How We See The World

Diamonds, art work or an elephant for a Christmas present? Welcome to the fair for millionaires Last updated at 20:18pm on 24th November 2007 Comments Pity the busy Russian millionaire with no time to buy it all. Diamonds, helicopters, automobiles and art are all for the taking. But what about an elephant for his daughter's birthday? A service now in Moscow - home to the world's second highest concentration of millionaires after New York - is set up to cater to the whims of a growing class of people with huge wealth but little time. In its first year in Moscow the firm has taken clients past the velvet rope at exclusive night-clubs, landed hard-to-get tabl…

Gripit, gripit ......or how the tiny tree frog's sticking power inspired a new supertape By LIN JENKINS - More by this author » Last updated at 23:28pm on 24th November 2007 Comments It has long been one of nature's marvels: how tree frogs support their body weight upside-down on tiny sticky feet. But now scientists have used the design of the creatures' toe pads to create a super-sticky tape that is an incredible 30 times stronger than normal. And by copying the way the pads function, the new tape can also be peeled off cleanly and used time and time again. Scientists who have made the breakthrough believe the new kind of adhesive will have a wide ra…

Britons saved in dramatic Antarctic rescue after cruise ship hits iceberg Last updated at 12:08pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments (13) More than 150 passengers, including 23 Britons, have been saved after their cruise liner hit an iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean earlier today. The passengers and all but two of the crew were evacuated on to liferafts in sub-zero temperatures before being taken on board another cruise ship, the Endeavour. No injuries have been reported. Coastguards in Britain were today helping to coordinate a rescue operation on the sinking cruise liner. Rescue operations are being run from the US but Falmouth Coastguard in Cornwall …

Sacked England boss McClaren pockets £2.5 million payoff after Euro shambles Last updated at 11:45am on 22nd November 2007 Comments (62) Steve McClaren will receive a £2.5 million pay-off today after England failed to qualify for next year's European Championships. It is understood he was fired soon after the dismal defeat by Croatia at Wembley which left millions of fans furious and dismayed that England would miss a major tournament. At a news conference at Soho Square, the FA said they had made a unanimous decision to terminate the contract of McClaren and his assistant Terry Venables at a meeting this morning. FA chairman Geoff Thompson said the bo…

Why the iconic red phone box still rings a bell By BLAKE MORRISON - More by this author » Last updated at 00:24am on 24th November 2007 Comments (2) There are three red telephone booths outside the post office close to where I live in South London. I know that only because I checked the other day, not because I've had occasion to use them. No one else uses them, either, or so my half-hour random survey on a busy weekday morning would suggest. They're there as heritage and because British Telecom is compelled by a "universal services obligation" agreement of 1984 to ensure that everyone has access to basic telephone services. Scroll down for m…

Children as young as five to be taught alcohol dangers By BEN CLERKIN - More by this author » Last updated at 09:17am on 24th November 2007 Comments (10) Children as young as five are to get lessons on the dangers of alcohol in an attempt to tackle Britain's growing binge-drinking epidemic. From primary school onwards, youngsters nationwide will be taught about the harmful effects of alcohol, the influence of advertising and safe drinking levels. Parents are also to receive training in talking to their children about alcohol and how to set limits for them, under guidance from the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) to be published …

Becks And The City... Posh Spice lined up for a cameo turn Last updated at 14:54pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments (1) Becks appeal: Sources say Posh is being lined up to appear in Sex and the City: The Movie After her successful guest role in Ugly Betty, Victoria Beckham is being lined up to star in Sex And The City: The Movie. She's been approached by producers and was due to film her cameo before Christmas, but had to turn down the role because her Spice Girls commitments got in the way. Posh says: "I got asked to be in the Sex And The City film, which I would have loved to have done, but because I am in full-on Spice Girls rehearsal mode, un…

Fifty children wrapped up in record-breaking bubble Last updated at 22:19pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments A few seconds was all it took for this shimmering tube of soap and water to set a world record. At 11ft across and more than 5ft high before it burst, it enclosed 50 children to pop the previous record of 42 bubble-bound children set in the U.S. earlier this year. Scroll down for more... Don't move: 50 children stand still inside the bubble 'Pretty bubbles in the air': Sam Heath gazes at his huge creation It was created by "bubbleologist" Sam Heath at the Science Museum in London. The children, all of whom had to be over 5…

