Australian council will ban cats outside unless they are on a lead

A council in Australia is poised to effectively ban cats from being outdoors unless they are on a lead. Planned reform in Freemantle, Western Australia, would see felines prohibited from all council owned areas, including roads, verges and bushlands. Councillors argue the move would protect wildlife and remove the risk of cats being hit by cars. “In the 1970s dogs would roam our streets and I expect roaming cats will also become a thing of the past,” said one.

Man attacked by otters thought he was going to die

A man attacked by a pack of otters in a Singapore park has said that he thought he was going to die. Graham George Spencer, a British citizen living in Singapore, said his early morning walk in a botanical garden was sullied when he was chased, pinned down and bitten “26 times in 10 seconds” by a family of otters. The authorities are investigating the incident.

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The year’s most mispronounced words revealed

Omicron, Tsitsipas and Dogecoin have all feature on a list of the year’s most mispronounced words. A TV subtitling company in the US polled its members to produce a rundown of the words that television presenters and newsreaders have been getting wrong. “Newscasters have struggled with 2021’s new words and names while reporting on key sporting events, viral internet trends and emerging celebrities,” said a spokesperson.