Passengers shriek at real-life snake on a plane
And other stories from the stranger side of life

An airline passenger found a snake underfoot after arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport. Police met the plane at its gate on Monday afternoon and “removed the garden snake”, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told CNN. Nobody was hurt but a passenger onboard said that “passengers in business class started shrieking and pulling their feet up” while the flight was taxiing.
Baldness clinic ‘caused hair to grow at right angles’
A Glasgow hair transplant specialist at a clinic frequented by leading footballers has been struck off after allegedly causing a patient’s follicles to grow at right angles. Juan Ruiz Alconero, who was not licensed to practise in the UK when he was treating patients, was accused of “letting his assistants perform much of the surgery, of carrying out procedures without letting patients reconsider and of failing to check on them afterwards”, said The Times.
US ‘will be hit by meteor in 12 years’
A self-declared time traveller from 2236 has claimed that half of US will be wiped out by a meteor in 12 years. The “mystery timelord” also announced on TikTok that, in 2025, “scientists discover signs of life on two different planets and they are proven to be more advanced than humans”. However, noted the Daily Star, the same TikTok user previously claimed that humans would have their first interaction with aliens in July of this year.
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.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.
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
-
Critics' choice: Three takes on tavern dining
Feature A second Minetta Tavern, A 1946 dining experience, and a menu with a mission
By The Week US
-
Film reviews: Warfare and A Minecraft Movie
Feature A combat film that puts us in the thick of it and five misfits fall into a cubic-world adventure
By The Week US
-
What to know before lending money to family or friends
the explainer Ensure both your relationship and your finances remain intact
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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