‘World’s first’ kitten with no sexual organs discovered
And others stories from the stranger side of life
A kitten born without any sexual organs has been discovered in what vets think may be a world first. The kitten, called Hope, is part of an abandoned litter being cared for by the Cats Protection Tyneside adoption centre. Speaking to The Telegraph, Fiona Brockbank, the senior field veterinary officer at Cats Protection, said: “Hope came into care like all other cats who get relinquished and at the point that she had her vet check, underneath her tail just did not look as we would expect for either of the sexes.”
Oldest written sentence found on a nit comb
What is thought to be the “oldest known sentence written in the earliest alphabet” has been discovered on a head-lice comb, reported The Guardian. “May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard,” reads the inscription on the comb, which was unearthed in Lachish, a Canaanite city state in the second millennium BCE and the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah. “The inscription is very human,” said Prof Yosef Garfinkel, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who helped direct the Lachish excavations.
‘Hooker’ ghosts haunt Texan home
A Texas homeowner said “hooker” ghosts have taken over her rental property, reported Fox News. Linda Hill said she was taking a shower when she heard someone say “looking good”. She explained: “I thought it was my husband. I mean, he and I were the only ones in the house.” However, she insisted, the voice turned out to be coming from a ghost. She added that the house is actually home to several spooks. “We’ve got kids, and we’ve got old people, old guys, and we’ve got hookers,” she said.
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
-
Assad's future life in exile
The Explainer What lies ahead for the former Syrian dictator, now he's fled to Russia?
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
The best panettones for Christmas
The Week Recommends Supermarkets are embracing novel flavour combinations as sales of the festive Italian sweet bread soar
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Kelly Cates to present Match of the Day
Speed Read Sky Sports presenter to take over from Gary Lineker at start of next season
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published