Man who tried to cross ocean in human hamster wheel banned from sea
A man has been arrested in Florida after he tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a giant hamster wheel. Reza Baluchi, an Iranian athlete, got about 70 miles off the Georgia coast until he was spotted in the contraption by the US Coast Guard. He then proceeded to have a nearly three-day standoff with the USCG, in which he refused to leave the hamster wheel, claiming he wanted to keep going to London. Eventually, authorities extracted him from the vessel, which was judged to be “manifestly unsafe”, and took him back to shore. Baluchi, 51, embarked on his bizarre voyage days before Hurricane Franklin hit parts of the Caribbean and the US east coast. When authorities caught up with him, he “replied that he was armed with a 12-inch knife and would attempt to commit suicide should the USCG officers attempt to remove him,” court documents said. Baluchi then threatened to blow himself up if he was removed from the hamster wheel. “USCG officers again ordered Baluchi off the vessel, but he again refused. It was then that Baluchi informed the USCG officers that the bomb was not real.” Incredibly, this is not Baluchi’s first run-in with the Coast Guard. His last voyage, in 2021, ended in a similar way, after he tried to reach New York from Florida in a human-powered ball. His trip was curtailed when he realised he had forgotten his GPS and charging cables, and he was forced to return to the shore. As court documents state, Baluchi may not "go to the ocean or board a vessel on the ocean'" as a result. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Virginia's bellwether elections could reshape the commonwealth -- and its governor's political future
The crowd of Democrats gathered on the sweltering tiki-themed deck of Kilroy's, a sports bar in deep-blue Northern Virginia, knew better than most people what's at stake in their state's November elections. But Tim Kaine, one of their party's two US senators, reminded them anyway.
1970-01-01 08:00
Virgil van Dijk could face longer suspension following Newcastle red card
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk could miss their trip to Wolves later this month due to improper conduct. The defender was sent off in their 2-1 win at Newcastle last month.
1970-01-01 08:00
Samuel L. Jackson set to play US president in The Beast
Samuel L. Jackson is in talks to star as the US president in 'The Beast', which is in pre-production despite the Hollywood strikes.
1970-01-01 08:00
Michael Imperioli consulted with a witch to get Summer of Sam made
Michael Imperioli met a witch at the haunted Chelsea Hotel to ensure that his 1999 film 'Summer of Sam' made it to the big screen.
1970-01-01 08:00
Passenger details ‘horrible‘ experience onboard Delta Airlines diarrhoea flight
A passenger who was onboard the now-infamous diarrhoea Delta flight has detailed the “horrible” experience everyone endured. The Delta flight went viral after details emerged confirming the plane U-turned after a passenger onboard “had diarrhoea all the way through” the plane. The incident occurred on 2 September on a journey between Atlanta and Barcelona, which turned back around an hour into the journey. Audio recording from the flight deck heard the pilot of Flight DL194, explain: “This is a biohazard issue. We’ve had a passenger who’s had diarrhoea all the way through the aeroplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.” A passenger whose partner was onboard has spoken up about the experience, writing on X/Twitter: “My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It was dribbled down the aisle, smelled horrible. “The vanilla-scented disinfectant used on it only made it smell like vanilla s**t. After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned. They didn’t leave until around 2.30am.” They continued: “The flight was met by emergency vehicles and EMTs carried the sick passenger off the plane. My partner said the plane was cleaner when they got back on at 2am than it was the first time they got on. No smell either.” Another passenger who was onboard explained that it was right for everyone to make the decision to turn back. On X/Twitter, they said: “Both my wife and I were on the flight. It was a mess. The pilots made the right decision to turn around. The ground crew ripped out the carpet and put new in. Considering the circumstances, the ground crew did a great job, along [with] the attendants and the pilots.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
1970-01-01 08:00
Toyota mobility tech unit CEO Kuffner to leave post
By Daniel Leussink TOKYO James Kuffner, the chief executive of Toyota Motor's autonomous driving technology unit Woven by
1970-01-01 08:00
Softbank-Backed AMEA Plans to Build a Kenyan Green Hydrogen Plant
AMEA Power, a Dubai-based renewable-energy company, plans to build a green hydrogen facility in the Kenyan port of
1970-01-01 08:00
John Terry in talks over move to Saudi Pro League
John Terry is in talks to leave Chelsea and take over as manager of Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab.
1970-01-01 08:00
Aditya-L1: India's solar mission on way to Sun sends first photos
Aditya-L1 will watch the Sun from a vantage point 1.5 million km above Earth and carry out scientific studies.
1970-01-01 08:00
Johnny Kitagawa: J-pop agency boss resigns over predator's abuse
Julie Fujishima admits for the first time that rampant sexual abuse took place in her uncle's agency.
1970-01-01 08:00
RBI Intervention Seen Averting Record Low for Rupee Before G-20
Sign up for the India Edition newsletter by Menaka Doshi – an insider's guide to the emerging economic
1970-01-01 08:00
