Two people were “extremely lucky” to escape without serious injury after their car was left hanging off a British motorway – with a drop of more than 30 feet to a road below.
Firefighters were called to the M6 near Haydock, Merseyside, England, yesterday and watch manager Chris Parrington said: “When we arrived the back of the car was overhanging part of the East Lancashire Road, but the car was relatively stable and pretty level. We had to use winches and cables to secure the vehicle before the two occupants could be helped out.”
Hydraulic cutters and a saw were used to remove the door of the car to free the driver. (PA)
Man allegedly fakes soldiers’ remains
A Vietnamese man claiming paranormal powers has been arrested on suspicion of faking the remains of soldiers killed and missing during the Vietnam War in order to claim more than £300,000 (€354,228) in reward money.
The case came to light after a military forensic team analysed nine sets of supposed Vietnamese human remains he had helped to recover that turned out to be animal bones.
The money given to Nguyen Van Thuy was from a charitable fund administered by a state-owned bank. (PA)
Mysterious deaths of park’s stray cats
Authorities at a famous Beijing park are investigating the mysterious deaths of stray cats in recent weeks.
A park spokesman said the Temple of Heaven park has stepped up patrols in an effort to prevent more deaths and carcasses from being dumped inside. Dozens of protesters, however, have rallied outside the park, accusing park authorities of killing the cats.
The spokesman denied that the park was to blame. The park is a Unesco heritage site where emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices. (PA)
Giant Mona Lisa smiles for the public
A massive Mona Lisa has gone on show after the famous painting was named Britains’s favourite portrait.
The five metre-by-seven metre- canvas – 85 times bigger than the original portrait hanging in the Louvre – is on a 14-metre-high easel in Clapham Common, south London.
The painting, which is a giant mosaic, was created using 84 individual self-portraits submitted to Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year competition.
The easel, which weighs three tonnes, took two months to design and build.
A poll of 2,000 people found almost a quarter (24 per cent) said the Mona Lisa was their favourite portrait, followed by Andy Warhol’s pictures of Marilyn Monroe (20 per cent) and Edvard Munch’s The Scream (15 per cent). (AP)
Skull’s insights on human evolution
The discovery of a 1.8-million-year-old skull is giving researchers new insights into early human evolution.
The fossil was found buried under a mediaeval village in Georgia and is the most complete pre-human skull uncovered. With partial remains previously found at the rural site, researchers writing in the journal Science say it provides the earliest evidence of human ancestors moving out of Africa and spreading north to the rest of the world.
The fossils reveal a population of pre-humans of various sizes living at the same time – something scientists had not seen before for such an ancient era. (PA)