The weekly weird

Published May 10, 2015

11-year-old draws world map from memory

A New York 11-year-old became a hit on social media after he drew a world map from memory in school. The boy, a teacher’s son, got in front of the class and drew the world map on the white board; the news was shared by Reddit user Bobitis, whose daughter is in the same class.

Bobitis said the boy had to stand on a chair to draw the entire map, which features intricate details including tiny islands that appear as dots in the drawing.

Bobitis said the young artist has autism. “I was just amazed ... especially as the father of a child with similar attributes.”

Stephen Wiltshire, a British artist with autism, rose to viral fame in 2009 when he drew a 20-foot panoramic image of the New York skyline from memory after a brief helicopter ride.


enter image description here
enter image description here
Is this the world’s only black flamingo?

MAY be or may be not! This bird was spotted by photographers in Cyprus playing among its traditionally-coloured friends. Nature experts believe this could be the world’s only black flamingo captured on camera after pictures of the bizarre-looking bird were shot in Cyprus.

It is thought that the bird could have an extremely rare genetic skin condition known as melanism, which affects the skin pigments.

The condition is so unusual that no photographer has ever managed to capture a shot of a black flamingo and it is believed this bird could be the same one spotted by nature enthusiasts in Israel, last year.

Pantelis Charilaou, head of the environmental department of the British Sovereign Bases, said: “A melanistic individual is a genetic anomaly, basically, it’s the opposite of an albino, and it is a case when the individual produces more melanin than normal.”


enter image description here
enter image description here
Parrots rescued from house fire after shouting “Help, fire!”

PARROTS are believed to be clever birds and it was rightly proved recently when two parrots trapped inside a burning house were rescued after they started shouting — leading fire-fighters to believe that there were people inside.

The two birds were rescued after emergency crews responded to the fire in Canyon County, Idaho. When the fire fighters managed to get inside the burning house, they discovered that the voices were coming from none other than the two parrots.

According to the fire crews, the birds were heard to say “Help!” and “Fire!” Luckily, there were no people inside the house and the cause of the fire is currently being investigated.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...