“I have a pet pigeon – it lives in my apartment and kisses and cuddles me”
By Amy Reast
A woman has a pet pigeon who lives in her apartment and loves to kiss and cuddle her.
Aleksandra Bezrukova, 25, discovered a pair of eggs which hatched baby pigeons - known as squabs - on her balcony and she fell in love.
After they grew up and flew away, Aleksandra became determined to raise a pigeon of her own.
After finding a pet pigeon that needed re-homing she took the bird in and named her Coco.
Coco has been living in Aleksandra's apartment with her husband, Alexandre Pastemps, 29, a crypto trader, since October.
Both of them adore Coco and she grows more friendly by the day - even giving Aleksandra kisses and cuddles.
Aleksandra calls her a "little sweetheart" and reckons pigeons have a worse reputation than they deserve.
She claims even once-skeptical family members are smitten with Coco now too.
Aleksandra, a clothing shop owner, living in Chloet, France, said: "When those eggs first hatched on my balcony, something inside me woke up.
"They were so cute, I spent hours each day looking at them.
"When they grew up and flew away, I was heartbroken - so I researched online about having a pet pigeon of my own.
"As soon as I saw Coco I loved her and our relationship grows each day.
"Pet pigeons are so lovely - they're super smart and clever, and cute.
"I think people who feel negatively just don't understand them."
Aleksandra found herself captivated by pigeons after seeing two little eggs in a nest on her balcony in August 2023.
She left them where they were and saw the parents tending to the nest for over a month - then eventually two little chicks were born.
Over time the chicks grew and learnt to walk, then flap their wings - before Aleksandra had to say goodbye for good when they flew the nest.
She said: "I looked at them every day, I would just open the window and sit and watch them.
"I was heartbroken when they flew away.
"Something inside me woke up - I started to be curious about pigeons and watched videos about pigeons as pets.
"I decided I wanted a pet pigeon too."
After finding a local man looking to re-home a seven-month-old pigeon, Aleksandra "fell in love" and the rest was history.
She said: "When I saw her I loved her, and I wanted to give her the best life.
"She was super cute, and let me take her from the guy’s hands straight away."
When Aleksandra first brought Coco home in October 2023, she said the bird was timid - but over time became more trusting.
The first milestone was landing on Aleksandra's head, before nipping her cheeks softly - the equivalent to a pigeon kissing affectionately.
In December, Coco let Aleksandra cuddle her for the first time and sat on her shoulder.
Now they share a special bond, and pigeon cuddles are a regular occurrence.
Coco lives in their apartment, and sleeps in a cage but is free to fly around indoors all day long.
While it can be dangerous for house-trained birds to fly outdoors on their own, Aleksandra is looking to get Coco a leash so she can fly outside safely.
She is also looking to start teaching Coco tricks - such as responding to her name, and recognising different colours.
Aleksandra says most people are supportive - but she had a few negative comments online.
She said: "People when they see Coco, they say how beautiful she is.
"She is super white with beautiful brown eyes and a fancy tail - they ask if she is even a pigeon.
"Most people think she is a sweetheart but some people say pigeons are dirty and spread disease.
"But humans spread dirty things in the world too."
She added: "Pet pigeons are like little puppies, sometimes when I get home Coco welcomes me back through the door.
"Sometimes when she coos, I coo back and we speak in a pigeon language together.
"Pigeons can be super smart and affectionate. They're such interesting pets."
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Pooch has temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way!
By Samuel Wightwick
These funny videos show a young pup throwing temper tantrums at his owner when he can't get his own way.
Charlie, a nine-month-old golden retriever, stomps his feet and twists his head in protest.
Owner Lauren Lieberman, 32, says that Charlie does this all the time and this is the way he communicates.
Lauren, who owns a marketing agency in Montreal, Canada, said: "He's very good at communicating. He's a very emotive dog.
"He does these little tantrums every now and then to let me know he's not happy or to let me know that he wants me for something."
"I call him my Velcro dog, he hates being away from me for any amount of time."
Lauren added: "In of the videos he was annoyed that I was taking too long to pick up the mail so he was trying to hurry me up.
"I was dying of laughter when he did it. I couldn't believe how he was stomping and everything!
"He usually gets his own way but he is a really well behaved dog most of the time."
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"I moved from the US to Spain - now I only work 14 hours a week but I'm $200-a-month better off"
By Freddie Noble
A woman who moved to Spain from the US says she only has to work 14 hours a week - and is $205-a-month better off.
