Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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Tourists flock to see bright green pigeon in England

Residents of Northampton, England, have captured video of an unusual new neighbor causing a stir in the area: a bright green pigeon.

The pigeon's unusual hue, first noticed in June, has led to numerous videos of the bird going viral on TikTok.

Locals said people have been flocking to the area to catch a glimpse of the pigeon.

"One guy said he'd come up from London and I've heard many travel long distances to see it, which is a bit bonkers, as Northampton isn't really known for loads of tourists. So to have a pigeon as a tourist attraction is quite funny really," resident Alex Zambon told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

Mike Alibone, optics editor for Birdwatch Magazine, said the pigeon's color is unlikely to have any natural causes.

"There is no wild pigeon in the world that looks like this," he told the BBC. "It certainly looks as if it has been dyed and the green coloring is too artificial."

Alibone said he also believes it to be unlikely that the bird's diet had any factor in the coloration.

The RSPCA previously warned against the trend of dying pigeons blue and pink for gender reveal parties.

A spokesperson for the organization said the dye could lead to serious risks for the pigeon.

"Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and other animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their feathers which could result in them swallowing it," the representative said. "Until its next molt, this pigeon will likely be more at risk in the wild."

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Washington woman breaks record with 4,060 jigsaw puzzles

A Washington woman earned a Guinness World Record for her collection of 4,060 different jigsaw puzzles.

Liza Fireman, 46, of Bellevue, told Guinness World Records she started collecting puzzles in 2019, and she has since accumulated thousands of designs, mostly from her favorite manufacturer, Ravensburger.

"I didn't set out to break the world record, I just fell in love with puzzling," Fireman said. "But not just any puzzles — Ravensburger puzzles. I love their quality, their design, the history of puzzles. It just became a passion."

Fireman's 4,060-strong collection was enough to take the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of jigsaw puzzles from John Walczak, whose collection was tallied at 2,022 in 2023.

Her collection includes numerous Disney puzzles, as well as puzzles based the TV series Friends, the James Bond film franchise, Hello Kitty and the movie Wicked.

"If I kept all of the puzzles I did in a year, I could easily carpet my house with puzzles," she said.

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British chefs cook up world's largest scotch egg

Two British social media chefs teamed up to cook the world's largest scotch egg, which weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds and 3.48 ounces.

Phoenix Ross and Oli Paterson came together in Enfield, England, to attempt to break the Guinness World Record of 13 pounds and 10 ounces, which had stood for nearly 20 years.

The duo used an ostrich egg as the core of their scotch egg, a traditional food comprised of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and fried.

The chefs said their first attempt ended in disaster when the savory snack fell apart while being lifted from the fryer.

The successful second attempt had a circumference of 31.3 inches and tipped the scales at 17 pounds and 3.48 ounces.

The chefs sampled bits of the finished product before cutting it into small portions and using it to create frozen breakfast burritos.

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Rosebud sled from 'Citizen Kane' auctioned for $14.75 million

The iconic Rosebud sled from Orson Welles' 1941 film Citizen Kane was auctioned for $14.75 million, becoming the second-most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold.

The sled, one of only three known to still survive, has belonged to Gremlins director Joe Dante since he discovered the long-lost prop while working at the old RKO Pictures studio lot in 1984.

Dante put the sled up for sale via Heritage Auctions, and it fetched a price of $14.75 million. The sum is the second-highest ever paid for a piece of movie memorabilia, after the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz were auctioned by Heritage in 2024 for $32.5 million.

"I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades," Dante said in a news release. "To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It's a testament to the enduring power of storytelling."

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Woman flooded with calls about nonexistent cat due to a T-shirt

A British Columbia woman's phone has been flooded with calls about a missing cat that doesn't exist, and it's all because of a T-shirt.

Natasha Lavoie and Jonathan McCurrach said dozens of calls have come in from people claiming to have found their cat, Torbo — but their cat is named Mauser, and isn't missing.

"Sometimes, like six times a day, I'm getting these really random phone calls and people leaving me voicemails saying that they found my cat and they want money for my cat," Lavoie told CBC News. "I'm like, 'My cat's at home in the air conditioning.'"

The couple discovered Lavoie's phone number had been printed on a T-shirt sold by company Wisdumb NY. The shirt features a missing cat poster and Lavoie's phone number.

A Wisdumb NY representative said the shirt has been pulled from the online store.

"The use of a real number within the art created was not intentional," the representative said in an email to CBC News.

Lavoie said she does not want to change her phone number as it bears a 604 area code, which is difficult to get.

