Grey squirrels could run up £37m tree bill

A grey squirrel — (Image credit: This content is subject to copyright.)

Grey squirrels are expected to ruin government plans to plant 1.5 billion trees by 2050, The Times reported. Vanessa Fawcett, campaign director of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, said the bill for lost timber and replacing dead or damaged trees could reach as high as £37m. “If grey squirrel numbers continue unchecked, it is likely that the tree landscape of the UK will be fundamentally changed for future generations,” she said.

Man vanishes after being paid 300 times his salary

A man in Chile submitted his resignation and disappeared after his workplace accidentally paid him about 330 times his salary, Fox News reported. The worker, a dispatch assistant at a cold meats manufacturer, initially alerted his manager of the huge overpayment and was asked to return the extra money. He agreed but then resigned and vanished. Company bosses have filed a complaint against the worker, accusing him of misappropriating funds, but no arrests have been made so far.

Bid to preserve noughts and crosses in Spanish city

A historical association in Santiago de Compostela is calling for the protection of almost 200 games of noughts and crosses carved centuries ago into some of its city’s buildings and spaces. Colectivo A Rula began logging the games in 2015 after they were posted on social media. Some of the games are believed to date back to the late 16th century, The Guardian reported. “They’re hidden in plain sight,” said spokesman Luis Leclere.