Armed robber returns money after taking pity on wine shop manager

A thief who held up a wine shop in Brussels handed back the cash he’d stolen, after being told about the crises that had blighted the business. The armed robber, who was wearing a motorbike helmet, rushed into Le Cellier de Vinalgros and told staff to empty the till. When he was given €110, he demanded more – only to be told there was none, as the shop’s takings were so depleted. At that point, he returned the money and left. I think “he felt sorry for us”, the shop’s owner reflected.

A lion that spent five years in a small cage in an abandoned zoo in Armenia is poised to start a new life in South Africa. The zoo was owned by a Russian oligarch. When he died, all the other animals were taken to new homes – but none could be found for Rubén. Left alone in his tiny filthy cage, he became malnourished, and lost his roar. But thanks to the efforts of the charity Animal Defenders International, Rubén is now recovering at a converted bear sanctuary, prior to being flown to South Africa, where he’ll live in 2.5 acres of natural habitat.

A four-year-old from Somerset has become Mensa’s youngest UK member. Teddy Hobbs taught himself to read at the age of two; he can count to 100 in seven languages (including Mandarin and Welsh); and he has the word recognition of a child of at least eight. His mother, Beth, told The Times that Teddy’s intelligence can be a blessing and a curse. “My friends can say, ‘Oh, should we have some c-a-k-e?’ and their kids will not know what they’re saying – but Teddy will immediately spell it out and want some,” she said. “We have no idea why he is so clever.”

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