Joggers told to wear helmets amid bird terror
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Runners have been told to wear helmets in a Scottish village after an aggressive buzzard left a runner with six holes in his head. Ewan Cameron, 46, said it was the third time the belligerent bird, with a wingspan of up to 60in, had attacked him, sinking its sharp talons into the back of his head. Paul Reynolds, from the New Arc Wildlife Centre in Aberdeenshire, told the BBC that runners should avoid Friockheim in Angus if possible, or “wear some sort of cap or a helmet”.
Party balloons close down Gatwick airport
Party balloons have been blamed for the suspension of flights at Gatwick airport after they were mistaken for a drone, reported The Telegraph. Operations were suspended for 50 minutes on Sunday afternoon after a drone was reported. Although a dozen inbound aircraft were diverted to other airports, investigators were unable to find any such drone and it was eventually concluded that silver party balloons, spotted floating towards the airfield an hour before the incident, were to blame for the confusion.
Abandoned prosthetic leg goes to auction
A fibreglass mermaid, creepy dolls and a prosthetic leg are among the items found on Texan beaches set to be auctioned to benefit a local wildlife rehabilitation group. Haitian money, an old bible, a Chinese beer, steamship coal from the 1800s and a message in a bottle from Jamaica, will also go under the hammer to help raise money for the sea turtles. The items were all found on local beaches during the past year, noted UPI.
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.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter
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
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.
-
Sudan's forgotten pyramids
Under the Radar Brutal civil war and widespread looting threatens African nation's ancient heritage
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Being more nuanced will not be easy for public health agencies'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Where did Democratic voters go?
Voter turnout dropped sharply for Democrats in 2024
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguins
Tall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tails
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliens
Tall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machine
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman solves 'rude neighbour' mystery
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why Dutch people put pancakes on their heads today
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Fly found in man's colon
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published