Alarmingly high readings for a dump truck arriving at an incinerator in Austria were caused by radioactive adult nappies.
Nearly two dozen nappies from a hospital had become contaminated with radioactive iodine. The substance is swallowed during some medical and diagnostic procedures.
Officials are tracing the truck’s route while it stays in a metal container at the incinerator for eight days – the time it takes for the emissions to reach safe levels. (PA)
New version of black London cab
A new version of the London black cab has been launched by car company Nissan.
The company promises that its new 1.6 litre petrol-engined taxi will be cleaner than the current diesel cabs being used in the capital.
The cab comes with round headlamps and a re-modelled grille. The new-look taxi was developed by Nissan’s European design centre in Paddington, west London – the same design centre responsible for the Qashqai and Juke models.
Nissan ensured that this version adheres to the strict Transport for London regulations governing the capital’s black cabs, including the required 7.6-metre turning circle. Equipped with an automatic gearbox and strong lighting to show off the traditional taxi sign, the new cab will go on sale in London in December. (PA)
Baby-faced canines capitalise
Dogs may have learned to cash in on a human weakness for child-like faces, new research suggests.
In the study, rescue dogs that were best able to pull on the heart strings of prospective owners were most likely to get new homes.
Their secret was to raise their inner brows and make their eyes appear larger – like those of a baby. Scientists believe it is evidence that domestic dogs have evolved to capitalise on a natural human preference for child-like faces. (PA)
Tigers kept in back gardens
Arizona wildlife officials have seized two tigers that were being kept in back gardens in the Phoenix area.
The first tiger was found rope-tied in the garden, the second was located three days later being kept in a large dog kennel.
Both tigers are about eight months old and appear to be in good health. They will be moved to a wildlife reserve. (PA)
Koala joey is first born in the UK
A koala joey, said to be the first to be born in the UK, has been named after keepers discovered that it is a male.
Yooranah was born at Edinburgh Zoo in May 2013, but keepers waited until he had fully emerged from mother Alinga’s pouch before they started to handle him. He was the size of a jelly bean, and hairless and blind when born but now weighs 632g and has excellent vision.
Keepers have started a routine of regular weigh-ins, using a digital scale similar to those used to weigh baking ingredients. Yooranah is an indigenous Australian word meaning “loving”. (PA)