Iranian camels issued with number plates

Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.

Authorities get the hump with unregistered camels

Officials in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province have revealed plans to issue number plates to camels in order to promote safety, identify animals involved in road accidents and deter thieves. They say they will issue 35,000 identity cards as the first step in the process of registering all camels in the province.

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Santa under fire for body-shaming child

A family says Christmas has been ruined by Santa Claus who "body-shamed" their nine-year-old son. Ashley Mayse, of North Carolina, says her son Anthony visited Father Christmas at their local shopping centre and asked for a modest list of gifts, but was told to "lay off the hamburgers and french fries". In response, the boy tore up the photo he had taken with Santa.

Toys 'sending voice data to defence contractor'

Two in-demand Christmas toys have come under scrutiny after it was reported they were sending identifiable voice data to a large US defence contractor. Interactive toys Cayla and i-Que are designed to respond to a child's voice by searching the internet for answers to their questions.