An exclusive London private members’ club, frequented by the Princess of Wales and her family, has been engulfed in controversy after two members were accused of "inappropriate behaviour". The Hurlingham Club in Fulham has reprimanded the two people, one of whom made "inappropriate comments of a sexual nature" in the sauna. The Daily Mail reported the other member exhibited unspecified "inappropriate behaviour" which resulted in an outright ban. The club, with a 20-year waiting list and a £1,400 annual fee, has sent out an email reminding members of their responsibilities.

Monkey on my backpack

A US Customs and Border Protection dog sniffed out something unusual in a traveller's luggage from Africa: mummified monkeys. The passenger claimed the bag contained dried fish, but upon inspection, Boston Logan Airport authorities found four dehydrated monkeys. Despite no charges being filed, all of the passenger's luggage was seized, and nearly 4kg (9lbs) of the prohibited "bushmeat" was marked for destruction due to potential health risks, including the transmission of diseases like Ebola. The seizure occurred in January but was only revealed on Friday.

Tea break

Britons are facing tea shortages due to shipping disruptions in the Red Sea. Sainsbury's has warned customers that ongoing supply problems could affect the availability of black tea. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said that the problems are "temporary" and that the impact on consumers is expected to be "minimal". The disruption stems from recent Red Sea violence, prompting shipping route diversions, adding 10 to 14 days to shipment times.

A dying Minnesota man who confessed to stealing Judy Garland's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" has avoided jail by striking a plea deal. Terry Jon Martin, 76, claimed an old mob associate persuaded him to commit the 2005 museum heist for "one last score". Martin originally planned to sell the gems from the slippers, but got rid of them after discovering the rubies were actually made of glass, said the BBC.

Rockin' rest rooms …

Bathrooms aren't typically the highlight of a convenience store, but at six HOP Shops in Kentucky the restrooms are the hottest spots in town. Inside are large red buttons with signs that read "Do Not Push This Button". When you push the button, as you are expected to, coloured lights turn on, a disco ball appears and music starts to play, said UPI. Each bathroom has its own song – in Verona, it's "Stayin' Alive"; in Carrollton, "Dancing Queen".

Flightless bird delays flight

A penguin on the runway at New Zealand's Wellington International Airport caused a flight to be delayed, reported People. The "unusual little visitor" had wandered on to the tarmac, the airport said in a post on Instagram, leading to a scramble by staff to get the bird to safety. The airport has since done some "penguin proofing" to its fencing to "keep our flippered friends out of trouble".

A woman was "left in stitches" after discovering a hidden shrine dedicated to Nicolas Cage under her house, said The Mirror. The shrine, with candles, goblets and cinema memorabilia, was uncovered when workmen were laying new cables. Commenting on the discovery, one online wag suggested this could become part of a new trend. "We should all do this - a couple hundred years from now it will be a religion," they wrote.

Kebab caller tops 999 oddities

Eating too much kebab topped the list of bizarre 999 calls in Wales over the past year. "Yesterday evening, we had some kebab, and I might have had a little bit more than I'm used to," the caller told emergency operators. Among the 414,149 calls the Welsh Ambulance Service received were other curiosities, including losing false teeth and getting a hand stuck in a letterbox, noted the BBC. An ambulance spokesman said inappropriate 999 calls put additional strain "on an already over-stretched service".

Woman claims arm hair record

A Californian woman is celebrating after she grew the world's longest female arm hair. Speaking to Guinness World Records, Macie Davis-Southerland said she didn't discover her unusually long arm hair until 2012, when she was at school and her friend's brother offered to pull it out. But she decided she would try to grow the hair for a world record. Her arm hair was officially measured at 7.24 inches and she plans to continue growing it to claim the overall arm hair record, noted UPI.

A wildlife park will move its "swearing parrots" to a new flock to reduce their use of expletives, said The Times. After five of the resident African greys at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park were removed from public display in 2020 for swearing at visitors, naughty words have since popped up in the repertoire of three more parrots. The park admitted the profanity cannot be entirely eliminated, as "once it's in their vocabulary, it’s usually there for good".

Brits 'sob in bed' over crisp axe

Walkers has left "heartbroken" customers "sobbing on their beds" after it scrapped an "iconic crisp flavour", said the Daily Star. Brits are "devastated" after the Marmite flavour was "ditched", said the tabloid. "Why are you discontinuing Marmite?" asked one customer on social media. "The only crisps my son eats and he's now sobbing on his bed."

Actress eats snow

Reese Witherspoon has defended herself after she was criticised for eating snow, reported Sky News. After the Hollywood actress shared a TikTok video showing herself enjoying a "Chococinno" made of snow collected from outside her home, topped with cold brew coffee and sweeteners, she was warned she could get "seriously sick". But Witherspoon insisted "it was so good".

Dentures, a clown costume and witchcraft paraphernalia were among items left behind at European hotels, said UPI. One hotel reported staff found thousands of old German Mark coins stashed behind the water tank of a toilet, with prosthetic limbs, a glass eye, a grandma's "lucky" tea cup, an inflatable boat, caviar and rosary beads among the other forgotten items at holiday venues. "We're pleased to see that our customers have been enjoying themselves," said a spokesperson for easyJet Holidays.

Chatbot swears for customer

A delivery company has disabled its artificial intelligence chatbot after a customer was able to make the bot swear and write a poem criticising the firm, noted Sky News. "I was getting so frustrated at all the things it couldn't do that I tried to find out what it actually could do - and that's when the chaos started," said Ashley Beauchamp of the DPD chatbot. The chatbot told him: "F*** yeah! I'll do my best to be as helpful as possible, even if it means swearing."

Barbie boosts pink car sales

Barbiemania has boosted sales of pink cars, said The Telegraph. After the summer blockbuster led to a rise in sales of pink handbags, trainers and cookware last year, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 210 pink vehicles were registered in the UK in 2023, reversing a lengthy decline in the colour. Pink cars were most likely to be bought in Berkshire, which made up around a tenth of all registrations.

A zoo in the US is offering the romantics of the world the chance to have a Madagascar hissing cockroach named after their Valentine. "You don't always have the right words, but you can still give them goosebumps, said the Bronx Zoo. "Name a Roach for your Valentine, because roaches are forever." Meanwhile, noted UPI, The San Antonio Zoo is offering a candle "bearing the scent of hippo poop" as a "potential Valentine's Gift for that special someone".

Porn boss offers 'self pleasure' breaks

An adult film company boss has made masturbation breaks a "permanent policy" for her 40 plus staff. The boss of Erika Lust Films said she is giving workers "an extra 30-minutes off every day to use for their self-pleasure routine", with a private room in the office known as "the masturbation station" to provide them with a "safe, comfortable space" for their personal break. "Not sure why people would need 30 minutes, but there you go," said Lad Bible.

Ye goes for Jaws look

Kanye West has fitted $850,000 titanium teeth implants in a new look he compared to Jaws, the James Bond villain. The hip hop star, also known as Ye, posted a photo to his Instagram account with his mouth wide open to show off his new metallic dentures. The Washington Post said the "technical term" for the fittings are "fixed prosthodontics". It added that this is "another massive stunt from the controversial producer and recording artist who is nearing the release of another album".

NHS Scotland has advised people to “walk like a penguin” to avoid falling in icy weather conditions, noted STV News. As an amber alert in place for snow was put in place in north-west Scotland and the Northern Isles, NHS Scotland said "penguins know best" and advised people to try a waddling, penguin-like gait while walking in the ice and snow because "NHS staff say adopting their stance is an effective way to move without falling".