World's most infamous cannibal becomes a vegetarian By ALLAN HALL - More by this author » Last updated at 13:09pm on 20th November 2007 Comments Going green: Former cannibal Armin Meiwes has become a vegetarian The world's most infamous cannibal has become a vegetarian. Armin Meiwes - he killed, filleted, froze and ate a man he met over the Internet in Germany - is also the jailhouse leader of an environmental group in the prison where he is serving life for his crime. Meiwes, 45, who said in a book about himslef that human flesh tasted of pork, was voted to head up the Green Party section in the maximum security jail in Kassel where he is serv…

The door slams on good neighbours Last updated at 21:27pm on 21st November 2007 Comments (5) Good neighbours are becoming a thing of the past in modern Britain, research suggests. An average of one in five of those questioned for a survey felt they could not rely on their neighbours in an emergency. Eight in ten thought their parents' generation placed a greater emphasis on caring for the local community and 16 per cent did not know the names of those living next door. Scroll down for more... One in three feel they don't have a neighbour they can rely on (Posed by models) The investigation into neighbourly actions revealed a declining fo…

There'll be no Great Escape for you either, Gordon ... 00:20am 23rd November 2007 Comments (58) Well, what did you expect? This is what always happens when an inadequate Number Two eventually gets his hands on the top job. There's even a sociological term for it, coined by a Canadian academic as long ago as 1968. It's called The Peter Principle, which holds that everyone rises to his own level of incompetence. If you're a football fan, you might think I'm referring to Steve McClaren, architect of England's ignominious exit from the European Championships. McClaren was the hapless sidekick of the last England manager Sven Goran Eriksson, the sex…

Pupils will be tracked around school with radio chips sewn into their uniforms Last updated at 12:59pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments (1) Children are to be tracked in school via radio chips sewn into their uniforms. The manufacturer is marketing the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) surveillance system nationwide, following a trial with 19 pupils at Hungerhill School in Doncaster this year. The chip is embroidered into school uniforms using conductive 'smart threads'. A teacher can then scan these to view the pupil's identity, photo, whether they misbehaved in lessons and their school attendence record. Hungerhill headteacher Graham Wakeling s…

Supermarkets accused of exploiting customers after doubling delivery charges for Christmas Last updated at 13:35pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments Supermarkets are being accused of profiteering from the expected Christmas rush after increasing their delivery charges for online services during the festive period. Ocado - which delivers Waitrose goods – has increased its charge to £9 for December 23 deliveries, more than double its usual weekend charge of £3 or £4. Its minimum order size has rocketed from £40 to £90. Meanwhile Tesco is charging £5.99 for all deliveries during the week before Christmas - its most popular charge is usually £4.50. Scroll dow…

Cat survives behind cupboard for 44 days by licking condensation from pipes Last updated at 15:53pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments (1) A curious cat narrowly escaped death after getting trapped behind a bathroom cupboard for 44 days. Pensioner Jessie Sculpher, 79, was devastated when her new pet Tabitha went missing just three days after she took her home from the RSPCA. After searching her home and garden, Jessie resigned herself to the idea that Tabitha had run away. Scroll down for more... Miracle moggy: Tabitha was 'missing' for 44 days It was only when Jessie heard a strange sound coming from behind the vanity unit in the bathroom over a…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying mobula ray soaring high off the Mexican shore Last updated at 15:57pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments Lurking off Mexico's eastern shore in the Sea of Cortez, these flap-jack-like creatures burst out of the water with graceful precision. Soaring as high as two metres above the plankton-rich green water, mobula rays are a sight to behold. Here in the Sea of Cortez four species of mobulas (tarapacana, thurstoni, munkiana, and japanica) occupy the waters along with the giant manta ray. Scroll down for more... The mobula ray leaps out of the water Both mantas and mobulas are members of the Family Mo…

Adorable baby bats - honestly - snuggled in wool at animal shelter Last updated at 22:20pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments Wrapped up in their tiny blankets, the bundles of woe pictured below are surviving on the milk of human kindness. The orphaned baby fruit bats are being raised at a rescue centre after a plague of poisonous ticks swept through their colony. Used to snuggling up to their mothers, they need to be kept warm and are fed through teats with a sugary liquid full of nutrients. Scroll down for more... Saviour: Helen Darbelly, a helper at the rescue centre, making sure her little bundles are kept warm and fed Normally adults ca…

Privacy watchdog warns teenagers that using Facebook is jeopardising their future careers Last updated at 11:49am on 23rd November 2007 Comments Millions of young people are putting their careers at risk by using social networking websites, a report from Britain's privacy watchdog says. The study for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) showed 60 per cent of 14- to 21-year-olds did not realise their online details could be accessed years into the future. Seven in 10 questioned in the study did not like the idea of potential universities or employers seeing their current networking site content. Scroll down for more ... Not ashamed: Mor…

