STATUS UPDATES
A week in which a sea lion stops traffic, and a screecher keeps ruining bingo night
ON THE TRAIL:
The Indian army. It tweeted a claim to have found footprints of the (mythical?) yeti, sparking ridicule among non-believers. The army boasted it had discovered “mysterious footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ at the Makalu Base Camp” in the Himalayas. RESTRUNG:
Rackets at Wimbledon — with a simple ecofriendly twist. Tennis players this year will no longer have their restrung rackets returned in long, individually labelled plastic bags. The All England Lawn Tennis Club admitted the long-standing practice was unnecessary. It could save 4,500 bags. NOT HAPPY:
Recreational gamblers in Barnsley, England. Bingo nights are being plagued by a mystery singer taking over the PA system at a club, the BBC reports. The “screeching” has been heard at least seven times, causing the bingo callers to down their mics. The suspicion: a nearby male resident using the frequency. DEFENDED:
The Israeli-hosted Eurovision song contest. The government said it uncovered a network of bots and fake Twitter accounts urging a boycott of this month’s contest. Twitter confirmed it suspended some accounts. Last year, an Israeli won the event, hence the hosting rights. OFF TRACK:
A baby sea lion. The creature altered its commute, wandering onto a busy San Francisco highway Tuesday morning. Police eventually shooed it onto safer ground and then into a patrol car. It was expected to be released to a rehabilitation pool, with no charges. RESTUNG:
An Arizona woman. She got stung by bees more than 20 times after heavy winds blew a hive off a tree and it landed on her head. The woman had just picked up her child from daycare. She’s recovering, but firefighters sprayed the hive with foam to prevent similar outbursts. NOT GAY:
Australian cricketer James Faulkner. After he shared a picture on Instagram alongside his mother and a man he described as his “boyfriend,” many thought he was coming out as gay. Some praised his courage. Alas, the man was “just a great friend.” But Faulkner noted that “love is love.” SCUTTLED:
The British government’s Brexit-related contracts with ferry companies. The cancellation of the controversial deals is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. They were part of contingency plans in case Britain left the EU with no deal. Which may still happen …