Mafia fugitive busted on YouTube cooking channel
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A mafia fugitive has been caught after appearing on YouTube cooking videos in which he hid his face but accidentally showed his distinctive tattoos. Marc Feren Claude Biart had been on the run since 2014, after Italian prosecutors ordered his arrest for cocaine trafficking. He was leading a quiet life in the Dominican Republic until he appeared on a YouTube channel in which he showed off his Italian cooking.
Humans could spit venom
Humans could evolve to spit potentially deadly venom as a self-defence mechanism, according to a new study. Scientists have found the genetic foundation required for oral venom is present in both reptiles and mammals. Under the right environmental conditions, humans could therefore develop the ability to spit it at enemies. Study author, Agneesh Barua, joked that the news “definitely gives a whole new meaning to a toxic person”.
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McCartney letter set for auction
A letter from Paul McCartney settling a “debt” for a missing holiday blanket is going up for auction. The singer made off with the bedding after staying at a farmhouse in Wales with fellow Beatle George Harrison. Several decades later, after he was chased up by the venue’s owner, he responded with a cheque for £30. His accompanying letter has a starting price of £3,000.
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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
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