Museum centrepiece missing for five years seems finally set to return
The hugely popular Indian gharial, nicknamed Apsley, has not been seen by Swindonians since the borough's art gallery and museum closed for the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
But she could well be on her way back home.
Swindon Borough Council, which opened a renewed gallery and museum without Apsley in the upper storey of its civic offices in Euclid Street last year is certainly serving up some teasers.
Historic pub set to be demolished saved by greenlight for new use
Bus gates, no parking and 20mph limit: What new Fleming Way will be like
A posting on the authority's Facebook page showed a dramatic picture of the 20-foot crocodile from its fishy prey's perspective, giving a close-up view of Apsley's rows of razor-sharp teeth under the legend 'it's been a while crocodile… Coming soon to Museum & Art Swindon.'
It has also posted a cryptic video: A (slightly shaky) camera travels from Apsley House in Old Town to the civic offices, welcomed by council leader Councillor Jim Robbins and the recent Mayor Imtiyaz Shaikh, and up to the door of the museum.
Coming Soon: Swindon's most famous resident returns to Museum & Art Swindon 🐊🏛️ pic.twitter.com/iLOHAX0Jqn
— Swindon Borough Council (@SwindonCouncil) May 21, 2025
The caption says: 'Coming soon: Swindon's most famous resident returns to Museum & Art Swindon.'
Assuming that the caption isn't suggesting Diana Dors or Billie Piper are soon to move into the civic offices, it seems likely it's another clue to the gharial's return.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Neil Young ditches Facebook over Meta's ‘unconscionable' policies for AI chatbots and children
The cursor and the damage done. Neil Young, 79, has announced that he is leaving Facebook over the platform's internal policies regarding communications between artificial intelligence chatbots and children. 6 Neil Young performs at the Grand Park in Los Angeles, California, on April 12, 2025. Getty Images Advertisement 6 Neil Young announced on Thursday that he is leaving Facebook over Meta's internal policies regarding communications between artificial intelligence chatbots and children. REUTERS 'At Neil Young's request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,' a post on Young's Facebook page, dated Thursday, Aug. 14, reads. 'Meta's use of chatbots with children is unconscionable,' it added. 'Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK.' Advertisement The 'Heart of Gold' singer's decision to leave Facebook came the same day that Reuters obtained internal documents from Facebook's parent company, Meta, regarding policies on its AI chatbots and their programmed behaviors when chatting with kids. 6 Neil Young performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, on June 28, 2025. AP According to the documents, Meta allowed its chatbots to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.' Several example prompts were also reportedly included that specified what would make certain conversations acceptable or not. Advertisement 'It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness,' one alleged prompt read, while another said, 'It is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable.' 6 Meta reportedly allowed its chatbots to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.' AFP via Getty Images A spokesperson for Meta has since insisted that 'the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies' and that they 'have been removed.' 'We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors,' the spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. Advertisement Another rep for Meta shared a similar statement with The Hollywood Reporter – although they did not mention the 'Rockin' in the Free World' musician in their response. 6 Neil Young performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on April 26, 2025. Getty Images 'We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors,' the company's rep began. 'Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios,' they added. This would not be the first time that Young has ditched a platform over ethical concerns. Back in 2022, the 'Needle and the Damage Done' rocker left Spotify after Joe Rogan pushed misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine on his popular 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. 6 Neil Young performs in concert during Farm Aid 2024 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2024. Getty Images 'I sincerely hope that other artists and record companies will move off the Spotify platform and stop supporting Spotify's deadly misinformation about COVID,' Young wrote at the time. Advertisement The 'Harvest Moon' singer ultimately returned to Spotify last year. Meanwhile, Meta's AI chatbots have also made recent headlines after it was revealed that a 76-year-old New Jersey man passed away while trying to meet one in New York City. Thongbue Wongbandue, a married father of two, fatally injured his neck and head after falling in a New Brunswick parking lot while rushing to catch a train to meet 'Big sis Billie,' a generative Meta AI chatbot that convinced him she was real.
