From Donald Trump showing class to bribery backfiring in Bulgaria. Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world.
- They're no 'Angels' -
Two Bulgarian transport inspectors have been sacked for demanding bribes from British pop star Robbie Williams's tour convoy.
They asked to be slipped 500 euros ($587) during a traffic check, resorting to Google Translate when the lorry drivers couldn't believe they were being shaken down.
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"They even asked those who didn't have cash to go to an ATM," police commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov said.
Traffic stops are a "gold mine" for corrupt Bulgarian officials, said organised crime expert Tihomir Bezlov.
"Robbie Williams is more efficient at fighting corruption than Bulgarian institutions," joked one internet wit in the Balkan country, the poorest country in the European Union.
- Jacket jackpot -
A German left a lottery ticket in his jacket pocket for six months, oblivious to the fact that he had won 15.3 million euros ($18 million).
Like many in the Frankfurt area, the father wondered over the spring and summer who had won the big prize as lottery organisers put up posters looking for the elusive winner.
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"I heard about it on the radio and thought to myself, 'How stupid can you be not to collect it?'" he said.
It was only when he put on his winter coat as the weather turned chilly that he found the ticket from March.
"It never occurred to me that I could be the person they were looking for."
He and his wife have sworn not to tell anyone about their win. But they are planning to splash out... on a new sofa.
- Robots turn human -
US police thought they had their man when they saw a taxi make an illegal U-turn right in front of them -- only to discover there was no one in the driver's seat.
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Officers in San Bruno, California pulled over the Waymo driverless car, but despite the flagrant law breaking, had to let it go.
"Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn't be issued," police said.
"Our citation books don't have a box for 'robot'."
Waymo, which operates fleets of driverless taxis, told AFP its autonomous driving system has been designed to obey the rules.
At least until it started bending them...
- Good, gracious Trump -
Golf's Ryder Cup last weekend in New York was marred by ugly behaviour by over-partisan American supporters, who trampled the sport's gentlemanly code of etiquette by heckling and harassing European players throughout the three-day tournament.
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Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in particular came in for a constant stream of racist anti-Irish abuse, with a beer bottle thrown at McIlroy's wife.
But one American fan rose above it all to show surprising class -- Donald Trump.
When the European team trolled the golf-mad president after their victory with a video asking "Are you watching, are you watching Donald Trump?" he replied on Truth Social saying: "Yes. I'm watching. Congratulations!"
- Not-so-flush Hollywood -
A $1-million public toilet in a Los Angeles park used by the stars is raising a stink, where locals say the cash-strapped city is flushing money down the drain.
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The two-cubicle convenience at the start of the city's popular Runyon Canyon hiking trail in the Hollywood hills has been priced at an eye-watering $960,000.
But people living nearby say the city -- which had to slash its fire department budget last year despite wildfires -- is making too big a splash.
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[SRC] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/funny-old-world-weeks-offbeat-111817576.html
