“The net was as likely to catch a fish as be hit by the ball in this game. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have played against each other on a floating tennis court. The duo took part in a bizarre exhibition match on the court which had been laid in the water of Doha Bay, Qatar, to promote the upcoming ATP World Tour. And though the pair have the experience of winning 25 Grand Slam titles between them, neither had played on a surface anything like this before. While we don’t know what score the game ended at, it’s not our main concern, we want to know what happened to the ball boys… or should that be ball buoys.” w/ photos + video

“It looks like this orangutan got more than her fair share of the Christmas hamper. Louise Bleakly, 69, snapped the portly primate as she lazed by a tree after over-indulging. The sedentary creature soaked up the midday sun at Taman Safari Park near Jakarta, Indonesia – and was too lazy to even swing on the trees and ropes.” w/ photos

“At just six, Shruti Pandey is the youngest yoga trainer in the world. The bendy youngster has been teaching adults at an ashram, in northern India, for the last two years. Her trainer, Hari Chetan, 67, set up the ashram 35 years ago and as soon as little Shruti became one of his students, as a tiny four-year old, he spotted her talents. Now she starts her classes at 5.30am every morning, at Brahmanand Saraswati Dham, in the Jhunsi town, dressed in white leggings and a red t-shirt surrounded by 30 eager pupils ranging from businessmen, teachers, housewives to pensioners. Shruti said: ‘It feels good when people follow my instructions, I feel like a real teacher.” w/ photos

“Fancy a psychedelic holiday meal? These incredible turkeys could brighten up anyone’s Christmas dinner — after being dyed garish bright colours by their owners. The barmy birds have had their normal drab feathers transformed into neon colours using harmless food dyes. The turkeys are part of the Gozzi Turkey Farm Christmas celebrations in Guilford, Connecticut, and are dyed using a ‘secret’ technique. Gozzi Turkey Farms has been dying the turkeys for about 50 years. They sell fresh turkeys for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and has become a local attraction.” w/ photos

“Maybe the subject of this head scan had Christmas on the brain. Or maybe the scientists who examined it did as well. Either way, the close-up image of a blood vessel reminded researchers of Father Christmas’ most-famous reindeer as they studied the inner workings of neurons in the hippocampus region of the brain. Staff at Newcastle University decided the picture looks like a reindeer with antlers flying through the starry sky. Even its eye and tail are visible as part of the pin head-sized vessel.” w/ photos

“With such a festive-sounding surname, Roger and Valerie Holley might have felt obliged to bring some Christmas cheer to their quiet residential street. So the couple decided to clip their 20ft conifer tree into the shape of a Christmas pudding – then completed it with lashings of cream, huge holly leaves and big red berries. The front garden hedge also has a giant robin perching on top and has become a popular landmark in Yeovil, Somerset, over the past five years at Christmas time. Grandfather-of-three Roger, 62, said: ‘We are really proud of our Christmas pudding and robin. ‘It has taken a lot of work to make it look this good, but the effort was worth it. ‘The tree is still a real favorite with the neighbors. They kid us about it but I think they really look forward to seeing it every Christmas.” w/ photos

“Abandoned orang-utan Silvestre was treated to first-class travel on a luxury ferry as he left his home in Spain for a new life in Wareham, Dorset. Silvestre, an 11-month-old Sumatran orangutan, travelled by ferry to his new home in the creche at the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. He was taken to the UK from the zoo in Santillana del Mar, where he had been rejected by his mother, by ferry from Santander to Portsmouth. But this was no ordinary trip, as Silvestre – who is one of a critically endangered species – was treated to one of the best cabins on his Brittany ferry. The expedition was not without pitfalls though, as special permission from the British authorities was necessary for Silvestre to travel in the specialist accommodation alongside zoo employees. He seemed oblivious to all the fuss though – having a great time gazing out of the window and larking around in the cabin.” w/ photo

“With his bug eyes, wildly crooked teeth and sparsely-whiskered chin, scrawny Ug sat for months, unclaimed and overlooked at an animal sanctuary. But now, after being dubbed Britain’s ugliest dog, the two-year-old’s less-than-enticing looks have landed him a loving home. After seeing his profile picture on the the Mayflower animal sanctuary’s website, café worker April Parker, 35, immediately fell in love with the partially-blind Pointer cross. The mother-of-two took her daughters Skye, 15, and Jasmine, 13, along to see him and, proving that looks aren’t everything, the family scooped him up and took him home. Now Ug, re-named Doug by the Parkers, has a loving home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.” w/ photos

“There are times when we would all like to hide our heads in shame. But our impossible dream is a daily reality for these two King Penguins on the South Atlantic island of South Georgia. Thanks to their double-jointed necks, the ‘headless’ pair merrily go about their business. When a penguin fancies a scratch or two, he simply bends his head completely over and attacks the area that is bothering him with his beak. Such a manoeuvre guarantees there is no such thing as a ‘hard-to-reach spot’… and makes for an amusing natural image.” w/ photos

“The Mini is known for its pint-sized proportions – but for one mechanic it was still too big… because he wanted it to fit INSIDE his motor home. As a result Lester Atherfold spent three months shortening his cherry red version of the 1964 Mini 850 from 10ft long to just 7ft 10ins. That means the car – which still manages to reach speeds of 75mph – can now be transported in his AEC Reliance coach as he tours the world. Speaking of his mini Mini, Atherfold said: “People often laugh at the car, especially young girls for some reason. The retired mechanic added: “The Mini was the only car in the world that would fit in the motor home, all the others were too big and tall.” w/ photos