Monkeys escape with coronavirus samples

Thieving monkeys in India triggered fears of a further spread of the new coronavirus after snatching blood samples from Covid-19 tests. The monkeys grabbed the three samples from a health worker in Meerut, near Delhi, and then escaped up nearby trees. The theft sparked worries that the stealing simians could spread the pandemic in the local area, but the authorities have since confirmed that the sample boxes have been recovered undamaged.

Cobbler sells long shoes for social distancing

A cobbler in Romania is selling huge shoes to help people enforce Covid-19 social distancing rules. Grigore Lup says that if two people wear his special shoes, which come in a European size 75, they will be one-and-a-half metres apart when facing each other. “You can see it on the street, people are not respecting social distancing rules,” added Lup, who has been making leather shoes for 39 years.

Scorpion hides in bunch of bananas

A Hampshire couple were shocked to discover a scorpion native to Florida hiding in a bunch of bananas they had purchased in their local Lidl supermarket. “I realised it was a scorpion straight away and was a bit freaked out,” Matt Fry told The Sun. “I put it in a jar and made a bit of a home for it in the spare bedroom and gave it some food just in case. I even named it Simon the Scorpion.” Simon was taken in by Surrey and Hampshire Reptile Rescue.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––