How We See The World

University lecturers 'using Facebook to spy on students' Last updated at 11:56am on 17th July 2007 Comments (5) Staff at Oxford University are using the online networking site Facebook to search for photographic evidence of students breaking university rules. They say images posted on student profiles show a number have broken rules on post-examination celebrations. Students who are deemed to have flouted the regulations are then given fines. But the students' union says the online searches are a "disgraceful" intrusion of privacy and has emailed every common room to advise students on how to prevent dons viewing their photographs. Scroll down for…

Carp heavier than John Prescott smashes world record Last updated at 17:34pm on 17th July 2007 Comments (3) The world record for the biggest carp ever caught has been smashed after a fish was landed weighing almost 20 stone - heavier than John Prescott. The monster was caught on a homemade rod but was too heavy for the angler's scales. They only went up to 100kg - vastly inadequate for the job. The giant fish's 20 stone weight is a conservative estimate. It took two men to lift the beast above the water for a photograph, whereupon it slapped one of the men with its tail. It was caught in Thailand by a local fisherman known only as Kik who works as a g…

Warnings of 'internet overload' By Spencer Kelly (did you know he used to be a DJ on the local radio station) Click presenter As the flood of data across the internet continues to increase, there are those that say sometime soon it is going to collapse under its own weight. But that is what they said last year. Back in the early 90s, those of us that were online were just sending text e-mails of a few bytes each, traffic across the main US data lines was estimated at a few terabytes a month, steadily doubling every year. But the mid 90s saw the arrival of picture-rich websites, and the invention of the MP3. Suddenly each net user wanted megabytes of pictures …

Talking over a problem 'makes teenage girls more unhappy' by FIONA MACRAE - More by this author » Last updated at 21:11pm on 16th July 2007 Comments irls who spend a lot of time discussing their adolescent woes with their friends are more prone to depression than boys Talking about your troubles is often said to be the first step toward dealing with them. But that advice does not hold good for teenage girls - or so researchers think. They found that girls who spend a lot of their time discussing their adolescent woes with friends are more prone to depression than boys. It is thought they tend to dwell on problems more and are likelier to blam…

From myth to reality - meet the chimps who eat lions Last updated at 22:16pm on 15th July 2007 Comments (2) Some locals say they are eight feet tall and weigh 20 stone. Others claim they are even bigger, equipped with huge flesh-ripping teeth and muscles capable of dismembering a man. Forest dwellers have told visiting explorers and scientists of a ferocious grey ape, with the cunning of a chimpanzee and the power and size of a gorilla - and a taste for meat rather than the shrubbery loved by most apes. For, unlike most apes, these are predators - capable of hunting not only forest antelope but, incredibly, lion and leopard too. And to cap it all, like wol…

Brat Nav... the GPS that can tag your teenager (or errant husband) absolutely anywhere in Britain By POLLY DUNBAR - More by this author » Last updated at 20:38pm on 14th July 2007 Comments It could be the perfect answer for parents anxious about their children's whereabouts. A device the size of a large matchbox is being launched that exactly pinpoints a carrier's location through a global positioning system accessed by computer or mobile phone. The gadget, called buddi, can be clipped to children's clothing or carried in their pockets. Parents then log on to see their child's position on a detailed map via satellite tracking. Scroll down for more …

Posh: Hollywood women are so scruffy By RICHARD SIMPSON - More by this author » Last updated at 13:06pm on 16th July 2007 Comments (6) If Victoria Beckham thinks she is going to be able to acquire new girlfriends effortlessly among Hollywood's showbusiness elite, she should think again. Just a few days after setting foot on American soil, the self-styled fashion icon may already have alienated vast swathes of the country's female celebrity population by criticising their tatty dress sense. Scroll down for more... No tracksuit policy: Posh, who continued her American onslaught with an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has taken a swipe …

Police have raided three football clubs as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in football. Newcastle United is believed to be one of the clubs raided but the other clubs involved have yet to be named. The operation is not connected to Lord Stevens' ongoing Quest inquiry into the Premiership and was "totally independent", police said. Search warrants were executed on the club premises and two homes between 0730 and 0900 BST. A police spokesman said: "We can confirm that search warrants were served at three football clubs and the homes of two individuals in connection with corruption in football and its impact on owners and shareholders." A N…

