Man breaks world record for distance paddled in a pumpkin

Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.

Pumpkin-paddler sets new world record

A man has broken the world record for paddling a hollowed-out pumpkin down almost 26 miles of a river. Rick Swenson, of Minnesota, started his journey believing his target was a mere eight miles. Seven miles in, however, he received a text message saying someone else had set a new record of 15 miles, leaving him with a bigger challenge. Swenson says his feat became "really boring towards the end" of the journey, which took more than 13 hours.

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Bus driver beaten with frozen chicken

A bus driver and a female passenger are recovering after being beaten by a man with a bag of frozen chicken. Police say Caleb Russell, 27, of Chicago, reacted badly when the 48-year-old passenger rejected his advances. The driver was injured when he stepped in to break up the assault. Russell has been charged with aggravated battery. He has only recently been released from prison, following a 2014 conviction for threatening to blow up a different bus.

Meth lab busted twice in one month

Police in Vermont have raided a meth lab and arrested the man operating it for the second time in less than a month. Daniel Roy, 28, called firefighters when his stove burst into flames this week. They alerted police to signs of meth production and hewas arrested. His home had previously been raided in late September and he was out on bail following that arrest.