Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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Wallaby escapes New Jersey sanctuary, visits Walmart

Authorities in New Jersey are on the hunt for a wallaby that escaped from an animal sanctuary and was spotted hopping through a Walmart parking lot.

The Lots of Love Farm in Williamstown said on social media that the wallaby, named Rex, escaped from the facility Monday night.

Lots of Love Farm owner Ron Layden said Rex had been brought into a barn to protect him from cold winds Monday, but the marsupial managed to get loose.

Monroe Township Police confirmed officers responded to multiple reports of a "kangaroo" wandering into traffic near East Malaga Road and South Black Horse Pike, but they were unable to capture the animal.

Wallabies are smaller cousins of kangaroos.

Multiple videos were posted to social media Monday night showing an animal that appears to be Rex hopping through the Williamstown Walmart parking lot.

Police said Rex was last seen in a wooded area near the Walmart.

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Rio sets Guinness record for largest New Year's Eve celebration

Rio de Janeiro has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the host of the world's largest New Year's Eve celebration after authorities verified that about 2.5 million people gathered on Copacabana Beach to welcome in 2025.

The certification was presented days before the city's annual Reveillon, during a ceremony on the beachfront attended by Mayor Eduardo Paes and Guinness representative Camila Borenstein.

The record recognizes not only the number of attendees but also the scale, artistic production and cultural relevance of the event.

Guinness said the verification process included a comprehensive review of official data, aerial imagery and drone-based counts to confirm attendance. The organization also cited Rio's capacity to implement safety protocols, sustainability measures and large-scale logistics across a densely populated urban coastline.

"Few cities in the world can organize events for this many people, year after year," Paes said during the ceremony, according to city officials.

City officials said the 2.5 million figure refers to Copacabana alone and does not include crowds at other New Year's Eve celebrations across Rio, where additional stages and concerts typically draw millions more. Authorities estimate total citywide attendance can reach about 5 million people.

Brazilian outlet Billboard Brasil reported that Wednesday night's Copacabana event will feature three main stages, including one dedicated to gospel music. The lineup is expected to include prominent Brazilian artists such as Gilberto Gil, Ney Matogrosso, Belo, Alcione and Alok.

Organizers also plan a 12-minute fireworks display launched from 19 floating platforms offshore, accompanied by about 1,200 drones programmed to create synchronized light formations over the Atlantic.

Officials highlighted sustainability as a core component of the event with measures that include large-scale waste management, carbon offset initiatives and accessibility planning aimed at accommodating people with disabilities along the beachfront.

The celebration traditionally runs from late afternoon into the early morning hours, with the closing performance led by the percussion ensemble of the samba school Beija-Flor.

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Wildlife refuge throws 'sweet 16' party for polar bear's birthday

An Ontario wildlife refuge held a "sweet 16" birthday party for one of its polar bears, complete with an oversized driver's license.

The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat said Ganuk's 16th birthday party, held this month, featured a large toy car stuffed with tropical fruit, a pumpkin-based birthday cake and wrapped gift boxes loaded with snacks.

"The sweet 16 just worked," habitat manager Amy Baxendell-Young told Timmons Today. "The car was actually something I picked up at a local thrift store quite a while ago, with this birthday in mind. And because when you turn 16, you get a car — at least when you're wealthy — we decided to spoil him."

Refuge staff created an oversized Ontario driver's license for Ganuk, which he promptly shredded and turned into a comfy napping spot.

Baxendell-Young said 16 is a big birthday for a polar bear.

"In the wild, especially for males, that would be getting toward the end of life," Baxendell-Young said. "But in human care, with consistent food and veterinary support, it's common for them to live into their early to mid-20s. He's fully grown, a mature male, and we still expect to celebrate many more birthdays with him."

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Nearly 5,000 attempt polar bear dip world record in Washington

A Washington city may have broken a Guinness World Record by gathering nearly 5,000 people to take a "polar bear dip" into frigid water at the same time.

The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Blaine Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 and Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism teamed up to organize an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest polar bear dip.

The record stood at 2,461 participants when the attempt was announced, but was broken Dec. 13 in Sola, Norway, when 3,134 people took a cold water plunge.

The Thursday attempt in Birch Bay had 6,213 registered participants, of which 4,917 were officially counted going into the water by Pacific Multisports.

Guinness World Record adjudicator Brittany Dunn said the record-keeping organization is still reviewing the official numbers, as there were some issues during the count.

"I was supposed to have the number before we started, but people entered the village without being counted officially over the scanner," Dunn told The Bellingham Herald. "Eventually we'll have a number, but it won't be totally accurate for the number of bibs that were given out because not everyone got successfully scanned."

The record required all participants to be clad only in swimsuits and shoes, with no wet suits or cold weather gear allowed. They had to spend at least 6 minutes in the water to qualify.

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Virginia airport seeks owner of lost and found teddy bear

Officials at Norfolk International Airport in Virginia are attempting to use social media to find the owner of a special piece of lost and found property: a teddy bear.

The airport said in a Facebook post that the teddy bear, which appears to be a custom-made plushy from Build-A-Bear, was turned into the ORF Lost & Found about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

"Can you help me find my owner?" the post said, alongside a photo of the misplaced toy.

Airport officials said they are hoping the bear might be registered with its owner's name at Build-A-Bear.

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AI-generated police report states Utah officer was turned into a frog

A Utah police department's use of artificial intelligence led to a police report stating — falsely — that an officer had been transformed into a frog.

The Heber City Police Department started using a pair of AI programs, Draft One and Code Four, to automatically generate police reports from body camera footage in December.

A report generated by the Draft One program mistakenly reported that an officer had been turned into a frog.

"The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be 'The Princess and the Frog," Sgt. Rick Keel told FOX 13 News. "That's when we learned the importance of correcting these AI-generated reports."

Keel said the department will continue using the AI programs, but with more oversight.

"I'm saving myself about 6-8 hours weekly now," Keel said. "I'm not the most tech-savvy person, so it's very user-friendly."

Draft One was released in 2024 by Axon, the same company that produces the Taser stun gun. The program uses OpenAI's Chat GPT-4 to transcribe body camera footage.

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Escaped monkey causes chaos inside Tennessee music store

A monkey that wreaked havoc inside a musical instrument store in Tennessee fled the scene of the incident, but was captured later in the day, police said.

The Morristown Police Department said it received a call about 8 a.m. Sunday reporting a monkey running wild and damaging instruments inside the Trade Center music store in Morristown.

Animal control officers responded to the store, but the simian, a cinnamon capuchin monkey, was able to flee the scene.

Police said the monkey was safely captured at a different location Sunday night.

A primate keeper licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture reported the monkey was allegedly stolen from a farm in Alabama before being sold in Morristown.

"We are aware of the allegation that the animal was stolen, and we will be continuing the investigation," police said in a statement provided to WATE-TV.

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