Woman bombarded with calls after number appears in Squid Game
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Netflix has announced that it will edit out a phone number that appears in its hit series Squid Game after a woman said she was bombarded with calls to her mobile phone. In the gritty South Korean drama, contestants are invited to ring the number to take part in life-and-death children’s games for money. The woman said the calls are coming through to her phone, “to the point that it’s hard for me to go on with daily life”.
Uri Geller says aliens brought Facebook down
Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were brought down by aliens, according to illusionist and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller. After the social networks and messaging app were out of action for six hours earlier this week, the spoon bending television personality tweeted that “alien extraterrestrial technology can do this”. He also warned followers that “nuclear ballistic missile systems are in danger” from the meddling aliens.
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.
Luxury ancient toilet found in Jerusalem
A 2,700-year-old toilet has been discovered during archaeological excavations of a former royal mansion in Jerusalem. It is believed that the facility dates from the end of the 7th century BCE. Yaakov Billig, director of the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the toilet “made of limestone and is designed for comfortable sitting, with a hole in the centre”, adding that in the era it dates from, “only the rich could afford toilets”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘The economics of WhatsApp have been mysterious for years’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Democrats impeach Kristi Noem?Today’s Big Question Centrists, lefty activists also debate abolishing ICE
-
Is a social media ban for teens the answer?Talking Point Australia is leading the charge in banning social media for people under 16 — but there is lingering doubt as to the efficacy of such laws
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Why recognizing Somaliland is so risky for IsraelTHE EXPLAINER By wading into one of North Africa’s most fraught political schisms, the Netanyahu government risks further international isolation
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison