DINNER PARTY INTEL: New York finally enters the 20th century

1. Not so pretty Polly

Cape Town MP Fadiel Adams is locked in a dispute with the local SPCA over a one-legged parrot. Animal welfare officers say Adams has neglected his African grey and allowed it to live in unsanitary conditions. Adams, the founder of the National Coloured Congress and one of the party’s two MPs, denies this, implying that the parrot is merely pining.

2. Bin there, done that

New York mayor Eric Adams was so pleased with a solution to the city’s black-bag garbage problem that he called a press conference last week to share the news. To blasted music and rolling TV cameras, he unveiled a wheelie bin. Adams rolled it down the driveway of the official mayoral residence and revealed how the technology works: you open the lid and put the trash inside. He called it “revolutionary”.

3. Unlocked and loaded

Some supermarkets in the US have installed vending machines to dispense bullets. American Rounds has six AI-powered ammunition-dispensing kiosks. CEO Grant Magers says more than 200 stores have applied for the machines to be installed. He says it will be safer selling rifle, shotgun and handgun rounds than in physical stores or online.