Icelandic Fishing Village Temporarily Loses Internet After Puffins Steal Undersea Cable Markers

Residents of the small Icelandic village of Borgarfjörður eystri experienced a brief but bewildering internet outage yesterday when a flock of puffins removed several brightly colored surface markers associated with an undersea communications cable. The markers—lightweight, buoyant, and apparently irresistible—were discovered missing during a routine systems check. Technicians dispatched to the shoreline found the buoys…

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Here’s today’s Global News dispatch from the eternally steady Eustace Blather.

Residents of Himeji reported confusion yesterday when a popular street-corner vending machine began dispensing unsolicited life guidance along with its usual selection of soft drinks and canned coffee. The issue came to light when several customers received their beverages accompanied by crisp slips of thermal paper reading messages such as “Consider calling your aunt” and…

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Norwegian Train Halted After Goat Becomes “Unofficial Conductor”

Commuters on the Bergen–Voss morning line experienced an unexpected delay yesterday when a domesticated goat wandered aboard, ascended the steps to the driver’s compartment, and refused to relinquish its position without what officials diplomatically referred to as “a formal discussion.” Witnesses said the goat appeared “purposeful” and “professionally confident,” trotting past passengers with an air…

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NORDIC COALITION TO REQUIRE “QUIET HOURS” FOR GLACIERS AFTER TOURISM COMPLAINTS

Officials say restricted visiting windows could slow melt rates and reduce noise pollution from peak‑season crowds. REYKJAVIK — A coalition of Nordic governments announced Friday that several major glaciers across Iceland, Norway, and Greenland will begin observing regulated “quiet hours” next summer, limiting tourist access during periods when scientists say the ice is most acoustically…

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EUROPEAN UNION TO TEST “POLITE HONKING” SYSTEM ACROSS MEMBER STATES

Acoustic engineers claim tone-adjusted car horns can lower road rage by 37 percent; critics call it “legislating manners by frequency.” BRUSSELS — The European Union announced plans this week to begin a continent-wide trial of a new “Polite Honking System,” a program requiring automakers to equip vehicles with sound-modulated horns designed to express “measured alertness”…

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