News Round Up
by Patrick O'Connor
YOU'VE probably heard of the bionic man but now the Daily Express is talking about Ruby the bionic dog!
The 18 month old black labrador had seven screws inserted to repair a broken back and two metal places on her dislocated hip after being involved in a collision with a car.
According to the Express, Ruby was treated by vets near Kendal in Cumbria where Simon Roch said: “We see lots of dogs with fractures and spinal injuries, but in terms of spinal fractures it was a very severe injury without a shadow of a doubt, and it is just nice to see Ruby respond so quickly.”
Owner Tom Iredale added: “It didn’t look too good when we left her at the vet’s on the first night, but to see her now you wouldn’t think anything had happened.”
What a good actor!
The Daily Telegraph reports that thespian Kevin Whately, who has played a detective in two major TV series for over 25 years, has admitted he never liked police shows.
Sixty one year old Whately, first appeared as Detective Sergeant Robbie Lewis in 1987 as an assistant to John Thaw in the acclaimed ITV drama Morse.
After Thaw's death in 2002, the company revived the character to create Lewis which is now on its seventh and last series.
However, despite devoting much of his career to the genre, Whately said: “I never have liked detective dramas. I try to watch all of them to see what's going on, but I don't like them. I'd almost certainly not watch Lewis if I wasn't in it.”
The times they are a'changing...
The Independent reports that karaoke fans preferred a 'Gangnam-style' sing-song to the more traditional 'Auld Lang Syne to see in the New Year.
Apparently the K-Pop rap Psy's worldwide hit topped a chart to find the most sung song in the UK on New Year's Eve accounting for almost a quarter of the 100,000 songs sung on Karaoke firm Lucky Voice's online service.
It's going to cost Brits double to take the chance to become a millionaire.
A story in The Sun claims that operator Camelot is planning to increase the price of a lottery ticket from £1 to £2.
It would be the first ticket price rise since the 1994 launch but could see the Saturday jacket shoot up £1 million to £5 million.
Young couples planning to wed could do with a lottery win to help them with the expense.
The Daily Star quotes research by the Post Office which claims that the average British wedding costs £10,000, meaning that some couples need to save up for two years before they can walk down the aisle.
A motorist in Lincoln has blasted a traffic warden who gave him a fine because his van was 'hanging one inch over yellow lines,' says the Daily Mail.
Andrew Wilson had a £70 ticket slapped on his vehicle which he parked on his driveway at his home. He had been unable to pull any further onto his drive because of building work being carried out on a neighbour's property.
Mr Wilson said the female traffic warden would not listen to reason.
“The warden must have got a ruler out and measured just how far over the line I was,” he said.
Mick Phoenix, parking services manager for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Mr Wilson has appealed against his ticket, so we will be investigating this. This will involve comparing any notes or photos taken by the parking officer with the evidence supplied by Mr Wilson.”
One benefit of the snowy weather is that it can help police track down those suspected of wrong-doing, says the Daily Mirror.
Officers followed footprints left in the snow after an outburst of vandalism in which the windows of a taxi were smashed and a car was turned onto its side and it led them to a teenager who was taken into custody in the Sedgley area of the West Midlands.
In Coseley two men were arrested after police tracked a mile-long rail of paw prints left by a dog spotted at the scene of a metal theft.
And in Rubery, North Worcestershire, footprints led to police arresting a man on suspicion of vehicle interference.
References:
The Express(www.express.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mirror ((www.mirror.co.uk)
Daily Star (www.daily star.co.uk)
The Sun (www.thesun.co.uk)
Daily Telegraph (www.telegraph co.uk)