Paratrooper survives after parachute fails to open
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A British paratrooper whose parachute failed to open correctly during an exercise in California got away with only minor injuries after a 15,000ft fall saw him crash through the roof of a house. “It’s a miracle in my estimation, really. I mean, who lands like that without a parachute and lives?” said a neighbour. The Ministry of Defence said: “The soldier received minor injuries and is recovering well.”
Super Mario game sold for record sum
A sealed, mint condition copy of Super Mario 64 has sold at auction for more than $1.5m (£1.1m), making it the most expensive video game ever sold. US auction house Heritage Auctions said the video game cartridge, first released in 1996, was in high demand for its “historical significance, rarity and condition” as there are “fewer than five copies” in such good condition. The price tag was nearly double that of the previous record-breaker, an original The Legend of Zelda cartridge which had been sold two days before at $870,000 (£744,000).
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.
Baron Cohen sues cannabis company
Sacha Baron Cohen is suing a cannabis dispensary for allegedly using his comedy character Borat on its advertising. The 49-year-old British actor has accused Solar Therapeutics of copyright infringement and false advertising. He is seeking damages of at least $9m (£6.5m), according to a lawsuit filed in the US state of Massachusetts. He alleges that the advert featured Baron Cohen as Borat, giving a thumbs up with the words “it’s nice!”
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.
-
Book reviews: 'America, América: A New History of the New World' and 'Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson'
Feature A historian tells a new story of the Americas and the forgotten story of a pioneering preacher
-
Another messaging app used by the White House is in hot water
The Explainer TeleMessage was seen being used by former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz
-
AI hallucinations are getting worse
In the Spotlight And no one knows why it is happening
-
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