Mr Johnson is one of the best known figures in UK politics Boris Johnson is to enter the race to be the Conservative candidate for London mayor in next year's election. Mr Johnson, one of the best-known MPs, has confirmed that he wants to take on Labour's Ken Livingstone. He said he had been "overwhelmed" by the support he had received. He has resigned as a shadow minister, but he is to remain MP for Henley. Mr Johnson is likely to face a number of rivals to be Conservative candidate. The deadline for hopefuls was noon. In a statement, Mr Johnson said: "I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from so many people across London." 'Fresh …

David Duchovny plays a novelist in new TV comedy Californication A new film reviving the cult 1990s TV series The X-Files is moving closer to being made, according to reports. David Duchovny, one of the show's stars, has told reporters he will receive a script next week. Duchovny and co-star Gillian Anderson are both "on board" to reprise their roles as alien-hunting special agents Mulder and Scully, he said. The script has been written by creator Chris Carter and writer Frank Spotnitz, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The pair co-wrote the first X-Files movie, which came out almost a decade ago. The original thriller series was a hit when it ran fro…

Worlds apart: The moment the tallest man met the shortest By CLAIRE BATES - More by this author » Last updated at 12:55pm on 13th July 2007 Comments (3) In terms of height they are worlds apart. The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun today shook hands with He Pingping who claims to be Earth's shortest. But the two men actually hail from the same region of Inner Mongolia. Read more... World's tallest man sweeps bride off her feet at traditional Mongolian wedding Scroll down for more... While Mr Xishun, 56, towers above everyone at an astonishing 7.9ft, 19-year-old Mr Pingping is a mere 2.4ft high. Bao Xishun, a herdsman from Chife…

Shoppers could face 10p tax on plastic bags Last updated at 10:47am on 13th July 2007 Comments (8) New laws seek to phase out plastic bags Londoners will have to pay 10p for every plastic bag under a new law proposed for the capital which may go nationwide if passed. The charge, aimed at curbing the amount of waste sent to landfill sites, could eventually lead to an outright ban on carrier bags. London's 33 boroughs will include the measure in a new London Local Authorities Bill to be put before MPs in November. Alternative: Anya Hindmarch (right) and her carrier Simply reducing the number of bags used in the UK by a quarter will eliminate 58…

Chilly? It's Arctic brass monkeys... By PIERS HERNU - More by this author » Last updated at 19:32pm on 14th July 2007 Comments (2) Today, this man will dive into the coldest waters on earth. His 1km swim would kill most men - yet Lewis Gordon Pugh has a secret weapon. Piers Hernu takes the plunge alongside him to find out how he survives Standing at the edge of the water, the snow crunches beneath my bare feet while an iceberg the size of a car rotates slowly in the green-blue water some 20ft from my frozen toes. I'm shivering in my Hawaiian swimming trunks on the shore of a frozen mountain lake among the Norwegian fjords, more than 3,000ft above sea…

The DVLA said the plates were changed to avoid offence Car licence plates which bear the sequence SN07 were banned from the streets of Edinburgh because they are "offensive", it has emerged. The plate had been due to follow on from the SN56 registration in March. Licensing officials at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) changed the plate to TN07 to avoid it being similar to the word "snot". The change means that cars registered in the capital are the only ones in Scotland not to begin with an S. A DVLA spokesperson said the decision to change the plates was taken to avoid offending car buyers in the capital. She added: "It is our policy th…

Trumper is guilty of arse-on Dangerous ... blazing aerosol › By JAMES CLENCH July 13, 2007 JOKER Stephen Porter accidentally burnt down a pal’s home after setting light to his own wind. He caused £34,000 of damage to milkman Michael Platt’s house when the Christmas tree went up in flames. Porter, 19, set a fart ablaze with a lighter — then lit the spray from a pressurised deodorant can. His drunken antics wrecked the property in Ribbleto…

Banks rip off customers by pushing up price of using credit cards abroad by SEAN POULTER - More by this author » Last updated at 00:45am on 14th July 2007 Comments (8) Banks are pushing up the cost of using plastic cards overseas just as millions of families take their summer holidays. Travellers face higher charges on everything from buying a meal in a restaurant to hiring a car or paying a hotel bill. As much as £6 in every £100 is going to the banks in some cases and industry analysts suggest the total figure for these hidden charges was £326million last year and will be approaching £500million for 2007. Every time a card is used to make a purcha…

Thus is how world wars can begin - these psychopaths must be stopped!!! Israel 'Approved' to Strike Iran http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/7/13/100257.shtml?s=ic Friday, July 13, 2007 10:00 a.m. EDT Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs said he has received approval from the U.S. and Europe for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. "If we start military operations against Iran alone, then Europe and the U.S. will support us,” Avigdor Lieberman said following a meeting with NATO and European Union officials. Lieberman said the Western powers recognized the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel, Israel Today magazine reported. But military opera…

