Charles Nevin: That beast from Belarus meant to pull the trigger
Start the Week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Happy Monday: It's wild out there. Foxes, for example. I've mentioned they are growing larger at an alarming rate; now a hunter has been shot by one in the steppes, in Belarus, as he tried to finish it off with his rifle butt. "The animal fiercely resisted," said a police spokesman, "and in the struggle accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw." Accidentally?
Meanwhile, in Norfolk, which is also very flat, a crow has stolen a golfer's ball twice at the same hole. Very intelligent, crows: in Japan, they place their walnuts on pedestrian crossings when the lights are red so they can be crushed open by the traffic. I thought pigeons were pretty bright, too, after reports that they regularly hop on and off London Tubes. Now, however, I see that a man in the Isle of Wight has been arrested for urinating on one. More as I have it.
Anniversaries: Time for a fitting Mondaily reflection on that revered British tradition, cruelly ignored in the recent Ashes series, of preferring glorious loss to competent victory: today is the 99th anniversary of Scott reaching the South Pole a month later than Amundsen. It's also 82 years since the debut of Popeye. During the Second World War, you know, Mae Questel voiced both Popeye and Olive Oyl. Remarkable. And I have received a reply from 9XM, the University of Wisconsin's radio station, regarding its weather forecast 90 years ago, the first transmitted. It was wrong.
Wild news latest: The pigeon was unharmed, the court heard. Elsewhere, a four-inch long gecko which crawled out of Margaret Perthen's broccoli in Gloucestershire is being nursed back to health by vets. Margaret, 62, has also recovered. In Taiwan, Wang Han-Chin has failed in an action against neighbours for training a mynah bird to call him a "clueless big-mouthed idiot". In Hull, a Yorkshire terrier has eaten part of a man's ear bitten off by his girlfriend, and you don't want to see what the rat did to the sleeping prisoner in New York.
Finally, good news: Who could resist a Christian Cruise this summer featuring George Carey, formerly the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Frank Williams, formerly the vicar in Dad's Army? Bad News: Syd Little, Dana and the party-loving former Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, are on another boat. More bad news: there could be up to 13 black panthers lurking on Romney Marsh. Happy Monday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments