How We See The World

Six people were injured when a police van crashed through their front garden into them in Greater Manchester. The six were standing in the garden of the house on Ashby Close in Farnworth when the crash happened on Friday. A 21-year-old man was taken to hospital suffering bruising and chest pains and the others suffered minor injuries. The police officer, who was responding to a 999 call, has been suspended from driving police vehicles while Greater Manchester Police investigate. The officer had been responding to reports of a domestic incident in Brentwood Drive, Farnworth, just after 2000 GMT when the van collided with a Citroen ZX, being driven by a 30-yea…

Britons believe too many people, especially immigrants and asylum seekers, take advantage of the Human Rights Act (HRA), a poll has suggested. The survey for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which dates from 2004 but has only just been published, says 57% believe the law is being exploited. The poll of 2,000 people featured in a report which found there was widespread support for a law on human rights. The MoJ said ministers had been working to improve understanding of the Act. A spokesman said: "The overwhelming conclusion shows 84% of the general public agree it is important to have a law which deals with human rights in Britain. "Since this research was…

An actor from The Bill reportedly tried to commit suicide after being sacked from the show. Jeff Stewart - the longest-standing cast member of the ITV drama - slashed his wrists in his dressing room yesterday evening after being told his contract would not be renewed. The 52-year-old actor, who has been playing Pc Reg Hollis since 1984, had been suspended following an outburst at the show's directors. Stewart was taken from Talkback Thames studio in Merton to St George's Hospital in Tooting and was released today. http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=82968&in_page_id=7

I just noticed Itunes did this, so if I import my mp3's into itunes (using this setting) then my mp3s in Itunes will be in Apple Lossless, how does quality simply improve? Im confused...

'Dumbest criminal' caught in SA Police in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, claim to have to caught the "dumbest criminal" this year. The man walked into a station to report that he had been held up at gunpoint by a gang who had stolen his mobile phone. But when the detective phoned the number of the phone reportedly stolen, it rang in the complainant's pocket. "The shock left him speechless for a few minutes," said police spokesman Eugene Opperman, adding that the man, 25, was then arrested for perjury. The police issued a statement entitled "Dumbest criminal?" with details of the weekend incident, South Africa's Star newspaper reports. "At the end of t…

Er, I think I've made an error: A satnav leads a driver astray A hapless driver fell foul of modern technology when his satnav system sent his car into a flooded tunnel. The steelworker – who was lucky enough to escape identification – was 400m (a quarter of a mile) from his destination when the satnav blunder caused his £10,000 Audi to splash into 1.2m (4ft) of water. After swimming to safety, the 40-year-old driver sat at the edge of the tunnel cursing the electronic system which misdirected him as he neared steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales. His car later had to be winched out by a local garage. Onlooker Grahame Evans, 53, pointed out: 'If he ha…

Apple to cut UK download prices Apple has announced that it will cut the price it charges for music downloads in the UK from its iTunes music store within the next six months. The cut will bring the UK into line with the charges in the rest of Europe. Apple currently charges 79 pence per download in the UK, compared with 99 euro cents (74p) in the rest of Europe. European Union regulators began investigating iTunes last year after the consumer group Which? complained about its pricing policies. Which? originally lodged its complaint with the EU in 2004. Apple is now taking action against record labels that charge more to distribute music in the UK than i…

China Central Television's high-profile launch of it's Olympic coverage ended in farce when Hu Ziwei, wife of the country's most popular sports presenter Zhang Bin, hijacked the press conference to expose her husband's infidelity. Ms. Hu, who is also a popular television host, interrupted her husband on stage and told the stunned onlookers: 'I am here on the stage not as an anchor, but as the wife of the person beside me, Mr. Zhang Bin. 'Would you please spare one minute and listen to me? 'It is a special date for the Olympics Channel and for Mr. Zhang Bin. But for me, it also a special day. 'Just two hours ago, I found out that Mr. Zhang Bin is having an …

New Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko Do you expect me to talk? No, Mr Bond, I expect you to have fun with the world's most beautiful women. It's tough being James Bond. There are all those gadgets to firgure out, a mountain of vodka martinis to down and, of course, women to satisfy. For the latest 007 instalment, the producers announced yesterday that the chief Bond girl will be played by former model Olga Kurylenko. The 28-year-old Ukrainian, who was spotted as a model on the Moscow underground, plays Camille – a character described as 'dangerously alluring' by the _ lm's makers. When we last saw 007 (Daniel Craig) he had been double-crossed by lover Vesper Lynd …

Wtf. Not exactly a good example for kids who like to watch her show Zoey 101 ...

I did search but couldn't find any thread about the dvd war which is hotting up. We all know the main battle of blu-ray vs. HD-DVD with a few other (mainly Enhanced Versatile Disc and portable read-only hard-drives), but the question is which do you think will be the winner in the war? Apart from the shareholders who will love the extra income from high def dvds sales. I think a nifty poll is in order

The UK's oldest emigrant has set sail for his new life in New Zealand - at the age of 102. Eric King-Turner has left Hampshire to emigrate to the country with his wife of 12 years, Doris. The couple waved goodbye to the UK as they embarked on a sea journey from Southampton to their new home. Mr King-Turner said he felt it might be "rather fun to move to New Zealand", adding that his wife, who is from the country, was getting homesick. The couple, who shared the same surname prior to their marriage, met when the New Zealand King-Turner family visited the UK to research their origins. Mr King-Turner, who served on HMS Invincible during World War II, ad…

It is not just the average net user who is a fan of social network sites, so are hi-tech criminals. So say security professionals predicting what net criminals will turn to in 2008 to catch people out. The quasi-intimate nature of the sites makes people share information readily leaving them open to all kinds of other attacks, warn security firms. Detailed information gathered via the sites will also help tune spam runs or make phishing e-mail more convincing. Friendly faces There was no doubt that 2007 was the year that sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Orkut rose to prominence as millions of people signed up to use them and started posting informa…

