QUIRKY WORLD ... Chinese whispers turn turkey pardoned in US into Japanese PM
As part of a peculiar annual tradition at the White House, Obama granted amnesty from the dinner table to two turkeys named ‘Honest’ and ‘Abe’ — from the nickname for president Abraham Lincoln. However, a translation glitch in Chinese media replaced the character for single-syllable ‘Abe’ with the surname of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (pronounced ‘Ah-bay’).
Several commenters in Chinese social media focused on comparing the prime minister to an animal.
Many Chinese harbour animosity toward Japan because of its brutal occupation of much of China during the Second World War, and they specifically scorn Abe because of his visits to a war shrine that is a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.
The faulty translation of Abe was published by state-run China Radio International and picked up by other outlets. A man who answered the CRI news hotline said editorial staff there had used the web to translate the name Abe’.
A busy inter-city road had to be closed after a lorry carrying more than 20 tonnes of ketchup crashed, spilling sauce over the carriageway.
The A580 — known locally as the East Lancs Road — connecting Liverpool to Manchester was shut westbound after the HGV carrying around 22 tonnes of ketchup overturned.
Commuters faced long delays during the morning rush-hour as emergency workers righted the lorry and cleaned the carriageway. Greater Manchester Police used Twitter to post a picture of the incident.
A baby orangutan left to die in a filthy cardboard box in the sun in Borneo is showing further strong signs of recovery less than two months after being saved by a British charity.
The baby, who officials named Gito, was found in the village of Hamlet Giet in Simpang Hulu district, 105 miles from the orangutan rehabilitation base in West Borneo. Now, less than two months later, the East Sussex-based International Animal Rescue clinic say Gito looks “healthy and happy.”
A woman from Pennsylvania has been ordered to pay $600 for hurling driveway gravel at her next-door neighbour’s drone.
Mark Shock said he was finishing up a flight in Harwick on August 30 when Martina Wlodarski threw a stone and hit the remote-controlled aircraft.
A video shows the drone going haywire after being hit and Mr Shock said two blades flew off and nearly hit him in the face.
Wlodarski said she was frightened by the 1.6kg aircraft and acted in self-defence. Criminal mischief charges were dropped on Monday after the neighbours agreed that Wlodarski would pay Shock restitution.
If you don’t like a Georgia sheriff’s self-proclaimed political incorrectness, you can leave his county. That’s what Sheriff Mike Jolley warns on a sign outside his department building.
The sign reads: “Warning: Harris County is politically incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We Trust. We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you. Leave!”
Jolley, who installed the sign, said he paid for it himself and wanted to give voice to what he considers to be a “silent majority”. He said he has received overwhelming support from the community and plans to install more of the signs around the county.
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