Stalin-themed kebab shop closes after one day

A Moscow kebab shop named after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin has closed the day after it opened. Stalin Doner featured a portrait of the Communist leader above the door and workers dressed in a Stalin-era security service uniform. The owner says that pressure from the authorities forced its swift closure after local residents took offence. “There were no legal reasons,” he said.

Cat ‘killed in landslide’ shows up

A cat that was thought to have been killed alongside her owner in a huge mudslide has been found after three years. The Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Santa Barbara County says the cat, named Patches, was brought in as a stray and a microchip scan revealed her identity. She went missing in January 2018, during a storm in Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles.

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Zoo says Gervais won’t be fed to lions

London Zoo has declined Ricky Gervais’ wish to be eaten by lions after he dies. The star of The Office and Extras told US television that he’d want to give something back to the natural world by being “fed to the lions at London Zoo”. However, Kathryn England, the zoo’s chief operating officer, said: “I suspect Ricky may be a bit gristly for our lions.”