Luton Airport bendy buses join Ukraine war effort

And other stories from the stranger side of life

A Luton bus in Ukraine
Ukraine’s armed forces have taken delivery of three bendy buses
(Image credit: Go-Ahead/SHAP)

Bendy buses from Luton Airport have arrived in Ukraine for use in the country’s war effort. Three purple buses, which still have their Luton Airport logos, are mainly being used to provide “rest areas for beleaguered troops” and to transport supplies and soldiers, said The Telegraph. These vehicles have done “years of duty shuttling holidaymakers and suitcases”, said bus operator Go-Ahead, which donated the vehicles via the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP). “They’re now retired from airport duty and we’re glad they can be put to good use – as a small contribution to Ukraine’s war effort.”

Applause record broken in Uganda

Ugandan Christian organisation Phaneroo Ministries has marked its ninth anniversary by bringing together hundreds of members to break the longest applause world record. Some 926 people gathered at the UMA Multipurpose Hall in Kampala, to take part in this event, dubbed “Clap for Jesus”. Phaneroo Ministries are known for their “lively, high-spirited assemblies”, and this record attempt was “no different”, said Guinness World Records. The congregation clapped for a total of three hours 16 minutes, maintaining an average sound level of 88.5 dB.

Gold blob baffles experts

A curious golden orb found on the seafloor has “baffled” scientists, said Sky News. The mysterious item was discovered on 30 August and tests are still continuing to try and work out what it is. “This golden orb, likely an egg casing, struck an imaginative chord for many watching,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Earlier this year, a “brown blob” found by a gold digger in Canada turned out to be a mummified 30,000-year-old squirrel, said Wio News.

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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.