Mittens the cat becomes an accidental frequent flyer after getting mistakenly left on a plane
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A Maine coon cat named Mittens accidentally flew three times between New Zealand and Australia this month after her cage was mistakenly left in the plane's cargo hold. Mittens was booked on a one-way trip from New Zealand with her owner to their new home in Melbourne, Australia. But Margo Neas waited hours for her cat before learning the plane had returned to New Zealand with Mittens still on board. They were finally reunited after the cat was flown to Australia again. The airline apologized. Neas said her cat has been extra cuddly since her travels.
Sunfish that began ailing after aquarium's closure recovers after human cutouts set up outside tank
TOKYO (AP) -- A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fishtank and appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations. As a last-ditch measure to save the popular fish, its keepers hung their uniforms and set up human cutouts outside the tank. The next morning, the sunfish ate for the first time in about a week and has been steadily recovering, according to the Kaikyokan aquarium in southwestern Japan. Staff say they think the sunfish was affected by the sudden absence of an audience.
First responders saved a moose that fell through lake ice in New York. Here's how they did it
NEW YORK (AP) -- A team of forest rangers in New York state have rescued a moose who became trapped in an icy lake. New York conservation officials say a passerby reported seeing the moose fall through into the lake in a forested area near the Vermont border, about 60 miles south of Lake Placid. Images of the rescue show officials in dry suits kneeling on snow-covered ice so that they don't fall in while they aid the moose. The team used chainsaws and other tools to create a channel for the bull moose from where it fell in, to where it was thick enough to support the animal's weight. A bull moose can weigh around 1,000 lbs.
Free upgrades and pardon requests: What it's like to share a name with a president
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There's not only one Donald Trump in the United States. Nor is there only one William J. Clinton. Plenty of people share names with famous presidents. Donald Trump, a veteran and resident of Alabama, said because of his name he often is gifted things for free. William J. Clinton, who goes by Billy, used to live in the Washington, D.C., area, and would receive interesting mail from inmates. The men with those names who served in the White House will be at the Capitol Monday to attend the inauguration of Trump, the president-elect. The Associated Press talked to people who share names with the presidents to find out what life is like for them.
'It was either me or him and I won,' British retiree says after beating back mugger
LONDON (AP) -- An 84-year-old British man armed only with a pair of trousers beat back a mugger half his age who tried to rob him at a laundry in the north of England. Ron Croker was drying his clothes last week when the masked thug accosted him at the Coin-Op Launderette in Maltby in South Yorkshire. Croker pushed the man out the door, and told him if he came back he was going to kill him. When the man returned for a second robbery attempt, Croker swung the pants so the legs appeared to swat the thief and he finally retreated. A 42-year-old man was charged with attempted robbery.
Belgium's pastoral pastime of pigeon racing faces high anxiety over crime wave
RANST, Belgium (AP) -- Belgium's once pastoral pastime of pigeon racing has come to this: Drones swoop over lofts where valuable birds are housed to look for security weaknesses, laser sensors set off alarms at night and cameras linked live to mobile apps keep potential thieves at bay -- 24/7. That's what happens when the fast-flying fowl have turned into valuable commodities. The most expensive bird to come out of the top pigeon-racing nation in the world fetched 1.6 million euros ($1.65 million) a few years ago. No wonder the sport is grappling with an unprecedented wave of unsolved pigeon pilfering that has hit several of the best birds in the business.
Mission to moon carries tiny red Swedish home to space
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A Swedish artist is about to have the dream of a lifetime fulfilled: A little red model house he created will be launched into space this week and if all goes according to plan put on the surface of the moon. The Moonhouse, the size of a big hand, will hitch a ride to the moon on a lunar lander operated by the Japanese company ispace from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday. Artist Mikael Genberg says it was "a crazy, maybe idiotic, but at the same time, in my mind, really poetic thought to put a red house with white corners on the surface of the moon."
A.J. Brown's sideline read skyrockets to No. 1 hottest seller on Amazon
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown could launch a book club of his own after a little sideline reading skyrocketed self-help author Jim Murphy overnight to the hottest seller on Amazon. The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title -- Brown casually ignored the action in Philadelphia's playoff game and flipped through the pages of Murphy's book, "Inner Excellence." The little-known book by the mental skills coach was listed No. 1 on Amazon's best sellers list as of Monday morning. It jumped to the top spot after previously being ranked 523,497th. It had yet to crack the top 100 for sales in 2025, however.
Some US states not running on Dunkin' doughnuts due to temporary supply shortage
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Dunkin' dropped the "Donuts" from its brand name years ago. Now -- at least in Nebraska, New Mexico and a few other states -- it doesn't have doughnuts on the shelves either. Several Dunkin' locations across Nebraska, including those in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island, had empty doughnut cases Thursday and Friday. The stores put up signs informing customers that no doughnuts were available "due to a manufacturing error." A manager at a location in west Omaha said Friday that the shortage was a national problem. But checks of locations in other regions, including Boston, found no shortage of the sweet treats.
An albatross couple shares egg duty in this captivating low-drama reality show
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A popular New Zealand bird "reality show" that each year follows a pair of northern royal albatrosses as they breed and raise a chick has drawn a global audience of devoted fans in its current 10th season. Millions have watched the 24-hour livestream of the birds' breeding season at Taiaroa Head - a rugged headland on New Zealand's South Island - since it began in 2016. A community of online viewers has sprung up to discuss the show. New Zealand's royal albatross breeding program is a conservation success story, but the species is under threat from warming seas and plastic pollution.
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