New blow for UK's 'worst city'

A city that has frequently been named the "worst place to live in the UK" has received a new blow after it was also dubbed the nation's most unhealthy. According to a study, Peterborough is the most unhealthy in the country due to high rates of self-reported kidney and liver disease, diabetes and poor mental health. The city currently sits at the "bottom of the pile" of nice places to live, noted the Daily Star.

Snake on a plane

A live snake has been discovered on an AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket. The Blanford's bridle serpent was spied above the overhead compartments on the AirAsia Airbus A320 as the plane was preparing to land at Phuket airport. The snake was stowed safely until landing, according to local media. The snake "clearly went through airport security in someone's luggage with no issues", an expert told The Telegraph.

Scientists believe they have discovered why dogs wag their tails. The "mystery" of why dogs wag their tail so much has "long fascinated humans," said The Telegraph. Now, a team of animal experts, including from the Max Planck Institute for psycholinguistics and the University of Rome, has concluded that humans have "deliberately bred dogs that wag their tails because we find the rhythm of it soothing and enjoyable".

Man breaks coffee record

Many people have necked a morning coffee quickly but a German man took it to a new level when he downed a steaming cup of coffee in 3.12 seconds. Guinness World Records has announced that Felix von Meibom earned the title for fastest time to drink a cup of coffee. His time of 3.12 seconds "shaved" .05 seconds off the previous record, which was set by fellow German and "serial record-breaker" Andre Ortolf in 2021, said UPI.

Bride arrested in wedding dress

A Mexican bride appeared for a police mugshot in her wedding dress after being arrested for alleged extortion of chicken farmers. The bride was detained during her nuptials and accused of taking part in an extortion racket targeting poultry producers in the state of México, which borders Mexico City. The woman "didn't even make it into the church as officers ambushed the ceremony", said Sky News.

The "oldest ever dog" has lost his title as an investigation is launched by Guinness World Records. Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was said to have been 30 years and 268 days when he received the title last year. But armchair sleuths have wondered why photos purportedly of Bobi in his youth would show him with white paws when they were brown in his later years, noted Sky News.

Couple stunned by video discovery

An influencer and his wife were "stunned" after discovering a video of them in the same place taken 10 years before they met, said Unilad. YouTuber, Roman Atwood, said "basically there's a video of Brittney and I in the same place, at the same time, on camera in 1996 at a festival", even though neither knew who the other one was at the time. "That is LITERALLY mind blowing!!" remarked one commenter. "Y'all were really meant for each other," commented another fan.

Old goats 'put out to grass'

A seaside town's popular herd of goats is being "retired" and "put out to grass", said The Telegraph. For the past eight years, the herd of a dozen Bagot "mobile lawnmower" goats have wandered the cliffs at Cromer, looking out over the North Sea. But North Norfolk district council said the cost of veterinary checks means it has taken "a tough but sensible decision to retire our much-loved herd of Bagot goats from their council duties".

Two "alien mummies" that showed up in a Peruvian airport last October are not genuine extraterrestrials, it turns out. The curious characters were "shipped off for forensic analysis", said Metro, but Flavio Estrada, an archaeologist with Peru's Institute for Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, concluded that "they're not extraterrestrials" but rather "dolls made from animal bones from this planet joined together with modern synthetic glue".

Kentucky tourism board reaches out to ET

Come to Kentucky, the local tourist board has told aliens. VisitLEX used a modified infrared laser to send a "coded message" to the Trappist-1 system, which is 40 light years from Earth, noted The Times. The signal, which should reach its destination in 2063, includes "bucolic" pictures of Lexington, known as the horse capital of the world. It told any ETs thinking of paying a visit that the city has wide open spaces that are "perfect for landing a spacecraft".

Snake found in kid's underwear drawer

A mother discovered a venomous snake in her three-year-old's underwear drawer, noted UPI. Aussie snake catcher Mark Pelley, also known as The Snake Hunter, was called to a home where a woman found a five-foot eastern brown snake. He believed the serpent had hidden inside some clothes the mother had brought in from the clothesline the previous day, and ended up being placed in the drawer with the clothing.

A woman has said it was "super weird" when she realised she'd unknowingly married her cousin while pregnant. Marcella Hill explained she found out her husband was a blood relative while researching their respective family trees. LadBible said the couple "took the words 'keep the family close' a bit too seriously", but looking on the bright side, Hill explained that "when I go to my family reunion, he gets to go to his too — at the same time".

Chatty cockatiel found

The RSPCA is on the hunt to find the owner of a loquacious parrot found wandering down a street, reported the BBC. The male cockatiel was found to have an extensive vocabulary and an impressive repertoire of songs after being rescued near a bench in Bolton. "He sings 'If you're happy and you know it' and waits for you to clap, as well as a few other songs and phrases," said rescue officer, Helen Chapman.

Haribo breaks world record

Confectionary giant Haribo broke a Guinness World Record when it used its Goldbear gummy candies to build a 353.1-square-foot mosaic of the company's mascot. It took around 150,000 gummy bears to create the image of its mascot, Goldbear, in the gymnasium at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, noted UPI. "We hope this larger-than-life mosaic brings smiles to our fans' faces," said a spokesperson.

A woman said she was horrified after accidentally "washing her nan" in the washing machine, reported Lad Bible. While unloading her freshly laundered clothes, Brilley Coates, 30, spotted a small black bag at the bottom of the machine. She then realised it was a bag that contained her late grandmother's ashes. She said she was "massively confused as to how she got in there - she was meant to be in a drawer upstairs". She has blamed her cat, explaining that he "really is a menace".

Ancient pollen shows climate change killed King Kong

The real King Kong species was killed off by climate change, according to evidence from Chinese caves. The fictional creature "may be able to fight off Godzilla, climb the Empire State building and swat helicopters out of the sky", said The Telegraph, but "ancient pollen" shows his "real-life counterpart" was wiped out because "the climate was altering and the seasons were becoming more extreme and varied". They disappeared 215,000 years ago.

Man hopes to cash in on large Hula Hoop

A man who discovered the "world's longest Hula Hoops" crisp has put it up for sale on eBay. Adam Potter, 28, found the 4.72-inch crisp while having a snack at home in Birmingham. He said he only listed it for sale on eBay "as a bit of a laugh", but "bidding has already reached £4.20, which is more than a multipack of Hula Hoops", said The Mirror. Potter said whatever money he makes will be put into his small business. "I am hoping it will be a nice little cash injection," he said.

The Pope's controversial doctrinal chief has been accused of blasphemy after the rediscovery of a book he wrote 26 years ago praising "mystical orgasms". Víctor Manuel Fernández's book also depicts a "passionate encounter between Jesus and a young girl", said The Times. The chief is "currently at loggerheads" with traditional bishops after allowing the blessing of gay couples last month.

Woman's costly cocktail shock

A woman's New Year celebrations were "absolutely wrecked" after she mistakenly ordered an "extremely expensive drink", said the Daily Express. Lynsey Bennett, from Belfast, ordered a cocktail that she thought cost £18.90 while at a five-star hotel in London, England, only to "realise to her horror" it cost £1,890. She said her husband was "furious at me so he left the bar and left me there on my own to deal with it". The hotel agreed to waive the bill and Lynsey spent the rest of the night drinking with the hotel manager.

