How We See The World

Government prepares for blockades as rebel protesters promise a 'new wave of militancy' over soaring fuel costs Last updated at 17:27pm on 10th December 2007 Comments Britain's roads could be be brought to a standstill as early as Wednesday by crippling fuel protests, similar to those that caused mass disruption in 2000. The demonstration against soaring fuel prices could come just weeks of secret talks between angry hauliers, farmers and disgruntled motorists. One farmer is reported to have addressed Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a recent CBI meeting and directly warned the Government to expect widespread protests. A group of rebel lorry dri…

Sat-nav blunder takes coach full of Christmas shoppers to Lille...in Belgium, instead of Lille in France Last updated at 15:34pm on 11th December 2007 Comments (1) Fifty Christmas shoppers taking a coach trip to Lille in France ended up 100 miles away in a tiny Belgian village with the same name - thanks to another sat-nav blunder. The mistake meant the furious trippers had to spend an extra four hours on their coach as the red-faced driver headed from tiny town in the middle of Belgium to the French city they had first intended. By the time the coach party from Gloucestershire arrived in France, they only had two hours to spend in the shops before they …

Bizarre rodent with ears bigger than its head is caught on camera for first time Last updated at 10:06am on 10th December 2007 Comments A bizarre-looking rodent described as "the Mickey Mouse of the desert" has been turned into an unwitting movie star to try to ensure its survival. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) today released the first known footage of the long-ear jerboa, which looks like a mouse-sized kangaroo with enormous ears. Read more... VIDEO: Watch the unusual jumping Jerboa creature here The little jumping Mongolian rodent was filmed hopping about in its natural habitat in the Gobi desert by the scientists from the ZSL's Edge…

1 in 5 of all babies in Britain are born to immigrant mothers Last updated at 15:56pm on 11th December 2007 Comments (15) More than 20 per cent of all births last year were to women from overseas an official report on the impact of migration revealed today. The study, by the Government's National Statistics body, shows that about 150,000 foreign-born women gave birth in Britain last year, or 21 per cent of all births. Other findings reveal that while fertility rates are rising, the biggest families are being born to migrant mothers. The highest birth rates are among Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi-born mothers - who accounted for five per cent of …

They called me 4x4 just because I'm a woman, says Ulrika by CLEMMIE MOODIE - More by this author » Last updated at 10:34am on 11th December 2007 Comments (9) When she announced she was expecting her fourth child by a fourth father, Ulrika Jonsson was unflatteringly labelled the '4X4'. Two months on, the TV presenter has hit back at her detractors, claiming she was picked on for being a woman. In a magazine interview, the 40-year-old former weather girl says: "There are plenty of men out there who have children, abandon them and have nothing to do with them. "I understand the criticism but I find it interesting that it is solely directed at me. "T…

Scrooge health and safety chiefs ban lollipop lady's Xmas fancy dress of 20 years Last updated at 12:05pm on 11th December 2007 Comments A lollipop lady who has worn festive fancy dress for the past 20 years was today banned from dressing up by her council bosses who fear it could be a health and safety risk. Margaret Russell has worn Christmas costumes every year while attending her crossing to raise money for the Mayor of Southampton's charity. But this year Southampton City Council has stopped the 54-year-old grandmother from wearing her costume of a Christmas bell because it prevents her from wearing reflective clothing. However, the local aut…

Teddy bear peer attacks fellow Muslims over 'victim culture' Last updated at 15:17pm on 11th December 2007 Comments Britain's only woman Muslim peer today rounded on fellow British Muslims for falling into a 'victim culture'. Baroness Warsi, who helped secure the release of teddy-bear row teacher Gillian Gibbons, said Muslims in Britain had an added responsibility to condemn outrages committed in the name of Islam. And in a blunt message to the "hardliners and hotheads" the Conservative spokeswoman on community cohesion said that religious leaders were often guilty of stirring up trouble and creating a 'seige mentality' among British Muslims. Scroll…

Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies 'bit homeless man's ear in drunken attack' Last updated at 14:09pm on 11th December 2007 Comments (23) Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies bit a homeless man's ear in a drunken attack outside a nightclub. Witnesses said the victim screamed in agony as Davies sank his teeth into him for 13 seconds before two women and a man pulled him away. Paul McElfatrick, 40, a former shop worker who is trying to get a hostel place, said the 2am attack happened after he called the actor and former stand-up comedian by the name of his TV character outside the Groucho Club in London. Scroll down for more... Drunken attack: Jonathan …

