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The Swedish army has re-raised a regiment on the island of Gotland to counter any Russia threat from across the Baltic Sea, but during the official ceremony, its new sheep mascot stole the show by interrupting King Carl XVI Gustaf as he addressed the troops.

The P18 Gotland Regiment was disbanded in 2005, but the government decided to re-establish it in 2015. One task was to recruit a local sheep to follow in the hoof-prints of the four previous mascots, all called Harald, Swedish public radio reports.

Harald I served from 1979 to 1988, rising to the rank of honorary corporal before retiring, according to the local Helagotland news site. And the latest Harald was chosen from a highly competitive field, as the regiment’s commander Mattias Ardin reported on Twitter.

All the Haralds have been Gotland sheep, a breed descended from the vädur – a “symbol for both Gotland and the regiment”, regimental chief of staff Hans Håkansson told Swedish radio.

The ancient breed is famous for both males and females with dramatic curled horns. They have featured on regimental standards since 1811, and still appear on the sleeve insignia to this today,

Harald V and Carl XVI Gustaf

But the latest incarnation broke with protocol when he interrupted the King at the re-dedication ceremony on Gotland this week.

Carl XVI Gustaf had called on the soldiers and their co-workers “to always to do your best to protect the core values upon which the Swedish nation and its armed forces rest”, prompting an emphatic bleat, perhaps of approval, from the new mascot at the word “co-workers”, Swedish radio reports.

The news prompted fond memories of previous mascots, and confidence in the martial prowess of the latest.

“Wasn’t it Harald II who gouged out the side door of a van during the guards ceremony at Stockholm Castle in order to take a look around?” wondered Twitter user Bosse Bil.

While Lennart Andersson took one look at Harald’s horns, and decided “That’s the real deal. If the Russians get that in the chops, it’s good night.”

Reporting by Matilda Welin

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No fewer than 1,292 Nigerians have been killed in road accidents in the last three months across the nation, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has revealed.

According to the NBS, 1,292 Nigerians got killed in the road traffic crashes recorded in the first quarter of 2018, saying that 1,186 of the 1,292 Nigerians who got killed, representing 92% of the figure, were adults while the remaining 106 Nigerians, representing 8% of the figure, were children.

The report added that 1,008 male Nigerians, representing 78%, got killed in road crashes in the first quarter while 284 female Nigerians, representing 22% got killed.

“The first quarter of 2018 road transport data reflected that 2,482 road crashes occurred. Speed violation is reported as the major cause of road crashes in the first quarter and it accounted for 50.81% of the total road crashes reported. Tyre burst and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 8.26% and 8.42% of the total road crashes recorded,” it said.

According to the data, a total of 8,466 Nigerians got injured in the road traffic crashes recorded, while 7,773 of the 8,466 Nigerians who got injured, representing 92% of the figure, were adults and the remaining 693 Nigerians, representing 8% of the figure were children.

It said 6,394 male Nigerians, representing 76%, got injured in road crashes in the first quarters while 2,072 female Nigerians, representing 24% got injured.

Source: PM News