DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Michael Grubert, Mayor of Kleinmachnow, holds a picture which shows that suspected animal on the loose may not be a lion, according to experts, in Kleinmachnow, Germany, on 21st July, 2023. PICTUre: Reuters/Annegret Hilse
• Reports of an escaped “lioness” prompted a two day hunt by police, hunters and veterinarians in a wooded suburb of Berlin, Germany, last week – with the community’s mayor later saying the beast might have actually been a wild boar. The hunt in Kleinmachnow began on Thursday morning after a tip-off from passers-by before being scaled back on Friday. Mayor Michael Grubert told a press conference on Friday that computer analysis of the mobile phone video originally handed to police as well as other shots taken by local people showed that the “lioness” was likely to be a wild boar. He held up photos showing that the animal did not have the long, curving neck characteristic of felines. What looked on the picture to be a long, leonine dangling tail with a bob at the end could have been a shadow cast by vegetation. “Following another convincing tip this morning, police and hunters visited a small area of forest,” Grubert added. “We only found a family of wild boar.” The search, which drew in around 100 police officers using helicopters, heat cameras and drones, was mounted after a police assessment that the phone video showed a lion and a wild boar chasing each other. – With THOMAS ESCRITT, Berlin, Germany/Reuters
Evald Krnic, a diver from Montenegro, jumps from a bridge during a competition on the White Drin River, near the town of Gjakova, Kosovo, on 23rd July, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Fatos Bytyci
• With arms outstretched like bird’s wings in the traditional “swallow style”, Evald Krnic plunged more than 20 metres from a bridge in southern Kosovo into the cold White Drin river. “You don’t just jump; you fly,” he told Reuters after winning first place in the bridge-diving competition, an annual event held for the past 73 years and drawing both amateurs and professionals. “The primary emotion is that of being alive. If you’re not afraid, you can’t jump, as there’s no adrenaline rush, and you might end up making mistakes that could lead to injuries,” Krnic said. “The beauty of this sport lies in conquering that fear and taking the leap.” Krnic was also the winner last year in the Bosnian town of Mostar where he jumped 22 meters from an old bridge into the river below. Florid Gashi, who has won first prize in years past, also said the fear makes the sport so thrilling: “The moment that you are out of the water and you are not hurt that is the biggest thing.” – FATOS BYTYCI/Ura e Fshejt, Kosovo/Reuters
Mannequins with sun protection headgear are seen displayed at a store in a shopping mall, amid a yellow alert for heatwave in Beijing, China, on 19th July, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Florence Lo
• In scorching Beijing, “facekinis” are the hottest new fashion downtown as surging temperatures shatter records. With the mercury rising above 35 Celsius and the surface temperature soaring as high as 80 degrees in some parts of the country, residents and visitors have taken to carrying portable fans and covering themselves up to avoid getting a tan. Some hats even have fans built in. Facekinis, or full face masks with holes for the wearer’s eyes and nose, sleeves to cover arms, as well as wide brimmed hats and lightweight jackets made out of UV-resistant fabric have become especially popular. “Compared to before the pandemic, two or three years ago, this year is much, much better than previous years. Sales volume is definitely up a lot this year,” said a salesperson, who gave her surname as Wang, in a shop that sells hats. Many female consumers in east Asia favour fair skin, and sun protection products are also popular in neighbouring countries such as South Korea. “The main concern I have is potential skin diseases, or developing sunspots,” said 17-year-old student Li Xuyan who with her mother sported masks that covered most of her face when they visited a tourist area in Beijing. Chinese state television last Wednesday showed tourists taking selfies next to a 12-metre-tall thermometer that displayed a real-time surface temperature of 80 degrees at the scenic Flaming Mountains in Xinjiang. – YIN XIAOYU and BRENDA GOH, Beijing, China/Reuters.
