DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
The royal corgis await the cortege on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, on 19th September. PICTURE: Reuters/Peter Nicholls/Pool
• Queen Elizabeth II’s black pony Emma watched the monarch’s funeral procession pass by in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where it was held on a lead by a groomsman. The Queen’s two corgis, Sandy and Muick, were also brought out for the arrival of the coffin at the castle, where Elizabeth was to be buried later in the day following a grand state funeral. Held on leashes by palace staff, the dogs patiently waited in the forecourt of the castle. The Queen, who died this month aged 96 after 70 years on the throne, had a lifelong love of corgis and horses and enjoyed riding throughout her life. Her second son, Prince Andrew, will now take care of the dogs. – ALEXANDRA HUDSON and MARIE-LOUISE GUMUCHIAN/Reuters
In Virginia, dozens of teams competed on 17th September to see who could pull an 82-ton passenger plane at Dulles International Airport’s annual Plane Pull. PICTURE: Still image from Reuters TV
• Nearly 100 teams of 25 people each competed to pull an 82-ton airplane – either a FedEx Airbus A320 or a United Boeing 757 – 3.6 metres. Back after a two-year hiatus, The Dulles Plane Pull has been going on since 1992 and raises funds for the Special Olympics. “It was an idea started by [retired Deputy Chief] Joe Hurtuk from our [Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority] police department in an effort to raise money for Special Olympics.” said Richard Golinowski, Vice President and manager at Washington Dulles International Airport. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $US3 million and is now replicated in other cities. The Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. – Reuters
A woman holds soccer World Cup stickers in a street shop at Parque Rivadavia in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 18th September. PICTURE: Reuters/Agustin Marcarian
• In convenience stores around Argentina, kids – and their parents – are caught up in a new craze: the hunt for soccer World Cup stickers that have driven the already sport-mad country into a frenzy and left many shops with no stock left to sell. In the birthplace of soccer legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, signs in some shop windows read “no more stickers or albums”, referring to the 2022 collectible sticker albums ahead of the November tournament in Qatar. The trend has generated a wave of social media memes and satire, and even the creation of an app that allows you to track where to get the coveted stickers. New stock has been selling out in a matter of hours. “It’s frustrating not being able to find any,” said Exequiel Claverie, a 38-year-old media professional and father of three children who are fans of local club River Plate. “I arrive home every day to [my children] saying: ‘Hey dad, did you buy stickers?’ There are none!” Argentina, which won the Copa America last year, will head to Qatar along with other Latin American countries Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica. Sticker manufacturer Italy’s Panini says this year many adults are also collecting stickers, adding to demand. The suggested price of a package of five stickers is 150 pesos (close to a dollar at the official rate), but the shortage has led to prices doubling or tripling in informal markets, including one at Buenos Aires’ Rivadavia park. Completing the 600-sticker album could cost an estimated 20,000 pesos, a steep amount in a country facing deep inflation and a serious economic crisis. “The full cost of filling the album is a lot. In reality though you rarely have to buy it all yourself: Grandma or auntie always gives you a gift,” said Lucas Perrone, 39, a graphic designer, as he put stickers into the book with his two kids. – LUCILA SIGAL/Reuters
