 and 1996
Johnny Kitagawa dies at 87 due to subarachnoid bleeding, over 50-plus years his talent agency Johnny & Associates produced a number of artists including SMAP, Arashi, Four Leaves, Shonentai and Tokio, was recognized in Guinness Book of World Records for most No. 1 singles produced by an individual
North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev tricked by Russian hoax phone pranksters, agrees to pay a bribe of EUR 100,000 to ensure Macedonian Orthodox Church independence and accuses Russia of having many spies in the Balkans – the pranksters pretended to be Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Boris Johnson and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko are among their previous victims
Robocup 2019, football world cup for autonomous robots, takes place in Sydney, organisers say by 2050 they want robots to be able to beat the best human team in the world
Italian tiger trainer Ettore Weber killed by four tigers during circus performance rehearsal, country's parliament voted in 2017 to phase out animal circus acts
Latest jewelry collection from Chanel inspired by Tsardom of Russia and Coco Chanel's love affair with Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich who was a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II
Egyptian government seeks to stop auction of Tutankhamun bust, says statue was probably stolen from temple during 1970s, auction house Christie says bust's existence has been known for a long time and it has been publicly exhibited
900 year old chess pieces from Lewis Chessmen set sold at auction for 735,000 GBP, found in drawer at Scottish antique dealer whose relatives bought it for 5 GBP in 1964, walrus ivory rook is thought to be made in Norway
Arctic fox with tracking device walks more than 3,500km on sea ice from Svalbard to Canada in just 76 days, fastest movement rate recorded for species
Justin Raimondo dead in lung cancer at 67 years of age, was legendary activist for freedom and against war, authored several books and more than 3,000 articles on Antiwar.com which he co-founded in 1995
Slug causes power cut that disrupts rail traffic on Kyushu, Japan last month, its electrocuted remains found inside a load disconnector which it managed to squeeze itself into, over 12,000 people's journeys affected
Red squirrel gets its head caught in drain cover trying to leave sewer in Dortmund, firefighters takes manhole cover to veterinary clinic so animal can be freed, vets treat squirrel for neck wounds and release it back into the wild
Conservative historian and professor Norman Stone dies at 78, was a newspaper columnist and advisor to Margaret Thatcher, bemoaned the left-of-centre views of his colleagues at Oxford, was proficient in eight or nine languages, enjoyed playing poker and drinking
Alabama man allegedly fed methamphetamine to caged squirrel to ensure it stayed aggressive, it's illegal in Alabama to have a pet squirrel, authorities are seeking the man, released the animal
Cat filter switched on as Pakistani politician Shaukat Yousafzai live-streams press conference on Facebook, filter superimposed pink ears and whiskers on his and two of his colleagues' faces
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