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Weapons' maintained top spot during second weekend, scaring off newcomer ‘Nobody 2'
LOS ANGELES — 'Weapons' scared its way to the top of the box office in its debut and managed to stay there during its second box office weekend, beating out 'Freakier Friday' and newcomer 'Nobody 2.' Zach Cregger's horror earned $25 million in 3,450 North American theaters, a 43% drop from its first weekend. The highly anticipated film benefitted from strong audience reviews and social media trends to attract large crowds. 'Freakier Friday,' which lost the battle for first place to 'Weapons' during its double premiere, also maintained its second spot, bringing in $14.5 million domestically. The films' staying power comes during a slower box office weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Both films also prevailed against 'Nobody 2,' the R-rated action sequel. The Bob Odenkirk-led film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend. 'August came on strong last year, so it makes comparisons tough,' Dergarabedian said, noting the box office success of movies like 'Deadpool and Wolverine' and the horror sci-fi 'Alien: Romulus' that premiered this time last year. This summer is unlikely to hit the $4 billion benchmark, but succeeded in provided movie goers a dynamic and diverse slate of movies, he said. 'I can't find a genre that's not represented or a demographic that wouldn't be attracted to one of these films out there,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic.' 'Nobody 2' follows the pandemic success of the first in the series, 'Nobody,' which released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin-turned-nice-guy, played by Odenkirk, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. The calm weekend turns anything but as Mansell uncovers a corrupt town. Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, said he hopes the movie's reaction scores — a 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — point 'to a long and successful run at the domestic box office.' 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' took the fourth spot during its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $8.8 million domestically. The film stumbled at the box office after its initially strong $118 million debut. Another sequel, 'The Bad Guys 2,' took fifth place with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters. Notably, Dergarabedian said, international movies made a splash in the top 15 this weekend. 'Coolie,' an Indian action thriller, debuted domestically and snatched the tenth spot, followed by 'War 2,' another Indian action movie, at number 11. The domestic re-release of 'Shin Godzilla,' a Japanese film that initially premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot. With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'Weapons,' $25 million. 2. 'Freakier Friday,' $14.5 million. 3. 'Nobody 2,' $9.25 million. 4. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' $8.8 million. 5. 'The Bad Guys 2,' $7.5 million. 6. 'Superman,' $5.3 million. 7. 'The Naked Gun,' $4.8 million. 8. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $2.9 million. 9. 'F1: The Movie,' $2.6 million. 10. 'Coolie,' $2.4 million.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
"Weapons" maintained top spot during second weekend, scaring off newcomer "Nobody 2"
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 'Weapons' scared its way to the top of the box office in its debut and managed to stay there during its second box office weekend, beating out 'Freakier Friday' and newcomer 'Nobody 2.' Zach Cregger's horror earned $25 million in 3,450 North American theaters, a 43% drop from its first weekend. The highly anticipated film benefitted from strong audience reviews and social media trends to attract large crowds. 'Freakier Friday,' which lost the battle for first place to 'Weapons' during its double premiere, also maintained its second spot, bringing in $14.5 million domestically. The films' staying power comes during a slower box office weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Both films also prevailed against 'Nobody 2,' the R-rated action sequel. The Bob Odenkirk-led film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend. 'August came on strong last year, so it makes comparisons tough,' Dergarabedian said, noting the box office success of movies like 'Deadpool and Wolverine' and the horror sci-fi 'Alien: Romulus' that premiered this time last year. This summer is unlikely to hit the $4 billion benchmark, but succeeded in provided movie goers a dynamic and diverse slate of movies, he said. "I can't find a genre that's not represented or a demographic that wouldn't be attracted to one of these films out there," Dergarabedian said. 'It's just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic.' 'Nobody 2' follows the pandemic success of the first in the series, 'Nobody," which released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin-turned-nice-guy, played by Odenkirk, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. The calm weekend turns anything but as Mansell uncovers a corrupt town. Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, said he hopes the movie's reaction scores — a 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — point 'to a long and successful run at the domestic box office.' 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps" took the fourth spot during its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $8.8 million domestically. The film stumbled at the box office after its initially strong $118 million debut. Another sequel, 'The Bad Guys 2,' took fifth place with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters. Notably, Dergarabedian said, international movies made a splash in the top 15 this weekend. 'Coolie,' an Indian action thriller, debuted domestically and snatched the tenth spot, followed by 'War 2,' another Indian action movie, at number 11. The domestic re-release of 'Shin Godzilla," a Japanese film that initially premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'Weapons,' $25 million. 2. 'Freakier Friday,' $14.5 million. 3. 'Nobody 2,' $9.25 million. 4. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' $8.8 million. 5. 'The Bad Guys 2,' $7.5 million. 6. 'Superman,' $5.3 million. 7. 'The Naked Gun,' $4.8 million. 8. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $2.9 million. 9. 'F1: The Movie,' $2.6 million. 10. 'Coolie," $2.4 million.
