Reuters: Oddly Enough

U.S. beats Belgium to win (Quidditch) World Cup

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 05:49:00 -0400

Already bored of the soccer World Cup with its single ball, earth-bound players and tiresome reliance on the laws of physics?

KFA decides against punishing egg-throwers

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 03:09:48 -0400

The Korea Football Association (KFA) has decided not to pursue charges against people who threw eggs at the national team after they arrived home from the World Cup, police said on Tuesday.

Shootout win is perfect gift for Russian newlyweds

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 19:43:07 -0400

Russian couple Yekaterina and Dmitry Vasilyev enjoyed a perfect wedding celebration on Sunday as they briefly halted their nuptials to watch the hosts defy the odds by beating Spain in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

'Brides' enjoy match-making on World Cup stage

Sat, 30 Jun 2018 20:26:28 -0400

Russian women wearing elaborate bridal dresses took to the pitch in the World Cup host city of Kazan on Saturday for a friendly soccer match intended to show their love for the sport.

'Space kingdom' seeks citizens for life beyond Earth very soon

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 08:54:59 -0400

(This version of the June 25th story changes paragraph 9 to make clear that membership fee does not yet apply)

Man charged after running in underwear on Atlanta airport runway

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:34:08 -0400

A teenager has been criminally charged after running half-naked across an Atlanta airport runway and jumping onto the wing of a Delta Air Lines plane that had just landed.

Mexican party rapped for wraps in tortilla election row

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 21:59:09 -0400

Struggling to catch up with the longtime front-runner, the two chasing parties in Mexico's presidential election have become embroiled in a spat over wrapping used to sell tortillas, the popular flatbread made for tacos.

Lone woman digs for family lost under Guatemalan volcanic rubble

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 17:38:29 -0400

Eleven days after the Fuego volcano rained down on the Guatemalan village of San Miguel Los Lotes, a backhoe ripped the roof off one of the homes buried by ash, revealing a corpse in the still-hot dust.

Bank of England holds special vote: to decide World Cup winner

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 18:49:05 -0400

Britain's top central bankers held an unusual vote during their policy deliberations this week - to decide which country is most likely to win the World Cup taking place in Russia.

Rat breaches bank ATM in India, eats $18,000 worth of cash

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:46:41 -0400

When bank technicians in India were finally summoned to investigate why an ATM (automated teller machine) had not been working for days, they began to smell a rat.

400 flown from James Bond mountain after Swiss cable car breaks down

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 11:55:21 -0400

Helicopters airlifted about 400 people off the Swiss mountain featured in the 1969 James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" on Thursday after a cable car broke down, stranding them briefly at about 10,000 feet above sea level.

Pro-smoking Japanese lawmaker apologizes for heckling cancer patient

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 08:30:38 -0400

A Japanese member of parliament apologized on Thursday for jeering a lung cancer patient testifying about the dangers of secondhand smoke, saying he had spoken out to prevent discrimination against smokers.

Blood, sweat and accessories: artist recycles bodily fluids for fashion

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:37:43 -0400

Struggling to make your fashion more personal? No sweat. A London fashion student can help you decorate your attire with crystal accessories formed from your bodily excretions.

Australian artist emerges alive from three-day burial under road

Sun, 17 Jun 2018 21:29:29 -0400

An Australian performance artist who was buried in a steel container under a busy road for 72 hours as part of a so-called dark arts festival was released from his self-imposed prison on Sunday.

Australian supermarket giant says 'yes' to mass nude photograph

Sat, 16 Jun 2018 03:53:47 -0400

More than 11,000 Australians who rushed for the chance to strip for American photographer Spencer Tunick will soon wear only smiles after a national supermarket chain changed its mind about allowing the shoot to go ahead on a suburban rooftop carpark.

Russia cries foul over Nigerian fans' World Cup chicken requests

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 17:29:27 -0400

Nigerian fans cheering on their national team in Saturday's World Cup match against Croatia will be missing an important item in their supporter's toolkit: chickens.

Research on dogs might shed light on human responses to food: study

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 17:18:21 -0400

Researchers in Hungary who found that normal and overweight dogs behaved differently in tasks involving food say the dogs’ responses were similar to what might be expected in normal and overweight humans.

Russia's psychic cat Achilles picks home team for World Cup opener

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:43:12 -0400

Want to know who will win the first match of the World Cup? The cat's out of the bag: it's Russia.

Minnesota online sensation raccoon captured atop skyscraper

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:27:05 -0400

A raccoon that climbed to the top of a 25-story St. Paul, Minnesota, skyscraper early on Wednesday was captured after becoming a star on the web, where it won the hearts of followers across the United States and around the globe.

Belgian zoo welcomes baby giraffe Twiga

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:21:16 -0400

Minutes after plunging two meters (6.5 ft) to the ground as his mother gave birth, baby giraffe Twiga was frolicking round his pen as the newest arrival at Belgium's Planckendael Zoo.