Odd news summary

ENGLAND MURAL

Most England fans wear a football shirt to show their support - but one has covered the front of his house with a mural to back the team.

Lee Bray, 34, asked graffiti artists Stae and Cheo to work their magic on the property in the Knowle West area of Bristol.

The striking mural features a jubilant England supporter painted in red and white, and the World Cup trophy.

SHEEP COSTUME

A man who set fire to a university student dressed as a sheep in an "unbelievably stupid" drunken act had his jail sentence reduced.

Jason Whatley, 39, of Faroes Close, Fareham, Hampshire, was jailed for five years last month after admitting setting fire to 19-year-old Stuart Mitchell in Leeds. He used a cigarette lighter to ignite his cotton wool and Lycra fancy dress costume in the Headingley Taps pub, Headingley, in October last year.

But his sentence was reduced to four years at Leeds Crown Court after a judge heard legal arguments from barristers. Mr Mitchell was left with burns to 12% of his body, needed a number of skin graft operations and had to relinquish his place at university for the year. Whatley admitted arson reckless as to whether life was endangered.

NAME CHANGE

A 45-year-old man who shares his name with England's goalkeeper said he wants to change it after the World Cup howler that cost the team victory.

Robert Green, of Walkington, East Yorkshire, said he was excited when his namesake had been chosen to start for England in their first South Africa World Cup match.

But when England goalkeeper Rob Green let in a long range shot that handed the USA an unlikely draw, Mr Green soon became the butt of his friend's jokes.

KEEP THE CHANGE

A Vietnamese company says an honest taxi cab driver was at the wheel when a forgetful passenger left behind a bag with 26,500 US dollars (£18,000) in cash on the back seat.

Cuu Long Petro Gas Service Transportation official Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien said when the passenger realised the bag was missing he called the Ho Chi Minh cab company for help.

The taxi driver, Doan Thanh Xuan, heard the call go out over the radio and returned the bag unopened. He was given a reward of 100 US dollars (£68) from the company and grateful passenger.

VIDEO STAR

Remember the MTV VJ? That's so two decades ago. Now the network is looking to hire its first TJ, or Twitter Jockey.

MTV officials say the search is on for a new social media maven who will engage with the MTV audience and serve as a liaison between viewers and network honchos.

The network has identified 18 potential candidates and is asking its audience to find two more. The 20 hopefuls will compete in a series of online challenges this summer designed to reveal their personalities and demonstrate how they connect with Twitter followers.

300 TORTOISES

Tortoises may move slowly, but even a little movement can be a lifesaver.

Customs staff at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport noticed something stirring in two bags and discovered 300 tortoises hidden amid shredded paper.

Found taped up inside the sacks were 285 radiated tortoises, 15 spider tortoises and one Madagascar tortoise - all endangered species indigenous to Madagascar, said Loo Kean Seong of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Two slabs of cannabis weighing about 2kg were also discovered. The bags had been abandoned by a passenger who arrived on a flight from Mauritius. The tortoises will be returned to Madagascar.