Scammers create fake Indian cricket league to dupe gamblers
And other stories from the stranger side of life

Scammers set up an elaborate fake Indian Premier League tournament and used farm labourers to pose as cricketers in order to dupe Russian gamblers, said police in Mehsana, India. The conmen received thousands of pounds from the unwitting Russian punters who believed they were watching real matches streamed online. A local man who could perform a convincing impersonation of commentator Harsha Bhogle was brought in to add authenticity to the footage. “It’s not cricket,” remarked The Times.
People ‘like hearing from old friends’
People are pleased to be contacted by old friends they have not heard from for years, according to a new study. Researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Kansas found that many people fear their friends will find it strange or unwelcome to be sent a message out of the blue and that “this worry could keep them from reaching out in the first place”. However, the study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, discovered there is a “robust underestimation of how much other people appreciate being reached out to”.
Man makes painful toilet error
A man had an unpleasant awakening when he accidentally used toilet cleaning wipes instead of loo roll. The Metro said the error left Leon Gleed, 29, “a little red-faced and red arsed”. When he told his girlfriend what had happened she burst out laughing, said Gleed. He developed an unpleasant rash, which he said felt “like the night after a hot curry but ten times worse”.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Broadway actors and musicians are on the brink of a strike
The explainer The show, it turns out, may not go on
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Will Starmer’s India visit herald blossoming new relations?
Today's Big Question Despite a few ‘awkward undertones’, the prime minister’s trip shows signs of solidifying trade relations
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?
Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
A private zoo run by Asia's richest family is facing criticism and investigations
Under the radar The zoo is owned by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's richest person
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieve
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters