YOUR weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world.
Salmon’s a bit high
Salmon can swim almost twice as far if there is cocaine in the water, scientists have discovered. More and more of the drug is getting into rivers and streams as human consumption of the stimulant hits new highs. And the result is not to be snorted at. Researchers at Australia’s Griffith University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found wild salmon exposed to cocaine swam 1.9 times further than their clean-living cousins. Which may explain why they are always swimming against the tide and trying to jump up waterfalls. Scientists were unable to say whether coked-up fish thought they were smarter, sexier and better dancers than other salmon, though we can safely make the leap.
Everybody dance now
It might be interesting to test the water some politicians have been swimming in given the groovy moves world leaders have been throwing lately. US President Donald Trump found time from posting memes of himself as “Doctor Jesus” healing the sick to dust off his “YMCA” dance moves for supporters, while Hungarian politician Zsolt Hegedus stole the show on election night in Budapest with his zany display of dad dancing as he celebrated the ousting of Viktor Orban.
But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has bested them both, drumming up support for his re-election run by touring the country with his newly-formed rock band. The 50-year-old took up drumming last year and has since been putting the percussion into politics, with a string of gigs billed as “We play, you dance”. While Pashinyan is no Phil Collins, he does write his own songs. It can only be a matter of time before he forms a trio with Vladimir Putin — who famously serenaded Sharon Stone with “Blueberry Hill” — and Turkenistan’s Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who likes to rap about his favourite horse.
AF #TheGlobalNewLightOfMyanmar