Katie Boggs, 23, graduated from Otterbein University, in Westerville, Ohio, US, after studying biochemistry in 2023.
After her graduation, Katie jetted to Malaga, Spain, for her spring break, and fell in love with the country and culture - deciding to relocate to the country.
Katie currently lives in Granada, Spain, in a three-bedroom flat where she works 14 hours a week as an English teacher - earning €800 to €1000-a-month.
Since moving, Katie said she is $205-a-month better off when it comes to her outgoings - managing to spend just €500-a-month on essentials such as rent, shopping and Wi-Fi.
Katie, an English teacher, originally from Louisville, Kentucky, US, said: "This place is unreal and it's so nice.
"I honestly thought it was going to be a one year thing but the lifestyle here is so nice and the difference between here and the US is telling.
"I would say that things are a lot slower here and things are very laid back over here.
"I don't feel very stressed, I feel like a human being rather than a corporate decoy."
Since moving to Spain, Katie has loved every moment of her time there.
She said: "I have a ton of friends which are mainly teachers and we all get along really well as were from different countries and we are all outgoing.
"Making friends has not been at a problem at all.
"Everything is really great."
One thing Katie had to find out was how cheap Grenada is compared to the States.
"The price difference is insane. When I went back home for Christmas, I was shocked by the prices back home," she said.
"I live in a three-bedroom flat with one other person and only spend €325-a-month, if we had another flatmate we would only pay €210 on rent.
"One bus ride is €0.40 and I get breakfast every morning which is a sandwich and a drink for €3.30 and that is totally affordable.
"A glass of wine at a restaurant in Spain is €2 to €3 and I went to the grocery store and got things like vegetables and other things for €13.
"Everything is very cheap but the salaries are cheaper so it goes hand in hand."
Katie said the biggest difference between America and Spain is that the pace of life is slower.
She said: "The pace of the city is so much slower. In the US, they were not good on giving you time to learn or be sick.
"I'm not used to things being closed on Sundays but I think it is actually a good thing as you get a sense of a work-life balance."
"I don't make that much but I also don't spend that much which I think is nice as it is very affordable."
What she spends each month in Spain -
Rent - €325
Utilities - €30
Food - €150
Phone and WiFi - €27
Gym - €30
Total - €562
What she spent each month in the US -
Rent - $450
Utilities - $70
Food - $400
Phone and WiFi - $114
Gym - $120
Total - $754
Saving $205-a-month in total on outgoings
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Couple quit 9-5 jobs to live in a van and drive 3,000 miles - to the Arctic Circle
By Lauren Beavis
A travelling couple who quit their 9-5 jobs to live in a van have made it to the Arctic Circle - in a 3,000 mile trip.
Chris, 31, and Sam Hoar, 30, left Plymouth in February to venture up through Sweden and Finland - and they have just arrived in Alta, Norway.
They are now heading to North Cape - the furthest northern point of the country they are able to drive to - before arriving home in April to round off the epic 7,500 mile trip.
Despite the temperature dropping to -23 degrees Celsius, the pair, who are now travel bloggers, say their trip has been “incredible” and they have never looked back since buying a van in 2018.
Sam said: “I don’t think we realised what we were actually in for - but this journey has been absolutely breathtaking and blown our minds.
“Time doesn't wait for anybody and taking a risk to move into our van was the best thing we’ve ever done.
“We knew we had nothing to lose because in the worst case scenario we would go back to doing our nine to five jobs that we did anyway - but life is too short!”
Chris and Sam were determined their adventure to the Arctic Circle would be possible after watching videos of others living the van life and exploring the world during lockdown.
The couple, who have been together for 16 years after meeting at school when they were 14, were particularly inspired by one of these videos showing a couple travelling through Norway.
Sam admitted the scenery blew them away so much that they knew they had to go.
So far in their Arctic circle trip, the pair say they have been left astounded by the beautiful scenery and vast expense of wildlife.
Chris said: “For us, we have never seen snow like this in all our lives.
“I’m talking seven foot of show outside right, with temperatures dropping to -23 degrees.
“The weather has definitely tested the van properly being up here, but we still haven’t broken down and the vastness of the wilderness all around us is breathtaking and unreal.
“We have seen wild moose - that look like horses on steroids over here - reindeer, wolves.
“We've definitely got the bug now and feel like we even want to return next year even earlier in the year during the more extreme winter.”
