(UPI) Britain's Home Office issued an official passport for fictional character Paddington Bear after a request from the makers of the upcoming film Paddington in Peru.

Rob Silva, co-producer of the film, said he and his team contacted the Home Office asking for a replica passport to use in the movie.

"We wrote to the Home Office asking if we ...Read more

(UPI) A South Carolina man who decided not to buy a lottery ticket ended up changing his mind, going back to the store and winning $300,000.

The man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials he was at the Lowry Food Mart on Wells Highway in Seneca when a Carolina Cash scratch-off ticket caught his eye.

"I didn't buy it," the man said.

...Read more

(UPI) Reptile wranglers in Australia responded to a Queensland home to help out with an unusual problem -- a lizard on the roof.

Stuart McKenzie, owner of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, visited the home in Bokarina with new team member Ella after a rambunctious reptile was spotted on the roof.

McKenzie identified the climbing critter as a...Read more

(UPI) England's Southern Water is reminding residents to only flush the "three Ps" down the toilet after a sewer blockage was identified as a stash of candy wrappers.

The water collection, treatment and supply company said in a news release that a wastewater crew was dispatched to Shoreham to clear a blocked sewer.

The workers arrived to find ...Read more

(UPI) A woman from Bangladesh used chopsticks to lift one grain of rice at a time and managed to eat a record-breaking 37 pieces in one minute.

Sumaiya Khan, 24, told Guinness World Records she has been using chopsticks to eat all of her meals for a few years.

"I had a thing for ramen back in the day, I was obsessed with ramen and loved Korean...Read more

(UPI) A "gutsy goat" absconded from a Washington farm and took a trip to a city park for some grazing.

The Pullman Police Department said a code enforcement officer responded when a goat was spotted at Sunnyside Park.

"Wide open spaces, playground equipment AND a pond?! When this gutsy goat decided to flee the farm, it's no wonder that it ...Read more

(UPI) A copy of William Shakespeare's Life of King Henry the Fifth was returned to a New Jersey library 101 years after it was checked out.

Paterson Public Library officials said a woman named Cynthia Delhaie found the book while sorting through the possessions that had belonged to her deceased grandmother, Arlene Delhaie, and discovered the ...Read more

(UPI) A Virginia man said a trip to the store that started with a joke about winning the lottery ended with his winning a $1 million jackpot.

George Hurt told Virginia Lottery officials he and two coworkers went to the 604 Minute Market on Cloverdale Road in Roanoke during their lunch break and he joked to them that he was going to win the ...Read more

(UPI) A pair of twin sisters from Switzerland showed off their inline skating abilities and broke a pair of Guinness World Records in the process.

Naemi and Alena Stump, both 14, took their skates to a vert ramp measuring 12 feet and 9 inches high to break the records for the most synchronized tricks on inline skates in 30 seconds, 11, and the ...Read more

(UPI) A cockatoo that spent nearly a month trapped inside a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, was captured by a wildlife rescuer after weeks of attempts.

The sulphur-crested cockatoo, dubbed Mickey by members of the public, flew into the Coles supermarket in Campbelltown's Macarthur Square shopping center through an open loading dock door and ...Read more

(UPI) Authorities in Massachusetts used a drone and a pair of borrowed boats to rescue a dog who chased some geese out into a lake and became stranded.

The Wellesley Police Department said officers responded alongside the Wellesley Fire Department after a dog was reported stranded in a local lake.

"The dog had gotten away from the owner to ...Read more

(UPI) A Maryland man with a bad habit of letting unchecked lottery tickets accumulate in his car discovered he had been driving around with a Powerball ticket worth $50,000.

The Nottingham man told Maryland Lottery officials he was driving with a friend recently when his passenger decided it was time to check the pile of Powerball tickets he ...Read more

(UPI) Wildlife officials in Florida said mysterious holes appearing along the banks of the state's freshwater rivers have been identified as the work of invasive fish.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Research Institute said on social media that the holes have "become a common sight" on the state's riverbanks.

Biologists...Read more

(UPI) A New Zealand airport posted a sign in its drop-off zone asking passengers and their drivers to limit their farewell hugs to a maximum of three minutes.

Photos of the sign at Dunedin Airport went viral online for its unusual message: "Max hug time 3 minutes. For fonder farewells please use the car park."

Dan De Bono, the airport's chief ...Read more