A dog found at the top of the highest mountain in England and taken in by the Scottish SPCA has been reunited with his owner. The charity issued an appeal after the male collie cross was discovered at the summit of Scafell Pike in the Lake District by holidaymakers who took him home to Ayrshire.
Nicknamed Scafell by staff at the rescue centre in Glasgow, the dog, real name Sid, has been returned to his owner, a local sheep farmer who believes Sid took off after a bitch in season.
Centre assistant manager Katrina Cavanagh said: “The couple who found Sid told us he was petrified and they brought him home because they couldn’t get help locally. Unfortunately, Sid wasn’t microchipped so we couldn’t contact his owner directly. Thankfully, he came forward following our appeal.”
Censored number plates revealed
The DVLA has revealed its list of censored car number plates – including VA61ANA, BL03 JOB, JE55US and AL14LAH.
This year the licensing authority has banned P15 OFF, PR15 SON, PU15 SSY, SH15 TTY, UP15 BUM and WA15 TED – but allowed PEN15 and ORG45M.
Its proprietary steering group – which meets twice a year – has also forbidden a man whose surname is Islam from getting an 15LAM plate because it was deemed “inappropriate”.
Eiffel Tower closed over protest
The Eiffel Tower was closed to the public as workers protest over a recent rise in aggressive pickpockets.
The Paris monument is normally open every day of the year and brings in thousands of visitors daily. It sometimes closes briefly for bomb threats or strikes. The company that manages the tower said in a statement it did not open on Friday because the staff were concerned about petty crime around the site.
It said it is working with police to reach a solution so the landmark can reopen. The walkout comes a day after Paris authorities said crime against tourists had dropped this year thanks to reinforced police presence and video surveillance.
Reality Czech for family of seven
A new reality show in the Czech Republic has let a family of seven experience what it was like living under Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
The Czech public broadcaster said the family members, chosen from 400 applicants, were taken back in time to March 15 1939 – the day Hitler’s troops took over the country – for the filming of the show, A Vacation In The Protectorate.
They were taken to a farm in the mountains in the eastern Czech Republic, where they were filmed as they confronted everyday realities of the occupation, such as hunger, persecution and Gestapo raids. The goal was to show what common people had to get through at the time, and historians and architects made sure the experience was as authentic as possible.
Joker Juncker at European summit
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker jokingly called Hungary’s leader a “dictator” upon his arrival for a European Union summit.
Mr Juncker said “the dictator is coming” as Viktor Orban arrived at the gathering in Riga, Latvia, prompting a nervous laugh from Latvian prime minister Laimdota Straujuma, and the exchange was picked up by TV cameras.
Mr Juncker then greeted Mr Orban with the word “dictator” and slapped him on the right cheek. Mr Orban appeared to take it in his stride, greeting Mr Straujuma before telling Mr Juncker to “behave, please” as they lined up for photos.
Some have labelled Mr Orban a dictator for his weakening of democratic checks and balances, a crackdown on civic groups and efforts to build an “illiberal state” taking cues from authoritarian regimes like Russia and China.