Before leaving their nine to five jobs for the tiny-home life in living from a van, Sam worked as a beauty therapist and Chris was working as a mechanical engineer aswell as being a retained firefighter.
After always enjoying exploring nature together, the pair decided to hire their first van for three weeks to travel New Zealand and explore the South Island in 2018.
Two weeks after arriving back to the UK after this trip, the new-found explorers bought their first van “and have never looked back”.
Sam explained: “I must admit when Chris first said that we're gonna be hiring a camper van to see New Zealand I like ‘are we not going to do any hotels?'
“But he said you can’t really do New Zealand in hotels as the best way to travel is via a campervan so you can see all the sites.
“So I trusted him - and fell in love with it.
“I actually adored the fact that you had your home and you could just rock up and move and go wherever you wanted to go.
“So when we came back, Chris bumped my arm into getting our first little Volkswagen T4 and that's what we started off with - just an adventure van, really, but it felt so right.
“We were going away at the weekends when we had time off together and we never ever wanted it to end, and we just kept having conversations about how nice it would be to do it permanently”.
The pair continued talking about the potentials until the pandemic hit - which is when they decided to rent out their home in Plymouth, conduct a ten hour journey to purchase minibus up in Scotland and do it up to meet the entirety of their living needs.
Many youtube videos later, Chris and Sam were able to implement running water pipes, electricity, gas pipes, insulation and plumbing into their new home.
The van is now kitted out with a shower, toilet, 100 litres of freshwater, a wastewater tank and 350 watt solar panels on the roof.
Chris said: “I googled it and thought I'm just gonna use YouTube, and then you'll just watch a couple of videos like, OK, I'll see what I need to do.
“And I thought wow, I’ve literally never done this before but you can just watch a video and do it.
“We did get it signed off though, just to make sure the really important things were safe!”
Since then, the pair have travelled to Switzerland, Austria and 12 other European countries.
Though they are limited on how long they can spend in Europe - as Brexit rules mean they are only allowed 90 days in the continent before they must return to the UK for a further 90 days - before they are able to go off again.
The adventurists already have their next trip planned to Scotland, and hoping to drive to Spain in the summertime - but are “one hundred percent certain” they will be venturing to the Arctic Circle again next year.
You can view their adventures on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_travel_duo__ / and Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetravelduo_
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Painter has successful double arm transplant after motorbike accident
By George Mathias
A painter who lost both of his arms in a motorbike accident has undergone a successful double arm transplant.
Raj Kumar underwent the 12-hour surgery on January 19 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, India, and doctors have only now revealed the results.
During the operation doctors reattached his nerves, veins, muscles, and skin to the donor limbs and he is set to be discharged soon.
He is reported to have had both limbs severed after "a train accident when he was riding on a cycle and had lost control".
The arms were donated by deceased woman Meena Mehta, a former administrative head of a school in south Delhi, after she was declared brain dead.
A painter by trade, Kumar had been living with prosthetics arms before the surgery.
The procedure was performed by a team led by Dr Mahesh Mangal, who heads the department of plastic and cosmetic surgery at the hospital.
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Married dad competing in world sex championships says "I'm living every man's dream"
By George Mathias
It involves a A married man with three kids is competing in the world sex championships - and says he is “living every man’s dream”.
Jax Sweller, 37, is competing in the month-long festival run by the Swedish Sex Federation in Malaga, Spain.
variety of rounds, including seduction, appearance of sexual organs and proficiency in sex acts and will be live streamed over the internet.
Each ‘round’ will last between 45 minutes to an hour and fans will vote on who wins.
Competitors are paired up with random strangers of the opposite sex - but Jax insists his wife doesn't mind and supports his hobby.
Former cameraman Jax, 37, from Tampa, Florida, said: “I got and call and got offered to enter and I couldn’t really turn it down - I’m getting paid to get laid!
“For a guy especially, it can be quite difficult, getting an erection in front of so many people is kind of daunting so that will be a challenge.
“Every day you’re teamed up with a person to do certain sexual tasks, then people who are watching it will vote for who they think are the best performers.
"But I still love this line of work and am living every man's dream."
Jax was formerly involved in filming adult films now makes his money being in front of the camera.
He is getting paid $4,000 for entering - on top of the all-expenses paid trip.
Jax, who describes himself as a “budding pornstar” says he has always been open that working in the adult industry was something he wanted to do.
“I’m open with my wife and how I feel and the desires and things I want," he said.
