Good week, Bad week
Strolling in Naples; Infallibility; Mississippi
Good week for:
Strolling in Naples, after the almost-bankrupt Italian city began DNA-testing dog feces on its poop-covered sidewalks, so it can prosecute residents who don’t pick up. “I know some people find it funny that with all the problems the city has, we would focus on dog poop,” said an official.
Diversion, after a dedicated graffiti zone was set up at the Great Wall of China, in the hope it would stop visitors from scratching their names on the historic barrier. Most of the graffiti on the wall, said the Chinese media, is in English.
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Trying anything, after growing numbers of drought-afflicted California farmers began hiring dowsers to locate underground water. “Scientists don’t believe in it,” said vintner Marc Mondavi, “but I do and most of the farmers in the [Napa] Valley do.”
Bad week for:
Infallibility, after Pope Francis accidentally cursed in Italian while delivering his weekly blessing at the Vatican, using the word cazzo, the equivalent to the F-bomb, rather than caso, which means “example.”
Mississippi, which has overtaken West Virginia as the fattest state in the union, with an obesity rate of 35.4 percent. Montana had the lowest obesity rate—19.6 percent.
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Holy bribery, after the Kentucky Baptist Convention started giving away free steak dinners and guns to encourage “unchurched young rednecks” to come to church and accept Jesus. “Can you picture Jesus giving away guns?’’ asked one disapproving pastor.
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Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
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The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
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Codeword: December 13, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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Good week, Bad week
feature Making amends, Justice, Saying ‘cheese’
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Good week, Bad week
feature Reptile experience; Painless budget cuts; Driving with kids
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Good week, Bad week
feature Closing the sale; Calling 911; Going to the circus
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Good week, Bad week
feature Asking Google anything; Misanthropes; Persistence
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Good week, Bad week
feature Torture, Irritating the cat, Being cheap
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Good week, Bad week
feature Tesla; Entrepreneurship; Fortune-tellers
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Good week, Bad week
feature The miracles of science; Wild times in Wisconsin; Holding hands
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Good week, Bad week
feature Going stag; Looking up; Happy feet