Experts play down speculation of ‘secret passageway’ on Mars

Scientists have been quick to dismiss a conspiracy theory that an image taken by Nasa’s Curiosity Rover shows an opening to a secret passageway on Mars. The Telegraph said the grainy image, taken last week by the mast-mounted camera on the rover, appears to show an opening with an arched lintel leading to a passageway with smooth walls. But Sanjeev Gupta, a professor of earth science at Imperial College London, said the hole was formed through “normal geological processes”.

Rare pink pigeon ‘spotted in Lancashire’

One of the rarest birds in the world may have been spotted by a mother in Lancashire, reported ITV. The “pink pigeon” which was sighted flying around a neighbourhood in Nelson could have been a Nesoenas mayeri – a bird native to Mautitius and one of only 500 left in the world. “I think everyone’s been really shocked,” said Kelly Lunney, who captured footage of the creature. “Sceptics believe the bird may have instead simply been dyed the colour pink,” said ITV.

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Parents sue son for not producing grandchild

An Indian couple has sued their son, demanding that he and his wife produce a child within a year or pay them a compensation of 50 million rupees (£529,000). DW reported that Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad filed a petition at a court in the city of Haridwar, in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The filing said that their son and his wife, who live in separate cities due to work, have been married for six years “but they are still not planning a baby”. It added that “at least if we have a grandchild to spend time with, our pain will become bearable”.