Punch bag record broken

An Indian martial artist broke a Guinness World Record when he spent 55 hours, 15 minutes punching a punch bag, reported UPI. Sidhu Kshetri, 42, was required by the rules to throw at least one punch every 2 seconds and was allowed a five-minute break per hour. "The pain started around the 20-hour mark," he said. "At that point, I reminded myself that it was a test of my limits. I believed that if I stayed emotionally strong, I could endure the pain."

A woman said she spotted an "angel" in the sky over a church, just moments before she won the lottery. Tracey Preston was leaving the church of St Endellion in Port Isaac, Cornwall, on New Year's Eve when she spotted clouds shaped like a giant angel reaching down towards her, she told Lad Bible. "When I got home that day, I had an email from the National Lottery saying I’d won £214," she said. "A good omen indeed."

Sun returns to Canadian town

A Canadian town has celebrated the return of the sun after 30 nights. The Inuvik sunrise festival in the Northwest Territories marks the return of the sun after more than 30 days of "polar nights and no official sunrise", said the BBC. A polar night, when the night lasts for more than 24 hours, is caused because Earth rotates on a titled axis, meaning there are periods where the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle are either completely exposed or obscured from the sun.

Trucker reunited with cat

A US trucker was reunited with his cat after the moggy fled from his vehicle during a pit stop at a truck stop in Nevada. Chad McIntyre said he often takes his cat, Tyler, on his long-haul drives. "It's nice that he's lying there in the passenger seat, and yeah, he doesn't talk back, but it's nice to have somebody, something to talk to," he told Fox 13. The missing cat was discovered 670 miles away and identified through his microchip.

A mouse has been filmed tidying up a man's shed every night, reported the BBC. After repeatedly discovering that things had been "mysteriously tidied" overnight, retired postman Rodney Holbrook set up a night vision camera. The resultant footage showed a mouse picking up clothes pegs, corks, nuts and bolts and sorting them into order. "I don't bother to tidy up now," he said.

Historic spider found down under

The largest male example of the world's most venomous spider has been discovered in Australia. The lethal Sydney funnel-web spider was found on the Central Coast, north of Sydney, and now lives at the Australian Reptile Park. "It is unreal to see him, reptile park spider keeper Emma Teni told the Sydney Morning Herald, "words cannot explain how unreal it is". The spider will be used in an antivenom programme.

Old stripper performed at funeral

Britain's oldest male stripper said that the oddest gig he has ever been hired for was a 250-person funeral. Mike Stratton, 55, started stripping in 1986. He runs his own stripper agency and has no plans to slow down as he's still "receiving bookings and wowing crowds", said Metro. "If you met and talked to me, you wouldn’t think I was a 55-year-old man," he insisted. "In my head, I'm still 25 and I'll do my best to act it."

A US couple whose dog ate an envelope filled with $4,000 cash said they were able to salvage $3,550 but only after some unpleasant work. Clayton Law said he left an envelope filled with $4,000 in $100 and $50 bills on the kitchen counter for workers who were installing a fence. After Cecil, a seven-year-old goldendoodle, ate the cash, the couple were able to retrieve some bills when he vomited, but saving more money involved "a lot of waiting and a whole lot of very dirty work", said UPI.

Football club sorry over colours gaffe

Sunderland AFC has apologised to its fans after a stadium bar was decorated in the colours of its local rivals, just days before the teams meet in the FA Cup. The club has admitted it made a "serious error in judgement" after banners saying "Keep the Black and White Flying High" and "We are United" were hung at the Stadium of Light, ahead of Saturday's tie against Newcastle United. The Championship club said sorry to fans for "the understandable concern they have fairly voiced", noted Sky News.

Art critic 'demanded bribes'

An eminent art critic demanded gifts from artists whose work he was writing about, claimed an author. Julian Barnes has "stirred up an artistic hornets' nest" with his claims that David Sylvester, who died in 2001, expected two pieces from each artist, said the Daily Mail. But this has "infuriated" Sylvester's daughters, Xanthe and Naomi, who described Lucian Freud, who started the rumour, as a malicious gossip who was probably "p***** off" by their father's honesty.

A 13-year-old Tetris "fanatic" has become the first person to beat the game, said The Times. For "almost 40 years" gamers have been "trying to arrange falling bricks into the perfect position", said the paper, but it took Willis Gibson, known as Blue Scuti, to beat the game. "Oh my God, yes," he said when he realised he'd won. "I'm gonna pass out. I can't feel my fingers. I can't feel my hands."

Has Nostradamus' prediction come true?

One of Nostradamus's 2024 predictions has already come true, claim his followers. Some of his predictions for 2024 include King Charles III abdicating the throne, a naval battle and a new pope. He also wrote that "the dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen". "Followers of the psychic reckon the Frenchman was referring to the earthquake that shook Japan on 1 January", said Lad Bible.

'Off-grid' island job ad

The owners of an "off-grid" Welsh island are on the hunt for two wardens to live and work there. The pair who land the gig on Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) off the coast of the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales will enjoy perks including one boat trip to the mainland per month. They will be paid £11.44 per hour. The island, which measures 0.69 square miles, has a population of 11 and is said to be the burial site of mythical wizard Merlin, noted Sky News.

A US couple has welcomed twins who were born not only on different days, but in different years. Ezra Humphrey was born at 11:48pm on 31 December at a hospital in Voorhees, but his fraternal twin Ezekiel emerged at 12:28am on 1 January. Their father, Billy Humphrey, wrote on Instagram that his newborn sons are "so special, they couldn't even share being born in the same year."

Pub bans flute glass for kid

A pub refused to serve a five-year-old girl apple juice in a champagne flute because it “encourages alcohol”, reported The Telegraph. When a couple and their daughter were dining in the restaurant at the Old Bull & Bush in north London on New Year's Eve, they wanted to clink their glasses and asked a waiter for apple juice to be served in one too so their daughter could join in. But they were told "it could encourage her to drink alcohol and it's not a great look".

Confusion over medieval cemetery

A "rare, early medieval cemetery" has been discovered in Wales and has left archaeologists "scratching their heads", said the BBC. The site, which is thought to date to the 6th or 7th Century, includes "well preserved skeletons" that have been "found lying in unusual positions", said the broadcaster. Unexpected artefacts are also emerging from the site. "What exactly is going on?" wondered Tudur Davies, from the University of Cardiff.

Baba Vanga, known as the "Nostradamus of the Balkans", made "terrifying predictions" for 2024, said Unilad. Having foretold the September 11 terrorist attacks, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Chernobyl disaster, for 2024 the late mystic predicted biological weapons and increased terrorist attacks, more terrifying weather events, and an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin.

Rats cause car breakdowns

Breakdowns caused by animals making their way inside vehicles have reached record levels. Rats are responsible for "most of the mischief", said Sky News, as the RAC was called out to 303 incidents of animal damage in the first 11 months of 2023, more than the same period during any other year on record. Rats are "often found gnawing away at fuel hoses, infesting engine bays and breaking headlights", said the outlet.

Lost wallet found 65 years late

A wallet lost at an Atlanta cinema has been found 65 years later, reported UPI. A contractor working on renovations found the old wallet behind a wall at the Plaza Theater and handed it to the venue's owner, who checked online and discovered the wallet's owner, Floy Culbreth, died at age 87 in 2005. But he was able to contact her daughter, Thea Culbreth Chamberlain, 71.

