Putin ‘made Gordon Brown sit in a small chair’
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Gordon Brown believes Vladimir Putin once deliberately belittled him by making him sit on a small chair during a visit to Moscow. Remembering a meeting in 2006, when Brown was then Tony Blair’s chancellor, the politician said: “I was put in a very low seat so that I was looking up at him.” He described Putin as “a relatively small man” who wears “stacked heels”. Brown said Putin read out information about him “as though he wanted to prove he knew more about me than I knew about myself”. Speaking to The Telegraph, Brown added: “I can tell you he was threatening me even then.”
Balance test can signal early death
An inability to stand on one leg for ten seconds after the age of 50 could indicate you are facing an early death, according to a new study. Researchers found that people who failed the simple balance test had double the risk of dying from any cause in the next ten years than those who passed it. Some 1,702 participants aged 51-75 were asked to undertake a balance test and then monitored between February 2009 and December 2020, for research published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Unusual items found in man’s stomach
Doctors found hundreds of coins, nails, batteries, magnets, stones, screws and shards of glass inside a man’s stomach, reported The Metro. When medics in Turkey performed an endoscopy with ultrasound and X-ray scans, they were stunned to discover 233 items in the 35-year-old’s stomach. After the objects were removed, the man’s brother said: “I thank the doctors for their attention and support.”
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.
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
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explained
In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
By The Week UK Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
The issue of women and conscription
Under the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Labour and nuclear weapons: a turbulent ideological history
The Explainer From the 1940s to Keir Starmer, the party leadership has zigzagged in and out of love with the bomb
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why is Ukraine backing far-right militias in Russia?
Today's Big Question The role of the fighters is a 'double-edged sword' for Kyiv, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
Why is Islamic State targeting Russia?
Today's Big Question Islamist terror group's attack on 'soft target' in Moscow was driven in part by 'opportunity and personnel'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's unconventional approach to reconstruction
Under the radar Digitally savvy nation uses popular app to file compensation claims, access funds and rebuild destroyed homes
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What does victory now look like for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Not losing is as important as winning as the tide turns in Russia's favour again
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published