Odd News Roundup: Doctor's self-funded test lab; Japanese health officials find 164 dogs in a tiny house and more

The move addresses a trend of people seeking more eco-friendly or allergen-free diets for their pets, and puts Nestle into potential competition with smaller brands like Yora and Green Petfood's InsectDog. Ballots, beer and a drag queen on roller skates: Election Day at a Texas bar Houston LGBTQ bar Buddy's offered Texans a unique election experience on Tuesday: casting ballots for the U.S. presidential election in 14 voting booths on its dance floor.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Doctor's self-funded test lab leads way in Somalia's COVID fight

Having scraped money together following medical studies abroad, Somali doctor Abdullahi Sheikdon Dini opened Mogadishu's first advanced diagnostic laboratory in January. Its arrival could hardly have been better timed because, just two months later, the coronavirus epidemic reached the Horn of Africa country.

Japanese health officials find 164 dogs crammed into tiny house

Japanese health officials have found 164 emaciated dogs crammed into a tiny house in one of the country's worst cases of animal hoarding, an animal rights activist said on Wednesday. The parasite-infested animals were found in a 30 square-metre (323 sq foot) house in the city of Izumo, in western Japan, in mid-October after neighbours had complained, said Kunihisa Sagami, the head of animal rights group Dobutsukikin.

Bionic gloves help keep the music playing for Brazilian pianist

Acclaimed Brazilian pianist João Carlos Martins had not played with 10 fingers since he lost the use of his right hand in a 1995 mugging in Bulgaria. But today he has returned to play his favorite Bach sonatas thanks to "bionic gloves" invented by industrial designer Ubiratan Bizarro.

Nestle uses insect protein in Purina pet food

Nestle's Purina brand is launching a line of pet food using insects, as the world's biggest food group tests more environmentally sustainable protein sources. The move addresses a trend of people seeking more eco-friendly or allergen-free diets for their pets, and puts Nestle into potential competition with smaller brands like Yora and Green Petfood's InsectDog.

Ballots, beer and a drag queen on roller skates: Election Day at a Texas bar

Houston LGBTQ bar Buddy's offered Texans a unique election experience on Tuesday: casting ballots for the U.S. presidential election in 14 voting booths on its dance floor. Buddy's is the first bar to serve as a voting venue in Harris County - the largest in Texas by population - after owner Christopher Barry proposed it to officials seeking to make voting easier during the coronavirus pandemic.

Purple-red skies and fog greet London on first day of COVID lockdown

Striking purple-red skies broke across London at dawn on Thursday with fog later enveloping landmarks such as Tower Bridge as England went into a month-long COVID-19 lockdown on Thursday. Reuters video footage showed the purple sky reflected in the Thames as fog rose up the Shard skyscraper and finally obscured Tower Bridge.

Britain's most fashionable man? Vogue hails Prince Charles

His daughters-in-law Kate and Meghan are regularly lauded for their fashion sense, but 71-year-old Prince Charles, well-known for patching-up and mending his clothes, has probably been considered a less likely British style icon - until now. "I've always admired the way you dress," Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, told Charles in an interview for the fashion magazine's latest edition.