Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
'Dinosaur lightning' hits US
An employee has captured a lightning bolt shaped like a dinosaur above the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The photograph was released on the US Department of the Interior Facebook page, which described it as "a Tyrannosaurus Rex getting ready to chomp a formation at Blue Mesa". Comments on the photograph suggest it looks more like "a snake", "a cougar" and "an upside-down heart-shaped balloon on a string".
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Baby born on plane given a million air miles
A baby born on a Cebu Pacific aeroplane four hours into a flight from Dubai to Manila will have the choice of the world when she grows up after being given a million free air miles by the airline. Haven was delivered by two nurses who happened to be onboard the plane when her mother went into labour five weeks early. Cebu Pacific chief executive Lance Gokongwei gave the gift to the airline's newest passenger to celebrate. The air miles can be shared with her family and have no set expiry date.
Egypt tells female TV presenters to lose weight
Authorities in Egypt have caused a stir by suspending eight female news anchors until they lose weight. Safaa Hegazy, the head of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, said the women will remain employed in "behind-the-scenes" roles until they are deemed slim enough to return to their on-air positions. Egyptian state television has been steadily losing viewers to new satellite news services that offer "slicker presentation", he added.
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How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
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In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
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Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
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Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
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'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
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The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
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Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
