A High Court judge has ruled in favour of a self-proclaimed "lord" in a peculiar inheritance dispute revolving around the care of a pet parrot. Brett McLean, known as Lord Brett of Hastings, claimed his mother's £300,000 estate was bequeathed to him to look after her beloved Amazonian orange-w
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A serial litterbug who went to great lengths to discard thousands of pages of scrap paper onto a quiet neighbourhood street over a four-year period has been unmasked as a senior police officer. Residents of Greenpoint, in the New York City borough of Brookyln, spent years trying to establish the ide
Antiquities lent by Israel to the United States are believed to be at former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida despite repeated appeals for their return. The ancient ceramic oil lamps were loaned to the White House for a Hanukkah candle-lighting event in 2019 with the strict prov
An ex-mistress of former Spanish king Juan Carlos is seeking nearly €150 million in damages over allegations he had her surveilled and harassed by Spanish security forces. Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, a businesswoman from Denmark, has brought the claim against the former king – who
Disapproving stares from members of the public could help discourage smoking in non-smoking areas without the need for police intervention, Hong Kong's health minister has said. Professor Lo Chung-mau told a committee of the city's Legislative Council that, if someone begins smoking a non-smoking ar
An aircraft pilot who posed as a lawyer because he wanted a career change has been fined more than €2,700. During a short-lived fake legal career, Nathaniel Whitehall appeared in court, signed documents describing himself as a solicitor and prepared wills for clients.
The Toronto Police Service has confirmed the closure of a licensed, fully-stocked bar at its headquarters after an officer who had allegedly drunk there was charged with impaired driving. The decision was communicated to senior officers in May, with the liquor licence not due for renewal. A spokespe
Outlets in Barcelona's old city selling cannabis-related items are allegedly bypassing zoning restrictions by registering as florists. The claim has been made by local shopkeepers who have noted an unusual proliferation of such shops, particularly in the tourist hotspot Ciutat Vella.
A jury has determined a document penned in 2014 by Aretha Franklin and found beneath a sofa cushion years later to be a legitimate will. The 'Queen of Soul', who passed away without officially drafted instructions for her multimillion-dollar estate in 2018, left two handwritten wills which her sons
Ripper and Co, a bar in Portsmouth inspired by murderers including Jack the Ripper, has sparked controversy and complaints. The venue, due to open later this month, has been criticised for making light of the Ripper's infamous 1888 murders.
A US property developer is building houses solely for what he calls "patriotic Americans", with the stipulation that the Stars and Stripes flag must always be displayed. The estate, known as 1,776 Gastonia, will feature 43 homes exclusively available to individuals aged 55 and above. The starting pr
A man caught on video scratching his and his girlfriend's name into the Colosseum has told prosecutors he had no idea how old it was. Bristol man Ivan Danailov Dimitrov, 27, etched "Ivan + Hayley 23" into one of the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old monument using a key, the BBC reports.
A judge who posted TikTok videos lip-syncing to rap songs with explicit lyrics while wearing his judicial robes is facing disciplinary action. Judge Gary N. Wilcox, a criminal judge in New Jersey, USA, posted around 40 videos under the alias "Sal Tortorella" over a two-year period from 2021 to 2023,
Police are on the hunt for an unusual serial thief who has stolen metal grates from dozens of urinals in public parks. At least 37 urinals across 16 parks in the Japanese city of Sapporo have been hit by the thief, whose motivation is unclear, TV station UHB reports.
A law enforcement department has been caught allegedly handing out badges and credentials in exchange for bribes. Sheriff Scott Howard Jenkins, 51, of Culpeper County, Virginia – an elected official – is accused of appointing various men as auxiliary deputy sheriffs in exchange for cash