Why having an imaginary friend is good for children By NICK McDERMOTT - More by this author » Last updated at 00:17am on 9th July 2007 Comments (10) For children with a fertile imagination, a make-believe friend is a constant source of comfort and companionship. But for their parents - who believe children should talk to real friends rather than invisible ones - it can be a cause for concern. It seems, though, that they are worrying for no reason, as a study shows that imaginary friends can have a positive effect on children. Scroll down for more... Imaginary: Lola, from the hit TV series Charlie and Lola, has a pretend friend called Soren …

From The Times July 13, 2007 Rail industry admits that it’s often greener for families to travel by car It can be greener to drive than catch the train, according to a rail industry study which reveals that trains are losing their environmental advantage. Modern diesel-powered trains are so polluting that a family of three or more would be responsible for at least double the carbon dioxide emissions on many routes when travelling by rail compared with driving in a typical medium-sized car. The study concludes that the Virgin Voyager, the most advanced diesel train on the network, has the highest emissions of any British train and that its performance comp…

150m old-fashioned radios bound for the scrapheap in 5 years By DANIEL BATES - More by this author » Last updated at 01:23am on 12th July 2007 Comments (16) Switching off: A classic radio Britain's 150 million analogue radio sets could start to fall silent over the next five years as stations broadcasting on AM and FM switch to digital. The move follows concern from industry regulator Ofcom about the cost to radio stations of running analogue and digital services at the same time. Also, there is no more capacity on the FM network. The proposal drew scorn from listeners concerned at the cost of digital radios. Some said it was too early to be c…

My parents make me cringe, says Richard and Judy's daughter By TAHIRA YAQOOB - More by this author » Last updated at 22:00pm on 13th July 2007 Comments (6) Having parents who openly discuss their sex life is every teenager's nightmare. But when those parents are Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, you might as well increase that humiliation tenfold. Their daughter Chloe has revealed just how embarrassing it can be growing up with the most famous couple on British television. The 19-year- old admitted her parents often left her cringing with their constant sex talk and televised gaffes, such as Miss Finnigan exposing herself at a TV awards ceremony and Ma…

Pygmy artists housed in Congo zoo The pygmy artists have been given one tent to house 20 people Human rights activists have criticised the organisers of a music festival in the Republic of Congo for housing pygmy musicians in a tent at a zoo. Other artists at the Festival of Pan-African Music (Fespam) are staying in hotels in the capital, Brazzaville. The organisers say the grounds of Brazzaville zoo are closer to the pygmies' natural habitat. But the pygmy musicians say they had expected to be housed…

How Gordon Ramsay made a star out of tripe by CLEMMIE MOODIE - More by this author » Last updated at 22:27pm on 12th July 2007 Comments Thanks to Gordon Ramsay, tripe is making a comeback It has been out of favour for years but, thanks to Gordon Ramsay, tripe is making a comeback. The Michelin-starred chef featured the 'delicacy' on his Channel 4 show The F Word last week and now supermarkets are being besieged by shoppers demanding it. Sales of tripe - made from the stomachs of sheep, pigs or cows - have risen by more than 400 per cent over the past ten days as families give it a try. David Gray, from Oakwood Foods, a national supplier o…

Woman gets Asbo banning her from sea after 50 suicide attempts that cost taxpayers £1m by GWNETH REES - More by this author » Last updated at 10:59am on 13th July 2007 Amy Beth Dallamura has tried to drown herself more than 50 times in the past five years A woman has been banned from going into the sea around the British coastline after trying to drown herself more than 50 times. Amy Beth Dallamura's suicide attempts over the past five years have cost emergency services up to £1million. The 44-year-old has tried to kill herself by jumping off piers and jetties and wading into the ocean. Police, lifeboats, coastguards and the RAF's air and sea rescue …

Five-minute school lessons in major curriculum reform Last updated at 10:16am on 12th July 2007 Comments (5) The five-minute study: Students are to be 'drip-fed' subjets like French and German throughout the day in a bid to keep their attention Children are to be taught French and German in five-minute "attention grabbing" lessons. Secondary school pupils will have short, sharp sessions in key subjects as part of the most radical shake-up of the curriculum since AS-levels were introduced in 2000. Education minister Lord Adonis unveiled the measure today as part of an effort to stop children aged 11 to 14 slipping back during the "lost years" betw…