Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
Man arrested climbing Trump Tower
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Filipino president insults US diplomat
Rodrigo Duterte, the President of the Philippines, has sparked a diplomatic row with the US after calling its ambassador a "gay son of a whore" during a televised interview. He also accused the US of meddling in his country's presidential elections. The US State Department said it has summoned the Filipino charge d'affaires to explain Duterte's comments.
Man 'smuggles' monkey onto Vegas flight
Frontier Airlines says its staff were forced to intervene when a passenger attempted to smuggle a monkey on to a flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Las Vegas. A company spokesperson said the passenger was seen taking the monkey out of a duffel bag and stowing it under his shirt during the flight. Police met the flight in Las Vegas and determined that the monkey was a certified service animal. The passenger was cautioned for not providing the proper paperwork to bring the monkey on board.
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Political cartoons for February 11Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include erasing Epstein, the national debt, and disease on demand
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The Week contest: Lubricant larcenyPuzzles and Quizzes
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Can the UK take any more rain?Today’s Big Question An Atlantic jet stream is ‘stuck’ over British skies, leading to ‘biblical’ downpours and more than 40 consecutive days of rain in some areas
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Trump links funding to name on Penn StationSpeed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
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Trump reclassifies 50,000 federal jobs to ease firingsSpeed Read The rule strips longstanding job protections from federal workers
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Is the Gaza peace plan destined to fail?Today’s Big Question Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the situation in Gaza is still ‘precarious’, with the path to peace facing ‘many obstacles’
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Vietnam’s ‘balancing act’ with the US, China and EuropeIn the Spotlight Despite decades of ‘steadily improving relations’, Hanoi is still ‘deeply suspicious’ of the US as it tries to ‘diversify’ its options
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Trump demands $1B from Harvard, deepening feudSpeed Read Trump has continually gone after the university during his second term
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Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
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Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
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Gabbard faces questions on vote raid, secret complaintSpeed Read This comes as Trump has pushed Republicans to ‘take over’ voting
