Spaniels sniff for bedbugs

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 October 2023

Pest control companies are using spaniels to sniff out bedbugs in hotels and homes. Professionals equipped with "Ghostbuster-like backpacks" suck air out of a room and the scent and chemicals are soaked up by filter paper, said The Telegraph, which is sent to a lab where dogs sniff a range of papers, alerting their trainers if they detect the smell of bedbugs. The breed's "highly sensitive" noses are also used to "detect bombs, drugs, cancer, high blood sugar levels and even Covid", the paper added.

Stalker clown challenges cops

A clown who has been stalking the streets of a Scottish village has "dared the police to catch them", said Sky News. According to reports, the person, clad in a Pennywise-style outfit, has been leaving red balloons around Skelmorlie in North Ayrshire. Uploading a "message to the media" after reports of police concern, the person said: "Do you think that I care? They'd have to catch me first anyway – and yes, that's a dare." Pennywise the Dancing Clown is the main villain in Stephen King's story "It".

US man gets $1.4m speeding fine

A driver in the US state of Georgia was "left reeling" after receiving a $1.4 million speeding ticket, The Guardian reported, before city officials in Savannah said the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato told local media that he received the citation after getting pulled over last month for driving 90mph (145kph) in a 55mph (89kph) zone. Savannah officials said the figure reflected an automatically generated placeholder and actual fines cannot exceed $1,000, plus costs.