Tourist sparks bomb alert after accidentally ordering a 'grenade'
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A tourist triggered a bomb alert at a Lisbon restaurant when he mixed up the Portuguese words for "pomegranate" and "grenade" while trying to order a fruit juice. A language app gave the man from Azerbaijan the wrong word and he quickly found himself handcuffed and surrounded by armed police. His day got worse still when he was ordered to lie face down on the ground in the street as five officers immobilised him, then cuffed his hands. He was later released, reported The Telegraph.
Taylor Swift pumpkin completed
A US artist has made a model of Taylor Swift using a giant pumpkin, noted The Guardian. The item, made by Ohio-based Jeanette Paras, is called the 'Taylor Swiftkin'. It took 10 hours to paint and weighs 399lb (181kg). "This is probably my favourite character so far," said Paras, who has also painted gourds of Ted Lasso, Kim Jong-un and Rudy Giuliani. "I really think Taylor would like it."
Tiny police station opens in Crawley
Britain’s smallest police station has opened in Crawley. The 8ft by 6ft space, the size of a garden shed or small bus shelter, has been created in the town centre in response to recent stabbings and shoplifting. "Owing to its narrow nature" it has "room only for a couple of seats and has no cells in which to hold anyone placed under arrest", said The Times. "I've heard there have been cutbacks but this is ridiculous," said a local.
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.
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
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.
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden arrives in Peru for final summits
Speed Read President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit the Amazon rainforest and attend two major international summits
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 15, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - power couples, mixed messages, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Despairing husband creates 'Taylor Swift jar'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Green man will stay on longer for fat Brits
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
George Floyd legacy: what has changed in the US three years on
feature Police officers are more accountable but has ‘white empathy’ hit a wall?
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Why Taylor Swift’s ‘haunted’ piano plays by itself
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Is mystery book Taylor Swift’s memoir?
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
How your laughter shows when you’re in love
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
US elite crime-fighting units: a recipe for trouble?
feature Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis highlights the dangers of using of elite crime-fighting units
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Speed Read President Biden calls for ‘peaceful protest’ ahead of video release showing Memphis police officers fatally injuring 29-year-old
By Jamie Timson Published