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This week’s digest of stories that are weird, true and funny.
1) Competitors put best foot forward for toe wrestling championship
These wrestlers will knock your socks off. The international toe wrestling competition concluded last weekend at a pub in England as men and women from around the globe vied for the title of the world’s fiercest feet. The unusual game, which ensures competitors literally go toe to toe with each other, was invented in Staffordshire, England in 1976 by some pub patrons.
During battle, the athletes will sit and lock the toes of their bare feet. They will then try to “pin” one another’s foot by driving it to the floor.
2) UK man sneaks marriage proposal into newspaper crossword
It’s a case of two down: the aisle. A crossword-loving British lawyer hid a marriage proposal in The Times newspaper’s daily puzzle.
Matthew Dick thought of the cryptic way of popping the question to girlfriend Delyth Hughes, and persuaded the newspaper to agree. The Times crossword opened with one across: “Pretty Welsh girl widely thought not to be all there.” The answer: Delyth.
Other clues included “Will you marry me,” say, that’s forward also rude.” The answer was proposal.
Dick says he showed Hughes the crossword at breakfast, with some key words underlined, then “reached into my pocket to reveal the ring.”
3) Burger King debuts red samurai burger
First, Burger King brought the black burger (made from squid ink) to Japan.
Now, they’re bringing the red. Burger King is set to add an Aka Samurai burger -- aka means red in Japanese -- to its menu on July 3. The bun’s bright red hue comes from adding tomato paste to the ingredients (no ketchup necessary!). Nestled between the bun is either a slab of ‘Samurai Beef’ or ‘Samurai Chicken’, a slice of red chesse, both covered in chili-flavoured ‘angry’ sauce.
4) Japanese people are grooming their dogs into perfect cubes
People are cutting their dogs’ fur into perfect cubes, in the latest dog hairdressing trend to sweep Asia. The eccentric look is all about precision and clean lines as owners painstakingly trim their animals’ fur into perfect squares. It is not known where the inspiration for the trend originated, but the look has been cropping up at dog shows around Asia in recent months.
5) Here comes the bride… in toilet paper
Say yes to....the toilet paper dress? Whoever thought the staple was meant to start and end in the bathroom certainly has not seen the gorgeous wedding dresses at the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest. Ten finalists were tasked at designing wedding dresses made out of toilet paper. Donna Pope Vincler’s amazing creation featuring a tuxedo-inspired design, with a flowing, flower-covered train, and an adorable bow tie won the $10,000 prize.
6) Man faces $68,000 fine for swearing on Whatsapp in UAE
A man in the UAE could be fined over $68,000 for swearing at his colleague on WhatsApp under a new law governing internet users after the country’s top court overturned a verdict of a lesser fine for the offence.
Under the new law, people swearing online at others could be fined and jailed, while expatriates could also be deported from the UAE.
Court documents showed that the man, whose nationality was not stated, was prosecuted after his colleague complained to police that he swore in a message and also threatened to harm him.
7) Prince George has an equally adorable little lookalike
We’ve found Prince George’s doppelganger, and he looks exactly like the little royal.
His picture was shared on Reddit by user ‘TheGGongShow’, with the title “My godson think he's the Royal Prince”. Reddit users seem convinced that the little boy’s got a real career in the lookalike world.
8) Japanese builds monument to honour dead insects
A new monument has been built at a temple in Japan in memory of insects which have met an untimely end at the hands of human beings. The monument features a oversized beetle-like creature clambering over a rock, encircled by wire mesh cages. Anatomist Takeshi Yoro is the man behind the idea, driven by a life-long love of bugs.
He hopes the monument will console the souls of the insects he has collected, and also send an environmental message. The site was inaugurated at the KenchojiTemple in Kamakura, just south of Tokyo.
9) Man survives 500 to 1,000 stings by swarming Arizona bees
A man is lucky to be alive after having been stung between 500 and 1,000 times by tens of thousands of swarming bees near Kingman in northwestern Arizona on Friday, authorities said.
The unidentified man was in stable condition at KingmanRegionalMedicalCenter following the attack after he apparently disturbed a large hive in the backyard of a home, said MohaveCounty sheriff’s spokeswoman Leslie DeSantis.
“The number of bees in the shed was unbelievable,” DeSantis said. “The deputy who arrived said it was it was like something you’d see in the movies. It was just amazing.”
10) US pooch breaks world record for fastest dog on two paws
A tiny dog in the US has become the world’s fastest dog on two front paws after completing a 5-metre run in just 2.39 seconds, Guinness World Records has said.
Konjo, the half Papillon, quarter Jack Russell, quarter Chihuahua from Tustin, California, claimed the title of fastest 5 metres on front paws by a dog with a time of 2.39 seconds, smashing the previous record of 7.76 seconds set by a Pomeranian named Jiff, also from California.
Konjo’s record-breaking attempt took place at TustinSportsPark, Tustin, California, on December 22, 2014.