yesterday was a . . .

Good Day for Racing pigeons, as a bird last seen in Littlehampton, Sussex, in 1992 turned up 6,000 miles away in China. The pigeon, on its maiden flight, had been listed as missing after failing to make the 82-mile journey home to Dorchester. It was identified by its leg ring.

Bad Day for adulterers, as Swedish teletext inaugurated a service on which cuckolded viewers could type the names and misdeeds of their unfaithful partners. The service, entitled "Thistle or Rose", allows messages to be typed in from touch- tone phones for about 50p a minute.