yesterday was a ...

Good Day for begging, as welfare authorities in Thailand expressed surprise at finding 20,000 baht (more than pounds 500) on a woman who had been detained for begging in the streets. "I was shocked when she told me that the money ... was from one day of begging," an official said.

Bad Day for pet snakes, as police in Loughborough appealed for the owner of a two-and-a-half-foot-long python to come forward. The snake had been captured after being seen in someone's back garden. It is believed to be an escaped pet.

Mournful Day for hawks, as Cairo airport had to be closed for 45 minutes after a small aircraft killed a hawk during the plane's take-off. The remainder of the flock circled over the runway, and dispersed only after the body of the dead hawk had been removed.

Easy Day for examinees at the London School of Economics, who turned over their question papers and found the answers written underneath. None of the students drew the examiners' attention to the matter, but the exam was called off after 15 minutes.