Britain's first case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu
Swans are pictured at Richmond Park, in Glasgow in Scotland. 6th April 2006 Britons were urged to stay calm a day after the country announced its first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 in a swan found dead in a Scottish seaside village. Surveillance zones were enforced around Cellardyke, Fife, where the dead swan was found eight days previously.

Numbersixvalverde wins Grand National at Aintree
Eleven-to-one shot Numbersixvalverde won the Grand National from last year's winner and joint favourite Hedgehunter. Coming to the last, Hedgehunter looked set to become the first back-to-back winner since Red Rum. But Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall 'Slippers' Madden and trained by Martin Brassil in County Kildare, pulled away to win by six lengths. The other joint favourite at 5-1 Clan Royal was given third in a photo-finish ahead of Nil Desperandum at 33-1.Only nine horses of the 40 starters finished the event.

Varig Airliner goes begging
A Varig airlines cargo plane from Brazil sits parked at the Mexico City airport with its nose up in the air after the cargo was unevenly distributed on Wednesday April 12, 2006. Brazil's troubled flagship airline Varig, is reeling under an estimated US$3.3 billion (euro2.7 billion) in debt and is currently in the restructuring phase of bankruptcy proceedings and last April 12, some 300 Varig employees boarded a chartered jet to Brasilia, the nation's capital, to call on the federal government to bail out the company, which employs 11,000 people.

Kylie on the way back
Some stunning pictures were released showing Kylie Minogue has recovered from her cancer fight. The images were posted on the singer's website entitled New Beginnings. The star, who has been battling breast cancer, signaled her comeback with an elegant cropped hairstyle. She looked healthy and happy as she posed for her boyfriend, French actor Olivier Martinez.

Too Cold to Roost
All this recent cold weather has caused concern for our featured friends. Trees and flowers are way behind their seasonal bloom and no hiding place for the birds. A mistle thrush nests in a traffic light, yards away from the M8 in Glasgow. The traditional nest site for the birds is in the fork of a branch and the lights are just a few metres away from dozens of trees. Maybe the tweeter is enjoying the radiance and central heating.

HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 80th Birthday
The Queen met thousands of well wishers at an informal walkabout in Windsor, on her 80th birthday,21st April 2006. The band of the Irish Guards played Happy Birthday and the crowd cheered as she emerged from Windsor Castle. The Queen - dressed in a vibrant pink coat and hat - accepted gifts, cards and flowers as she and Prince Philip walked around the town for 45 minutes.

Well-wishers descended on Windsor in the early hours to greet the royal couple, some prepared for a long day with foldaway chairs and food provisions. Union Jacks and birthday banners were unfurled over police security barriers. "She keeps the country together. You need somebody to represent your country, politicians can't do it."

The celebrations for the monarch, who is the longest-serving in Europe, were captured by television crews from around the world, and the majority of the local and national newspapers and had fitting tributes and souvenir supplements to the Queens special day.