“I'm a very honest person and I check with my wife every time I go and do a scene, I make sure to have her support every time.
“I just see it as a different type of business.”
Jax is coy on his chances of victory in the competition.
“I'm going to have a good time," he said.
"I would love to win, but in a way doing what I do for a living it feels like I have already won."
Contestants submit STI tests ahead of the championship, which runs from March 5 until April 5 and have to repeat the test every week.
Last years ‘sporting’ competition was held in Gothenburg, Sweden with Dragan Bratic who owns a number of strip clubs in the Jönköping area of Sweden.
The organisers believe sex is a "gender neutral sport".
They said: “In order for people to achieve the most desired results, they must train both their mental and physical abilities.”
At the end of all the events, the competitor with the most votes will be crowned the champion.
The Swedish Sex Federation said: “Sex is the satisfaction of psychological and physical needs.
“Through sex, people achieve mental and physical well-being both in the soul and in the body.”
Categories are -
1. Seduction of a competitor/athlete
2. Massaging
3. Massaging of “erotic zones” on a contestant's body
4. Foreplay
5. Oral sex
6. Penetration
7. Trigger: How long a competitor/athlete can show his endurance against another competitor
8. Appearance
9. Artistic execution of pose/stance:
10. Creativity in changing pose/stance:
11. Endurance and number of orgasms over specified time.
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Bird watchers flock to watch stunning starling murmurations
By Adam Dutton
Crowds of bird watchers have been flocking to a rundown multi-storey car park to watch stunning starling murmurations.
Tens of thousands of the birds have been returning every night to the Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch, Worcs.
Local residents started posting videos of the murmurations on social media since they started their displays in January.
Their breathtaking aerial acrobatics have attracted hundreds of people who watch the birds from the top of the shopping centre.
Shop worker Angie Wilson, 30, said she first noticed the starlings while walking home from work one January evening.
She said: “It was just incredible, the entire sky seemed to go dark with birds and the noise was something else, like a screeching that just got louder and louder.
“The way the starlings all moved together as one giant shape was mesmerising. I just stood and watched them for ages.
“Since then I come down most nights when it’s not raining to watch them do their thing.
"They've made their nests in the trees below the Kingfisher. It's quite a thing to have such amazing wildlife in the middle of a busy town.
“It’s getting very popular and some nights there are dozens of people here. I think the car park is as full in the evenings as the days sometimes."
The starlings come together mid-air above their roosting sites and perform what the RSPB call "mass aerial stunts" for a number of different reasons.
Firstly, they do it for protection, with predators like birds of prey finding it difficult to single out individuals from among the flock.
They also do it as a way to keep warm in the colder months and to exchange information with one another, including about good places to find food.
The birds will begin their displays in the early evenings, just before dusk, as the night begins to draw in.
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Eerie moment woman hears her name being called whilst home alone
By Leo Black
This is the eerie moment a woman heard her name being called whilst at home alone.
Melody Rose was in her room filming a TikTok when she heard a voice calling out "Mel" and then "Melody."
The video shows Melody answering at first before remembering she's alone and becomes visibly nervous.
The incident happened around 9 pm which made her even more nervous.
She immediately left her house and only went home when her roommate returned that later that night.
Melody, who lives in Los Angeles, Califonia, has no explanation for what happened aside from the fact that maybe her cat McLovin may have sounded her name.
Even so, Melody is unsure about this and said: "I’m easily scared so anything that goes bump in the night will have me sleeping with the lights on.
"That night I left and didn’t come home until my roommate was home. But I figure if my cats are calm I’m probably okay.
"McLovin sounds human sometimes.
"He does have siblings so I figured maybe they were jumping around making noise. Maybe it was noises from outside?"
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Globetrotting doggy influencer only stays in five-star hotels and has a bigger wardrobe than his owner
By Holly Mei-Yu Stafford
Meet the globetrotting doggy influencer who only stays in five-star hotels and has a bigger wardrobe than his owner.
Bao, a three-year-old Chihuahua, has visited Paris, Mexico, and Alberta, over the last two years.
His devoted owner, Xa Thi Ngoc Tran, 37, refuses to settle for anything but the best for her beloved pooch.
Their most recent retreat was to the Walford Astoria Hotel, in Cancun, Mexico, where Bao was "treated like royalty" with gourmet custom meals, unlimited treats and even poolside massages.
The dynamic duo wear matching outfits when exploring their travel destinations and even have custom-made matching silk pyjamas.
