Huge python slithers into family home in Hampshire
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A family were more than unsettled when an 18ft Burmese python slithered through the bedroom window of their home in Hampshire, The Times reported. Jenny Warwick, a neighbour, who watched the family try and prod the snake out of the window with a broom, said it fell on to the bonnet of a car below. “I saw something on the roof and thought it must be a plastic tube, but then its head started moving,” she said. As locals descended into panic, the owner arrived to collect it.
Teacher makes unusual request
A sex education teacher in Bolivia is in trouble after asking her male students to bring a condom to class – filled with their own semen. The lesson, held at the Juana Azurduy de Padilla school in the municipality of Minero, was to be part of a sex education class on the male reproductive system. The Daily Star said the teacher, María Inés Peredowho, has apologised for the “misunderstanding” which is alleged to have led to accusations of corruption of minors. She said: “I have not killed anyone, I have not raped anyone.”
Pensioner pays for speed bumps
A pensioner has spent £8,000 on speed bumps to enforce a 5mph limit on the road outside his home. Adrian Kent said his grandchildren became too scared to play outside due to speeding cars, while neighbours have been repeatedly hit by stones flicked up by fast-moving vehicles. Kent also made the road narrower with planters. “It’s lovely and quiet now, but the amount of traffic coming down here was quite something before,” he told The Telegraph.
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
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical