Reuters - Oddly Enough

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Friday, September 8, 2017

Tree surgeon branches out with own 'Little Britain' in Germany

KRETZHAUS, Germany (Reuters) - An English tree surgeon has reacted to Brexit by transforming his German home into a quirky homage to Britain, complete with red telephone boxes and a life-size model of Queen Elizabeth.

Accelerator? Brake?: Elderly driver trashes German petrol station

(Reuters) - A German pensioner had a lucky escape after losing control of his car and repeatedly crashing into a petrol station, causing nearly 50,000 euros ($60,000) of damage.

A mother's invention, Barbie-like doll recites Quran verses

DUBAI (Reuters) - French businesswoman and mother Samira Amarir struggled to find toys which could help impart her Islamic faith to her young daughter, so she invented her own.

Prost! German beats his own world record for carrying beer steins

(Reuters) - A new world record has been set for carrying mugs of beer in southeastern Germany.

Mexico breaks world record with 3-tonne guacamole

CONCEPCION DE BUENOS AIRES, Mexico (Reuters) - The recipe for a record-breaking guacamole? 25,000 avocados and 1,000 people to mash them.

'Smart vest' turns stray dogs into Thailand's street guardians

BANGKOK (Reuters) - An advertising agency in Thailand has developed a "smart vest" that potentially could turn stray dogs into guardians of Bangkok's streets and alleyways.

At Maltese festival, climbing the greasy pole is part of the fun

ST JULIAN'S, Malta (Reuters) - For more than a century, locals in the small Maltese town of St Julian's have celebrated their patron saint by running up a steeply angled log, smeared with lard, protruding over the sea.

In Japan, robot-for-hire programed to perform Buddhist funeral rites

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese company has introduced a new role for SoftBank's humanoid robot "Pepper" - a Buddhist priest for hire at funerals.

Drop-dead beautiful: Japan undertakers tested on how to dress a corpse

TOKYO (Reuters) - A 23-year-old undertaker won a contest at Japan's biggest funeral expo on Thursday that tested ancient skills in the ritual dressing of the dead.

Out of the fire, onto the BBQ: rescued piglets served to UK firefighters

LONDON (Reuters) - Young pigs that were saved from a fire in southwest England earlier this year have been served to their rescuers as sausages by the farmer who wanted to thank the firefighters for their efforts.