Reuters - Oddly Enough

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Friday, December 30, 2016

Canadian man punches cougar attacking dog near fast food store

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A Canadian man punched a cougar in the face to stop it attacking his dog in a wooded area near a fast food store in Whitecourt, central Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Wednesday.

Russians brave icy lake for Christmas swim

(Reuters) - A group of hardy Siberian residents stripped down to their bathing suits and Santa hats for a run and swim in Russia's icy Lake Baikal to promote healthy living.

Headaches, insects and yachts; excuses for not filing British tax returns

LONDON (Reuters) - "My tax return was on my yacht ... which caught fire" - just one of the dozens of unusual excuses the British government's tax collector said it receives each year from customers who fail to complete their returns on time.

Sheep's head, prosthetic leg and London house among most unusual UK charity donations

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - British shoppers seeking last-minute Christmas presents may want try their luck at charity stores after a 19th century vase, an original Kermit the Frog puppet and a rare military medal were named among the most unusual gifts donated to good causes.

Santa renews pilot's license: Transport Canada

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Santa Claus successfully renewed his commercial pilot's license, passing a written exam as well as a health check - despite high sugar levels - and is good to fly for Christmas, Canada's transportation department said on Thursday.

Artificial leaf copies nature to manufacture medicine

(Reuters) - Dutch scientists have developed an artificial leaf that can act as a mini-factory for producing drugs, an advance that could allow medicines to be produced anywhere there is sunlight.

Pop star Marx helps subdue 'dangerous' airline passenger

SEOUL (Reuters) - American soft rock singer Richard Marx helped subdue a "chaotic" and "dangerous" passenger who launched a lengthy, violent scuffle on board a Korean Air flight from Vietnam to South Korea, the singer said on his Twitter account.

Senseless selfies, creepy clowns and Trump's triumph make year of odd news

BOSTON (Reuters) - Searches for selfies led to many bad decisions, an outbreak of creepy clown sightings chilled even horror maestro Stephen King, and a hard-fought campaign ended with the election of former reality TV star Donald Trump as president of the United States.

'Surreal' declared Merriam-Webster's 2016 word of the year

Surreal, meaning “marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream” was looked up so much by online users that Merriam-Webster on Monday dubbed it the 2016 word of the year.

Inflatable doll 'gift' to minister sparks anger in Chile

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Chilean business leader presented the country's economy minister with an inflatable doll on stage at an event late on Tuesday, sparking a social media storm and criticism by President Michelle Bachelet.