Lightsaber duelling recognised as sport in France

And other stories from the stranger side of life

gettyimages-1125231021.jpg

Lightsaber duelling has been officially recognised as a competitive sport by the French Fencing Federation. The governing body has given the weapon from the Star Wars saga the same status as the traditional blades — the foil, epee and saber. “Cape and sword movies have always had a big impact on our federation and its growth,” said a spokesman. “Lightsaber films have the same impact.”

Man 'films spirits emerging from Cornwall grave'

A ghost hunter has claimed that he has the proof of life after death in a video showing figures “emerging from a grave”. Mark Davies from Cornwall is challenging “any expert” to prove his footage doesn't show spirits containing the bodies of two women at the Falmouth Cemetery. He has previously hit the headlines after claiming he met a creature which he described as an alien or a demon.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

Man admits to stealing corpses' knee caps

A 55-year-old Filipino medicine man has admitted to raiding cemeteries to steal knee caps from dead bodies – all to give himself spiritual protection. Angelito Oreta said that he robs freshly dug graves and removes the patellas from the corpses using scalpels. Afterwards, he soaks the bones in coconut oil and offers “prayers and devotion” to the spirits of their previous owners. He then scatters the knee caps throughout his home or wears them like amulets.

Explore More