How We See The World

Tom Cruise Nazi film sparks Scientology row with Germany Last updated at 11:30am on 26th June 2007 Comments Tom Cruise has been banned from making a film in Berlin about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler because the German government says his belief in Scientology is akin to Nazism. The Hollywood star is set to play Count Claus von Stauffenberg, who almost succeeded in assassinating the Nazi leader in 1944. The project is due to start production next month but the Germans fear Cruise will use the film, which he is co-producing, as a public relations vehicle for Scientology, which many of the country's politicians have compared to Nazism. More follows... …

Why dressed-down Hollywood is laughing at Posh's impossibly over-done wardrobe By ASHLEY PEARSON - More by this author » Last updated at 12:03pm on 25th June 2007 Comments Desperate to make a big style splash when she moves to the U.S., Victoria Beckham has been pulling out all the fashion stops with a constantly changing wardrobe of ever more outre outfits. But while she may think she looks fabulous stepping off the plane in skin-tight black leggings, donning a lace couture dress for a stroll through the park and sporting wedge-heeled trainers to throw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, U.S.-style insiders are busy laughing behind her back. Scroll…

The king of the jungle doesn't frighten the lion whisperer By GLENYS ROBERTS - More by this author » Last updated at 09:49am on 26th June 2007 Comments (8) Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack. Richardson, 32, who is based in a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, works his unusual magic on other species too. Cheetahs, leopards and even unpredictable hyenas hold no threats for him. Scroll down for more ... This adult male is comfortable enough with animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson to permit a gent…

You're terminated: Arnie last guest at No 10 as Blair heads for Middle East Last updated at 12:33pm on 26th June 2007 Comments Hollywood "Terminator" Arnold Schwarzenegger was Tony Blair's last guest as Prime Minister at No10 today - as Mr Blair headed for a top Middle East job. Standing alongside the former movie star at 10 Downing Street, Mr Blair borrowed a line from one of his Terminator films to say farewell, joking: "My press officer said to me, whatever else you do this morning, don't say: 'I'll be back'" The California governor brought Hollywood to London as he heralded a climate change deal with Britain that Mr Blair sees as a key legacy of his…

The smallest - and cutest - creatures you will ever see Last updated at 08:50am on 25th June 2007 Comments As a 4.9 inch chihuahua is named the world's smallest dog, meet some more of the smallest - and quite frankly the most ridiculously cute - animals you will ever see. Scroll down for more ... When his owner shouts "Heel!" Ducky the dog has little choice but to take things literally. At just over ankle height, the three-year-old short-coat chihuahua from Boston in the U.S. has just been named the smallest living dog in the world by Guinness World Records. At only 4.9in tall, Ducky weighs less than 1lb 6oz. His head is the size of a large strawb…

http://www.joebiden.com/issues/?id=0009 I really like his plan. My only concern is that he wants to rush his plan. Its a good plan if he takes enough time to do it right. A Five Point Plan for Iraq 1. Establish One Iraq, with Three Regions Federalize Iraq in accordance with its constitution by establishing three largely autonomous regions - Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- with a strong but limited central government in Baghdad Put the central government in charge of truly common interests: border defense, foreign policy, oil production and revenues Form regional governments -- Kurd, Sunni and Shiite -- responsible for administering their own regions 2. Shar…

IAF preparing for Iran strike Jerusalem Post Saturday June 23, 2007 The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been training on long-range flights, including refueling in mid-flight, in preparation for potential strikes against Iranian nuclear targets. The training program has been taking place for some time but has only been released for publication Friday, the Ma'ariv daily reported. Intelligence assessments received by the defense establishment concur that once Iran passes the point of no return in its nuclear efforts, the entire Middle East will enter a frantic nuclear armament race. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to take the lead should such a scenario beco…

