Villains
Crocodiles, which are so attuned to potential prey that they can recognise the cries of baby humans, says New Scientist. New research has found that the ravenous reptiles are able to detect sounds of distress from human, chimpanzee and bonobo infants, and then suddenly spring into action to “gobble up the source of the crying”. They may even be better at interpreting the wails than people are.
Hero
Peggy Jones, a Texan who fought off a snake and a hawk at the same time. The 64-year-old was mowing her lawn when the serpent fell on to her arm. She wasn’t near any trees, so assumed it had been dropped by a bird – and sure enough, one immediately descended and began clawing at her. She managed to escape with only minor bruising and a few puncture wounds.
Villain
A Lake Como café that charged a customer €2 to slice his toastie in two so that he could share it with his girlfriend. Cristina Biacchi, the owner of Bar Pace, didn’t back down, saying the cutting “took time and work must be paid for”.
Hero
Prince William, according to Americans, who rate him above Volodymyr Zelensky as their favourite public figure. A recent Gallup poll put the royal heir’s net favourability rating at 37%, easily trumping the likes of Zelensky (28%), King Charles (9%) and, rather less surprisingly, Vladimir Putin (-85%).