Creepy clowns seen 'luring children into woods'
Police investigating claims that clowns have taken up residence in South Carolina - and other tall tales
Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
Woodland clowns are no laughing matter
Parents in Greenville County, South Carolina, are on high alert after a group of children reported "several creepy clowns" trying to lure them into a local forest. Several adults have also allegedly had run-ins with the mysterious figures, including a woman who says she saw a clown standing beneath a streetlight and waving to her as she walked home late at night. The clowns are said to have taken up residence "deep in the woods, near a house by a pond". Police are calling for calm after reports of residents shooting firearms blindly into the woods to scare the clowns away.
Subscribe to 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.
Couple banned from Everest after faking climb
A husband and wife said to have been the first Indian couple to reach the summit of Mount Everest have been banned from climbing mountains in Nepal for ten years after officials determined they had faked their ascent. Police officers Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod allegedly doctored images from another mountaineer's successful climb two days earlier to show them "standing" on the summit. Among the evidence reportedly against the pair are photos showing them in two different sets of gear in an environment where changing clothes is almost physically impossible.
Teen dies after 'fatal lovebite'
A 17-year-old boy from Mexico City has reportedly died in hospital after his 24-year-old girlfriend gave him a lovebite on his neck. Local officials say the boy began convulsing at the dinner table, before collapsing and being rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered the bite had formed a blood clot that had travelled to his brain and caused a fatal stroke. The boy's girlfriend is reportedly in hiding.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Decrepit train stations across the US are being revitalized
Under the Radar These buildings function as hotels, restaurants and even museums
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: January 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: January 30, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published