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.
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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.
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September 28 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Jim Comey indictment and Pam Bondi as a the Wicked Witch of the West
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Your Party: a Pythonesque shamblesTalking Point Comical disagreements within Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's group highlight their precarious position
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The Liberal Democrats: on the march?Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
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Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
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'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
