xinmsn - Weird News

Sunbathing crocodile shocks Indonesian beachgoers

2013-05-22T18:18:43

Hundreds of sunbathers fled a popular Indonesian beach in panic when a four-metre (13-foot) crocodile laid down next to them to soak up some rays, an official said Wednesday.

Star Wars hero's pants auctioned for $36,100

2013-05-22T03:08:01

The pants worn by actor Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in the first Oscar-winning "Star Wars" film went under the hammer for $36,100, according to the auction house's website.

Bolt, the pigeon, worth a fortune to Chinese buyer

2013-05-21T18:18:50

Like his human counterpart, "Bolt" the racing pigeon is a record setter in every sense, fetching 310,000 euros from a Chinese buyer impressed by his winning pedigree, Belgian reports said Tuesday.

Russian officer 'posed at Putin's desk to impress girls'

2013-05-21T17:44:58

Russia's federal guard service launched an investigation after photos appeared in the media of a disgraced former employee posing behind Vladimir Putin's desk in the Kremlin, an official said Tuesday.

Hong Kong hails the return of the duck

2013-05-22T00:53:59

Hong Kong joyfully welcomed the return of a giant inflatable rubber duck, which drew tens of thousands of visitors before it was abruptly deflated for maintenance for almost a week.

Star Wars hero Skywalker's pants under the hammer

2013-05-20T18:43:30

The pants worn by actor Mark Hamill in the first Oscar-winning "Star Wars" film are being sold at auction and could go for up to $100,000, auctioneers announced Monday.

Pope statue unveiled in Italian potato field

2013-05-20T19:49:25

The first-ever statue of Pope Francis has been unveiled in a potato field near Naples -- an unorthodox homage to the fact that the Argentine pope's ancestors were farmers in northern Italy.

$4.85 mln lotto ticket found in US cookie jar

2013-05-17T18:41:51

A US man who dug a handful of old lottery tickets out of his cookie jar was shocked to find out one of them was worth $4.85 million, officials said.

Prague plans subway 'Love Train' for singles

2013-05-17T14:41:49

Prague underground commuters looking for love will soon be able to try their luck at romance in designated dating cars, a transport spokesman said Friday.

'Lazy' Italian postman hoarded 400 kilos of mail

2013-05-17T14:26:14

A hard-partying village postman on the Italian island of Sardinia was too "lazy" to deliver post in the morning and instead hoarded some 400 kilos (882 pounds) of it in his home, local residents and the police said.

Tiny Australian town abuzz with Daft Punk fever

2013-05-17T14:38:28

A tiny Australian town better known for cotton-picking than culture was relishing the limelight Friday as thousands of electro-pop fans descended for French group Daft Punk's album launch.

Hong Kong taxi driver cleared over 6 cent overcharge

2013-05-17T05:36:00

A taxi driver who endured a six-month lawsuit after overcharging a passenger by six US cents has finally had his name cleared by a Hong Kong court.

Beckham's farewell lost in translation

2013-05-16T17:33:26

David Beckham's retirement caused an unlikely surge of interest in English League One minnows Leyton Orient after confusion over the location of the Paris Saint-Germain star's farewell appearance.

'Scissor-handed' creature named after Johnny Depp

2013-05-16T18:27:51

The science world has paid homage to Johnny Depp by giving his name to an extinct creepy-crawly with "scissor hand-like" claws reminiscent of one of the Hollywood actor's best-known roles.

UK sci-fi fans turn to the dark side at convention

2013-05-16T13:56:35

Police officers were called to sort out a bust-up at a British science-fiction convention as rival groups of "Star Wars" and other sci-fi fans rowed, reports said Thursday.

KFC to go comes to Gaza... by tunnel

2013-05-16T17:33:32

Junk-food starved Gazans can now order Kentucky Fried Chicken to go thanks to a new smuggling service which brings takeout from Egypt via a network of underground tunnels.

Coin toss decides Philippine election contest

2013-05-16T09:31:52

A coin toss has decided the lucky winner of mayor for a small Philippine town, after rival candidates were tied at the end of the vote count, an election official said Thursday.

Coca-Cola 'recipe' finds teen buyer -- at $15 million

2013-05-16T01:16:02

What could be a World War II era recipe for Coca-Cola's secret formula found a buyer on eBay -- a 15-year-old who now has three days to come up with $15 million to pay for it.

British diplomats reveal world of weird requests

2013-05-15T23:13:49

British embassies were asked if they could silence a cockerel and order an unfit husband to shape up, among other "bizarre" requests for help in the last 12 months, the Foreign Office said Thursday.

China owner smashes up his Maserati in service protest

2013-05-15T07:48:00

A wealthy Chinese Maserati owner hired four sledgehammer-wielding men to smash up his $420,000 supercar in protest at poor customer service, reports said Wednesday.

Aussie town readies for Daft Punk while world listens

2013-05-15T07:33:03

The small Australian town of Wee Waa is readying for its global launch of the new album by French group Daft Punk, despite being pipped at the post with the music already available online.

Hong Kong cries fowl as giant rubber duck deflates

2013-05-15T14:19:51

The giant inflatable rubber duck which has attracted tens of thousands of visitors since it sailed into Hong Kong two weeks ago was reduced to a sad deflated disc on Wednesday in the city's harbour.

Canada apple farmer fights frost with helicopter

2013-05-14T19:36:59

With a frost warning in effect in parts of Canada, an Ottawa area farmer reportedly sent a helicopter to hover over his apple orchard overnight Monday in an unusual effort to save his crop.

German court rules against Google

2013-05-14T20:41:24

A German court ruled Tuesday against the country's version of search engine Google, finding that keywords thrown up by its 'auto-complete' function can be defamatory and ruling the company must remove offending words after complaints.

'Himalayan Viagra' harvest rush shuts Nepal schools

2013-05-14T20:06:33

The annual rush to the hills by villagers keen to harvest a rare aphrodisiac fungus dubbed "Himalayan Viagra" has emptied rural schools in Nepal and forced them to shut, a local official said Tuesday.

Human coconut peeler claims he is Guinness-worthy

2013-05-14T01:58:48

With jaws of steel that have earned him the nickname "Coconut Peeler", Andres Gardin, at the tender age of 64, is hell-bent on gnawing his way into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Carrots and turnips make music in Madrid veg market

2013-05-13T20:36:01

With a pumpkin for a drum, carrots for flutes and turnips for trumpets, musicians from Vienna transformed the fresh goods in a Madrid market into honking, whistling instruments on Monday.

Drunk tourist charges at South African elephant

2013-05-13T19:05:52

Video footage of an inebriated tourist lunging out of his car and charging a wild elephant at South Africa's famous Kruger National Park caused an uproar on Monday.

Superdaddy Pyros keeps Pyrenees bear numbers up

2013-05-12T12:25:45

The number of bears roaming the Pyrenees remained stable at a minimum of 22 last year, thanks largely to the continued virility of Pyros, the undisputed daddy of the colony.

Branson serves as AirAsia stewardess after losing bet

2013-05-12T18:26:01

British billionaire Richard Branson strutted his stuff as an AirAsia flight attendant Sunday -- complete with fishnet stockings and figure-hugging red pencil skirt.