Foul play and pushing from journalists were to blame for MPs’ defeat in the annual parliamentary pancake race, a British Conservative MP has claimed.
Andrew Rosindell (above right) also blamed the distraction of May’s general election for his side losing to the media team in the swift sprint around Victoria Tower Gardens outside Parliament.
But victorious journalist Sam Macrory pleaded the “Arsene Wenger defence”, claiming he did not see anything untoward.
‘Lights are robbin’ birds of sleep’
Robins are up all night singing because city lights convince them there is no end to the day, an expert claims.
Blue light from neon signs are likely to be especially disruptive to the birds’ body clock, Dr David Dominone says. As a result their health could be suffering, he believes.
Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting, in San Jose, California, Dr Dominone said: “I live in Glasgow now and I hear robins singing throughout the night, singing all the time. Robins are one of the most sensitive species to light.”
Needle match as hedgehogs dance
A dancing duo of lesser tenrecs have been caught on camera appearing to perform jazz hands together.
The snap shows the pair of hedgehog-like creatures perched on the ground with their eyes closed and paws outstretched.
Photographer Jean Wiltshire captured the moment at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon, England.
Passengers take flight over ‘gun’
Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport fled on to the tarmac in panic after a mistaken announcement that a man with a gun was on the loose.
LAX Police Department Sergeant Belinda Joseph said some passengers left gate areas of Terminal 2 through emergency doors after the “misinformed” public address system announcement which was apparently related to police activity outside.
Officers had pursued an unarmed driver to the departures level after responding to a report that he may be trying to commit suicide. Somehow, that led to the false announcement.
Sgt Joseph was unsure how many passengers reached the tarmac but said officers restored order within 15 minutes.
Naked man shot after police tussle
An American police officer shot and wounded a naked suspect after a callout to a burglary in San Diego.
The first officer to arrive at the house saw the nude man trying to break in through a window, a police spokesman said. The officer drew his gun and told the man to surrender, but the man attacked him and he dropped it.
The two struggled and the officer twice tried to use a stun gun on the man until he managed to grab his weapon back and shoot the suspect in the torso.
The man was in fair condition, while the officer had only minor scratches.
Human cannonball fired... again
Twenty-five-year-old Gemma Kirby marked a milestone in her daredevil career.
For the 500th time, she turned herself into a human cannonball to the thrill of about 5,000 spectators at a Circus XTREME, staged in Philadelphia by Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey.
A spokeswoman says the petite American, dressed in a sparkly silver outfit, shot out of the cannon, moved through the air at up to 66mph and landed safely in an air bag about 100 feet away.
The whole act takes about three seconds.