Northern accents could die out within decades
And other stories from the stranger side of life

Northern accents could start dying out within the next 45 years as a result of the rising dominance of southern dialects, according to a new study. Researchers at Cambridge University found children living in towns and cities across the north of England are increasingly using pronunciations more usually spoken in the south because they are easier to pick up. “What we see are changes happening in big classes of words - but not all of them,” said one researcher.
Police identify the Indiana ‘pooper’
Police in Indiana say they have identified a woman who has been defecating on lawns. Residents in the suburb of Fishers have been unsettled in recent weeks by a prolific early morning visitor dubbed “the pooper”. However, thanks to video from a doorbell camera, police say the culprit had been identified. In 2017, a family in Colorado was targeted by a woman they called “the Mad Pooper”, who regularly defecated on their sidewalk.
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.
Time traveller from 5000 in water warning
A man who insists he is a time-traveller from the year 5000 says entire cities will be underwater because of climate change. The man, known only as Edward, said he was part of a top-secret time-travelling experiment in 2004 and was sent 3,000 years into the future. He says he discovered Los Angeles submerged by a great body of water. Last week, a time traveller from the year 2491 said giant aliens with a “distorted appearance” will arrive on Earth in 2022.
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 9, 2025
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - India-Pakistan tensions, pope hopeful, and more
-
The Week US terms and conditions
-
Leo XIV vs. Trump: what will first American Pope mean for US Catholics?
Today's Big Question New pope has frequently criticised the president, especially on immigration policy, but is more socially conservative than his predecessor
-
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