Sideswipe: May 11: Down-to-Earth celebrity

Coldplay's Chris Martin tells the BBC that the coronavirus pandemic has forced him to reassess his relationship with fame. "Last year was a quite an eye opener," he told BBC Radio 2. "I was like, 'Who am I without Wembley Stadium saying 'you're awesome'?" "I'm trying in my life right now to not attach too much to being a pop star. I'm trying not to get my self worth from external validation." He was speaking as Coldplay unveiled their new single, Higher Power. They premiered the 80s-inspired pop song on board the International Space Station overnight - teaming up with French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who beamed the music back to Earth by satellite.

Pool wars

The Pool Punisher an inflatable pool tank and has a pump-style water cannon that can shoot up to 15 metres.

Did you know ...

1. In 1506, Louis II of Hungary was born prematurely and doctors kept him alive by slaying animals and wrapping him in their warm carcasses as a primitive incubator.
2. In Japan, there are public toilets where, after urinating, you can opt to view a general health assessment report.
3. PawSense is a computer program that can detect when your cat is walking on your keyboard, which then blocks typing and plays a sound to scare them away.
4. In 1958, nearly 75 per cent of Brits drank hot tea with their dinner.

How to spend Covid-relief cash

Big squid.

A coastal town in Japan has spent nearly $230,000 in federal Covid-19 relief money on a 43ft statue of a flying squid. Noto, a fishing town where the squid is a delicacy, erected the statue in March in a bid to promote tourism after the pandemic subsides. The five-and-a-half ton pink sea creature sits outside a squid-themed restaurant and tourist centre. One Twitter user asked how the world would view the installation of a giant squid "in a country where vaccines were not provided, PCR testing isn't increased and the medical system has collapsed". The $6.2 million in coronavirus relief that the town received was spent on infection control measures and to promote local businesses and employment, and still had money left over after purchasing the squid statue.

Clean joke day

Son: Dad, are we pyromaniacs?
Dad: We arson.