An astrophysicist has been crowned the world porridge making champion.
Simon Rookyard, who just two weeks ago submitted his PhD thesis on pulsars, has taken the title at the World Porridge Making Championship held in the Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge in Cairngorms National Park.
Mr Rookyard, from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, beat competition from 20-strong international line up including a Finnish biochemist, a Swedish doctor, a Norwegian museum manager, a South African chef and an American personal assistant to whisk away the coveted Golden Spurtle award.
World howling record smashed
A Guinness World Record for the most people howling was smashed when 464 people howled for the required minute.
The record attempt was held on Saturday October 10 to mark the opening night of The Howl, a new scream park Halloween attraction at Mead Open Farm near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.
The previous record of 296 people howling was set in 2013 by students at St Cloud State University in Minnesota, USA. Matt Heast from Mead Open Farm said: “It was fantastic to listen to nearly 500 people howling in unison.”
Bungling burglar stuck in break-in
A burglar was forced to call 999 for help when he became trapped by a petrol station’s security device during a break-in.
The man called for help after getting stuck at the Asda supermarket in Basildon yesterday morning, Essex Police said.
The force said they also received calls from people who heard him screaming for help from inside the building at the town’s Eastgate shopping centre.
Fast-food mountain renamed
The name change of North America’s tallest mountain is rippling down to a fast-food chain.
The extra-large McKinley Mac, available at branches of McDonald’s in Alaska, will now be marketed as the Denali Mac after Barack Obama renamed Mount McKinley to its traditional Athabascan name of Denali ahead of a three-day visit.
The Denali Mac has two quarter-pounders between the buns instead of regular burgers. Changing the name of the mountain left many McKinley-monikered businesses in Alaska contemplating name changes after the president’s surprise announcement.
Tuk-tuk dress for Miss Thailand
The smoke-belching, ear-splitting, undisciplined rickshaws known as tuk-tuks are part of the chaos on Bangkok’s clogged streets.
But soon the tuk-tuk will stroll down a more refined runway as Miss Thailand pays homage to her country at the Miss Universe pageant dressed as the famous motorised rickshaw.
The “Tuk Tuk Thailand” dress will be worn by Aniporn Chalermburanawong in the costume round at the pageant in December in the US. It was the winning design from 356 entries in a contest held by Miss Universe Thailand. Spokeswoman Kaveerat Kunapatsaid said the dress “will flash lights like a real tuk-tuk. It will be one of a kind”.
Sticky situation for Tutankhamun
Scientists began the delicate task of restoring King Tutankhamun’s world-famous golden mask, over a year after the beard was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back on with extra-strong glue.
Egypt’s state-run news agency said a joint German-Egyptian team will repair the mask at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The beard became detached during work on the relic’s lighting in August last year and then was hastily reattached with epoxy.
Restoration specialist Christian Eckmann said the epoxy can be removed and the mask properly restored. He added that the beard on the 3,300-year-old mask had probably become loosened.