Welcome to another entry in our new 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 military horses on the loose in London to a unique defense against a drink-driving charge, these stories are sure to inspire wonder — or, at the very least, befuddlement — at the weird ol' world around us.

Group of horses — one covered in blood — run loose through London

NEW - Blood-covered horses run loose through London.pic.twitter.com/lRaaaLIyhB

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 24, 2024

Five military horses, one of which appeared to be covered in blood, bolted through London on Thursday, April 24, after breaking loose from routine exercises near Buckingham Palace.

According to the Associated Press, the horses were spooked by noise from a construction site, and four riders were thrown off before the animals went galloping through central London's busy streets. Three of the riders were hospitalized, but their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

The escaped horses crashed into vehicles — including a taxi and a tour bus — in the chaos, before being recaptured and taken back to the Hyde Park Barracks.

Bemused social media users joked that the sight of bloody horses running loose on the streets of London were an "omen" or "portent of woe."

Two of the five horses involved have since been reported to be in "a relatively serious condition," and Vida, the white horse seen covered in blood in footage shared online, was treated for lacerations.

Italian city could ban buying ice cream after midnight

A new law in Milan could see ice cream banned after midnight in an effort to protect the "tranquility" of the city's residents.

Late-night gelato is a staple of Italian culture for many, but Marco Granelli, Milan's deputy mayor for security, wants to put an end to the tradition in the hopes of clamping down on noisy gatherings on the city's streets at night.

Under the proposed law, night-time sales of ice cream and other takeaway food and drink would be banned after 12:30 a.m. on weekdays and 1:30 a.m. on weekends and public holidays.

Residents have until May to appeal or suggest changes to the legislation, and Granelli is expected to face some resistance from locals. In 2013, a similar attempt to prohibit late-night ice cream in Milan was met with major backlash, forcing the then-mayor to walk back on the proposed ban.

English boy wins European seagull screeching championship

A nine-year-old boy from England has won a European seagull impersonation championship in Belgium with his spot-on impression.

Cooper Wallace, who came first in the gull screeching competition's junior category, was awarded 92 out of 100 points after delivering an uncanny impersonation in a full seagull costume.

The young gull enthusiast told The Times: "My school friends thought it was annoying at first. But not now."

Jan Seys, a marine biologist who sat on the judging panel at the championship's fourth annual event, said Cooper "managed to include several call types in his performance, and each of them resembled a real seagull call in a most impressive way."

Man avoids drunk driving charge after proving his body brews its own alcohol

A Belgian man was acquitted of drunk driving this week after proving that his body produces its own alcohol, Reuters has reported.

The 40-year-old — who was pulled over and breathalyzed by police twice in 2022, and found to be well over the legal limit both times — suffers from auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition in which the body produces its own alcohol by fermenting carbohydrates in the stomach.

The man's lawyer, Anse Ghesquiere, told Reuters it was "another unfortunate coincidence" that the defendant works at a brewery, but that doctors had confirmed that he suffered from the syndrome.

The judge presiding over the case emphasized in their verdict that the defendant, who has not been named publicly, did not experience symptoms of intoxication as a result of his condition.

Auto-brewery syndrome is extremely rare, with fewer than 100 cases reported worldwide. The man said he was unaware he was a sufferer until his latest run-in with law enforcement.

Not had your fill of weird news just yet? Check out last week's roundup.

[Image credit: Rodolfo Gaion]