Tradition: The missing ingredient in the Christmas pud Last updated at 12:30pm on 11th December 2007 Comments (4) Coins in the Christmas pudding are heading for the history books Coins in the Christmas pudding and chestnuts roasting on an open fire are heading for the history books as Britons reinvent their Christmas celebrations. One in four of us will be sending up fireworks on Christmas Day and two thirds of adults will treat themselves to a glass of champagne at breakfast. But only three per cent will put coins in their puddings and just five per cent will be bothered to roast chestnuts. According to a survey yesterday from UKTV, sto…

Invasion of the supernits that last up to SIX years By ANGUS WATSON - More by this author » Last updated at 08:28am on 11th December 2007 Comments (9) For years, Beckie Dacosta viewed the end of the school day with a sense of trepidation. Despite regular treatment, her daughter Jessica suffered almost constantly with head lice, and was being picked on at school because of it. "She used to come home looking so sad," says Beckie. "The other children called her Nit Girl, and wouldn't play with her." "As she came through the door she would shy away from me because she didn't want me dragging a comb through her hair again - it was awful," says Beckie, a …

The rapid ascent of man: how the human races are evolving apart By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 11:24am on 11th December 2007 Comments (3) Humans are evolving at a faster rate than at any time in history, according to a study. Scientists say the speed of natural selection has accelerated so much that within a few generations we will have evolved resistance to diseases such as diabetes and malaria. Instead of people from different parts of the world becoming more alike over time, they have actually been diverging, the study suggests. Scroll down for more... Genetic change: We are adapting faster than ever Dr Henry Harp…

Only 37% of English describe themselves as 'British' as Cameron pledges to protect Union Last updated at 10:23am on 10th December 2007 Comments (22) 'Union comes first': David Cameron. Only 37 per cent of English people describe themselves as "British" when asked their nationality by a foreigner, according to an opinion poll released today. It comes as Tory leader David Cameron vowed to not allow the UK to dissolve into separate countries if he is elected Prime Minister. The ICM survey reveals growing concern over the future of the Union, with many more children regarding themselves as English rather than British compared with 20 years ago. Howev…

'Mega Minute': British shoppers make 1.09pm the most lucrative minute in online retail history Last updated at 11:39am on 11th December 2007 Comments Among the most popular items being snapped up was the Nintendo Wii computer consoles Christmas shoppers broke records yesterday as they logged on to the Internet to spend more than £750,000 in just one minute, according to an internet monitoring company. At 1.09pm, frenzied shoppers hit the cyber-stores from their offices during lunchbreak with an average of 128 people every second spending almost £100 each. The sixty second period was so lucrative that experts have even dubbed the moment "Mega Minute…

Foreign workers have taken 80 per cent of all new jobs created under Labour By STEVE DOUGHTY - More by this author » Last updated at 20:15pm on 10th December 2007 Comments Gordon Brown's 'British jobs for British workers' campaign has been criticised in the wake of new figures Immigrants have snapped up as many as four out of five of all new jobs created since Labour came to power, Whitehall analysts have said. Their verdict was a huge embarassment to Cabinet ministers who claimed that most jobs have gone to British workers, and who pretended that the number of foreign workers in the country is much lower than the real total. And it brought new crit…

Serena Williams has a tights malfunction - on a night out with her new man by DONNA McCONNELL - More by this author » Last updated at 19:11pm on 26th November 2007 Comments Tennis champ Serena Williams obviously didn't plan on being caught by the snapper's lens, or she probably wouldn't have chosen to be photographed while wearing a ropey old laddered pair of tights. Just what misfortune had befallen Serena to cause such a catastrophic effect to her leg garment was unclear. And as she hurried into her hotel, with her head down, she clearly looked embarrassed at being caught in a state of disrepair. Scroll down for more... Tights unfit: Tennis c…

What we can learn from the ladies of Cranford 23:19pm 7th December 2007 Comments Tomorrow night, for the fourth week running, several million people will settle down by their TVs to watch a Victorian rural saga in which next to nothing happens. Cranford, the BBC's adaptation of three novels by Elizabeth Gaskell, must be one of the most joyously innocent series any broadcaster has screened for a long day. Instead of foul-mouthed celebrity chefs, domestic violence and revelations of vice, we see simple people leading simple lives in a community modelled upon Knutsford in Cheshire in 1842. Scroll down for more... Close-knit: The Cranford women u…

