Swimmers face £645 fine for peeing in the sea
And other stories from the stranger side of life

Beachgoers in Spain who answer the call of nature while having a swim could be handed a fine of hundreds of pounds after a local council introduced a ban. The city of Vigo, in the northwestern region of Galicia, wants to end the practice of urinating in the sea by imposing a €750 (£645) penalty. Local authorities have passed legislation that bans “physiological evacuation on the beach or in the sea”, but The Times said that details of how exactly the rule will be enforced are unknown.
Nobel prize sold for £84.5m
A Nobel Peace Prize auctioned by Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov to raise money for Ukrainian child refugees has sold for $103.5m (£84.5m). Muratov said he auctioned his prize “to give the children refugees a chance for a future”. The Guardian noted that the largest amount previously paid for a Nobel Prize medal was in 2014, when James Watson, whose co-discovery of the structure of DNA earned him the award in 1962, sold his medal for $4.76m (£3.88).
Transport secretary disrupted by air chaos
The US transportation secretary was among those disrupted by the roughly 14,000 domestic flights which were cancelled or delayed in North America over the weekend. The day after Pete Buttigieg met with airline leaders, his own flight was cancelled and he was forced to drive from Washington DC to New York, reported CBS News. “You gotta be able to find pilots,” he said. “There’s a shortage.”
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.
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
-
Today's political cartoons - March 9, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - proportional protests, shakedown diplomacy, and more
By The Week US Published
-
A wine-themed tour of beautiful Uruguay
The Week Recommends Secret paradise in South America boasts beautiful vineyards
By The Week UK Published
-
Romanian democracy: no place for the 'TikTok messiah' Calin Georgescu
Talking Point State is 'fighting back' against poster boy for right-wing conspiracists
By The Week UK Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
The rising demand for nuclear bunkers
Under the Radar Fears of nuclear war have caused an increase in shelter sales, but experts are sceptical of their usefulness
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published