Our pick of the strange but true stories from around the world.
Swedish police called to investigate 'revenge fart'
A Swedish man has been reported to police after allegedly farting because the woman he was with refused to have sex with him. The man and woman, who are not in a relationship, had arranged to have sex, but when he arrived at her home she turned him down. In response, the man broke wind and left the apartment. The woman called police to report the incident, telling them that the offending flatulence had "disturbed my peace of mind" and that "it smelled very bad in my flat". No charges were brought.
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GPS instruction terrifies children
A Colorado mother has revealed that sat-nav instructions telling her to "bear right" sparked fear and confusion for her two small children. The youngest thought there was a bear on the right-hand side of the car, prompting her to warn her older brother, who also began to cry. The situation was eventually defused when the mother told her children they were going to visit the bears in a zoo.
Dying hamster completing 'bucket list'
A Chicago couple is attempting to complete a 'bucket list' for their two-year-old hamster, named after comedy legend Robin Williams, after the animal was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour. The list of activities includes taking a selfie outside the Art Institute, eating a deep-dish pizza and being Thor for a day. "Some people don't consider hamsters a real pet, but to us he is just as important and special as a dog," Robin Williams' owner said.
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Bugonia: ‘deranged, extreme and explosively enjoyable’Talking Point Yorgos Lanthimos’ film stars Emma Stone as a CEO who is kidnapped and accused of being an alien
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The Revolutionists: a ‘superb and monumental’ bookThe Week Recommends Jason Burke ‘epic’ account of the plane hijackings and kidnappings carried out by extremists in the 1970s
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Embrace the Boricua spirit on a foodie tour of Puerto RicoThe Week Recommends From cultural food tours to organic farms, there is plenty to discover around the island
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Urine video dents Chinese beer brandTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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50 Cent sponsors Welsh under-14s football teamTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Koran burning in Scandinavia: freedom of expression’s ultimate test?Talking Point Anti-Islam demonstrations have sparked condemnation and raised constitutional challenges for Sweden and Denmark
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The Week Unwrapped: Policing, Sweden’s far-right and ‘passkeys’podcast Can the Metropolitan Police’s new commissioner fix the force’s problems? Why has Sweden swung to the political right? And are passwords set to become obsolete?
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Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
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The teenage gorilla with an addiction to smartphonesIn the Spotlight Amare, the 16-year-old ape, has screen time cut after spending ‘hours’ looking at visitors’ phones
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In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
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Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
