Weird News

Cops help seal that was trying to cross road

New Zealand police came to the rescue of a seal crossing a busy road, helping the perplexed pinniped pup back safely into the water, they said on Monday.

The slightly soggy marine mammal was spotted by locals “dangerously” crossing Hutt Road in Wellington on Sunday afternoon, police said. The creature then attempted to get back to the water, sparking swift action from police and Department of Conservation officials to make sure it did so unharmed.

“The pup appeared grateful for the assistance,” a police statement added.

“Our staff were able to uplift the seal and drive it to a safe place where it was released into the water,” Senior Sergeant Miriam Bentley from Wellington Police said. “This was collaborative problem-solving which prevented any further issues for the young seal and for road users.”

“When I joined police 15 months ago, they said to be ready for anything. So I guess this demonstrates that’s true!” said Constable Taylor, who escorted the pup.

The seas around New Zealand are populated with multiple species of seals, who do occasionally wander ashore. The Department of Conservation reported this weekend a 200 per cent increase in sightings on land around Wellington, local media said, describing it as “seal silly season”.

Police urged the public to alert them to more runaway seals and not attempt to intervene themselves.

Lady Gaga helps convenience store recruit workers

Japanese convenience store chain FamilyMart has enlisted Lady Gaga for a recruitment campaign, convincing the pop icon to trade vocal registers for cash registers in an effort to plug staffing shortages at thousands of outlets.

The global star appeared in a stylish black-and-white video for the retail chain’s part-time worker recruitment campaign and can be seen performing tasks typically set out for staff working at the franchise. FamilyMart boasts a network of more than 16,000 stores across Japan, and roughly 30 per cent of them are short-staffed, a company spokesman told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday.

The spokesman added that featuring one of the world’s biggest selling artistes would attract and retain recruits at a time when Japanese businesses are competing to hire new workers.

“When people decide to work at a convenience store, we want FamilyMart to be the place they choose,” he said.

“By having Lady Gaga appear in the commercial, we thought we might be able to convey the appeal and excitement of working at FamilyMart.”

Sporting a futuristic leather-textured suit, Lady Gaga can be seen working behind the counter, offering fried chicken to customers and restocking bottled tea in the video clip released on Friday.

“Famima de hataraku? (Want to work at FamilyMart?)” she asks in the video.

Traditionally, Japanese convenience stores have also required workers to adhere to relatively conservative dress codes, including bans on certain hair dyes and large earrings. FamilyMart started to relax those rules this year in an attempt to lure workers, including young people who want to maintain their own style.

Bulgaria not in good spirits over new liquor rules

Bulgaria’s traditional fruit spirit rakia sparked political controversy on Monday after the government proposed tighter rules on home production of the liquor.

The finance minister held a news conference in a bid to allay fears over the new rules, which threaten a 1,000-euro (US$1,140) fine for anyone giving homemade rakia to people outside their family, such as to friends or neighbours. Under the proposed new guidelines, rakia produced in small registered distilleries can only be held by its declared producer or members of their family.

Memes have circulated on social media showing Finance Minister Galab Donev as an inspector watching people to check whether they are drinking homemade rakia. But the minister insisted to journalists that the aim was not to control private consumption, but to combat the illegal trade in alcohol.

Around half of the rakia produced in Bulgaria comes from small distilleries intended for private individuals, he said, and much of it ultimately ends up being sold. Donev said that while giving a bottle to a neighbour would be illegal, “no one will come to your home to check whether your neighbour gave you one for your birthday”.