1. Trump wins key primary

The race for the Republican nomination is "all but over", said the BBC, after Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary. It is a highly significant victory for the former president and puts him in pole position to become the party's candidate in November's White House election. Joe Biden said it was "clear" Donald Trump would be the 2024 Republican nominee and warned that "the stakes could not be higher".

Why is Donald Trump so appealing to American voters?

2. Tory calls for Sunak exit

A Tory MP said the party must replace Rishi Sunak as prime minister or be "massacred" in the general election. Writing for The Telegraph, former cabinet secretary Sir Simon Clarke said the Conservatives have "lost key voters" and need a leader who "shares the instincts of the majority". But Priti Patel accused Clarke of "facile and divisive self indulgence" and backbench Tories "used WhatsApp groups to attack the former levelling-up secretary", said The Times.

Who will win the next general election? The odds and polls

3. Army chief warns UK public

The head of the Army is to "warn that the British public will be called up to fight if the UK goes to war", claimed The Telegraph. In a speech later, General Sir Patrick Sanders will say the government will need to "mobilise the nation" if there is a war with Russia. Gen Sir Patrick has been "openly critical of troop cuts" and believes there should be a "shift" in the mindset of regular British people, where they "think more like troops". But the paper understands he does not support conscription.

Pros and cons of national service

4. UN warns Israel

Israel's "clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution" is unacceptable, said the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Speaking at a meeting in New York, he said that the denial of a Palestinian state will embolden extremists everywhere and indefinitely extend the fighting. Meanwhile, the Israeli army says its ground forces have encircled Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's largest city. More than 25,400 Palestinians have been killed, said the Gaza health ministry.

Pros and cons of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians

5. Student killer to be sentenced

Prosecutors have accepted a plea of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility from Valdo Calocane who fatally stabbed students Grace O'Malley Kumar and Barnaby Webber before stabbing to death another man, Ian Coates, and attempting to kill three others. The mother of Barnaby Webber tells The Sun she has "utter rage and pure hatred" for Calocane, who will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court later.

6. New storm arrives

Storm Jocelyn has arrived in the UK with a gust of 76mph recorded in Aberdaron, Wales. Thousands of homes have been affected by power cuts, and parts of York have been flooded. The disruption comes days after Storm Isha caused chaos and left at least two people dead. The main driver for storms is a "powerful jet stream", or fast moving winds high in the atmosphere, which "meanders west to east across the Atlantic", said the BBC.

7. 'Prolonged' Red Sea warning

Experts have warned that the UK should "brace itself for a prolonged period of military action in the Red Sea", said the i news site. Rishi Sunak told MPs that he could not rule out a "prolonged and persistent" campaign to protect civilian shipping in the region and Transport Secretary Mark Harper has warned that "things may get more tricky before they get better" in the Red Sea.

The maritime choke points threatening supply chains across the world

8. Fox lukewarm on Trump

Fox News won't support Donald Trump as aggressively as before, insiders have told the i news site. Bosses at the channel would "reluctantly" get behind Trump in the race for the White House but they are "secretly hoping" he won’t succeed in getting his name on the ballot, according to the sources. Rupert Murdoch "famously infuriated" Trump by phoning him to tell him he had lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, recalled the paper. The 92-year-old retains influence at the channel, despite standing aside.

Fox News: the high price of peddling lies

9. Delays cause 'tax on wax'

An NHS "postcode lottery" means people with ear wax issues are being left with hearing loss and social isolation, according to a charity. The RNID found that ear wax removal services have declined so dramatically that 9.8m people in England now cannot access help on the NHS, forcing some to pay a "tax on wax" for private treatment. It said wax buildup "can cause painful and distressing symptoms – such as hearing loss, tinnitus and earache".

10. Doomsday Clock warning

The Doomsday Clock has remained at 90 seconds to midnight for a second successive year after experts warned that "humanity continues to face an unprecedented level of danger". Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists which decides the setting, said that "resetting the clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable". Founded in 1945, the Bulletin "attempts to educate people on potentially world-ending dangers", said The Guardian.

What is the Doomsday Clock and what time is it set to now?

A grandmother who charges her family for their Christmas dinner has raised the price for 2023, noted Lad Bible. For the past six years, Caroline Duddridge from Cardiff has been insisting that her guests cover the cost of the meal. "Obviously there were a few moans and grumbles saying 'I've got a few children'," she said, "but at the end of the day that's not my problem really, is it?" This year, she said she has got "a bit of stick" after putting up prices by £2. 

King 'hasn't got sausage fingers'

Royal watchers are "hanging out the bunting" after "King Chas III" announced that his son Wills "does not have ginormous sausage fingers", said the Daily Star. William was filmed closing a small clasp that held a lavish robe around his regal father during coronation rehearsals. “On the day, that’s not going to go in," quipped William, making his father laugh. “No, you haven’t got sausage fingers like mine," replied the monarch.

Santa Claus' reindeers get US clearance

Santa Claus and his deer have been given clearance by the US Department of Agriculture to enter the US. The government department said its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a transit permit "to Mr. S. Nicholas Claus of the North Pole, a distributor with Gifts and Good Cheer, Inc". Last week, Santa Claus was granted official permission by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to enter Irish airspace, noted the Daily Mail.

Doctors have warned of an increased risk of penile fractures over Christmas, Sky News reported. Urologists at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, said the awkward sexual injuries, which are heralded by an audible crack, increased during the festive period: "If every day was like Christmas, 43% more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 onwards," they observed. 

Missing dog found after six years

A dog which escaped from her new family within 24 hours of being adopted was found after living on her own in the woods for more than six years, UPI reported. After dog rescuers were alerted to a stray in Crawley Down, West Sussex, they identified her. The family who originally adopted Rose are unable to take her back so she will now be cared for by Last Chance Animal Rescue and will be available for adoption soon.

Old video games could sell for a 'cool million'

A collection of old video games from the stock room of a shop that closed in the 1990s may sell for $1 million after they were discovered in a storage unit in Nebraska. Among the treasures of the collection are "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", "Street Fighter II: Champion Edition", and a role-playing game called "Chrono Trigger", from 1995, The Times reported. An auctioneer has offered $500,000 for all the games, but the owner said: "If you want to buy it and have a cool million dollars, by all means." 

A woman flummoxed by her neighbour's strange behaviour that saw him act kindly toward her one day and cold the next has solved the mystery. She said the man would seem "very friendly" but then "scowled" at her as they passed each other in the street, and his dog also seemed more aggressive on some days. The conundrum was solved when she found out she lived next to twins, noted The Mirror. "I legitimately thought they were the same person and the same dog for 2.5 years, folks," she wrote on Reddit.

Old Christmas tree sold for thousands

A 103-year-old artificial Christmas tree has been auctioned for more than $4,000. Hansons Auctioneers said the 2.5-foot-tall tree, described as the "humblest Christmas tree in the world," went for $4,296.13. The tree was one of the first Christmas trees to be mass produced. It was brought to Dorothy Grant's family home when she was eight years old in 1920 and it became a "staple of her holidays" for her entire life until her death at the age of 101, noted UPI.

Boy aims for long-term record

A Scottish schoolboy is working to break a world record for running but he will be 62 before he can realise his ambition. Seb Jellema, 11, wants to beat the record set by runner Ron Hill, who ran every single day for 52 years and 39 days. Since the beginning of the year, he has run at least 3km (1.9 miles) every day, even on school trips, a ski holiday and in "sweltering heat in France", said the BBC. So far Jellema has run 13,000km (808 miles).

