Our pick of the strange but true stories from around the world.
Hunters called into stop 'radioactive boars'
Large numbers of "radioactive boars" are running wild and breeding uncontrollably around the area of the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, say locals. Approximately 13,000 of the animals are said to be feeding on toxic crops from around the site, prompting the government to call in scores of hunters to control the population. Despite being "killed faster than they can be buried", the boar population continues to spiral out of control.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
High-speed chase ends with high fives and selfies
Two burglary suspects in Los Angeles have led police on one of the most bizarre high-speed car chases in recent memory. The pair were allegedly fleeing the scene of a break-in when their convertible Mustang collided with a TMZ tour bus. One of the suspects threw a hamburger at the driver before speeding off. The chase continued and was shown live on television, with the suspects performing donuts in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard before finally coming to a halt in a residential area. The pair gave local residents high fives and posed for selfies until police arrived.
Saddam Hussein tried to ban Pokemon
Spies loyal to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein were deeply suspicious of the Japanese children's TV hit Pokemon, according to documents captured by US troops in 2004. An analysis of the papers shows that the General Security Directorate, the feared domestic security force, thought the name in Syriac was too similar to the phrase: "I am a Jew". The note reads: "Beware my brothers in Islam and protect the sons of the Muslim nation." As a result, Hussein apparently wanted to ban the show.