And on that lighter note, that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
Thank you for following Europe Live!
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Best April Fools' Day stories from around Europe
Thanks for all your submissions on the best April Fools’ Day stories from around Europe – really enjoyed them all!
Here is a selection of my favourites:
LOOK GOVERNMENT, NO HANDS: All immigrants to the Netherlands will be asked to pass a cycling exam from 2026 after they caused frustration among locals by stopping on red lights and sticking out a hand to signal. To pass the course, they will have to demonstrate they can “transport two children, a week’s supply of groceries and a cello, while steering a bicycle with one hand,” with bonus points for doing this at night.
(Dutch News, from Keith)
ELK ARMY: Swedish armed forces plan to form a first cavalry unit with armored elk to be deployed to take part in “assymetric warfare,” but experts worry they eat a lot and get easily scared (pictures!).
(Folkbladet, from L and Bjorn)
NOBODY EXPECTS THE GERMAN CHICKEN: German police in the Free State of Thuringia have acquired a chicken named Henrietta to lead its cocaine detection efforts, after concluding it would be “more efficient than a dog” because it lays eggs and could operate undetected as “who would think of suspecting” a chicken (pictures!).
(Polizei Thüringen, MDR, from Karl-Heinz)
TREMENDOUS STREETS: US president Donald Trump has ordered all streets named after John F Kennedy to be renamed after him, with new satellite to be sent into space by Elon Musk to monitor compliance, Luxembourgish media report.
(RTL, from Adrian and Olaf)
(Althought I note some genuine concerns in comments asking the RTL’s team to delete this story before Trump decides to buy Luxembourg and turn it into a golf course in retaliation for the joke.)
AIRPORT FAST TRACK: US president Donald Trump plans to buy Shannon Airport for faster access to his Doonbeg golf course.
(heard on Irish radio, from Paul)
MIND THE GAPS: Scottish road network has been given preservation status in recognition of their “distinctive patchwork appearance.”
(Midlothian View, from Maire)
I SAID MAYBE: Birds in the Chorlton Ees Nature Reserve in northern England have learned to sing “Wonderwall” by Oasis after spending too much time in the Manchester city centre.
(BBC Countryfile, from Alison)
POWER OF PASTA: Italian wind energy company built a prototype hybrid turbine tower using slightly curved rigatoni pasta and concrete.
(Windpower, from Ian; presumably a nod to this BBC classic)
THINGS ARE HEATING UP: The Royal Baths, or Łazienki, park in Warsaw announced plans to open a geothermally heated lake open to bathing all year round, “just as King Stanisław August dreamed of.”
Hinting it might not exactly be a serious idea, it added that visitors should refrain from feeding dolphins when swimming (a reference to their last year’s joke).
(Go to Warsaw, from Konrad)
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