True Headlines. Utterly Absurd.

The Oddyist

Friday April 17, 2026

Reform candidate called Austin Powers is standing in the local elections

In next month’s local elections, the people of Abbey Wood in Greenwich will see the name Austin Powers staring up at them from their ballot paper. Powers is standing as one of Reform UK’s candidates to represent Abbey Wood on the Royal Borough’s council. And if you thought that name was funny enough, just wait until you hear the names of his fellow Reform candidates: Gregory Rodwell and Ruth Handyside. Are we sure they weren’t characters from the Austin Powers films as well? Powers’ name and tha...[More]

Penn & Teller warn the U.S. Supreme Court about junk science

The magicians Penn Jillette and Teller filed a Supreme Court brief questioning the use of “investigative hypnosis” in a death-penalty case in Texas. They argue that the hypnosis used on a witness was suggestive and led to unreliable testimony.[More]

Opossum thrown on porch during vandalism spree, deputies say

A South Carolina man has been arrested after a vandalism spree that included an opossum being thrown on a porch. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division said Walker Chase Richardson, of Aynor, South Carolina, is facing several charges in connection to a series of mailbox destruction incidents that happened throughout the communities of North Whiteville, Evergreen, and Macedonia.[More]

AP Exclusive: Europe could run out of jet fuel within weeks, IEA warns

The head of the International Energy Agency warns that Europe may only have about six weeks of jet fuel left. This shortage could lead to flight cancellations and impact various sectors.[More]

'Meow, meow': Pilots scolded after animal noises heard on air traffic control frequency

The animal sounds heard over an air traffic control frequency were not from a cat loose on the plane, but human pilots making animal noises. The pilots were quickly scolded after the meowing and barks occurred over an air traffic control frequency at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on April 12.[More]

SantaCon organizer arrested as the feds label popular holiday event a ‘con’

A popular SantaCon charity fundraiser that floods New York City with thousands of inebriated young people in red and white Santa costumes every holiday season was true to its name: a con, federal authorities say. Organizer Stefan Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday after being indicted on wire fraud charges in Manhattan federal court.[More]

Penis costume protester prevails in court

Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker acquitted Renea Gamble Wednesday of all remaining misdemeanor charges stemming from her decision to wear a inflatable 7-foot penis costume at an anti-Trump “No Kings” protest in October 2025. Gamble walked out of the courtroom after three hours of testimony cleared of any wrongdoing, but her attorney said her arrest was traumatizing and she may consider legal recourse.[More]

Yelling RFK Jr exposed as a liar after making insulting 'Black kids' comment

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being dubbed a liar after he denied making statements about Black children having to be “reparented” in a podcast. Kennedy appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss his department’s budgets.[More]

Allbirds says it's ditching footwear and pivoting to become an AI company

Allbirds is trading in sneakers for servers, selling its footwear brand as it races to reinvent itself as an AI company in a move that sent its stock soaring 600%. The eco-friendly shoe company announced Wednesday that it is transitioning into an AI business, which it plans to name "NewBird AI."[More]

How a sock-burning party became a Maryland maritime tradition

In Annapolis, Md., people gather each year to usher in the warmer weather by burning their socks. The springtime tradition is the unofficial start of the Chesapeake Bay sailing season.[More]

SpaceX Bought 18% of Tesla Cybertrucks Sold in US During Q4 2025, Data Shows

SpaceX acquired 1,279 Cybertrucks in the fourth quarter of 2025, absorbing more than 18% of Tesla ’s entire US volume for the period, according to registration data from S&P Global Mobility reported by Bloomberg on Thursday. Combined purchases by the billionaire’s companies accounted for 1,339 of the 7,071 Cybertrucks registered in the US between October and December — roughly 19% of the total.[More]

Russian court fines local news outlet for ‘LGBT propaganda’ over Heated Rivalry review