A "biblical" plague of toads, frogs and tadpoles "wreaked havoc" in Honduras, even causing a "multi-car pile-up", said Metro. The amphibians "took over the streets and homes of Choloma" after heavy rain fell in the area, said the paper. A pick-up truck lost control on the "slime left behind" and caused a pile-up involving at least five vehicles, including a tanker, two lorries and a motorbike that was "left burnt to a crisp", said the outlet.

Pencil snapping record broken

The regular world record-breaker, David Rush, has added another gong to his name by snapping 63 pencils in half in 30 seconds, reported UPI. The American, who previously broke the record for snapping pencils in one minute, said he initially found it difficult to break even 50 pencils in the 30-second time period, but "day by day, I could feel myself getting stronger". He has broken over 250 world records.

New recall notice

A recall notice has been issued after small rubber balls were found in tins of baked beans sold at Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco. The Food Standards Agency is telling anyone who has bought any of the affected products to "not eat them", noted Sky News. The news comes days after Tesco is recalled a Christmas stuffing product because it might contain moths.

A woman who bought a glass vase for $3.99 at a local charity shop is chuffed after the item was auctioned off for more than $100,000. After Jessica Vincent bought the item at a Goodwill thrift store in Virginia, she suspected it might have been worth a little more than was usual, she told the New York Times. "I had a sense that it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece, but I had no clue how good it actually was until I did a little bit more research," she said.

Weird Uber Eats orders revealed

Steak and jelly was among the curious combinations Americans requested on Uber Eats this year, reported Fox News. Other unorthodox orders have included combinations like seaweed and pasta sauce, gobs of wild Gushers, or indulgences like lobster tail with apple-infused whiskey, said a senior data scientist Marco Vita. The delivery app also saw a decline in rosé orders and a spike in Plan B contraceptives.

Owl found in Christmas tree

A family were surprised when they found a baby owl living in their Christmas tree.  The bird had spent four days hidden in the tree in the family home before it was discovered by the White family of Lexington, Kentucky. A carpet cleaner, Bobby Hayes, safely released the owl in the family's back garden, noted Sky News. Meanwhile, a Texas woman found an opossum in her festive tree.

A café owner said she was forced to close her business after neighbours complained about noise from "clinking teacups", reported The Telegraph. Emma Ayles said she was "heartbroken" after planning officials told her to leave the Caddy Shack Cafe in Weymouth, Dorset, just weeks before Christmas. Three locals had opposed the business on "noise and odour" grounds with complaints made about the "smell of bacon" and "of hearing teaspoons and teacups".

After School Satan Club goes ahead

An After School Satan Club in Tennessee will go ahead despite opposition from faith and education leaders. Around 40 members of the faith community joined leaders at Memphis-Shelby County Schools to criticise the planned club, which is run by The Satanic Temple. The After School Satan Club is a "federally recognised" non-profit organisation and national after-school program with "local chapters across the US", said Sky News. But local pastor Althea Greene refused to accept its legitimacy. "Satan has no room in this district," she said.

Weirdest records revealed

The 10 oddest Guinness World Records of the year include the most skips by a cat in a minute, the most people eating a single piece of spaghetti simultaneously, and loudest burp (female), said UPI. Given that Guinness World Records keeps a database of more than 40,000 records, it "shouldn't come as any surprise that the titles can veer quite a bit further into the realm of the odd than the world's largest grilled cheese sandwich", said the outlet. As if to prove the point, another of the 10 was fastest time to assemble Mr. Potato Head (blindfolded).

Doritos is to launch a Nacho Cheese flavoured alcoholic drink that tastes like crisps, said Sky News. The US brand said the drink will "smell and taste just like the real thing", thanks to a partnership with a drinks company. Doritos is "all about disrupting culture and bringing our fans unexpected, bold experiences", said Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing. The limited-release 42% alcohol will be made by using real crisps and extracting their "essence through vacuum distillation".

Pensioner accused in 'pasty wars'

A pensioner had his mobility scooter seized after he allegedly fought and knocked over a man for "buying the last pasty" at the local bakery. The accused was spotted on camera as he appeared to pursue the customer, brandishing his walking stick in what has been described as Devon's "pasty wars", said The Telegraph. "Shocked witnesses" said that the man took his anger out on those around him.

Nutcracker home from space

The first nutcracker to visit space has returned to his maker in Germany in time for Christmas after circling the planet 5,573 times on board the International Space Station. Wilhelm, who is "made of wood like all good nutcrackers", was packed in a contamination-proof cleanroom and launched on a SpaceX cargo capsule bound for the ISS in August 2021, said The Times. 

A painting found in an Oxfam charity shop has fetched £25,000 at auction, reported The Telegraph. The unwanted impressionist painting by 20th century British painter Henry Scott Tuke of a nude figure had been donated with several other unknown and unvalued artworks to the Oxfam shop in Stamford, East Midlands. A leading auctioneer noted the back story of the piece and the proceeds from the sale are expected to go mainly to Oxfam.

Psychics predict Harry woe

A medium has predicted that Prince Harry will lose his royal roles, but it will not be King Charles III that strips him of them. Craig Hamilton-Parker claimed the Duke of Sussex will soon lose out on his royal privileges – with the government potentially playing a part in the drama. On a YouTube livestream, his fellow psychic Jane Hamilton-Parker hinted at an "inner circle" threatening Harry, noted the Daily Star.

Snake in drawer shocks family

A US family made a "shocking discovery" on their houseboat in the form of a snake hiding in a sock drawer, reported UPI. The family said they were on their boat in Florida when they opened a sock drawer and found a yellow Eastern rat snake staring back at them. A friend who agreed to capture the snake ended up with a bite on his hand, but the injury was not serious. The non-venomous snake was relocated to its natural habitat.

Christmas work parties give millions of people sleepless nights, said the Daily Star. One in four of us "lies awake worrying over what we did or fear we're about to do" at the annual office bash, said the tabloid. A separate study, by Premier Inn, found that nearly three-quarters of workers believed office parties were a "hotspot" for gaffes such as insulting the boss, throwing up and inappropriate smooching.

'Clanking cowbells' clash in Swiss village

Villagers in Switzerland have launched a campaign to maintain the tradition of "clanking cowbells" after two couples complained about the noise at night, said The Times. The newcomers had asked authorities earlier this year to make a farmer remove the bells from his herd of 15 cows while they grazed overnight on a field next to a residential area, but a third of voters in the village of Aarwangen "rose up" to demand a local vote to protect the traditional use of bells.

Ring mystery solved at Ritz

A guest at the Ritz in Paris who thought hotel staff had stolen a £637,000 diamond ring will be reunited with her jewellery after it was found in a vacuum cleaner, said Sky News. A Malaysian guest had filed a police complaint on Friday, but the ring was found on Sunday. "Thanks to meticulous searches by security agents at the Ritz Paris, the ring was found this morning in a vacuum cleaner bag," said the hotel in a statement, adding that "our client is happy at the news".

Italians are "aghast" at a range of pizza toppings from around the world which have been described as a "gallery of horrors". The "crimes against Italian culinary protocol" include pizzas "adorned with kangaroo and crocodile meat from Australia", with "zebra meat and banana from South Africa", and with "tandoori yoghurt chicken from India", said The Telegraph.

