Safe to come out
The week's news at a glance.
Shammar, Iraq
An Iraqi man has become a national celebrity after emerging from 22 years of hiding in a dugout he built behind a wall in his mother’s house. Jawad Amer Sayed, now 49, went into hiding in the 3-by-7-foot space in 1981 after two of his friends, fellow members of a banned Shiite Muslim party, were executed by the regime of Saddam Hussein. His dugout had a little toilet, an air vent, and a well, and his mother passed him food through a trap door. Sayed stumbled out of his hideout, several inches shorter and missing most of his teeth, the day after Baghdad fell to U.S. forces. “I enjoy sleeping outside now,” he told The Washington Post. “Looking at the stars.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Wine-tasting in Tuscany
The Week Recommends From biodynamic vineyards to historic cellars, the picturesque region is a wine lover's dream
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
Ukraine-Russia: is peace deal possible after Easter truce?
Today's Big Question 'Decisive week' will tell if Putin's surprise move was cynical PR stunt or genuine step towards ending war
By The Week UK
-
The bougie foods causing international shortages
In the Spotlight Pistachios join avocados and matcha on list of social media-driven crazes that put strain on supply chains and environment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK