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.
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.
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”.
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
-
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
-
Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs
Speed Read The attack targeting Hezbollah was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since November's ceasefire
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medics
speed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Gaza: the killing of the paramedics
In the Spotlight IDF attack on ambulance convoy a reminder that it is 'still possible to be shocked by events in Gaza'
-
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
-
Who are the West Bank settlers?
The Explainer While all eyes are on Gaza, Israeli settlers are encroaching further onto Palestinian land in the West Bank
-
Is Israel annexing Gaza?
Today's Big Question Israeli army prepares a major ground offensive and is said to have plans to 'fully occupy the territory'