Reuters Odd News Summary

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said Santa was vaccinated against COVID-19 and could travel without risk of infection. Santa rides elephants to Thai town, bearing gifts of face masks Santa Claus gave his sleigh and reindeer a break on Wednesday and rode elephants in Thailand during a special Christmas visit aimed at raising awareness about the threat of the coronavirus.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs. Colombian taxi driver and canine co-pilot spread Christmas cheer

People looking for a bit of Christmas merriment in the Colombian capital might find it in an unexpected place: the front seat of a taxi, in the form of a costumed canine co-pilot. Taxi driver Nicolas Walteros and his beloved dog Colonel take passengers around the city together, dressed in matching green Santa tops and hats, aviator sunglasses and a fluffy fake beard resting on the pup's blonde snout.

Happy Fishmas - Thai aquarium gets surprise Santa visit Visitors to an aquarium in Thailand got a big surprise this week when Santa Claus swam by, carrying a sack full of food and surrounded by shoals of curious fish. The basement aquarium in the Bangkok shopping mall was the last place families were expecting to see Father Christmas, equipped with fins, oxygen tank and a dive mask.

Sit, stay, detect COVID! Chile dogs report for duty at Santiago airport The task of sniffing out passengers infected with COVID-19 at Chile's Santiago international airport is going to the dogs. A team of Golden Retrievers and Labradors sit when they smell the virus and get a treat. The canines sport green "biodetector" jackets with a red cross.

Santa on his way, vaccinated and free of quarantine restrictions - U.S. officials Santa Claus, vaccinated against COVID-19 and free of quarantine restrictions mere mortals face, was making his annual jaunt across the globe on Christmas Eve and being tracked by the U.S. and Canadian military, officials said on Thursday. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said Santa was vaccinated against COVID-19 and could travel without risk of infection.

Santa rides elephants to Thai town, bearing gifts of face masks Santa Claus gave his sleigh and reindeer a break on Wednesday and rode elephants in Thailand during a special Christmas visit aimed at raising awareness about the threat of the coronavirus. White-bearded handlers in floppy hats and Santa outfits sat atop elephants decked out in tinsel and trunk masks in the central province of Ayutthaya, distributing protective masks in baskets to schoolchildren, motorcyclists and drivers passing by.

Saved from the garbage, Russian cat lands on its feet in minister's chair When a worker at a Russian waste-sorting plant rescued a cat from imminent death, he had no idea it would end up with an honorary title and napping in a government official's chair. Surveillance footage at the plant in Ulyanovsk, a city located around 700 km (435 miles) southeast of Moscow, on Monday showed worker Mikhail Tukash scooping up a white plastic bag from a conveyor belt and slashing it open to discover a black and white male cat inside.

Downing Street cat grabs the Brexit limelight with pigeon pounce Larry the Downing Street Cat, always a favourite of camera crews awaiting news outside the home of the British prime minister, found himself captivating the world's media on Monday as they waited in vain in for a Brexit breakthrough. But much like the negotiators, who had been promising an imminent deal for almost a day, he flattered to deceive as he smoothly stalked a pigeon, pounced on it - and then let it slip from his grasp.