For Yemeni fisherman Fares Abdulhakeem and his friends, the day was like any other as they headed out to sea to earn a living in the war-torn country until they hit the jackpot in the belly of a whale. Abdulhakeem related how he was among 35 fishermen who stumbled upon a floating sperm whale carcass in February, about 26 kilometres (16 miles) off the coast of the southern city of Aden. He said they dragged the dead mammal back to shore, where they sliced it open and struck “floating gold”, or ambergris, a rare substance formed in the whale’s digestive … Continue reading Yemen fishermen hit jackpot with million-dollar find in whale’s belly

In an unexpected turn of events, one man in Uttar Pradesh, India, married his bride’s sister after his bride collapsed and died at the altar. The Times of India reports the scene played out on Thursday night as Mangesh Kumar performed his nuptials with his bride-to-be Surbhi. According to the outlet, Surbhi complained of “uneasiness,” and then collapsed during the wedding rituals. The family quickly rushed her to a medical facility, but sadly, she was pronounced dead on arrival. She reportedly died of a heart attack. According to Newshub, the family brought the deceased bride’s body back to their home prior to … Continue reading Bride dies at her own wedding, leading groom to marry her sister instead

Elizabeth Johnson of Lucama, about 50 miles east of Raleigh, missed the deadline for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing so narrowly that she didn’t even realize it. She missed the 9:57 cutoff by a single minute in her rushed attempt to buy a ticket with Online Play, lottery officials said in a statement Friday.Elizabeth Johnson of Lucama bought her Powerball ticket too late for last Wednesday’s drawing, but in plenty of time to win $2 million in Saturday’s. Elizabeth Johnson of Lucama bought her Powerball ticket too late for last Wednesday’s drawing, but in plenty of time to win $2 million in Saturday’s. As … Continue reading North Carolina woman wins $2 million after buying lottery ticket for wrong drawing

One recent bride made the most of an unfortunate situation after her wedding went awry. After her groom unexpectedly disappeared, she went through with the wedding, albeit with another man. The Tribune reported that the incident took place on Monday in the town of Maharajpur, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. According to the news outlet, the couple had just completed their jaimala, or exchange of garlands, when the groom went missing. At the time, their families were getting ready for the main ceremony. The bride was apparently distressed by the news. Family members reportedly searched for the groom in … Continue reading Bride marries wedding guest after groom goes missing

A judge in Vigo, Spain refused to marry a couple because the groom turned up at the registry office dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.Juan Alberto, known as the Jack Sparrow of Vigo, and his girlfriend Maria Salinas, a teacher. Juan Alberto and Maria Salinas had arranged a third attempt at getting married on April 24, after COVID-19 foiled their first two plans. The bride wore a traditional Northern Spanish costume instead of a typical bridal gown The couple planned to fulfill a lifelong dream of getting married in costume. They hoped the nontraditional wedding … Continue reading LOL: Spanish Judge refused to conduct wedding because groom was dressed as Jack Sparrow

For years, Caron McBride never understood why she was spontaneously fired from jobs or why she had trouble landing a new one. But when she tried to change her last name on her Texas driver’s license earlier this month, she finally found out why. “When they ran my criminal background check, all they’re seeing is those two words: felony embezzlement,” McBride, 52, told KOKH, which first reported her story. Her crime? Not returning a VHS copy of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” the ’90s sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart, after renting it from a Norman, Okla., video store in 1999, according to … Continue reading Girl to face felony charge for not returning a VHS tape, 20 years later.

An Italian man in the southern city of Catanzaro raked in hundreds of thousands of euros from his job as a hospital worker over the last 15 years. Authorities say he hasn’t been to work since 2005. The man dubbed the “king of absentees” by the Italian press is accused of skipping work while collecting full pay for the last decade and a half, according to BBC News. Now 66, Salvatore Scumace allegedly stopped showing up to his civil servant job at the Ciaccio hospital in 2005, Italian news agency Ansa reported. Fifteen years later, he faces charges of fraud, abuse of … Continue reading An Italian man accused of not showing up for work for the past 15 years now faces extortion charges

A Chinese man with Down’s syndrome was kidnapped and killed as part of an elaborate body swap scheme. There is a ban on burials in many parts of China – to get around this, one family hired someone to provide them with a substitute body, which was cremated in its place. But unbeknown to them, the body provided was that of a murdered victim. The murder took place in 2017 but only gained prominence last week after an article on the incident emerged online. The hired man – identified only by his surname Huang – has been handed a suspended … Continue reading Chinese man kidnapped and killed in elaborate body swap scheme

A 60-something woman with skin so itchy it caused her to scratch until she created lesions finally found relief from using cannabis. According to a April 9 case report in the journal JAMA Dermatology, the woman experienced unrelenting itchy skin, called chronic pruritus, for 10 years. She told the doctors who penned the report that her stomach, arms, and legs itched the most and she tried various treatments like steroid creams, nasal sprays, and phototherapy to treat her condition. None of the treatments helped, so the woman kept scratching, leaving her skin with lesions, rough patches, and discoloration. People with chronic pruritis … Continue reading A woman cured her chronic skin itching with weed

Taiwan’s worst drought in 56 years has dried up one of its most iconic lakes – but this has resulted in good news for at least one man. The man surnamed Chen claims he dropped the mobile phone while paddleboarding in the Sun Moon Lake a year ago, but last week, a worker contacted him to say the phone had been found – its case covered in dried mud. Mr Chen who says he could not sleep for excitement, added the phone worked thanks to its waterproof covering. His story is a rare positive one in the East Asian island, … Continue reading Taiwan drought: Man retrieves phone dropped in lake a year ago

Japan’s biggest airline is offering first-class dining on a parked plane at $540 (£392) a meal. All Nippon Airways (ANA) started offering the service on Wednesday and has added more slots for April after they sold out quickly. A number of airlines have been thinking creatively about what to do with grounded planes during the pandemic, but Australia is trying to get its planes in the air with a $1.2bn (£660m) package to encourage domestic travel. The global airline industry is facing its toughest ever challenge to survive amid tough quarantine and travel restrictions, that have already crippled some carriers. … Continue reading Runway dining at $540 a meal proving hit in Japan

A TV presenter in Romania has been attacked live on air by a naked woman who stormed onto the set with a brick in her hand. The TV presenter reacts to a naked woman charging at her armed with a brick. Mirela Vaida, the presenter of Access Direct, a news show on the Romanian broadcast network Antenna 1, was in the middle of a live segment on 19 March when the woman came charging at her. The incident was captured on film, showing how Vaida stopped talking and started to scream as she reacted to something off-camera. The shot then pans … Continue reading TV presenter attacked by naked woman live on air