'Frenzy' for donuts in France

A "French frenzy" has seen Parisians queue overnight for a "first bite" of Krispy Kreme donuts, said The Times. The American chain opened its first outlet in France in a former bistro. The launch was marked by "frenzied scenes" which underlined the impact of American brands on "the land of croissants and pains au chocolat", said the paper. A boss said he thought he "was going to be attacked" when he turned latecomers away to close the store at 10pm.

Final dinosaur meal revealed

Scientists said the last meal of a 75-million-year-old tyrannosaur was two baby dinosaurs. The experts said the revelation is "solid evidence that tyrannosaurs drastically changed their diet as they grew up," said Dr Darla Zelenitsky, from the University of Calgary. "We now know that these teenage [tyrannosaurs] hunted small, young dinosaurs," said Dr Zelenitsky, in the journal Science Advances.

A group of tourists fell in a Venice canal when their gondola capsized after they ignored orders to stop taking selfies, according to reports. The gondolier "shouted at them to sit down and stay still" as he tried to manoeuvre under a bridge, said Sky News, but they "apparently ignored him" and all the weight ended up on one side, capsizing the boat and "flipping them into the cold canal". The gondolier rescued all of them and they were given a warm place to dry off.

Santa tells King he's been a good boy

Father Christmas had told the King that he was "at the very top of his good list", reported The Telegraph. The monarch was "mobbed by scores of shoppers" who snapped pictures on their smartphones when he made an unannounced visit to a London shopping centre. The Santa, real name Keith Flaherty, said afterwards: "I told him that he was at the top of Santa's very good list and he said: 'Really?' and sounded delighted."

Goats rescued from mountain

Emergency services in Tennessee came to the rescue of four goats who had been stranded on a mountain ledge for nearly two weeks. Waldens Ridge Emergency Service said that crews were summoned to the east brow of Signal Mountain to rescue the animals. "Although our main priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of humans, we recognize the importance of helping our community in unique situations like these," the rescuers wrote on Facebook.

A doomsday community is on the lookout for residents to live in its 575 bunkers which can fit up to 10,000 people, noted Absolutely Business. A former army base in the Black Hills mountain range in South Dakota has been transformed into liveable bunkers aimed at providing an "epic humanitarian survival project". An organiser said members of the group are not "preppers" or the "elite", but "well-educated, average people" who want to protect their families during uncertain times.

Edible Chalomet unveiled

A six-foot-tall chocolate statue of Timothée Chalomet as "Wonka" has been unveiled in London. The "beautiful statue" is "not only carefully crafted", but also "100 per cent edible chocolate", said Inside Edition. Everything from the top hat to the cane to each individual button is cacao-based. The statue of the Hollywood heartthrob  measures six feet two inches.

Cyclist breaks hands-free record

A Canadian cyclist took a nearly 81-mile ride on his bike without using his hands to grab a new Guinness World Record, reported UPI. Robert Murray secured the title for greatest distance cycled (no hands) when he rode 80.95 miles in a time of five hours and 37 minutes. "Personally, I find it to be a more comfortable position to be in rather than hunched over," he said, adding that he can "text, change the song, get anything out of my backpack all while riding my bike".

A crematorium worker in Brazil got a "shocking surprise" after finding a 90-year-old woman still alive inside a body bag after she was pronounced dead, said Fox News. Just hours after hospital staff pronounced Norma Silveira da Silva dead, she was placed into a body bag and sent to the morgue for preservation. She was later found to be alive, despite spending almost two hours inside a sealed morgue bag and "almost suffocating to death".

Aussie duo break pub crawl record

Two Australian men broke a Guinness World Record by going on a pub crawl that took them to an impressive 99 different bars over the course of 24 hours. Harry Kooros and Jake Loiterton, both 26, sank drinks at 99 Sydney bars to claim the title from South African man Heinrich de Villiers, who visited 78 pubs in 24 hours last year. Although they did not have an alcoholic drink at every bar, Kooros vomited two hours into the crawl, noted UPI.

Walsall's Christmas woe

Walsall's Christmas display could be the "worst in Britain", said The Telegraph. The "pitiful festive décor" in the West Midlands town is a tree that is "almost indecently naked", its "saving grace a string of fairy lights", added the paper. "There is not a bauble nor a scrap of tinsel in sight." As if "in embarrassment at its denuded appearance", the tree "seems to list a little to one side", it added. The local council said the decoration was "consistent with the offer in previous years".

The world's "smelliest cheese", is set to "add a pungent pong to cheeseboards this festive season", said The Times. Made in the north of Scotland, the smelly brie-style cheese, called Minger, will go on sale in 54 of Asda's Scottish stores. A spokesman for the manufacturer said the cheese "has this exotic aroma on the nose of old feet", adding that he has "always been a big fan of … unctuous, gooey, meaty, smelly cheese".

Welsh street sign slip-up

Motorists have been warned against "belching" after a council in Wales spelt Welsh street signs wrong. In English, the bilingual sign on the high street of Caerleon, in Newport, warns motorists of a "cycle route crossing", but those reading it in Welsh are instead alerted to the existence of a "belching path crossing". The "blunder" has been caused by just one incorrect letter, which alters the meaning from "cycling" (beicio) to"belching" (belcio), noted The Telegraph.

British Museum butt of the joke

A "terrible year" for the British Museum has ended with it becoming the punchline in a Christmas cracker joke, noted The Guardian. The institution's "annus horribilis" has been "topped off" with a joke written by Chris Douch from Oxfordshire, for a contest run by TV channel Gold. It goes: "Did you hear about the Christmas cake on display in the British Museum? It was Stollen."

A British GP called Alistair Bush has won a mullet of the year competition. Having grabbed the hairy honour, the "appropriately named" victor is now expected to shave off his locks, said The Telegraph. He had always "sported a short back and sides haircut" until the Covid lockdown, said the paper, and "while others resorted to cutting their own hair or dashed to a barbers as soon as restrictions were lifted", he "decided to keep going".

Sixtieth time lucky for learner driver

A learner driver who failed the theory test 59 times before finally passing has been praised for their "amazing" commitment. The unnamed learner dropped £1,380 and around 60 hours on the process, more than another learner in Hull, who failed a comparatively mere 57 tests. Government data shows that the pass rate for theory tests has fallen from 65% in 2007-2008 to 44% in 2022-2023. The AA told the BBC that "revision is key to success".

Unexploded bomb in couple's garden

A couple who kept an unexploded bomb as a garden ornament said they were ready to "go out with our home and everything in it" when a bomb disposal unit told them it needed to be moved. Jeffrey and Sian Edwards from Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire had kept the "19th-century relic" outside their home since 1982, assuming it was a dummy with no charge, Sky News reported. "I told the bomb squad 'if you evacuate the street the wife and I are not leaving our home – we're staying here'," said Jeffrey. It was removed and safely detonated. 

A man in Florida has built a collection of 2,467 copies of 1997 film "Titanic" on VHS and he hopes to ultimately collect one million copies. The collector "scours thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales" for VHS copies of Leonardo DiCaprio epic, and social media followers have posted him tapes from all over the world. "I go to sleep thinking about Titanic, and I wake up thinking about Titanic," he told WFTS Tampa Bay.

Witness points finger at juror

A robbery suspect has walked free from court after a witness claimed a male juror looked like the culprit instead. Francis McGuire, 39, was accused of targeting homes across Scotland, taking £60,000 worth of valuables. But the case against him collapsed when a witness whose house was broken into said a juror resembled one of three masked men who threatened him. The moment "sparked baffled looks" in the court, said The Telegraph.

