Odd News Roundup: Thai royalist turns rebel; Monolith mystery deepens as Utah desert object vanishes and more

Mitree latest hairstyle shows the "Hunger Games" salute of the pro-democracy protesters who are demanding reforms to curb the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in addition to a new prime minister and new constitution. Giant Japanese robot spurs hopes for tourism after virus hit An 18-metre (60-foot) "Gundam" robot that can walk and move its arms was unveiled in Japan on Monday amid hopes that it will help invigorate tourism hit by COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Kaavan, Pakistan's lonesome elephant, starts new life in Cambodia

Pakistan's lonely elephant Kaavan arrived in Cambodia by cargo plane on Monday to start a new life with 600 fellow pachyderms at a local sanctuary, the result of years of campaigning for his relocation by American singer Cher. Cher was on the tarmac at the airport of Cambodia's second-biggest city Siem Reap to greet the elephant and met the vets who accompanied Kaavan on his long journey in a custom-made crate, with more than 200 kg (441 lbs) of food to keep him busy.

Orsted wins right to stick with 19th century physicist's name

Danish energy group Orsted has won a dispute with descendants of scientist Hans Christian Orsted over the legal right to use his name, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The company changed its name from DONG Energy - short for Danish Oil and Natural Gas - to Orsted in 2017, saying it was a celebration of the 19th century Danish physicist, after a switch from fossil fuels to being the world's largest developer of offshore wind farms.

Monolith mystery deepens as Utah desert object vanishes

No word as to whether Star Trek's Scotty "beamed it up," but the mysterious, shiny monolith that was spotted in a remote southeastern Utah desert two weeks ago is gone. A state crew that buzzed through the wilderness, counting bighorn sheep from a helicopter, found the alien-looking object on Nov. 18 and touched off international sci-fi speculation, harkening to the classic Stanley Kubrick 1968 film, "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Wagging tails: therapy dog cheers Spanish special-needs kids during COVID

Surrounded by parents and teachers, five children with disabilities in a Spanish special-needs school cannot hide their excitement when Soul the therapy dog walks in wagging her tail. "What we have noticed a lot during the time of the pandemic is that they pay much more attention to the dog," special education teacher Meritxell Arias told Reuters as the children laughed and petted the golden retriever, who also appeared to be smiling.

Change is in the hair: Thai royalist turns rebel

Mitree Chitinunda was such a devoted Thai royalist that he had the king's portrait cut into his hair last year, but politics like fashion and hairstyles is changing in Thailand. Mitree latest hairstyle shows the "Hunger Games" salute of the pro-democracy protesters who are demanding reforms to curb the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in addition to a new prime minister and new constitution.

Giant Japanese robot spurs hopes for tourism after virus hit An 18-metre (60-foot)

"Gundam" robot that can walk and move its arms was unveiled in Japan on Monday amid hopes that it will help invigorate tourism hit by COVID-19. The robot is modelled after a figure in "Mobile Suit Gundam", a Japanese cartoon first launched in the late 1970s about enormous battle robots piloted by humans. The series spawned multiple spin-offs and toys and gained a worldwide following.