When they're not travelling, Bao is still ''spoilt rotten'' and has his own wardrobe as well as eating a raw food diet- complete with homemade bone broth.
Ngoc, who works in finance, said: "Bao is a diva; he knows what he likes and I don't blame him.
"He's grown to love travelling because we started with short domestic flights and went from there.
"I've always been very particular about where I take Bao because I want him to everywhere when we're on holiday.
"Some resorts say they're dog friendly but pets are limited to a certain area of the premises which doesn't sit well with me.
"Taking him back to the roots of his ancestors in Mexico was amazing, he was treated like royalty.
"He has the best time and it melted my heart to see him so happy.
"At home, he has his own styling rack, he has a bigger wardrobe than me!"
Welcoming Bao from a breeder in Ontario in October 2020, Ngoc waited for Covid-19 restrictions to lift before taking him on his first four-hour flight from Toronto to Lake Louise, Alberta, in October 2022.
Since then, the dynamic duo has travelled to Paris where they stayed in Hôtel Louvre Saint-Honoré and dined in the iconic Café de Flore and Café de l’Homme with the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.
They even hit up the Champs-Élysées where Bao was treated to his very own Channel silk neck scarf and dazzling broach which he shares with Ngoc.
"I never wanted to travel without him because he's my baby boy,'' Ngoc said.
"He's so well-behaved on flights and enjoys the fuss the cabin crew give him.
"From then, we've built up the distance and he's been able to stay in some luxury resorts.
"But the luxury doesn't stop when we're back home in Toronto, his diet consists of nutritious raw food and I give him homemade bone broth to support his little joints.
"Some may say I'm extra with Bao but he's our everything- I want him to have the very best.
"Taking your pet abroad does include additional costs for the airline, hotel stays, meals out and essential pre-flight health checks, but it's more than worth it."
Bao has a 75-piece wardrobe complete with jazzy jackets, exquisite shirts and even chic turtle-neck jumpers- all worth around $2,500.
In March 2021, Ngoc created Bao's own Instagram and his platform now boasts over 162K followers, showcasing his ''sassy personality'', stylish outfits and foreign adventures.
Ngoc said: "It started a visual diary to document Bao growing up, I never thought he'd gain such a following.
"He loves the camera, and the camera loves him back.
"Since he was a puppy, I've liked to match his clothes to my neutral aesthetic with trench coats and denim but Bao is partial to a Hawaiian shirt when on holiday.
"We've since released Bao's own bespoke range of pyjamas and it's so lovely to see his community send snaps of them wearing the collection.
"Owners message me about how much they love Bao- it's wonderful to connect with fellow pet lovers.
"He's honestly my best friend and the best companion- I'm over the moon that the world has fallen in love with him too."
Bao and Ngoc can be found on Instagram and TikTok @baothechi
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Police recover £350k Ferrari stolen from F1 driver Gerhard Berger 28 years ago
By Jim Leffman
A £350,000 Ferrari stolen from Austrian Formula 1 racing driver Gerhard Berger 28 years ago had been recovered by British police.
The red Ferrari F512M was one of two Ferraris stolen from drivers at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, in April 1995.
Ferrari tipped off the Met police in January after they caried out checks on a car being bought by a US buyer via a UK broker in 2023, which revealed it was stolen.
Officers from the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit carried out extensive enquiries across the world which revealed it had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen until it was brought to the UK in late 2023.
Establishing the history of the vehicle in just four days, Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari was tracked down and was moved to the Met’s possession to prevent the car from being exported from the UK.
Gerhard Berger raced for Ferrari, winning 10 Grand Prix over 14 seasons, coming in the top three in 48 races and twice finishing third overall in the 1980s and 90s.
Her also drove for Benetton and McLaren during his career.
PC Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation, said: “The stolen Ferrari – close to the value of £350,000 – was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days.
“Our enquiries were painstaking and included contacting authorities from around the world.
"We worked quickly with partners including the National Crime Agency, as well as Ferrari and international car dealerships, and this collaboration was instrumental in understanding the vehicle’s background and stopping it from leaving the country.”
Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made. The second car remains missing.
The Met’s Organised Vehicle Crime Unit is a small team of experienced vehicle examiners, police officers and staff with a wealth of knowledge.
In 2023, the unit recovered 418 vehicles, with a combined value of £31m. Of these, 326 have been linked to organised criminal gangs, making up £21m of the total value of vehicles seized.
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