A sunbathing seal has been spotted in a river 64 kilometres from the sea.
Nathaniel Gore, 33, was out walking near his home in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, when he spotted the animal splashing around in the water. The editorial project manger stopped to film the seal and said it was not put off by the attention.
He added: “I’ve heard stories of seals being found inland before and he seemed perfectly happy so I wasn’t too concerned.”
In 2013 another seal was found 80 kilometres from the sea in Fen Drayton Lakes, near St Ives. It is believed it had swum along the Great River Ouse from Norfolk.
Lorry driver brought to book
A motorway lorry driver was caught reading a book behind the wheel of his truck by traffic police.
Police secretly filmed the driver on the M60 around Manchester with his book open and resting on the steering wheel.
He was one of 71 motorists stopped for traffic offences during a covert crackdown by Greater Manchester Police called Operation Tramline. The driver was given a graduated fixed penalty notice.
Shake on it for the best results
Shaking hands before negotiations results in a better deal for both parties – even when one is represented by a robot, a study has found.
The act of shaking hands at the start of a conversation has already been shown to create better cooperation and trust between humans. Research has now found that these benefits extend when a robot takes the place of a human – who is situated remotely – during a business meeting.
The study, by the University of Bath, used NAO, an almost 60-centimetre-tall humanoid robot which was designed to be a companion around the house, in mock property negotiations.
California’s self-drive skirmishes
Of the nearly 50 self-driving cars rolling around California roads and highways, four have had accidents since September.
That was when the state officially began permitting the cars of the future, which use sensors and computing power to manoeuvre around traffic.
Three accidents involved Lexus SUVs run by Google. The fourth was an Audi retrofitted by parts supplier Delphi Automotive. Google and Delphi said the accidents were minor and their cars were not at fault.
River skeletons hoax admission
A Phoenix couple has claimed responsibility for putting two fake skeletons sitting in lawn chairs in the Colorado River.
The husband and wife approached the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office and revealed how the skeletons in their closet ended up at the bottom of the river in Parker. The pair, who may identify themselves publicly next week, came forward after seeing all the media attention surrounding the skeletons.
A man snorkelling in the river near the Arizona and California border spotted the skeletons about 12 metres underwater. Believing they were actual remains, he contacted authorities.
Billionaire’s €20m holiday treat
The billionaire chief executive of the Chinese conglomerate Tiens has given 6,400 of his best salespeople a holiday that started in Paris and ended with a parade on France’s Cote d’Azur.
Li Jinyuan said he was celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary by rewarding his staff and aimed for the world record in spelling out a phrase in human bodies.
As their holiday came to an end, the employees massed on the coastal promenade in Nice and, dressed in identical sky blue hats and T-shirts, spelled out the words “Tiens’ dream is Nice in the Cote d’Azur”. French media estimated the trip cost up to €20 million.