SIDELINES...

DEATH FROM ABOVE

Hundreds of dead ravens have been falling from the sky in the village of Ust-Tarka in southwest Siberia. Other birds seem to be unharmed, but there have been “several hundred deaths per day” among the local raven population. Sergei Kuzlyakin, chief physician of the Ust-Tarksk veterinary department, suspected poisoning but said: “I have been working as a doctor since 1975 and this is the first time I’ve seen this. I am shocked.” Samples have been sent to Novosibirsk for analysis. mirror.co.uk, 28 Sept 2021.

COMA COP

Constable Reuben Kimutai Lei, a Kenyan policeman, woke from a nine-month coma to find he had been sacked for deserting his post and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Until he awoke and was able to tell medics who he was, Constable Lei’s identity was unknown as he had no documents on him when he was involved in the road accident that left him comatose. His family had searched for him for months and had given him up for dead. He was discharged from hospital to recuperate at home and the police have agreed to reinstate him. BBC News, 25 Sept 2021.

NEW LANDS

Bristol resident Robert Craig is campaigning for a new country to be set up in Britain, with Bristol as its capital. Craig, 79, wants the West Country, Sussex and Essex to be united as “Saxland” based on the region briefly ruled by King Ecgberht in 824. He wants to combine London and Kent as another country and leave the rest of Britain as it is. He sees this as an answer to current London-centricism. Mr Craig stood for MP for Bath on this platform in the 2010 election, but got the fewest votes of any candidate in the country. bristolpost.co.uk, 14 Sept 2021.

BEE-HAVIOUR

Researchers have found that bees are attracted to plants laced with caffeine and that the substance makes them more focused, motivated and efficient at gathering nectar. They believe that this could help save at-risk bee species and improve crop fertilisation. Metro, 29 July 2021.