Here's our weekly collection of some of the wildest, strangest, most random things that took place in recent days — from the Pope meeting with 107 comedians to China timing you when you're in the loo, and competitive hot dog eating drama — this week had it all.
Vatican stand-up special
WHERE?
Vatican City
WHAT?
Before attending the G7 summit where he was invited to talk about AI, Pope Francis had lighter matters to attend to. The pontiff spoke to an audience of over 107 comedians from 15 different countries, commending them on their "power to spread serenity and smiles" in a world immersed in "many social and personal emergencies". U.S. comedians like Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien were in attendance, together with Italy's Silvio Orlando, and UK actor Stephen Merchant. The Pope took time for private, brief encounters with each of the comedians. "Well it was brief, he spoke in Italian, so I'm not quite sure what was said," quipped late-night host Conan O'Brien.
Too spicy for Denmark
WHERE?
Denmark
WHAT?
Denmark recalls Korean ramen for being too spicy. Denmark has recalled several spicy ramen noodle products by South Korean company Samyang, claiming that the capsaicin levels in them could poison consumers. Three flavors of the instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew. Samyang specified there were no problems with the quality of the food, "we understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy".
"Burp tax" holds its breath
WHERE?
New Zealand
WHAT?
New Zealand'a center-right government announced on Tuesday that it is scrapping a scheme to tax greenhouse gas emissions from sheep and cattle following backlash from farmers and that it will instead focus on “practical tools and technology” to reduce methane. Just under half of New Zealand's emissions come from agriculture, with cattle the main culprits. The New Zealand economy is driven by agriculture with around 10 million cattle and 25 million sheep roaming the nation's pastures.
This won't fly, says easyJet
WHERE?
Leicester, United Kingdom
WHAT?
UK indie band Easy Life said they were forced to change their name to "Hard Life" after they were sued last year by the brand owners of the easyJet low-cost airline company. In 2021 and 2022, the band promoted their "Life's a Beach" tour with a poster featuring a plane in a design reminiscent of easyJet's signature orange livery — sparking a legal which EasyGroup, the airline's parent company. Hard life, indeed.
Potty time
WHERE?
Datong, China
WHAT?
Toilets at a popular tourist site in China have been equipped with timers above the cubicle showing exactly how long the door has been locked for. Videos have been shared online of the new tech at China's Yungang Buddhist Grottoes which welcomes millions of visitors every year. When a stall is unoccupied, the pixelated LED screen displays the word “empty” in green. If in use, it shows the number of minutes and seconds the door has been locked. The move has been widely criticized, but a staff member told a local newspaper, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, that the measure had merely been taken to help cope with an increase in tourism.
It's a hot dog eat hot dog world
WHERE?
United States
WHAT?
Competitive eating star Joey Chestnut was told he could not participate in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, on July 4, due to his striking a recent sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a vegan hot dog maker in competition with the Nathan's brand. Bummer for the competitive hot dog eating legend... But only hours later, the streaming platform Netflix announced that Chestnut would be facing his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi in a livestreamed event, for the first time since 2009, in a “wiener-takes-all” competition on Labor Day.