Tall tales: Royal Navy recruits don't have to be able to swim
The Week's round-up of the latest odd news
Sink or swim
Royal Navy recruits will no longer need to be able to prove they can swim in order to join up. In a move described by a source as a "sign of true desperation to increase recruitment numbers", anyone seeking to join the aquatic wing of the British military won't have to pass a 30-minute swim test. Asked how the change had gone down internally, the source said there was "outrage, unadulterated, utter outrage" over the "race to the bottom – literally the bottom".
Period piece
The design of a new train station in the Chinese city of Nanjing has provoked ridicule for its likeness to a sanitary pad. The buildings of the North Nanjing station are meant to "take inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is known for", said the BBC. But responses on the social media site Weibo have universally rejected that idea. "This is a giant sanitary pad. It's embarrassing to say it looks like a plum blossom," said one post. "I think we should take this chance to call for society to pay attention to period shaming. This design is ahead of its time," joked another.
Watching waste lines
A Cheshire dad has earned the unusual title of "Binfluencer" for publishing photographs of more than 100 bins in his local town. Andy Bailey, who documents his hobby at @bins_of_congleton on Instagram, snaps the refuse disposals before rating them out of 25 – with a potential top score of five for characteristics including "personality", "placement popularity" and "pristine". "I haven’t given a score of 25 yet," Bailey said. "Maybe I never will."
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
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
Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
8 movie musicals that prove the screen can share the stage
The Week Recommends The singing and dancing, bigger than life itself
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
2024 Mother's Day Gift Guide
The Week Recommends A present for every mom
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Milan pizza trip costs less than Domino’s
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Putin believes in Santa ‘like all decent people do’
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why cats prefer people who hate them
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Putin ‘made Gordon Brown sit in a small chair’
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Colorado town may change name to ‘Kush’
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Ukrainian bakery names croissant after Boris Johnson
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Aliens will ‘stop Putin from using nukes’
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Warhol’s Monroe portrait breaks auction record
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published