Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.
'Serial foot-licker' arrested
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'Vampire' attacks supermarket employee
A man is in custody i after he allegedly assaulted a female supermarket employee while claiming to be a vampire. Police say Jacob May, 21, cornered the woman in a car park in New Hampshire, told her he was a vampire and pushed her to the ground. When he was arrested, he told authorities he was a "vampire, ghost rider, Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid and a leader of a band". Police say drugs and alcohol may have been a factor.
Girl dismembered in search for missing phone
A four-year-old girl from a remote village in India has reportedly been kidnapped, killed and dismembered on the instructions of a "black witch priest" seeking to locate another villager's missing mobile phone. Parents of the 14-year-old whose phone was lost hired the priest accused of carrying out the attack with the help of two accomplices.
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Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
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The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
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Codeword: December 13, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candlesTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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NHS tells Scots to walk like penguinsTall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
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Experts discover why dogs wag their tailsTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliensTall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
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Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machineTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Pope aide under fire for 'mystical orgasms' bookTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Thieves who stole shopping bag in for big disappointmentTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
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Woman has one in 50 million pregnancyTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