England flops fill their boots: Players will STILL get their six-figure bonuses despite Euro defeat Last updated at 12:19pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments England footballers are to receive massive windfalls despite failing to qualify for next summer's European Championships. In a move which will enrage fans, players can expect to receive six-figure sums despite crashing out of qualifying for the championships for the first time since 1984. Each player's share will depend on the number of appearances. Scroll down for more... Pick-me-up: the pain of defeat is etched on Steven Gerrard’s face at Wembley but the England captain and the rest of the t…

Man 'torched £350,000 home to stop his wife getting it in divorce' By CHRIS BROOKE - More by this author » Last updated at 22:25pm on 20th November 2007 Comments A furious husband burnt down his £350,000 home to stop his wife receiving it in a divorce settlement, a court heard. Gary Hooley, a builder, had previously threatened to "knock the house down brick by brick" during one of many heated rows with his wife Michelle. With the short marriage heading for divorce, he set fire to the house they shared in a callous act of retribution committed while drunk, Sheffield Crown Court was told. Scroll down for more ... Ruins: The couple's £350,000 home w…

Hold on to your brollies! Met Office forecasts disappointingly wet winter Last updated at 16:11pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments (7) Forget the winter woollies, hats and clothes. Over the next few months, a stout umbrella and sturdy raincoat are going to be much more useful. According to the latest long range weather forecast for December, January and February, the UK is heading for a disappointingly wet and mild winter. Despite the cold snap which brought a dusting of snow to much of England and Wales at the start of the week, the Met Office says a "traditional" winter is unlikely. The forecast of a mild winter will come as a blow to a generation of ch…

Brussels wants to scrap labels saying 'Made in Britain' Last updated at 09:27am on 21st November 2007 Comments (32) Ministers were last night under pressure to reject an attempt by Brussels to scrap 'Made in Britain' food labels. Proposals to switch to a Europe-wide 'Made in the EU' labelling system will be discussed by the European Commission next month. The scheme provoked outrage at Westminster, with the Tories pledging to save the traditional British labels on foods ranging from Stilton to Marmite. Scroll down for more... Quality mark: But food labels like this could be outlawed If implemented it would leave British consumers unabl…

Cocaine use among young people in Britain 'higher than in the US' Last updated at 16:18pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments (3) Cocaine use is highest in Spain and the UK with almost 6 per cent of young people having tried the drug Britons have now overtaken Americans as the biggest cocaine users in the developed world, European drug analysts said today. Nearly one in 20 took the drug last year as cocaine replaced cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamine as the most fashionable choice among the young. The boom in cocaine brought a fierce warning from the analysts that the drug may now be starting to have "a major impact on public health". The report …

'Unlikely' portrait presented to the Queen by Ugandan artist during Royal visit to Aids clinic Last updated at 14:20pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments (5) The Queen has been presented with her most unlikely portrait. Well known Ugandan artist J.O Ndalo Rambo showed off his representation of the Queen and husband Prince Philip as the Royal couple visited Aids sufferers on the outskirts of Kampala today. Scroll down for more... Unlikely portrait: The Queen and Prince Philip Artist J.O Ndalo Rambo adds the finishing touches to his painting The painting shows the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in a horseshoe-shaped surround inside a large…

British workers to be treated like illegal immigrants - to avoid discriminating against foreigners By JAMES SLACK - More by this author » Last updated at 16:33pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments (31) New system: Will make the UK less attractive to illegal immigrants (file picture) Liam Byrne: Wants 'tough new penalties' All British workers will be treated as potential illegal immigrants when they apply for a job - to avoid discriminating against foreign workers. Employers will also risk prosecution if they ask job applicants to speak fluent English, according to papers released by the Home Office tonight. The Government said businesses wou…

Dumb and dumber: Muggers pose for CCTV camera after train attack on teen Last updated at 13:13pm on 22nd November 2007 Comments Are there the most stupid muggers in Britain? Minutes after attacking a teenager on a commuter train, these young lads shamelessly posed for CCTV footage. Then, astonishingly, they tried to cover up their faces with their scarves and jumpers once they realised what they'd done. Scroll down for more... You've been framed: Two of the muggers pulls faces for the train's security camera The three youths had just mugged a 15-year-old for his mobile phone and iPod after jumping on him on the train to Guildford, Surrey. They pun…