Tall tales: Royal Navy recruits don't have to be able to swim

The Week's round-up of the latest odd news

A British military ship pictured in a clear blue sea
(Image credit: DraganSaponjic / Getty Images)

Sink or swim
Royal Navy recruits will no longer need to be able to prove they can swim in order to join up. In a move described by a source as a "sign of true desperation to increase recruitment numbers", anyone seeking to join the aquatic wing of the British military won't have to pass a 30-minute swim test. Asked how the change had gone down internally, the source said there was "outrage, unadulterated, utter outrage" over the "race to the bottom – literally the bottom".

Period piece
The design of a new train station in the Chinese city of Nanjing has provoked ridicule for its likeness to a sanitary pad. The buildings of the North Nanjing station are meant to "take inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is known for", said the BBC. But responses on the social media site Weibo have universally rejected that idea. "This is a giant sanitary pad. It's embarrassing to say it looks like a plum blossom," said one post. "I think we should take this chance to call for society to pay attention to period shaming. This design is ahead of its time," joked another.

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Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.