WEIRD NEWS

Russian pranksters posing as Ukraine’s ex-President Petro Poroshenko managed to contact Angela Merkel by phone to discuss developments in Ukraine and Belarus, although the former German chancellor appeared wary during the call.

The swimming pool in the backyard of Louis Minardi’s home may be distinctive to Florida: The custom-built pool is shaped like a six-shooter revolver, in a state made famous – sometimes infamous – by guns, gun politics and gun culture.

A new study suggests those melancholy tunes sung by humpback whales may really be a sign of loneliness.

A loggerhead sea turtle named Rocky was released into the Atlantic Ocean after spending six weeks rehabbing at Florida’s Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

A man who British prosecutors say broke into an industrial park to steal almost 200,000 chocolate Easter eggs has pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage.

Hospital officials in southern Poland say a Polish mother of seven has successfully given birth to premature quintuplets.

In a game where Auburn struggled with its 3-point accuracy, the best long shot of the afternoon belonged to a student in the stands.

Every New York City mayor has battled rats.

Chick-fil-A is jumping on the plant-based bandwagon.

India’s government-run animal welfare department has appealed to citizens to mark Valentine’s Day this year not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values.

A tiny California mouse now has a big title after winning a Guinness World Records title for longevity.

An owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo after someone damaged his cage has become New York City’s latest avian celebrity.

A mining corporation has apologized for losing a highly radioactive capsule over a 870-mile stretch of Western Australia.

A Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its products amid protests from conservationists, has found a new way to cultivate clientele: whale meat vending machines.

Authorities say a 29-year-old woman used false documents to enroll as a New Jersey high school student and attended some classes over a four-day period before her scheme was discovered last week.

A University of Michigan student is one of the world’s foremost “speedcubers,” a person capable of quickly solving a Rubik’s Cube.

The case of the stolen scooter has been solved.

He's just about 13 pounds with a fierce name and now he's been declared the oldest living dog.

Scott Stallings received the best package of all for Christmas because it included an invitation to play in the Masters.

Awa Sidibe wore the ceremonial No. 1 jersey given to coach Coquese Washington when she was hired in May after the Rutgers guard got blood on her uniform during the Scarlet Knights’ 78-67 loss to No. 13 Maryland.

Sherlock Holmes is finally free to the American public in 2023.

South Korea has formally lifted a ban on the import of full-body sex dolls, ending years of debate over how much the government can interfere in private life.

The U.S. military agency known for tracking Santa Claus doesn’t expect COVID-19 or the “bomb cyclone” hitting North America to affect Saint Nick’s Christmas Eve deliveries.

A “Cousin Eddie” display in Kentucky apparently looked a little too real and police were called to check it out.