Forget the opinion polls and betting odds, one English farmer has his own way of predicting the outcome of Britain’s looming referendum on whether to stay in the EU or leave — racing his miniature pigs.
The pigs of Pennywell Farm in Devon successfully predicted the outcome of Britain’s general election last year and are again fighting it out on the track in some political racing that rivals the “Remain” and “Leave” sides’ own campaign battles.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the “Remain” campaign and former London mayor Boris Johnson, also from the ruling Conservative Party, is urging Britons to vote “Leave” in the referendum on Thursday next week.
As the latest polls show growing momentum for the “Leave” camp, the farm in southwest England is putting four pigs to the test each afternoon on a 137m-long course, with both sides represented.
Racing for the “Remain” camp are “David Hameron” and “George Hogsborne,” a play on the name of British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
For the “Leave” camp the racers are “Boar-is Johnson” and “Iain Duncan Sniff,” a reference to leading euroskeptic and former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith.
Monday kicked off the farm’s first “referendum race,” despite dense fog hanging over the track.
“I think this is most appropriate weather for this occasion,” Pennywell Farm owner Chris Murray said. “It’s a murky question, we are all in the fog about it, and I think that these little Pennywell miniature pigs will actually find a way through this fog of confusion and indecisiveness.”
The track features jumps named “Bacon Brook” and “The Trough,” leading to the finish that consists of two Union Flag and EU-themed gates.
Once the starting gate was opened, spectators cheered as David Hameron, George Hogsborne and Iain Duncan Sniff rushed off, easily clearing the hurdles, while Boar-is Johnson trailed behind. The result in the end was decisive.
“We’ve had three votes for staying in the EU and just one for leaving,” the race compere announced.
Pennywell Farm is to conduct the races daily up until the vote.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of