A Dutch judge has ordered a leading Amsterdam brothel to close, as part of a campaign to cut links between the sex trade and organised crime. The judge upheld the city's complaint that the Yab Yum Club had been taken over by the Hells Angels biker gang. The brothel, which describes itself as up-market and exclusive, denies this. In September the city announced plans to buy about 50 shop fronts where prostitutes display themselves, and turn them into businesses or homes. In December the municipality decided to withdraw the Yab Yum Club's licence. The club - which operates from a 17th-Century canal house in Old Amsterdam and charges clients about $500 (£25…

Clegg to 'break two-party system' Nick Clegg, the new Liberal Democrat leader, has vowed to "break the two-party system" in UK politics. Speaking on Sky News' Sunday Live show, he admitted it would be "no small task" to reverse poll ratings which have Lib Dems on around 15%. Mr Clegg also said he believed 2008 would be the "crucial year" to restore his party's fortunes. His comments came as he finalised his frontbench team by announcing his full list of junior spokesmen and women. The Lib Dem leader said the list of 22 frontbenchers formed a "strong team". Mr Clegg was named party leader in December after beating Chris Huhne by just 511 members' vote…

hey everyone, do you know any good program to convert my videos in avi, wmv, mpg to mp4 for my walkman video??? I've tried some but I've not found any good one.

QE2 departs on final world trip The QE2 has crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times 'Our special moments on QE2' The world-famous QE2 passenger liner has departed on her final world trip before being decommissioned and turned into a floating hotel in Dubai. A firework display marked the departure of the Cunard vessel from her home port of Southampton. The 40-year-old liner left in tandem with the firm's latest addition, Queen Victoria, which was departing on her maiden world cruise. The ships will travel together across the Atlantic to New York. It will be QE2's 802nd transatlantic trip, before she travels on to South America, the Pacific region and …

Skiers and snowboarders who love the unrestricted thrill of hurtling down alpine pistes on a sunny winter’s day are about to be stopped in their tracks. Switzerland is introducing speed cameras on the slopes to try to reduce the increasing number of accidents. The first such nationwide controls will treat skiers like cars on the motorway. Speeders will be caught with hand-held radar devices carried by hidden personnel. Persistent offenders could be fined or have ski passes confiscated. The scheme is being introduced after figures revealed a drastic increase in serious ski-related accidents in Switzerland. The booming winter tourism trade has led to overcrowdin…

It is a conflict that is fading from living memory, but a “blog” from the trenches of the First World War has become a surprise hit on the internet. In the past year, the writings of Private Harry Lamin from the Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment have come to compete with the diaries of call girls, policemen and politicos. The travails of this soldier, set down on the front line in France and Italy in letters to his family, are being posted online 90 years to the day after they were written. Like the family who anxiously awaited his letters in 1918, thousands of readers keenly await his next post. In the comments section, readers worry over whether he will make it …

A disabled motorist who caused traffic chaos when she drove along a motorway at 10mph has been ordered to retake her test before she drives again. Stephanie Cole, 57, who was being treated for a phobia of motorways, had strayed on to the M32 near Bristol. Other drivers were forced to swerve to avoid running into the back of her Perodua Kenari MPV as it straddled the hard shoulder and inside lane. A sign in the back window said: “I do not drive fast, please overtake.” The police officer who pulled Mrs Cole over said that not only was she driving so slowly as to create a hazard to other motorists, she kept braking unexpectedly and slowing to walking pace. Mrs Cole,…

A winter storm is sweeping California, battering the south with heavy rain and high winds, and dumping snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains. At least 440,000 people were left without power from central Oregon to Washington State, roads were closed and flights cancelled at some airports. Areas denuded by October's forest fires are braced for flooding and mudslides. Emergency services have asked at least 3,000 people living in Orange County canyons to leave home as a precaution. Flash flood warnings were issued for most of Los Angeles County and home-owners have been protecting their property with sandbags and hay bales, the Associated Press reports. "T…

An avalanche warning has been issued for Helvellyn, England's third highest mountain, with climbers urged to stay away from the Cumbrian peak. The Lake District National Park Authority said unstable snow and ice at all levels of the mountain, plus gales, had made any ascent dangerous. "There is a high avalanche risk until the snow pack has time to consolidate," it warned. On Friday there was a wind chill of -15.9C on the 3,117ft (950m) peak. Fell top assessor Craig Palmer said: "High winds are moving the snow around and it's not bonding. "It's lethal underfoot as edges are literally breaking away. An added danger comes from a cornice of snow, which could…

if i am travelling around with my laptop and i want to access the internet, isn't there a way i can pay a service provider a fixed amount and i can access the internet wherever i am and whenever i want - don't virgin do this kind of thing?

does anyone here have a particular preference? i'm in the market for a new laptop, and seeing as macs can now run windows xp, http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/publicbeta.html, i might get a mac. i have used a mac only a few times though, and i'll have to try one out before making my choice. has anyone tried the bootcamp thing? if so, does it work well?

Pub chain limits parents' drinks Adults with children are only allowed two alcoholic drinks at JD Wetherspoon pubs in order to limit their stay, the chain has confirmed to the BBC. A spokesman for the company said it was "uncomfortable" with children being on the premises for long periods because of a lack of play facilities. And he said parents visiting its pubs could even be refused soft drinks or coffee to curtail their stay. There are 683 Wetherspoon pubs throughout the UK. Segregated areas The drinks policy came to light when Stephen Gandy contacted the BBC after visiting a Wetherspoon pub in Wallasey on Merseyside for a meal with family and friends. …