Tortoise 'world's oldest animal'

A tortoise named Jonathan has celebrated his 191st birthday on the island of St. Helena, cementing his status as the world's oldest animal. Although his exact age is unknown, he was at least 50 years old when he was brought to the island from the Seychelles in 1882, making him at least 191 years old, and possibly much older, said Guinness World Records. "In spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen," said veterinarian, Joe Hollins.

Two elderly thieves may wonder why they bothered after they stole a businessman's shopping from the back of his car. Ian Russell said an "old couple" was seen taking his carrier bags out of the boot in the car park of the Crown pub in Bridgnorth, Shropshire last weekend. However, revealed the Shropshire Star, the stolen bags contained an extra large box of medicine used to help in the recovery from diarrhoea. Addressing the thieves, Russell said: "I sincerely hope that you need the large box of Diarolyte more than me."

Boy launches nerd petition

A 10-year-old boy has called on Apple to change its "insulting" nerd emoji. Emojis have become a "staple of daily conversations", said The Times, but the boy, who has launched a petition, said the nerd emoji gives the wrong ­impression of spectacle-wearers. "I didn't like the name or the design so I decided eventually in a geography lesson that I would finally take action," said Teddy Cottle, from Oxfordshire.

Indian woman wins hair record

A 46-year-old Indian woman earned a world record when her "tremendous tresses" were measured at seven feet and nine inches long, said UPI. Smita Srivastava of Uttar Pradesh, who was awarded the Guinness World Records title for longest hair on a living person, hasn't had a haircut since she was 14. "In Indian culture, goddesses traditionally had very long hair," she said. "Long hair enhances the beauty of women."

Dutch people will be putting pancakes on their heads today, said Sky News. Each year, on 29 November, Netherlands residents put pancakes on their heads and say: "We wish you a happy and blessed Saint Pancake (Sint Pannekoek)!" The tradition began in 1986, thanks to a cartoon by the artist Jan Kruis, in which a father comes home in the evening to find his family wearing pancakes on their heads.

Spider eggs toe story 'implausible'

A man's story that a wolf spider laid eggs in his toe while he was on holiday has been questioned by experts. Colin Blake was marking his 35th wedding anniversary in France when his toe turned purple overnight. The ship's doctor told him that the swelling had been caused by a wolf spider but an arachnologist has said wolf spiders were incapable of laying their eggs inside humans. The British Arachnological Society also called the story "implausible", noted the BBC.

Two-hour waste search for lost ring

Sanitation workers in the US dug through 20 tons of waste to locate a resident's lost wedding ring, reported UPI. Windham General Services received a call from a town selectman, who put him in touch with a resident whose wedding ring had accidentally been put out with the rubbish. A spokesman said his colleagues had to dig through 12 feet of rubbish bags for two hours to reach the right bag.

A man had chopsticks shoved up his nose and lodged into his brain for five months but had no idea. The man from Vietnam was rushed to the emergency room after suffering with severe headaches, fluid discharge and loss of vision, and medics carried out a CT scan. They discovered broken chopsticks that were penetrating into his skull from the nose. Relatives believe the chopsticks must have found their way up his nose when he was involved in a fight months earlier, reported It's Vietnam.

M&S 'Spanish' croquettes row

Marks and Spencer has caused a cultural appropriation row over its "Spanish" croquettes, said The Telegraph. There was uproar when the chain launched the "Spanish chorizo paella croquetas" in its posh "collection" range, claiming they are "handmade in Spain". But fuming critics, including the British ambassador to Spain, described the dish as "wrong on every level". Simon Hunter, a journalist based in Madrid, posted a picture of the M&S product on social media, with the caption: "NO NO NO."

'Most dangerous rock' arrives in UK

Segments from the asteroid described as "the most dangerous rock in the Solar System" have arrived in the UK for study, reported the BBC. The tiny fragments of rock and dust from the object known as Bennu will be subjected to a battery of tests at museums and universities. The Natural History Museum's Prof Sara Russell described it as "one hundred milligrams of beautiful".

A white Easter is more likely than a white Christmas, according to weather experts. Forecasting the weather in December is "actually really tricky", BBC weather forecaster Simon King told The Telegraph. "As for a white Christmas, sorry, it's still too early to predict that." He added that "it's more likely to snow at Easter than it is at Christmas". Statistically, snow is more likely to fall in January, February and March than in December. 

'Super pigs' could 'invade' US

US experts believe that a soaring number of "super pigs" could invade northern states. The "super pig" has been described as an "ecological train wreck", and Canadian professor Ryan Brook said they are the "most invasive animal on the planet". Methods to stop them could include ground traps, said Sky News, like the so-called "BoarBuster" or net guns fired from helicopters.

Woman threatens to urinate in plane aisle

A woman caused fellow plane passengers to scream when she pulled down her clothes and threatened to urinate in the aisle. Videos circulating online shows the woman apologising to fellow passengers after staff reportedly didn't allow her to use the facilities. She said "sorry everybody" before she pulled down her leggings and began to squat, leading to uproar among passengers around her. "Thankfully", said Metro, "it appears she didn’t urinate on the plane floor, and she swiftly pulled her leggings back on".

Doctors found a live fly inside a man’s intestines during a colonoscopy, reported Metro. The patient had gone for a routine colon cancer screening in Missouri, US, this year, when medics came across the fly. The doctors, from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, said the case represents a "very rare colonoscopic finding" and it is a "mystery" how the intact fly "found its way to the transverse colon".

'Wonky' Christmas tree divides town

A "wonky" Christmas tree in a town has divided residents said the BBC. The tree, which is about 30ft (9m) high, has a "pronounced lean" at the top and sits on Market Place, in the Cambridgeshire town of March. "The Italians have got the leaning tower of Pisa - March has now got the leaning tree of Christmas," said a local resident. Another local called it "embarrassing" but others said critics were determined to "kill the spirit of Christmas", noted Sky News.

Queen makes reading 'sexy'

Queen Camilla makes reading “sexy”, said a former Booker winner. Ben Okri, a poet and novelist whose book "The Famished Road" won the Booker Prize in 1991, said: "She sets a very good public example, she makes reading sexy, and makes it appealing to the public, and makes it something that you ought to do." The Queen hosted authors shortlisted for the Booker Prize – and was given the trophy for "safe keeping", said The Telegraph.

Dame Judi Dench has admitted that she accidentally video called her James Bond co-star Ben Whishaw from the bathtub. The actress said she meant to send a message to her friend Chris Logan for his birthday. "I pressed something and said 'Chris, happy happy' and I just saw these two people," she said. "Well, it was FaceTiming them." She insisted that her phone is "anathema" and she "doesn't know what buttons are for", noted The Telegraph.

American billionaire claims he faces prejudice for being white and rich

Jim Irsay, owner of the American football team the Indianapolis Colts, has claimed his 2014 arrest for driving under the influence was a result of prejudice against him for being white and rich. "I am prejudiced against because I’m a rich, white billionaire," Irsay told Andrea Kremer on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. “If I’m just the average guy down the block, they’re not pulling me in, of course not.” Asked by Kremer how he thinks it sounds for a white billionaire to claim that he’s a victim of prejudice, Irsay replied: "I don’t care what it sounds like. It’s the truth." 

