Joker causes shark panic in Torquay
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A prankster caused panic on a Torquay beach by planting a fake shark fin in the sea about 300 metres from the coast. The practical joker “went to great lengths” to carve the shape of the distinctive dorsal fin out of hardened insulation foam and paint it dark grey, said The Telegraph. The fin was then fixed to a wooden cross with a weight on the bottom that kept it afloat. “I can’t say I’m very impressed by it,” said boat skipper Rob Hughes, of the Devon Sea Safari.
Weetabix ‘lunatics’ for serving suggestion
Weetabix has put British people in “frenzy” after declaring that you should put your milk in the bowl before the cereal, reported the Daily Star. “Is there a right way to eat Weetabix?” said Assistant Brand Manager, Elaine Wan. “Well traditionally, it’s always been Bix first, then the milk, but we believe rules were meant to be broken and sometimes you’ve got to switch it up.” Former Top Gear presenter James May disagreed, describing the company on Twitter as “lunatics”.
One sickie causes travel chaos
A single staff member calling in sick has been blamed for “public transport chaos” including delays across multiple Sydney train lines, said The Guardian. Two train lines were suspended, eventually “rippling out” to cause major disruptions across most of the network, said the paper. The pivotal signaller had called in sick at the last minute, leaving little time for Sydney Trains to find a replacement. A local politician said commuters should get a fare-free day as compensation.
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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.
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