Odd News Roundup: Thais seek to restore fortunes with mock funerals; Crocheted doll of Bernie Sanders meme raises $40,000 for charity and more

Get the Bernie look, or something like it, with Vermont knitter's mittens U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders may be an unlikely fashion trendsetter but memes of his Inauguration Day mittens sparked demand for lookalikes that is keeping a Vermont knitter busy and helping take charitable donations toward $2 million.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Crocheted doll of Bernie Sanders meme raises $40,000 for charity

Tobey King used a little yarn, a crochet needle and some inspiration from Bernie Sanders to create a crocheted doll version of the Vermont senator and raise $40,000 for charity. After photographs began circulating on social media of Sanders wearing a parka and a pair of mittens at U.S. President Joe Biden's inauguration, King sprang into action.

Thais seek to restore fortunes with mock funerals

In a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok, participants at a daily ritual clutch a bunch of flowers and lie down in a coffin with a sheet pulled over them as monks chant. The Wat Bangna Nai temple in the Thai capital draws more than 100 people a day who choose to perform the ceremony in the hope it can improve their fortunes or give them a fresh start.

Bulgaria busts counterfeit gang that used fake passport of U.S. actor as sample

Bulgarian authorities have busted a counterfeit gang that promoted the quality of its illegal documents and banknotes by showing a fake Bulgarian passport bearing the picture of U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone. Prosecutors on Friday charged four Bulgarians suspected of belonging to an organised crime ring making and distributing the fake Bulgarian documents and counterfeit U.S. dollar and euro bills in the Balkan country.

Get the Bernie look, or something like it, with Vermont knitter's mittens

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders may be an unlikely fashion trendsetter but memes of his Inauguration Day mittens sparked demand for lookalikes that is keeping a Vermont knitter busy and helping take charitable donations toward $2 million. The independent senator from Vermont wore a facemask, parka and recycled wool mittens as he sat bundled up against the cold at President Joe Biden's swearing-in on Jan. 20 in Washington. The look, in cozy contrast to the formal garb worn by those around him, struck a chord and internet photos of him were transposed onto countless scenes from history, art and popular culture.