Company manufactures thousands of ‘Platinum Jubbly’ items
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A company in China manufactured 10,800 teacups, mugs and plates to mark the Queen’s seven decades as monarch before discovering it had made a fundamental error. Below a picture of the Queen reads the words: “To commemorate the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II.” Wholesale Clearance UK bought the items from Changzhouint Merchandise and is selling the erroneous stock as a £32,400 job lot.
Rotterdam to dismantle bridge for Bezos
The city of Rotterdam will partially dismantle its famous Koningshaven Bridge so that a new pleasure yacht for Jeff Bezos can pass through it, according to local reports. There have been protests over the plan, with the Rotterdam Historical Society reminding local authorities that they vowed never to dismantle the bridge again after its restoration in 2017. Bezos’ huge, three-masted pleasure yacht is so large that it cannot pass under De Heff, despite the bridge’s 40-metre clearance.
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.
London Eye-sized asteroid nearing planet
An asteroid believed to be bigger than the London Eye will come close to Earth’s orbit next week. Known as 2007 UY1, the rock was first sighted on 18 October 2007 and has an estimated diameter of 67-150km. An asteroid larger than the Empire State Building is also set to pass by the planet next month. The US Congress has asked Nasa to identify 90% of asteroids bigger than 140 metres that could destroy a large city if they struck.
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
-
Interest rate cut: the winners and losers
The Explainer The Bank of England's rate cut is not good news for everyone
-
Quiz of The Week: 3 – 9 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will robots benefit from a sense of touch?
Podcast Plus, has Donald Trump given centrism a new lease of life? And was it wrong to release the deadly film Rust?
-
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