DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Literally beating the competition lying down, seven competitors lying on mats in the Montenegrin village of Brezna continue their battle to become Montenegro’s “Laziest Citizen”. PICTURE: Reuters TV
• Seven Montenegrins are competing for the ‘Laziest Citizen’ record in a lying down contest. Radonja Blagojevic, the competition organiser, said the competition was organsied as a “parody” and played on “the stereotype that Montenegrins are lazy, to see who can endure it the longest”. The group of 21 who started the contest had been whittled down to seven as the contest reportedly entered its 24th day earlier this week. The rules stipulate that standing or sitting are considered a violation and grounds for disqualification but contestants are allowed to have 10 minutes every eight hours to go to the toilet. Competitors can also read and use cellphones and laptops. Filip Knezevic, one of the competitors, said: “Well, aside from the absence of family, everything else is easy because we have literally everything we need here, and the other contestants are fantastic, so time flies.” – With Reuters TV
High school students in Argentina pieced together a massive mural of soccer superstar Leonel Messi out of thousands of recycled plastic bottle caps, with a video of the work of art shared widely online. PICTURE: Reuters TV
• High school students in Argentina pieced together a massive mural of soccer superstar Lionel Messi out of thousands of recycled plastic bottle caps, with a video of the work of art shared widely online. The new mural fills the floor of an open-air high school courtyard in the Grand Bourg neighbourhood, just outside the capital Buenos Aires. It depicts the beaming forward holding aloft the golden World Cup trophy from last year’s win in Qatar, along with a caption offering thanks to the team’s tattooed captain. Sebastian Ramirez, a teacher at the school, posted a video clip on social media that went viral summing up a widely-held assessment of Messi’s legacy. “A tribute to the greatest,” he said. Video of the mural’s making showed dozens of children hunched over a colour-coded design and boxes of bottle caps scattered around. – JUAN BUSTAMENTE, Grand Bourg, Argentina/Reuters
Pope Francis meets actor Sylvester Stallone at the Vatican, om 8th September, 2023. PICTURE: Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters
• Pope Francis playfully pretended to box with Sylvester Stallone during a meeting with the “Rocky” star at the Vatican on Friday. Introduced to Stallone and his family, the Pope said how much he enjoyed the actor’s films, prompting a smiling Stallone to clench his fists as if ready to spar, saying, “Ready, we box”. The 86-year-old Francis, who was walking with the aid of a stick, jabbed his left fist in response, prompting applause from the actor. Stallone, who is 77 and has Italian origins, made his name with the series of films that trace the fortunes of fictional fighter Rocky Balboa. – Vatican City/Reuters
