Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
'Runaway robot' faces the scrapheap
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Woman's phone attacked by snake
A woman has had a close encounter with a snake while filming the reptile in her Alabama backyard. YouTuber Brian Lucas posted the video of his friend's mother talking to the serpent before reaching out and touching its tail. The snake reared up and struck at the woman's phone, narrowly missing her fingers. According to Reddit users, it was a non-venomous grey rat snake.
Father advertises to find wife for son
A man has taken out a full-page advert in an Idaho newspaper in an attempt to find a wife for his 48-year-old son. Baron Brooks said he was shocked and embarrassed by the $900 (£600) ad and had no idea his father, 78-year-old Arthur, intended to do such a thing. The advert says Brooks' future wife should have a short stature and conservative political views.
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Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
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Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
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Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
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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
