strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

Stories 1741 - 1760 | << Prev   Next >>

This Might Be the Most Unusual Little Island on the Planet

Pheasant Island is the subject of a centuries-old custody arrangement

(Newser) - There's a tiny island on the border between France and Spain where it is possible to go to sleep in one country, not move an inch, and wake up in the other. Well, it would be possible if it were legal to visit the island, but alas, at less...

Cops Claim Jiu-Jitsu Is Illegal, Threaten to Arrest Kids in Canada

Tournament postponed after police cite Criminal Code

(Newser) - For almost a decade, the annual Canadian championship in Brazilian jiu-jitsu has gone off without a hitch. That changed this past weekend when officials called off the event at the last minute upon discovering that it was illegal in the eyes of police. In a Facebook post on Saturday, a...

Internet Really Ready for Arrival of 150-Pound Baby

Baby giraffe, that is

(Newser) - After 15 months gestation, giraffes are born hooves first, weighing about 150 pounds. And the internet is really, really ready for April's baby to be born. Harpursville, New York's Animal Adventure Park's giraffe live stream has picked up steam on YouTube —minus a brief incident in...

Taliban Issues a Very Odd 'Special Message'

Leader would like everyone to please plant trees

(Newser) - Springtime in Afghanistan usually brings a spike in violence as the Taliban takes advantage of the thaw to launch a wave of fresh attacks, reports the AP . But the Taliban's leader has just issued a statement calling on Afghans to plant more trees. In a public letter issued Sunday...

Jeep Stuck in Sand Dune 40 Years Is Finally Free

Its driving days are over

(Newser) - A Jeep buried in sand in Massachusetts 40 years ago has finally been dug out. Work crews on Friday pulled out the rusted remnants of what John Munsnuff says was once his family's "beach buggy" at the home they've long owned near Ballston Beach in Cape Cod,...

Water Bill Dooms Guy's Political Campaign

Water bill, other clues indicate he doesn't actually live in the district

(Newser) - A Democratic candidate's run for the Pennsylvania Legislature is down the drain—partly because he used too little water at the house he claimed as his residence, the AP reports. A state judge on Thursday threw Frederick Ramirez off the ballot in the race for an open House seat...

Town May Pay Workers to Take a Sex Break

Swedish councilman floats the proposal

(Newser) - Spending too much time at work and not enough time with your partner? A Swedish politician has a solution: Employees should be paid to go home and have sex. Per-Erik Muskos, a council member in the small town of Övertorneå, argues that couples aren't spending enough time together...

Oklahoma Town Dumps Decades-Old Dance Ban

Henryetta made headlines when Valentine's Day dance was canceled

(Newser) - Kick off the Sunday shoes: Dancing in public is now legal throughout Henryetta, Okla., the AP reports. City leaders voted Tuesday to abolish an ordinance on dancing, the Tulsa World reported. The dance ordinance, with a penalty of $25, prohibited dance halls within 500 feet of a church or public...

Cops: Virgin Saint Hid a Secret—Until She Leaked It

Trail of fuel leads cops to altar in Mexico used for smuggling

(Newser) - Altars to the Virgin of Guadalupe are ubiquitous at businesses across Mexico. Now federal police say one has even been used in a gasoline-smuggling racket in the central state of Puebla, reports the AP . Police said Tuesday that a trail of fuel leaking into the street in San Martin Texmelucan...

Artist Begins Weeklong Stay ... in a Boulder

Abraham Poincheval hopes to 'find out what the world is'

(Newser) - A French artist has kicked off a weeklong stay inside a 13-ton boulder. Sounds awful, right? Well, it's only the start of what Abraham Poincheval calls "an inner journey to find out what the world is." After seven days confined to a sitting position in a limestone...

Lt. Gov Gets Resignation Letter Inviting Her to Dinner

It's from her husband, who's retiring, thinks she should consider 'more lucrative position'

(Newser) - New Jersey's lieutenant governor has received a letter of resignation—from her own husband. Kim Guadagno's husband, Michael, is an appeals court judge, reports the AP , and in order to collect his pension, he is required by law to notify Kim Guadagno in her dual role as secretary...

Woman Scores Half-Court Shot, $500, Fiancé

It was an eventful few minutes for Upstate New York woman

(Newser) - When Erin Tobin shoots, sometimes she really scores: The 30-year-old New Yorker and college basketball fan was watching her alma mater Siena take on Manhattan on Thursday night in Albany when she got the opportunity to take a half-court shot with a $500 gift card on the line. Not only...

MIA After Party: $65K Elk Head
MIA After Party:
$65K Elk Head
Feb 19, 2017 8:28 AM CST

MIA After Party: $65K Elk Head

Delaware cops are searching for mounted head that went missing

(Newser) - It's just not a good party until the stuffed animal head goes missing, and now the AP reports that police in Delaware are searching for a mounted elk's head valued at $65,000 that went missing from a home during what was apparently a heck of a party....

Watchdog Tells Parents to Destroy 'Spying' Doll

Germany reclassifies toy as illegal transmitting device

(Newser) - German authorities have issued a warning to parents that sounds like it was taken from an urban legend: A doll could be spying on their children and should be smashed. The country's Federal Network Agency has reclassified the My Friend Cayla toy as a "concealed transmitting device,"...

This May Be the Weirdest Request for Directions Ever

Helicopter pilot lands to ask a trucker

(Newser) - Some guys will never ask for directions. And some guys have no qualms about landing a military helicopter in the middle of the road to do so. A post at RT explains the bizarre scene captured on video . The pilot of a Kazakhstani chopper landed his $14 million aircraft on...

Judge: 'Wretchedly Unhappy Marriage' No Reason for Divorce

UK woman is appealing ruling denying her a divorce

(Newser) - When Tini Owens says she's trapped in a loveless marriage, she means it. Owens, 65, was denied a divorce from her millionaire husband of 39 years after he told a UK judge their "minor" disagreements are simply a part of married life, reports the Times . In a case...

Watching Movies in India Just Got Less Physically Taxing

Supreme Court clarifies confusing rule about standing up during anthem

(Newser) - Last year, India's Supreme Court said that movie theaters in the country must play the national anthem before each film, and that audience members must stand while it's being played. On Tuesday, the same court clarified that this does not mean audience members must stand if the national...

Orange Gator Baffles in SC
Orange Gator Baffles in SC
Feb 10, 2017 11:00 AM CST

Orange Gator Baffles in SC

Nobody can quite explain the weird color

(Newser) - No one seems to know why there's an orange alligator in a pond near Charleston, South Carolina. Residents living near the pond in Hanahan say they've seen the orange or rust-colored alligator a number of times, and it's now become a viral sensation. Photos show the 4-...

Woman Falls From Fake Donkey, Sues for Real Cash

Kimberly Bonn wants $15K from El Jalisco in Tallahassee

(Newser) - A woman who climbed atop a life-size donkey statue at a Mexican restaurant in Florida is suing said restaurant after she says she fell and broke her back. Kimberly Bonn says she mounted the donkey for a photo during a visit to El Jalisco Southwood in Tallahassee on Aug. 31,...

You&#39;re Looking at a $100K Cheeto
You're Looking at
a $100K Cheeto
Feb 7, 2017 11:24 AM CST

You're Looking at a $100K Cheeto

Harambe, is that you?

(Newser) - Someone bid nearly $100,000 on eBay for a Cheeto that bears a resemblance to gorilla Harambe, shot by handlers at the Cincinnati Zoo after dragging a small boy who had gotten into his enclosure. The seller says he found the cheese snack in a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos,...

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