The mysterious cloak and dagger world of international espionage and its real-life heroes and villains are exposed in a new exhibition, the first to be sanctioned by US intelligence agencies.

“Spy, the Secret World of Espionage,” which opened at the Discovery Times Square on Friday, includes hundreds of artifacts, some from the vaults of the CIA and FBI and the National Reconnaissance Office.

Fugitive penguin

After Penguin Number 337 made a daring bid for freedom from a Tokyo aquarium and vanished into the waters of Tokyo Bay two months ago, many feared the worst for the feathered fugitive.

But the one-year-old Humboldt penguin has now popped up on video footage in a different part of the bay, frolicking in the water and apparently healthy.

‘Psychic’ pig

A psychic pig is set to take over where Paul the Octopus left off at the 2010 World Cup by predicting the results of matches at the European championships in Ukraine and Poland.

Kiev’s city government said on Friday it would wheel out the porky tipster to give daily forecasts once the tournament kicks off next month.

Rock legends visit London flower show

Ahead of a visit by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, the world’s most famous flower show was attended by members of rock and roll royalty yesterday.

The show, which has been held in the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital since 1913, will be open to the public from today.

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr formally opened the event’s WaterAid garden while The Who frontman Roger Daltrey was at the Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust Garden as a patron of the charity. Other famous faces who are expected to visit the show include Sir Michael Caine and Sir Cliff Richard.