Welcome to another entry in our column, The Week's Weirdest World News. The world, you might have noticed, is a very strange place — so every seven days, we'll be rounding up the most bizarre things that have happened across the globe, purely for your enjoyment.
From anti-tourism tactics in Barcelona to a cyclist getting fined for a kiss, these stories are sure to inspire wonder — or, at the very least, befuddlement — at the weird ol' world around us.
Anti-tourism protesters fire water pistols at visitors in Barcelona
Thousands took to the streets of Barcelona over the weekend to protest overtourism, some armed with brightly colored water pistols that sent bewildered visitors fleeing restaurant patios, abandoning half-eaten meals.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 9, 2024
The protesters carried signs reading, “Tourists go home.… pic.twitter.com/eG49FjHlUA
Protesters in Barcelona are fighting back against mass tourism in the city — with water pistols.
Thousands of anti-tourism demonstrators marched through the city on the weekend, chanting "tourists go home," carrying signs and squirting water guns at visitors as they dined in restaurants.
Overnight stays made by almost 26 million holiday goers saw Barcelona rake in roughly $13.8 billion in 2023, according to official figures — but local campaigners say excessive tourism has increased prices and put pressure on public services in the region.
The Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic (Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth), the organization that led Saturday's march, has published several proposals for decreasing the number of vacationers in to Barcelona, including closing cruise ship terminals and ending public spending on tourism promotion.
Man in China caught smuggling over 100 snakes in his pants
A man in China was caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into the country in his trousers, media outlets have reported.
According to officials, the man had attempted to sneak the reptiles from Hong Kong into the Chinese border city of Shenzhen.
"Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape," China's customs agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors."
Officials added that many of the snakes involved in the incident were non-native species.
Bullets sold in vending machines in some US grocery stores
Vending machines selling bullets have been installed in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas.
American Rounds, the Dallas-based company behind the computerized machines, has so far installed one in Alabama, four in Oklahoma and one in Texas — and CEO Grant Magers told the Associated Press there are plans for a second in Texas and one in Colorado "in the coming weeks."
According to the company, the machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser's age before the ammunition can be bought.
Although Magers insists American Rounds is "for responsible gun ownership," gun control advocates are concerned that bullet vending machines will only result in more shootings around the country.
Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, told the AP: "In a country awash in guns and ammo, where guns are the leading cause of deaths for kids, we don't need to further normalize the sale and promotion of these products."
Tour de France cyclist fined for kissing wife
A French cyclist has been fined for kissing his wife during a Tour de France time trial.
Lidl-Trek rider Julien Bernard was slapped with a fine of 200 Swiss francs ($223) after he briefly stopped to give his wife a peck during the seventh stage of the race.
The International Cycling Union said Bernard was fined for "unseemly or inappropriate behavior during the race and damage to the image of the sport."
The cyclist later made a tongue-in-cheek apology to the governing body, writing on social media that he was sorry for "having damaged the image of sport" — but that he would pay the fine "every day and relive this moment."
[Image credit: YouTube]