The amazing new images of a mother whale with her new born calf By NIGEL BLUNDELL - More by this author » Last updated at 12:00pm on 10th December 2007 Comments (1) She is 40 years old, weighs 40 tons and has a heart the size of seven men. But as a mother, Mara the whale seems almost human. Tenderly, she tucks her calf under her giant fin and guides it gently forward. This 50ft humpback whale mother has had her baby inside her for a year and she will keep it by her for another year. Scroll down for more... Motherly: Mara holds her calf Kell to her chest in a tender pose that looks almost human She will lose a quarter of her body weight in …

Engaged ... for four days. Man trapped in bowling club loo survives on icy tap water Last updated at 18:11pm on 10th December 2007 Comments A retired teacher survived on tap water after getting trapped in the freezing toilet of his bowling club for four days. David Leggat was trapped in the gents with no food or contact with the outside world after the door jammed behind him. The 55-year-old, who spent 16 hours of each day in darkness, survived by sipping ice cold water from the taps and fought off the cold by dipping his feet in a basin of warm water. Scroll down for more ... Stranded: David Leggat survived his ordeal by sipping ice cold tap w…

Minister hails Lady Thatcher - and the Spice Girls - as 'good role models' for young girls Last updated at 23:28pm on 9th December 2007 Comments (8) Schools Secretary Ed Balls has hailed Margaret Thatcher and the Spice Girls as inspiring role models for young girls. And he predicted Gordon Brown would take a leaf out of their books by overcoming his troubles to stage a winning general election comeback. The unlikely endorsement of two Tory icons by the Prime Minister's key ally came as he prepared for tomorrow's launch of the Government's ten-year Children's Plan. Scroll down for more... 'Role models': Spice Girls are shining examples to young girls…

Anyone watch this show? It's completely awesome. :) Right now, all they're showing are re-runs, but the new season starts September 13, which I'm very excited about. And if there's another board on this; damn, I suck at finding boards...

Death by chocolate: More dogs at risk this Christmas, warn vets by EMILY ANDREWS - More by this author » Last updated at 23:25pm on 9th December 2007 Comments (2) A record number of dogs could be killed this year by their owners feeding them chocolate, vets warned yesterday. Many pet owners do not realise that chocolate is highly toxic to dogs. But it contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, which affects the central nervous system as well as the heart muscle. Scroll down for more... Many pet owners do not realise chocolate is highly toxic to dogs Last year vets around the country-made 790 emergency…

Tesco bans Chistmas carols because of health and safety fears Last updated at 09:30am on 10th December 2007 Comments Scrooge: Tesco stops charity Christmas carol band from playing in store because 'they cause congestion' Supermarket giant Tesco has stopped a band playing traditional festive carols in a store - because of health and safety reasons. The company has changed its policy and now shoppers have to listen to taped music instead of seeing a live rendition of the yutetide favourites. At the giant Blackpool store the Guardian Concert Band which plays for charity were suddenly halted yesterday by the management after playing four traditio…

Boxer Joe Calzaghe wins BBC Sports Personality of The Year Last updated at 08:49am on 10th December 2007 Comments Boxer Joe Calzaghe was crowned the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year 2007 last night. Motor-racing rookie Lewis Hamilton, who was the bookie's favourite and had been predicted to win the people's vote, finished in second place, while Ricky Hatton came third. Calzaghe and Hatton were both presented with their awards by Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas, where Calzaghe had watched Hatton's Saturday night defeat against Floyd Mayweather. Accepting the award, he said: "I am shocked. It's a terrific honour. I said I didn't care last year, I lied. I…

Captured on CCTV, the jaw-dropping moment a man missed being hit by a train by a fraction of a second Last updated at 21:19pm on 9th December 2007 Comments (27) This is the moment a 21-year-old man diced with death as he played on tracks as a train came hurtling towards him. Showing off in front of his friends, Andrew Ogden, from Astley Village, Chorley, struck a pose standing right in front of an oncoming train. The dangerous near-miss was captured on CCTV cameras at Rylands level crossing in Chorley on July 14. Read more... Click here to see the jaw-dropping moment a man escaped train tracks just as a train hurtled past Scroll down for …

Archbishop of York cuts up his dog collar in astonishing live TV protest at Mugabe By STEVE DOUGHTY - More by this author » Last updated at 21:05pm on 9th December 2007 Comments (23) The Archbishop of York cut up his dog collar on live television yesterday in protest over Robert Mugabe's rule of Zimbabwe. Dr John Sentamu said he would refuse to wear the Anglican symbol of office until Mugabe was no longer in power. The Ugandan-born churchman will not replace his dog collar "even for the Queen", aides said. Scroll down for more... Angry: He said he would not wear the item again until Mugabe had left power Protest: The Archbishop of Yor…