Tick that makes you allergic to meat is spreading across US
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A tick that makes people throw up when they eat red meat is spreading across America. A single bite from the lone star tick can trigger a life-long allergy known as alpha-gal (AGS) syndrome, said The Telegraph. “Before my diagnosis, I loved bacon cheeseburgers,” said Maryland-based Keith Tremel, who has the allergy. “My wife and two kids both like bacon, and my son enjoys steak, so cooking that for them can be a little bit of torture.”
PM mixes up Teeside and Tyneside
Boris Johnson has been mocked after he appeared confused about the location of his election campaigning activity in north-east England. In a tweet, the PM said he was in Teesside where the Conservatives are “delivering a massive programme of investment as part of our plan to level up the whole of the UK”. People on Twitter pointed out that he was in fact in Whitley Bay, which is in North Tyneside, and not Teesside, about 40 miles away. The tweet has since been deleted, noted The Guardian.
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.
Man hopes penis op will change his fortune
A man is celebrating after his penis was restored by an operation involving a skin graft from his arm. Malcolm McDonald has spent six years with a reconstructed penis attached to his arm, awaiting an operation to move it down south. He told The Times that he was thrilled by the outcome of the nine-hour operation, which he said he hoped would mark a change in his fortune. “My luck in life hasn’t been too good so far,” he said, “but it can only go bad for so long, can’t it?”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Helsinki's year of zero road fatalities
Under the Radar Finland's 'Vision Zero' safety strategy 'shifts responsibility for crashes from road users to the designers of the road system'
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurants
Feature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
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