JURASSIC SPARK! GIANT ROBOTIC DINOSAUR CATCHES FIRE
A 15ft robotic dinosaur caught fire at a warehouse in Coventry city centre, causing a blaze which could be seen for miles around. A total of 20 firefighters were sent to tackle the fire which started at furniture suppliers Besp-Oak. Huge plumes of smoke could be seen all over the city centre.
Police also rushed to the scene as nearby businesses and homes were evacuated as firefighters attempted to gain access to the burning building. One of those evacuated was Tracey Garlick, the owner of nearby hairdressers Cabello.
She told the Coventry Telegraph: “We thought it was just fog at first, but then we saw the big roller shutter doors on the warehouse opposite and the smoke had started coming out. They have a big animatronic dinosaur in there, it’s as big as the buildings opposite, and it had caught fire.”
“They have a load of giant palm trees in the warehouse too for exhibitions, it’s a bit like Jurassic Park. The smoke started coming out, so we ran over there and banged on the doors to make sure they knew the warehouse was on fire, because they work higher up in the building. “Then we ran to the houses next door to make sure there was nobody in them and we evacuated the shop.”
(Mirror)
THREE INJURED IN POTATO ATTACK IN SCOTlAND
Who came up with this half-baked ideaIJ An 18-year-old in Clydebank, Scotland, is facing three assault charges after allegedly chucking uncooked potatoes from a car at passing pedestrians, the Clydebank Post reported. The teen’s name has not been released.
Two women and a 13-year-old girl were injured in the attacks, with the girl suffering serious facial bruising. Another victim, a 32-year-old woman whose name has not been released, told the Post that after the potato smacked her in the head, a tub of coleslaw hit her as well. She said the force of the potato made her initially think she had “been shot by a BB gun”.
Police are searching for a second individual who may be involved. The unassuming tuber has found itself in the midst of crime before. In April, a man armed with only a potato robbed a laundromat in Rhode Island and attempted to rob a convenience store. And in 2012, a cold plate of mashed potatoes was at the centre of an assault in a Florida restaurant.
(The Huffington Post)
VIDEO SHOWS GUN IN TODDlER’S MOUTH
An Indiana couple has been charged with child neglect after a cellphone video obtained by authorities recorded the pair telling a one-year-old baby to put a gun in her mouth and instructing her to make sounds like the weapon was firing, police said.
Authorities in Evansville said they found the video on the phone of Michael Barnes, 19, who was arrested after he agreed to sell a handgun to an undercover officer through a transaction made on social media, Evansville police said in a statement.
During what police called a “follow-up investigation,” officers looking through Barnes’ phone discovered the video of the one-year-old baby putting a gun in her mouth. In the background, two adults, identified as Barnes and the toddler’s mother, Toni Wilson, 22, encouraged the child to play with the weapon, police said.
“Barnes can be heard telling the child to say “pow” on multiple occasions while the child plays with the gun,” police said. “The video also shows the child placing the muzzle of the gun in her mouth. At no point does Barnes try to stop the child from playing with the gun,” the statement said. The child’s mother told police that the firearm was a pellet gun. Evansville police said the weapon was a .40 caliber handgun.
Both Barnes and Wilson face multiple charges in the incident, including child neglect and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. Barnes also faces charges in connection with the thwarted gun sale, police said. The 12-month-old girl and one-month-old twins in the home were placed in emergency care, police said.
(Reuters)
END OF ROAD FOR MODElS AT CHINESE AUTOSHOWSIJ
Female models in tight dresses and miniskirts may be banned from one of Asia’s premier car exhibitions in Shanghai this year. The Chinese Government is concerned about what it sees as increasing vulgarity in society. A crackdown on pornography and freedom of expression more generally has intensified since President Xi Jinping assumed office in 2013. Victor Yang, spokesman of Geely Automobile Holdings ltd, told Reuters that the company has received verbal notice from the Shanghai autoshow organizer that no models can be used at the week-long event from April 20.
An official at the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai, one of the main organisers of the show, said such a restriction was “under discussion” and a decision would be published soon. He did not elaborate. Auto promoters in China, as in many other places, often employ models to jazz up their stands.
(Reuters)