Grey squirrels could run up £37m tree bill
And other stories from the stranger side of life

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.
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
-
MAHA moms: the cohort of women backing RFK Jr's health agenda
The Explainer America's head health honcho has a flock of supporters spreading the MAHA message on social media
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Video games to play this spring, from 'Split Fiction' to 'South of Midnight'
The Week Recommends A meta co-op game puts you in a game within a game, and a life simulator that can compete with the 'Sims' franchise
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US 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