SIDELINES...

BURIED ALIVE

An elderly paralysed woman was rescued after enduring three days buried in a shallow grave in China, dumped there by her son who said he was tired of caring for her. The woman, who was 79, could be heard calling faintly for help after her son’s wife alerted police to her disappearance in Shaanxi province. The son, Ma Lekuan, 58, was charged with attempted murder. Times, 9 May 2020.

SHRINKING MANHOOD

Environmental scientist Dr Shanna Swan has warned that pollution is making penises smaller. Dr Swan pins the blame on phthalates, a chemical used to soften plastics that has an effect on human hormones when absorbed by the body. It is directly linked to a surge in boys born with abnormally small genitals as exposure to phthalates in the womb can be correlated with “a smaller penis volume”. Sun, 25 Mar 2021.

PECULIAR POTHOLES

In Connacht, Ireland, a mysterious individual, believed to be an antidog fouling protestor, has been filling potholes in pavements with baked beans. Sun, 8 April 2021.

THREE AMIGOS

A baby emu, goat, and goose have formed an unlikely trio at an animal centre in Devizes, Wiltshire. They first bonded when the emu, Taz, was rejected by his parents and had to be hand-reared. He soon made friends with fellow residents Alfred the kid, born around the same time, and Wiggle, a goose chick. Alfred often gives Taz a gentle peck on the head, while Taz and Wiggle love to weave in and out of the goat’s legs. Metro, 1 Apr 2021.

LEGO LIFTED

Police in France are on the trail of a gang of international Lego thieves after they arrested a woman and two men stealing boxes of the bricks from a shop near Paris. The trio, who came from Poland, admitted being part of a gang who targeted the often valuable collectors’ sets of Lego to feed the fast-growing online market. This has soared during lockdown, as many adults now buy and build the more complex high-end sets. D.Mail, 31 Mar 2021.