A court in the southern Russian city of Saratov has fined a local media outlet for distributing "LGBT propaganda" after it published a review of the Canadian television series Heated Rivalry. The news agency SaratovBusinessConsulting was ordered to pay 500,000 rubles (€5,600).[More]

Scientists just discovered 5.6 million bees under a New York State cemetery

A New York State cemetery may be home to nearly 5.6 million ground-nesting bees, according to a new study. The colony is one of the largest ever recorded and likely one of the oldest, the researchers note.[More]

Meow woof? Pilots make animal noises over air traffic radio

Two pilots have become the talk of the internet after they were heard making animal sounds at each other over an air traffic control frequency. "Meow" and "woof" echoed across the emergency frequency, triggering investigations.[More]

At Nari Shakti event, student stopped from felicitating minister—she was in a sleeveless kurti

At a women’s empowerment event at Delhi University on 12 April, a student was stopped from sharing the stage with Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya because she was wearing a sleeveless outfit. Nineteen-year-old Saarah Sharma from Daulat Ram College was one of the participants and represented the Department of Women and Child Development during the Mock Youth Parliament.[More]

Russia opens exhibition on ‘Polish Russophobia’ at site of Katyn massacre

An exhibition titled “Ten Centuries of Polish Russophobia” has opened at the memorial complex in the village of Katyn in Russia’s Smolensk region, where over 20 thousand Polish nationals were executed by Soviet authorities in 1940. The project was organized by the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), headed by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky.[More]

Kenya sentences Chinese ant smuggler to year in jail

A Chinese national was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison and fined by a Nairobi court for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya. The insects are mostly destined for China, the United States and Europe, where they become pets and can be worth around $100 each.[More]

“Something Called the Just War Doctrine” — Speaker Johnson Lectures Pope Leo XIV on Augustine

Speaker Mike Johnson offered Pope Leo XIV a theology lesson, correcting the Pope, an Augustinian friar, on Catholic theology. The Pope was walking through the archaeological ruins of Augustine’s cathedral in Hippo, Algeria the same week Johnson offered his lesson.[More]

B.C. Woman Discovers Husband Was Married To Multiple Women At The Same Time

For one B.C. woman, she learned that her husband was married to multiple other women at the same time as their marriage. In a CTV interview, a woman from B.C. known only as “Sara” said that she met her husband, Jason Washington, at a gym.[More]

Tennessee drops ‘pride’ from June and renames its ‘Nuclear Family Month’ sparking outrage from LGBT community

Tennessee Republicans tried — and failed — to pass a measure that would ban the use of Pride flags inside government buildings. Tennessee will now recognize June as "Nuclear Family Month," a move some critics claim is less about family and more about diminishing the LGBTQ community during Pride Month.[More]

Pete Hegseth quotes fake Pulp Fiction Bible verse during Pentagon sermon

Donald Trump 's Defence Secretary has adapted lines from Pulp Fiction falsely attributed to the Bible, while giving a sermon at the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth was speaking at a worship service at the government complex when he read the prayer, as first reported by Word&Way .[More]

Can orgies solve the fertility crisis?

Bronze Age Pervert is half right. The lack of frenzied penis-worship among women is a huge social problem.[More]

Alchemy May Not Have Been the Pseudoscience We All Thought It Was

Although scientists never could quite turn lead into gold, they did attempt some noteworthy experiments. Revisionist scholars began arguing that alchemists actually made significant contributions to the development of science.[More]

Chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park wage lethal 'civil war', research reveals

A new report documents a lethal schism in a chimpanzee community in Uganda's Kibale National Park, where researchers have been continuously monitoring the group since 1995. The conflict, marked by 'collective attacks' and 'territorial patrols,' has led to infanticide and hardened group identities, suggesting the roots of human social behavior are embedded in our shared evolutionary history.[More]

Browse All Archives

Search and explore all articles by category

Cookie Notice

We use essential cookies to keep the site working and, with your permission, analytics cookies to understand readership and improve The Oddyist.

See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.