Cancer makes man develop an Irish accent

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Irish flags
Ireland had a reality check after gaining independence
(Image credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A rare form of prostate cancer caused an American man in his 50s to suddenly speak with an Irish accent, reported Science Alert. Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a rare speech disorder that can cause a person to suddenly speak in a different accent with their pronunciation transforming in ways that resemble another dialect or style. In 2018, a woman from Arizona awoke “speaking like Mary Poppins”, noted the outlet.

Janitor locked in cell for three days

A janitor said she prayed when she spent three nights accidentally locked inside a holding cell, reported Fox News. Libia Vargas De Dinas, 72, was cleaning an inmate holding cell at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, when “the door shut behind her and she was unable to open it”, said police. She had no food but was able to drink from a tap above the cell’s toilet. “I prayed to God that he would take care of my health, body, mind, soul and spirit,” she said after her release.

Hole in King’s sock noted during mosque visit

King Charles appeared to have a hole in his sock during visit to a Brick Lane mosque. The small hole in the black sock on his right foot was visible as he “took off his shoes to adhere to custom”, said The Telegraph. The “thrifty King has long eschewed fashion trends”, said the paper, but “royal aides might be advised that His Majesty needs a new pair of socks”.

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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.