Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
The naked lawnmower man – and woman
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Man uses stolen brain to get high
A burglary suspect is facing new charges after admitting to police he had used a stolen human brain to create a more potent form of marijuana. Joshua Long, from Pennsylvania, said he and a friend soaked the drug in formaldehyde used to preserve the brain. He has been charged with misdemeanour abuse of a corpse, while police work on finding the brain's rightful owner.
Notorious 'nipple man' caught in Japan
Police have arrested a man who fondled his nipples while staring at women on the subway. Toshihiro Fujikuma, of Kyoto, Japan, was known on social media as "nipple man" after a string of women published photos of him. He was arrested after flashing his buttocks at two young women. He admitted to all charges.
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Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
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The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
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Sudoku hard: November 15, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
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Texas’s abortion law: the Republicans get their way, at lastSpeed Read SB8 authorises private citizens to sue anyone who performs, ‘aids or abets’ an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy
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Changing legal gender: what’s new and how does it work?Speed Read Cost of a gender recognition certificate application is reduced from £140 to £5
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America’s bloodiest state votes to ban the death penaltySpeed Read Virginia has executed more than 1,300 people in its 400-year history
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FBI accused of ‘fake’ background check on Donald Trump Supreme Court nomineeSpeed Read Democratic senator calls for ‘proper oversight’ over Brett Kavanaugh investigation into sexual assault claims
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Family of Malcolm X claims letter proves FBI and NYPD involved in his murderSpeed Read Daughters of assassinated civil rights leader demand reopening of investigation
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Meghan Markle granted nine-month delay in Mail on Sunday privacy caseSpeed Read Duchess of Sussex had applied for summary judgement in battle over letters sent to her estranged father
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Meghan Markle to pay £67,000 after losing first round of legal battle against Mail
Speed Read Duchess of Sussex is suing the newspaper’s publisher for printing parts of private letter to her father
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MI6 agents tried to stop judge seeing secret documents in ‘licence to kill’ caseSpeed Read Intelligence agency was forced to apologise for ‘any misunderstanding’, court documents show
