French ‘have got lazier’
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A study has found that the French have got “even lazier”, said The Telegraph. Researchers in 1990 found that 60% of French people said work was “very important” in their life, compared to 31% for leisure. Asked the same questions today, just 24% of the French thought work was important while 41% regarded leisure as very important. “Famed for their marathon holidays, extended lunches and 35-hour working week”, the French “have long basked in the enviable image of enjoying life’s pleasures”, said The Telegraph.
Randy pensioners are causing surge at sexual health clinics
Pensioners are behind a surge in demand for sexual health services due to online dating, reported The Times. Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise among the over-65s, with new diagnoses up from 2,280 in 2017 to 2,748 in 2019. Doctors say randy older Brits are using online dating to find new sexual partners after a divorce or bereavement and some do not use condoms owing to the low risk of pregnancy, putting them at heightened risk of STIs.
Man pushes skipping rope up his penis
Meanwhile, an elderly man in Japan had a bad time of it when he pushed a skipping rope so far up his penis that he got it stuck in his bladder. Commenting on the plight of the 79-year-old man, a medic said they hadn’t seen anything more “extreme” than it. The bladder was surgically removed. However, said the Daily Star, why the man inserted the rope inside himself “remains a mystery”.
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
-
Why does Elon Musk take his son everywhere?
Talking Point With his four-year-old 'emotional support human' by his side, what message is the world's richest man sending?
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?
Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
By The Week UK Published
-
How Poland became Europe's military power
The Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
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
By The Week Staff 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