Our pick of the strange but true stories from around the world.
Darwin's bark spiders' rich sex life
Researchers in Slovenia have discovered that male Darwin's bark spiders perform oral sex on females "before, in between and after copulations, even up to 100 times". The researchers say the species has a "rich sexual repertoire", including "sexual cannibalism", in which the female eats the male after sex, and "post-mating emasculation", in which the male chews off parts of his own sex organs.
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Weasel shuts down LHC
The Large Hadron Collider has been closed after a weasel broke into the facility and chewed through a power cable. It's not the first time the notoriously fragile equipment has been stopped by unusual means – in 2009, it ground to a halt when a bird dropped a piece of bread on it. Scientists say the LHC should be up and running again in two weeks.
A finger-lickin' anniversary trip
A man has honoured a family meal tradition by driving 870 miles to get KFC for his wife. Mike and Angela Hovak, of Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories, always eat the takeaway chicken on their wedding anniversary, but their nearest store recently closed down and the next closest is 435 miles away. Hovak brought home 15 buckets of chicken, at a cost of more than £325 in fuel and accommodation.
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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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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
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Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
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Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
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Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
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Motherhood: why are we putting it off?Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
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Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
