Hailstorm: In countries that receive a lot of snow, communities are prepared for the weather and an army of plows are usually on hand to clear the streets. The situation was quite different during the aftermath of a March hailstorm in the country of Eritrea in East Africa, where local folks had the shock of their lives. The storm, which dropped one metre (three feet) of ice onto the ground in a 90-minute period, shut down the capital city of Asmara. This area of Africa usually only gets a little bit of rain in March, and hailstorms are even more rare.

Swan sanctuary: If you want to see a lot of swans in one place, go to the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, England. It is a managed wildlife habitat for the nesting of mute swans that was established by monks centuries ago. More than 600 swans come every year to breed and raise their young ones. The public is welcome to visit and people can walk right into the midst of the swans. Lots of family-friendly events are held throughout the year, including concerts, an Easter egg hunt and other children’s activities. The swans are able to come and go as they please, as it is not a zoo, but a sanctuary.

Two times: Some people never learn! At least that seems to be the case with a man from New York (US) after he got caught driving while under the influence of alcohol not once, but twice in one night. Not only that, but he was caught in the parking lot of the same fast-food restaurant both times. The first time, he hit the car ahead of him in the drive-through lane. Police were called, he was charged, and a friend came to take him home. Then, four hours later, he drove back to the same restaurant, still impaired, and hit the building. Once again, the man was charged. Perhaps it’s time he gave up those car keys!

Fire problem: Mount Albert, a small town of about 2,700 people and located north of the city of Toronto, Ontario (CAN) has a volunteer fire department that usually does quite a good job. However, there was not much the firefighters could do when their own fire station happened to be the building that went up in flames. The fire started at about 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning and by the time the firefighters got to the scene, it was impossible to access the pumper truck inside and fire trucks had to be called from nearby communities. Luckily, no one was hurt.