Dippy the Diplodocus has become a monster trending hit on Twitter as supporters rally to stop him being put out to pasture by the Natural History Museum.
News that the 26-metre-long plaster dinosaur skeleton is to be moved out of the museum’s main hall to make way for a blue whale quickly set the social media site alight.
Hundreds of people voiced their surprise and outrage, using the hashtag #SaveDippy, and signed an online petition calling for the decision to be dropped.
Free beer for Waterloo anniversary
Descendants of a select group of Waterloo veterans are being asked to come forward and claim their right to free ale to mark the 200th anniversary of the major battle.
In June 1815, the people of Durham celebrated Wellington’s victory over Napoleon by cheering a procession of boats down the River Wear. The procession was repeated over the years every June and in 1834 it became Durham Regatta, when racing between rowing boats was introduced as part of the commemorations.
Some 43 Waterloo veterans living in Durham were given pride of place at the festivities and were treated to supper, and according to contemporary reports, “a plentiful supply of strong ale and punch”. Now the organisers of this year’s regatta, a day of rowing on the picturesque Wear which attracts hundreds of spectators, are trying to trace descendants of those 43 infantrymen to repeat the hospitality.
Men are taking more selfies
Men are taking nearly double the amount of selfies as women and sharing them on social media, according to a survey.
Smartphone giant HTC asked 2,000 Britons aged 18 to 30 about their selfie habits, and found that on average men posted three self portraits a week compared with 1.6 for women. Over a third of men said they shared more than five a week.
When asked what prompted them to take the images made famous by the likes of Kim Kardashian, a quarter of men said they shared selfies to make an ex or a partner jealous.
Drug suspect is hopping mad
A Delaware drug suspect went out on a limb to transport a stash of cocaine, but he was arrested when police discovered the drug hidden inside his prosthetic leg.
Officers in Dover said 39-year-old Marlow Holmes was arrested during a traffic stop when police dogs alerted them to the presence of narcotics inside the car Holmes had been travelling in.
Changing rooms at swimming pool
A public swimming pool outside the Swedish capital is reopening this weekend after building a third changing room, for people with a “neutral gender identity”.
The city of Sundbyberg, a suburb of Stockholm, says it is the first LGBT-certified swimming pool in Sweden, a country known for its tolerance towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.
Officials say the new changing room, designed for one person at the time, can also be used by people with disabilities or those who prefer to get changed in private because of their religious beliefs.
UPS package hurled over the gate
A UPS driver has been fired after a home-owner in Houston, Texas, posted security video which shows the delivery man throwing a parcel over a gate and urinating against a house.
UPS officials apologised to householder Ben Lucas for the incident after Lucas said he checked his surveillance video after finding the parcel broken open and some of the items inside damaged, including ammunition and a gun-cleaning device. The video shows the delivery man hurling the package over a gate, then unzipping his trousers and relieving himself on the property.