Man wins word count record

A man from Jordan has earned a Guinness World Record for the fastest time to mentally count letters in 10 sentences. Mohammad Sayaheen, 51, counted the number of letters in 10 sentences in 35.5 seconds, reported UPI. "I don't need any warm-up; I can instantly do these calculations first thing in the morning," he told Guinness World Record officials.

A woman in New Zealand got a call from cops after she was seen driving with a clump of hair hanging out of the boot of her car. Sophie Milne, 26, of Christchurch, said she hadn't realised the hair, from a mannequin, was hanging out from her car until she was called by police. The hair belonged to "Cher", said Stuff, a model that Milne had used for hairdressing training.  

Fighter keeps his ear in jar

A man has revealed that he keeps his own ear in a pickle jar after it was bitten off in a brutal UK "fight club". After Alex Etherington lost "a chunk of his ear" in a fight, he went to hospital to try and have it reattached, but was told this was not possible, so "now it lives on a shelf in his kitchen", LadBible reported. "It's in a jar of alcohol solution," the fighter said.

'Oz' markings to be scrapped

"Wiggly" road markings in Somerset that were likened to a scene from "The Wizard of Oz" are set to be scrapped in a "£1.5 million council blunder", said The Telegraph. The weaving lines along the Victorian seafront of Clevedon were meant to slow down traffic, but met with opposition from residents who accused officials of creating a "Balamory from hell". The "controversial changes" look set to be "scrapped altogether", said the paper. 

A US woman with two uteruses is pregnant with one twin in each womb, Fox News reported. "I was having some minor complications that led us to set up an OB appointment, and upon examination and ultrasound, they discovered it," she said, adding that "all I could do was laugh". She said she called her husband and "he and I just laughed together". The odds of any woman having this type of pregnancy is about one in 50 million, the outlet noted. 

Indian honoured for extra teeth

A 26-year-old woman from India has landed a Guinness World Record for the number of teeth in her mouth: 38. Kalpana Balan has six more gnashers than the average adult, earning her the record for the most teeth in a person's mouth (female). Her "extra chompers", known as supernumerary teeth, said UPI, started growing in when she was a teenager, and she initially was going to have them removed, but dentists told her she should wait.

Lottery winner grabs pool medal

A man who bought a pool table after winning the lottery has won a medal at the European Championships. Neil Jones was called up to the England team after "thousands" of hours of practice on the table. He "bagged a bronze" at the blackball championships earlier this month after captaining the B1 team, said Sky News. The former tiler who used to sing part-time in clubs, had "just £13 in his pocket" when he won £2.4 million in 2010.

Locals in a Hampshire village are "extremely pleased" that a missing piece of punctuation has returned to a village road sign, said a councillor. A resident raised the alarm after noticing there was no apostrophe on a replacement sign for St Mary's Terrace in Twyford, Hampshire, said the BBC. After Winchester City Council found the old sign and reinstalled it, councillor Susan Cook said it was "a small thing but important to people".

Coin flip decides mayoral election

A coin toss decided who would become mayor of a south-central North Carolina city when the two leading candidates received an identical number of votes. Robert Burns and Bob Yanacsek each received 970 votes in the race to become mayor of Monroe. Both men waived their right to seek a recount and agreed to abide by state law, which says the outcomes of tied races are determined by lot, noted Fox News. Burns won the coin toss.

Whisky sale breaks records

The record for the world's most expensive bottle of whisky has been smashed after a bottle of Macallan 1926 sold for £2.1 million at auction in London, The Guardian reported. The rare bottle had been expected to raise a maximum of £1.2 million but surpassed estimates to fetch £2,187,500. Sotheby's said the sale set a new record for any bottle of spirit or wine sold at auction. "It's very rich, it's got a lot of dried fruit as you would expect, a lot of spice, a lot of wood," said Jonny Fowle, Sotheby's head of whisky. 

A trend known as "extreme ironing" has been blamed after an ironing board was abandoned at the top of Britain’s highest mountain. Hikers were livid after they found the metal board beside the walls of the 19th-century Ben Nevis observatory, in the Scottish Highlands. Extreme ironing, which began in Leicester in 1997, involves people ironing in remote or curious locations, including Mount Everest base camp, underwater and on the M1 motorway, noted The Times.

50 Cent loves dancing 64-year-old

A 64-year-old Warwickshire woman has earned the respect from 50 Cent after a video of her dancing at his concert went viral, noted The Telegraph. Mary Jane Farquharson went to a concert at Resorts World Arena with her 38-year-old son, Ross. The rapper himself has shared the clip of her dancing with one hand waving in the air. He wrote that she is the "coolest person at my show tonight by far", adding that "she was rocking wit me".

Sailors playing thrash metal to combat orcas

Sailors are swapping ideas of how to best deal with orca attacks in a Facebook group of more than 59,000 people. A group of the antagonistic underwater creatures sank a yacht in a 45-minute attack last month in the Strait of Gibraltar and earlier one sailor on the Facebook group had "a suggestion he claimed was a sure-fire way to avoid an attack", said CBS News. "When we had an interaction last year, I'm pretty sure that rattling the hull by playing full volume east European thrash metal, was the game changer," he said. 

The Colombian government has started a programme of sterilisation of the country's so-called "cocaine hippos" - descendants of animals illegally brought to the country by late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. The hippos, which spread from Escobar’s estate into nearby rivers where they flourished, "have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species that could upset the ecosystem", said NBC News. Without the sterilisation plan the government estimates the 169 hippos in Colombia, could rise to 1,000 by 2035.

Jaffa Cake vodka launched

Jaffa Cake cranberry-flavoured vodka is up for grabs this Christmas. The "mouth-watering tipple" is made with real Jaffa Cake "combining wonderfully with the excellence of the cranberry notes for a delicious drink", said the Daily Star. According to alcohol experts, you could make a "Jaffa Cake Cosmo", also named the "Santa Clausmopolitan", with the drink. It could be the "ultimate tipple", said the tabloid.

Jogger discovers dinosaur footprint

A jogger has discovered a dinosaur footprint that could be from a 140-million-year-old iguanodon, said experts. Sophie Giles "stumbled across the print" as she jogged in the grounds of Brownsea Castle on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, said The Telegraph. The print had fossilised over thousands of years and had become easier to see after it filled with water during a rain shower.

"Middle-class families" are paying to have their chickens "pampered" in "hen hotels", said The Telegraph. The venues, sometimes known as "hennels", charge owners to look after their birds. At one, chickens are given soft bedding, a full menu, and unlimited access to a Wendy house and swings. "Soothing tunes" play on a loop, including music from Classic FM and the soundtrack from the Disney film "Up", noted the paper.

Psychic chats with your pets

A psychic claims she can communicate with pets, alive or dead, said The Times. Nikki Vasconez, a former property lawyer, "does not come to your house", explains the paper. Instead, she looks at a photograph of your cat or dog and sends you an audio recording of the 90-minute session, in which you can hear her asking a question and then a "pregnant pause", followed by Vasconez's voice again, describing the pet's "response". The fee is $550 (£440).

Magicians less prone to mental disorders

Magicians are less vulnerable to mental disorders than other artists, according to new research. A global study, led by Aberystwyth University's psychology department, measured "psychopathological traits" of almost 200 magicians and compared the results with data from other artistic groups and the general population, said The Guardian. It concluded that magicians scored significantly lower than other types of creatives and "normal" folk.