Surf’s up for labradors who go by the board

Two labradors have stunned their owners and holidaymakers by learning to surf. Mark Berry and his wife Gill, from Ickenham, West London, took their pets, Pickle, left, and Branston, both aged 2, to the beach in West Sussex and found that they had natural balance on a board. “They howl and bark all the way to the beach,” Mr Berry said. “They’re even starting to ride down the face of the waves.”

Return of the bittern – with help from the skies

The wet summer is being credited with a revival of one of the country’s rarest birds (Valerie Elliott writes). Ideal conditions for feeding have given the bittern, left, its best nesting season for 130 years. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Natural England counted 75 males in English reedbeds, almost double the number of last year, and for the first time they were found in Somerset.

Early humans had big taste for giant clam

A newly discovered species of giant clam has been identified as the first victim of overfishing by Man. Analysis of the fossil record of Tridacna costata, which today grows to 30cm (12in), shows that it used to be abundant in the region but suffered a sharp decline about 125,000 years ago, when human beings making their way out of Africa may have looked to it as a valuable food source. “Humans were not only using but also depleting reef resources, making T. costata the likely earliest victim of anthropogenic degradation of coral reefs,” Claudio Richter, of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, writes in the journal Current Biology.

Finding £5,000 ring ends a three-year flap

A platinum engagement ring lost by its owner three years ago has been found in an old bird’s nest.

The diamond ring vanished when Julia Boaler was taking a shower at her home in Gleadless, West Yorkshire. Ms Boaler, 36, said: “I left it on the bathroom window ledge. I thought it must have fallen in the bathroom but it was a complete mystery.” Her fiancé, Justin Laycock, found the £5,000 ring at the bottom of a magpie’s nest as he tidied their garden in anticipation of putting their house up for sale. The couple have insured the ring and are planning to tie the knot soon.

Men charged over ‘Brown death plot’

Three men questioned about an alleged plot to kill Gordon Brown have been charged with terror offences. They were arrested at Manchester airport and Accrington, Lancashire. Ishaq Kanmi, 22, and brothers Abbas Iqbal, 23, and Ilyas Iqbal, 21, all of Blackburn, will appear before Westminster magistrates today.

Police are also questioning a white Muslim convert, aged 24, held in Blackburn, and a man aged 29, thought to be Eastern European, held in Derby. Greater Manchester and Lancashire police have been granted seven more days to question them.

Donors help Labour

Three financiers gave £750,000 to Labour in the second quarter of the year, reducing its reliance on the unions. Sir Ronald Cohen, Nigel Doughty and John Aisbitt donated £250,000 each. Of the £3.8 million donated to Labour, £998,589 came from 29 people. The Conservatives received £3.2 million from 169 individuals.

Rail disruption target

Network Rail must cut disruption to passengers from engineering work by 37 per cent over five years or face regulatory action, the Office of Rail Regulation said. “For rail to make its full contribution to our economy, it is important this disruption is reduced,” Bill Emery, the ORR chief executive, said.

Military shortage

The Armed Forces are short of 5,790 personnel, with the Army 3,490 soldiers below its requirement, according to the Ministry of Defence. Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, said that the MoD had increased pay and introduced other financial incentives. There are currently 173,370 full-time trained military personnel.

Lottery numbers

Nobody won last night’s Lotto jackpot. The winning numbers were 14, 43, 08, 35, 34, 33; bonus, 12. Nobody won the £130,000 Lotto HotPicks top prize. Dream Number draw numbers were 0, 6, 2, 8, 4, 1 and 4. Nobody won the £500,000 prize. Thunderball numbers were 16, 10, 22, 31, 14, the Thunderball was 07. Nobody won the £250,000 top prize.

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