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Papal Swiss Guard keep cool heads with 3-D helmets

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican's Swiss Guard, the colorfully dressed mini-army that helps protect the pope, will have cooler heads now they have swapped their ancient metal helmets for ones made by 3-D printers. The new helmets, made of a thermoplastic, were distributed to the corps on Tuesday, the 513th anniversary of their foundation as a mercenary force in 1506, the Vatican said. They are nearly identical in appearance to the previous version but bear the coat of arms of Pope Julius II, who first used the corps for his personal protection. ...

Brexit survival kit helps Britons face the worst with freeze-dried fajita

With just nine weeks to go until Britain is due to leave the European Union, a company is selling worried Britons a survival kit to help them prepare for the worst.  The "Brexit Box", retailing at 295 pounds ($380), provides food rations to last 30 days, according to its producer, businessman James Blake who says he has already sold hundreds of them. With still no deal on how Britain will trade with the EU once it leaves, retailers and manufacturers have warned a "no-deal" Brexit could cause food and medicine shortages due to expected chaos at ports that could paralyze supply lines. Customer Lynda Mayall, 61, who ignored government assurances that there is no need to stockpile food for Brexit, said: "I thought: let's make sure I'm covered in the event of things going awry.

Another ice disk grabs attention in Maine

MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP) — The massive ice disk that formed on a Maine river has a baby brother.

Pets, owners flock to Madrid church for blessing of animals

Dogs, cats and birds were blessed at a church in Madrid on Thursday on the feast day of St. Anthony, the patron saint of animals, with many of the owners making an annual pilgrimage for their pets. St Anthony the Abbot's church priest Angel Garcia expected up to 15,000 pets to be brought in for this year's ceremony. "St. Anthony cared a great deal about dogs and abandoned animals, healing and feeding them.

Commuter's 'delay scarf' bought by German train company

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's biggest rail company, under fire for its unpunctual service, is trying to mollify one disgruntled commuter by buying her "delay scarf."

Giant rotating ice disk stops moving

WESTBROOK, Maine (AP) — Maine's giant spinning ice disk that quickly gained international fame seems to have met its end.

Face value: One-time Afghan wedding singer a ringer for Canada's Trudeau

Afghan singer Abdul Salam Maftoon's striking resemblance to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned him into an unlikely celebrity in the war-torn country since his debut on a talent show. The 28-year-old first caught the attention of fans when he traveled to the capital, Kabul, to appear on "Afghan Star", a televised musical competition that draws contestants from around the South Asian nation. "People are calling me the Justin Trudeau of Afghanistan... Since I came to Kabul, I have become very popular and people are grabbing photos with me," he told Reuters at the studio.

Silicon Valley landlord rents $1,500 studio to 2 cats

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Two cats are living large at a $1,500-a-month studio apartment their owner rents for them in Silicon Valley, where a housing shortage has sent rents skyrocketing.

Rodeo Alaska cow evades capture wandering Anchorage trails

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A rodeo cow named Betsy has evaded capture for six months as she wanders the trails of Alaska's biggest city, the cow's owner said.

Chocolate spill creates sweet hot mess on Arizona highway

FLAGSSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities in northern Arizona had a sweet hot mess on their hands after a tank trucker's trailer detached from the truck and rolled on its side on slick pavement, spilling a river of liquid chocolate onto westbound lanes of Interstate 40.

Woman drinking wine from Pringles can banned from Walmart

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) — Police in northern Texas say a woman has been banned from a local Walmart after she spent several hours driving an electric shopping cart around the store's parking lot while drinking wine from a Pringles can.

Dave? Dave? Kansas City man gets tickets for helping Chief

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A random act of kindness has netted AFC Championship tickets for a man called Dave who helped dig a Kansas City Chief out of the snow.

All the rage: Beijingers vent their stress in 'anger room'

It took Smash customer Qiu Siyu just a few sharp blows with a baseball bat to wreck what looked like an old car radio, after which two friends battered telephones, audio speakers, rice cookers and even a mannequin. All three paid 158 yuan ($23) to spend half an hour in an "anger room" in Beijing, where patrons wearing protective gear use hammers and bats to vent their frustration on household objects while staff play music of their choice in the background. Since the venture opened in September, customers have smashed around 15,000 bottles every month, said 25-year-old Jin Meng, who co-founded Smash with her friends.

Police: Woman breaks into police station, wanted to date cop

WYOMING, Pa. (AP) — Police say a woman smashed her way into a closed Pennsylvania police station looking for an officer she'd been sexually harassing ever since he arrested her.

Austrian train workers rescue wild goat buried in snowdrift

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian train workers have shut down their track clearing operations to rescue a mountain goat after seeing it get buried in a deluge of snow they had been clearing from the rails.

A moose walks into an Alaska hospital and finds a snack

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A moose wandered into a hospital building in Alaska's largest city and chowed down on some plants in the lobby as workers watched the massive animal in awe.

College fanatics living it up on San Jose billboard

The quartet, who were each provided with a tent and sleeping bag, has been since been reduced to Clemson Tigers fan Nancy Volland of Mount Dora, Florida and Alabama Crimson Tide supporter Llyas Ross Sr from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Volland, a 59-year-old married mother of two daughters, said her time on the 40-foot wide by 8-foot deep platform had flown by but admitted it came with its share of challenges. "It's not like camping in the woods," Volland told Reuters in a telephone interview from the platform.

College fanatics living it up on San Jose billboard

The quartet, who were each provided with a tent and sleeping bag, has been since been reduced to Clemson Tigers fan Nancy Volland of Mount Dora, Florida and Alabama Crimson Tide supporter Llyas Ross Sr from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Volland, a 59-year-old married mother of two daughters, said her time on the 40-foot wide by 8-foot deep platform had flown by but admitted it came with its share of challenges. "It's not like camping in the woods," Volland told Reuters in a telephone interview from the platform.

From duct-taped shoes to $11M: Man leaves surprise donations

SEATTLE (AP) — Alan Naiman was known for an unabashed thriftiness that veered into comical, but even those closest to him had no inkling of the fortune that he quietly amassed and the last act that he had long planned.

Kansas teen to get high school, Harvard diplomas in 1 month

ULYSSES, Kan. (AP) — A 16-year-old Kansas boy will soon earn his high school diploma — and a few days later he'll travel to Harvard to collect his bachelor's degree.

Weed that sprouted holiday cheer mysteriously uprooted

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A street corner weed that had been decked out with Christmas lights and brought out holiday goodwill in Ohio has apparently met an early demise.