A fox that was trapped between the brick walls of two garages was released after being stuck for nearly two days.
The male cub became lodged between the garages in Spencers Field, Emsworth, Hampshire, in the UK on Monday. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted 36 hours after it got stuck in the cavity, 12 inches below the concrete base and about three yards in.
Animal rescue specialist Buster Brown used a drill, hammer, bolster and chisel to remove bricks from inside the garage wall to reach the fox, which was checked over and released.
Forgetful millionaires
A couple who forgot to check their lottery ticket for two months have finally claimed their £1 million EuroMillions Raffle jackpot.
Alan and Kim Elliott, from Aspley, Nottingham, bought the winning lucky dip ticket for the EuroMillions draw on March 23 from J&S News in Nuthall Road in the city but stuck it on their fridge and only remembered to check it last week. It is the fourth lottery jackpot to be won in Nottinghamshire since the start of the year.
The couple, who celebrated the win with a Chinese takeaway and a bottle of champagne, have not decided how to spend the money.
Mozart’s Requiem in protest
A Polish opera house has performed Mozart’s Requiem, a funeral piece, in front of the Culture Ministry in Warsaw to protest against cuts to its budget.
The Chamber Opera’s orchestra, choir and soloists performed to the hearty applause of hundreds of people. A large banner saying “Minister, Only You Can Save the Chamber Opera” hung above the artists.
They handed a ministry official a letter signed by some 20,000 people asking Culture Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski to secure funds for the opera. Otherwise, they say, it will have to close in the summer.
Radiation monitoring
Worries over radiation are so rampant in Japan after last year’s nuclear meltdowns that the world’s first mobile phones with built-in radiation monitors are going on sale.
Softbank Corp, the carrier for the hit iPhone and iPad in Japan, says the Pantone 5 mobile device that shows the microsieverts-per-hour number on a display at a push of a button will go on sale in July. Pricing was not announced.
The tsunami last March in north-eastern Japan set off meltdowns and explosions at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
Five Wives vodka offensive
A brand of vodka called Five Wives has been declared to be bad taste for offending Mormons, and will not be stocked or ordered at stores operated by the state of Idaho, regulators said.
It is made by Ogden’s Own Distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based. Its label carries the name and an image of five women, an apparent reference to polygamy, a practice abandoned by the church more than a century ago.
Idaho State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson said the brand is offensive to Mormons and regulators in Idaho notified Elite Spirits Distributor that the brand’s concept is “offensive to a prominent segment of our population and will not be carried”.