SIDELINES...

MAGIC BUS

The world’s longest bus route, linking India to the UK, will be launched in 2021. The travel company behind the venture says their luxury 20-seat bus will start in New Delhi before crossing Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, then China, Central Asia and westward towards Moscow. The final leg of the journey crosses Eastern and Central Europe before arriving in London via Brussels. The drive mirrors the 1970s ‘Hippie Trail’ that came to an end after the Iranian revolution and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. D.Telegraph, 29 Aug 2020.

SAGE ADVICE

Firefighters called to reports of a smoke alarm going off in a Long Eaton, Derbyshire, house arrived to find a man dressed in a “religious outfit” who had carried out an exorcism to get rid of “an unwanted presence”. A spokesperson for Stapleford fire station said: “This was a false alarm caused by smoke from an exorcism. Sage had been lit and triggered the smoke detection system.” ilkestonadvertiser.co.uk, 17 Aug 2020.

LOST AND FOUND

A missing cat was found sitting next to its own missing poster in a Salisbury shop window, two weeks after going missing. Metro, 27 Apr 2020.

ROAD SAFETY BOARS

Wild boars have become so accustomed to Berlin city life that they have learned how to cross the road safely. “I never cease to be astonished by how wild boars and their young deliberately choose pedestrian crossings to cross roads,” said Berlin’s wildlife commissioner Derk Ehlert. Times, 14 Mar 2020.