"I've had my number for 20 years," she said. "I don't want to change it. I'll just keep not answering."

Lavoie said she would like a "real apology" from the company.

"I feel like I deserve a T-shirt after this," Lavoie said. "I think we both do."

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Golf tournament cancels opening day due to bear on the course

The opening day of a golf tournament in Japan was called off when a bear was spotted on the course — the second such incident within two months.

The bear was spotted near the first tee at the Sendai Classic Golf Club on Wednesday, causing the pro-am competition scheduled for that day to be canceled.

The Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament, a JLPGA Tour event, had been scheduled to begin on Thursday but was canceled a result of the bear's presence. The tournament had originally been scheduled to last for four days.

"On Wednesday, a bear sighting on the course was reported and the pro-am tournament was canceled to protect the safety of the participants, players and staff," organizers wrote on the tournament website. "To ensure safety and to consider future measures, we have decided to cancel Thursday's opening day. We will announce details of the tournament from Friday onward as soon as they have been decided."

Organizers later decided the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament would go ahead as planned Friday, but without spectators.

The incident follows a bear sighting at the Golf Club Twin Fields in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May that led to the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women's second-tier Step Up tour being canceled.

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Reported person stuck in California canal turns out to be blow-up doll

A 911 call about a person trapped in the rushing water of a canal led emergency responders in California to the discovery of a discarded blow-up doll.

Fresno police and firefighters were summoned to the canal near McKinley and Peach Avenues on a report of a person, possibly deceased, trapped against a grate by the rushing water.

They arrived to find that what initially appeared to be a body was, in fact, a life-sized blow-up doll.

Authorities alerted the irrigation district to have the doll removed.

Police in New Zealand responded to a similar situation last year when a woman walking with her dog on Tapuae Beach spotted what appeared to be the headless body of a woman washed up in the sand.

Police arrived on the scene and discovered the apparent corpse was actually a realistic adult toy.

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Pokémon superfan collects 1,200 Gengar items

A Hong Kong man's 22-year devotion to his favorite Pokémon earned him a Guinness World Records title for the largest collection of Gengar memorabilia.

Tsang Cheuk Tip, 32, said his love for Gengar started when he was only 8 years old and was introduced to Pokémon.

"Among a batch of Pokémon figures my mom bought, there was this translucent, deep purple one that just grabbed me," Tip told Guinness World Records. "Later, playing Pokémon games, I found Gengar wasn't just strong — it was versatile, with that sly, adorable grin. Right then, I knew this little guy was my destined buddy."

Tip started collecting officially licensed Gengar memorabilia, including cards, clothing items, plush toys, tableware and stationary.

Tip said cataloging his items for his application to hold the record for the largest collection of Gengar memorabilia was an exhaustive process.

"Some Gengars look nearly identical, so I had to write descriptions clear enough for someone to pick out the exact piece just by reading," he said.

Tip said he is proud to be able to say he now holds the record.

"I didn't go for the record to be famous. I just want people to think of me when they see Gengar," he said. "Where I am, Gengar's there too."

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Philippines arcade installs world's largest claw machine

An arcade in the Philippines earned a Guinness World Record by installing the world's largest claw machine, which encompasses an area of 1,761 cubic feet.

The PlayFair arcade at the TOPS landmark in Cebu City unveiled Claw King, a massive claw machine that was officially measured by a construction firm for Guinness World Records consideration.

Claw King was measured at 17.16 feet long, 8.12 feet wide and 12.73 feet tall.

The measurements were enough to take the record from Santa Claw, a defunct claw machine installed in Florida that measured 16.7 feet long, 7.87 feet wide and 11.81 feet tall.

"We're beyond thrilled to announce that PlayFair has officially earned a Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Claw Machine," the arcade said on social media. "What an epic achievement we happily share with Cebu and we're beyond proud to bring this record home!"

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Canadian woman breaks two speed records on penny farthing bike

A Canadian woman with a talent for riding big-wheeled bikes broke two speed records at an Australian track while pedaling a penny farthing.

Lizanne Wilmot climbed her Victorian-style bicycle in Burnie, Tasmania, and broke the Guinness World Records for the fastest speed on a penny farthing (female) and fastest 1 kilometer on a penny farthing (female).

Wilmot rode the 1 kilometer (.62 mile) distance in a time of 52.75 seconds. Her top speed was clocked at 25.92 mph.

Wilmot previously held the record for the farthest distance on a penny farthing in one hour (female), but she lost the title to British woman Melissa Eisdell.

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