ROB CAMERON

Police in Slovakia have fined a car owner whose dog was caught on a speed camera sitting behind the wheel. The owner of the Skoda car insisted that his pet – a brown hunting dog – had suddenly leapt into his lap. It’s not clear if the fine – issued to the owner, rather than the dog – was for speeding, or for failing to secure the pet in a moving vehicle.

A brown bear that injured five people during a rampage in a Slovak town has been shot dead, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba says. However, opposition politicians believe hunters may have shot a different bear, and are calling for answers. Controlling Slovakia’s bear population has become a highly politicised issue under the new populist-nationalist government.

Police in the Czech Republic are seeking information on a stolen racehorse allegedly belonging to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. Zazou, a thoroughbred worth some £17,000, disappeared between Friday evening and Saturday morning. The 16-year-old bay was reportedly one of two of Mr Kadyrov’s horses still stabled in the Czech Republic.