News of THE weird

Bang, bang birdie

TSA officers at the Fort Lauderdale-hollywood International Airport made a “hen you believe it?” (their pun) discovery on Nov. 8 as they screened luggage: a pistol stuffed inside a raw chicken.

The Associated Press reported that both raw meat and firearms are allowed on airplanes — just not packed together.

TSA posted a photo of the bangbang chicken on its Instagram account but did not identify the traveler or whether it made any arrests.

Sweet nothings

Japanese convenience store Lawson is testing a new candy that tastes like emptiness, Oddity Central reported.

“Aji no Shinai? Ame,” or “Tasteless? Candy,” apparently has a slight odor but almost no flavor. The makers are hoping people who use candy just to keep their mouths moist will appreciate the flavorless variety.

One man’s trash

German collector Alexander Smoljanovic is on the hunt for a special item to complete his collection, Metro News reported.

Smoljanovic wants a purple Sulo 240-liter wheeled trash can, available only in the United Kingdom, to round out his collection of more than 100 full-size wheelies.

“I have miniatures and real wheelie bins from USA, Australia, France, U.K. and Germany. Almost every color is available. The most valuable colors are purple, gold, silver and transparent,” he said.

He hopes for a donation, but he’s willing to pay for the elusive purple wheelie. “Some people tell me, ‘Now I consider my wheelie bin from another angle.’ ”

The criminally inept

Two unnamed thieves stole merchandise from the Ross Dress for Less store in Springfield, Mo., on Nov. 5, KY3-TV reported.

They apparently then hopped into separate cars to make their getaway — and crashed into each other. Police said the suspects tried to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended; they face misdemeanor theft charges.