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John Bercow pocketed more than £19,000 in 'severance' when he stepped down as Commons Speaker - despite setting his own departure date and announcing it seven weeks in advance.  Government accounts show Mr Bercow received the golden goodbye when he 'retired' from the £155,000-a-year job on October 31. Critics questioned why he was entitled to the 'bumper' sum, which comes on top of a million-pound pension pot that he did not have to contribute to.  The pay-off for the 57-year-old was bigger than the £18,860 handed to Theresa May, even though she was forced out of Downing Street amid a huge Tory revolt over Brexit.  The Speaker is covered by the same severance terms as ministers, who receive a quarter of their salary. The element of Mr Bercow's pay related to the role was £77,000, on top of his MP salary.  However, ministers typically lose jobs with no notice in reshuffles.  Government accounts show Mr Bercow received a £19,000 golden goodbye when he 'ret

Shoppers were left in shock after spotting a young man taking his 12-foot python 'for a walk' in a busy town centre.  The reptile owner was seen strolling with his friend and his pet snake in Brighton, East Sussex, on Tuesday afternoon.  Concerned locals contacted the police who confronted the man and persuaded him to take the python home.  The young man was spotted with his pet snake in the centre of  Brighton, East Sussex How deadly can pet pythons be? Popular snakes that have turned on their owners in killings around the world  Pythons are found in sub-Saharan African countries and in parts of Asia. They are non-venomous snakes and kill by constriction, latching on with their teeth and coiling around their prey. Burmese pythons can grow up to 23ft with other species, like the ball python growing to around 6ft. Due to their docile natures, pythons are one of the most popular snake breeds to be kept as pets. However, attacks on their handlers are not uncommon. A python had n

A man has returned a Thomas the Tank Engine book to a library almost fifty years late, with an apologetic note - and dodged a potential £8,000 fee. The missing Thomas the Tank Engine and Learning in Colour books suddenly turned up in the post at the Basingstoke Discovery Centre, Hampshire with an apologetic note.   Signed by 'Andy', it read: 'We inadvertently took these books when we moved as children from Basingstoke in 1972. Please accept my apologies for the late return of these items.' 'Andy' returned the books to Basingstoke Discovery Centre, 48 years later with a note Hampshire County Council, who run the library, said it was a 'thoughtful gesture' and would not be enforcing any late fees. And it's lucky for 'Andy' - as he could have been slapped with a charge of £8,000 using today's rates. Basingstoke Discovery Centre thanked Andy with a post on their Facebook page: 'Thank you Andy for returning our books, after 48 years ! That

A huge hidden cache of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson's production puppets, props and scripts have emerged for sale for £150,000. They had belonged to the late John Bell, a driver and handyman at Bray Studios in Berkshire where the special effects for Anderson's shows were filmed. He was given hundreds of mementos by a senior director at Anderson's production company as they had no storage facilities for them. This Captain Ochre puppet head used on screen in the classic 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons is estimated to sell for £8,000 The archive was uncovered following Mr Bell's death last year and is now going under the hammer with auctioneers Ewbank's, of Woking, Surrey. The sale is expected to generate worldwide interest as it was feared many of these treasured items had ended up in a skip. One of the marquee lots is an £8,000 Captain Ochre puppet head which was used on screen in the 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, the sequel to T

WASHINGTON - The Latest on President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump testing positive for the coronavirus (all times EDT): 8:10 a.m. Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for COVID-19 Friday morning, hours after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Spokesman Devin O´Malley says Pence "remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery." Pence is tested every day for the virus, O´Malley confirmed. ___ Vice President Mike Pence speaks at an event hosted by The Family Leader Foundation Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 5:15 a.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin is extending wishes of a speedy recovery to U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, and expressing "sincere support in this difficult moment," according to a statement released by the Kremlin on Friday. Trump announced on Twitter early Friday that he

President Donald Trump used precise language Thursday night to condemn white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and the 'Proud Boys,' two days after he gave a controversial debate night response.     'I have to say, I've said it many times, let me be clear again: I condemn the KKK, I condemn all white supremacists, I condemn the Proud Boys,' Trump said during a call-in interview on 'Hannity.' 'I don't know much about the Proud Boys,' the president added.  Trump got in hot water Tuesday night after he was asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace if he was 'willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence.'  President Donald Trump used precise language Thursday to condemn white supremacists, KKK members and the Proud Boys after he was criticized for his answer on hate groups during Tuesday night's presidential debates The president called into Sean Hannity's show

This is the shocking moment a lion attacks a zoo worker in Senegal and almost bites the man's hand off.  A guide at Park Hann, a zoo in Dakar, Senegal, stuck his hand through the bars of the lion's cage in an attempt to pet the wild animal. Terrifying footage shows the moment his arm was almost ripped from its socket as the lion traps his arm in its mouth.   In the video, the man screams as the lion locks his jaws around his hand in a menacing grip. Visitors are heard panicking in the background and some throw stones at the lion in an effort to free them man. Eventually the man hits the beast on the head with his left hand and his right hand is released from the lion's jaw.  A video of a lion attack in Park Hann, a zoo in Dakar, Senegal shows the moment a lion almost rips a man's arm from his socket after the man sticks his hand in the cage to pet it The man leans over the security barrier in relief, with his hand and arm still intact but dripping with blood.  Accordi