TikToker resurrects ‘Tupac is alive’ theory
And other stories from the stranger side of life

The theory that Tupac Shakur is still alive has been given fresh impetus after a lookalike on TikTok posted a video of himself with the caption: “When people walk up to you and say look like 2pac. What y’all think?” One user responded: “I knew you didn't die!” A ‘Tupac truther’ previously claimed that the rapper, who died in 1996, is actually still alive and dwelling in the sewers of Las Vegas.
Message unites two teens
A message in a bottle has connected two teenage boys across the Atlantic Ocean, three years after it began its journey. Sean Smith, 16, sent the note from the US state of Rhode Island in 2018. It read: “It is Thanksgiving. I am 13 and visiting family in Rhode Island. I am from Vermont.” It also gave an email address. Three years on, the message was found more than 3,000 miles (4,820 km) away by Christian Santos, 17, in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic.
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.
Most premature baby reaches first birthday
A baby born weighing less than a pound has celebrated his first birthday, becoming the most premature baby to survive, according to Guinness World Records. Born more than 18 weeks before his expected due date, Richard Scott William Hutchinson was so tiny his parents could hold him in a single palm of their hands. “It doesn't feel real,” his mother Beth said about Richard’s record. “We're still surprised about it. But we’re happy.”
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
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
'You might be surprised by how much you find yourself cheering for them'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
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
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical