Hospital evacuated over man with WW1 shell stuck in his rear
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A French hospital was evacuated after a man in his 80s presented to doctors with a First World War shell stuck inside his rear. “An apple, a mango, or even shaving foam… we’re used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be,” an unnamed ER staffer told Nice-Matin. “But a shell? Never.” Doctors had to perform abdominal surgery to remove it. “It rarely comes out from where it comes in”, said one.
‘Glitch’ blamed for ‘smoke weed’ road sign
Officials in India have blamed a “technical glitch” after the message “smoke weed every day” was displayed on an LED sign at the side of a road in Mumbai. After a video of the display went viral on Twitter, Pravin Padwal, joint commissioner for traffic with the Mumbai cops, told India Today that L&T, the company responsible for the sign, had blamed “some technical glitch” for the “wrong message”.
Deserted village to hold funeral
A village deserted since 1943 is to host a funeral for one of its last-known residents, reported The Times. Raymond Nash, 87, will posthumously return to the village of Imber, on Salisbury Plain, where he was born before people were evacuated during the war. The funeral, to be held in January by special arrangement with the Ministry of Defence, is believed to be only the second since the evacuation.
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.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
The six-seven meme that has taken over the worldIn the Spotlight With roots in rap and basketball, the phrase has young people obsessed, and it could be here to stay
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
A journey through Trinidad’s wild heartThe Week Recommends Experience the island’s natural wonders, from watching baby turtles hatch to visiting an ancient bat cave
-
The WW2 massacre dividing Senegal and FranceUnder the Radar A new investigation found the 1944 Thiaroye attack on ‘unarmed’ African soldiers was ‘premeditated’, and far deadlier than previously recorded
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn 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
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignationSpeed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN 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 investigationsUnder the radar The zoo is owned by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's richest person