Brain-damaged seals attack bathers
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Seals “driven mad” by eating “toxic fish” are attacking bathers in Cape Town, said The Times. The attacks have been blamed on animals suffering from severe brain damage caused by eating fish laced with a toxic algae. In one case, an actress was attacked by a seal that had just chased and mauled a boy. In another case, a woman was pursued and pounced on by a seal. Reports of attacks have increased since a mass die-off of seals along the coast that was attributed to poisoning by domoic acid.
School apologises for explicit photos
A school has apologised after a teacher sent out sexually explicit naked pictures to every single student. Students at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro Prince George’s County, Maryland, US, were surprised when they opened an email from one of their teachers containing very lewd images of the teacher in question. An apologetic letter was sent out by the school’s principal shortly afterwards claiming the pictures were sent “inadvertently”, noted the Daily Star.
Care home resident bids for knitting glory
A care home resident is getting help as far away as New Zealand in her bid to set a Guinness World Record for the longest knitted chain. Ena Rackley, 87, who lives at the Elmstead Bupa Care Home in Chislehurst, London, is nearly completely blind. She has recruited knitting groups in local communities to help her pursue a Guinness World Record for the longest knitted chain. Residents of the Tortara Gardens Retirement Village in New Zealand have knitted yarn links to add to Rackley’s chain, said UPI.
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 worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
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
-
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
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago