World Briefs
Historic Churchill portrait
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A portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, which he said revealed his soul during one of his darkest hours, is going on public display after years hanging on the wall of the home of his late grandson.
The 1916 portrait was painted before Churchill became prime minister, but after he resigned from his post as First Lord of the Admiralty over the failure of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. It is the work of Sir William Orpen, one of Britain’s best-known portrait painters and war artists.
On seeing the painting, Churchill is said to have told the artist: “It is not the picture of a man. It is the picture of a man’s soul.” The artist himself spoke of the misery expressed in Churchill’s face. (AP)
‘Halloween’ coffin dodgers
Border Force officers got a Halloween surprise when they discovered three would-be illegal immigrants trying to enter Britain in a lorry full of coffins.
The trio had hidden themselves among the dozens of boxed coffins which were loaded into the van from Bulgaria – across the border from Dracula’s Transylvania home.
Search officers sometimes use heartbeat detectors to investigate suspicious vehicles but it was a sniffer dog, Mitzy, that located the three, who were Eritrean nationals. (PA)
‘Mauled to death by dogs’
A 71-year-old woman has died after she is believed to have been mauled by dogs that she had gone to feed, apparently owned by her daughter.
Police were called to a house in Morden, south London, at around 6.25pm on Tuesday where she was found dead with multiple injuries. They have seized five dogs including two Bordeaux bulldogs, two American bulldogs and a mongrel from the property.
A spokeswoman said: “She had sustained a number of injuries. An investigation is under way to establish a cause of death.” (AP)