Golf legend gets bitten for £125m divorce By AMANDA PERTHEN - More by this author » Last updated at 22:18pm on 23rd June 2007 Comments (1) Golf legend Greg Norman has agreed to a £125million divorce - after his wife's legal team threatened to subpoena his mistress, tennis star Chris Evert. The former Wimbledon champion would have been forced to give embarrassing details of their affair by producing love letters and receipts of expensive gifts she had received. But the courtroom showdown was postponed at the 11th hour as both legal teams arrived at the court in Florida to say they had struck a deal. Scroll down for more Relief: Norman's ex-wife L…

Kilt owners may have to seek a licence for their sporran. The legislation is designed to protect animals like badgers Kilt wearers could face prosecution if they do not have a licence for their sporran under new legislation which has been introduced in Scotland. The laws are designed to protect endangered species like badgers and otters, whose fur used to be favoured by sporran makers. The legislation applies to animals killed after 1994. Applicants must prove that the animal was killed lawfully before they will be able to get a licence. The conservation regulations were designed to close a number of loopholes and bring Scotland into line with other EU me…

On or off the buses..? Amy Cole Politics Show South West In a case of European legislation being seen, by some, as 'mad', a rural bus company is incurring the wrath of many of its travelling customers over enforced disruption to timetables... Cornwall's Western Greyhound bus company says, because it can not afford a device which monitors bus drivers' hours, as required under the European regulation, it has had to slice up the bus routes on many of its services. One elderly passenger is now refusing to use the altered service, because she would have to change buses up to six times. She has even written to the House of Lords asking for its help. Six changes…

Police 'arrest' scarecrow - for impersonating a traffic officer By KEITH BEASBY - More by this author » Last updated at 23:29pm on 23rd June 2007 Comments A scarecrow dressed to look like a traffic cop didn't go down too well with real police officers. In fact they took the matter so seriously when they heard about it that a patrol car on the way to the scene of a fatal crash was diverted to pay the scarecrow's owner, Christopher Strong, a visit. And after ordering him to take it down, officers warned him that he could be accused of impersonating a policeman. More.... Coming soon: The speed camera you cannot beat Long arm of the straw: M…

M4 Tops Accident Blackspot List, so here comes the "Safety" cameras Part of the M4 is the worst accident blackspot in the West of England, a new survey has suggested. The stretch of motorway between J20 eastbound to J18 has seen 44 reported accidents so far this year. About 16 incidents were also registered on the westbound section of the M4 between Leigh Delamere and J18. The A417 northbound from Birdip to The Air Balloon (Nice pub that), Crickley Hill, has seen 17 incidents since New Year's Day, traffic information service Keep Moving said. Since January, more than 2,600 accidents have occurred on 38 principal roads in the region, an average of 70 per roa…

Now even spiders, squid and lobsters could have rights By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 22:00pm on 22nd June 2007 Comments (16) Pet tarantula: More protection? People could be prosecuted for being cruel to pet spiders, octopuses and restaurant lobsters under animal welfare plans being considered by the Government. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is investigating whether invertebrates - the family of animals that includes insects, spiders and molluscs - should get the same protection under the law enjoyed by dogs, cats and horses if they are kept in captivity. Ministers are under pressure from anima…

British Muslims burn St George's flag at anti-Rushdie rally Last updated at 16:33pm on 22nd June 2007 Comments (9) Muslims burned the flag of St George and called for the Queen to 'Go to Hell' in a furious rally held in London over Salman Rushdie's knighthood. Angry Muslim extremists rallying at Regents Park Mosque said that anger over the award could match the fierce reaction to publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark in 2006. Organisers of a protest outside the mosque claimed several hundred demonstrators were denouncing the decision to reward Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" led to a death threat from Iran in 1989. "This kn…

The bell tolls for wild robin's daily dinner date By DUNCAN ROBERTSON - More by this author » Last updated at 22:02pm on 22nd June 2007 Comments Most wild birds scavenge for scraps wherever and whenever they can. But in Terry Quinn's garden, mealtimes are a more orderly affair. Every day, he rings a bell to signify dinner is served. A robin duly appears, then swoops down on his outstretched palm and snaffles a beakful of succulent mealworms. Scroll down for more ... The robin swoops down before it savours its succulent snack More.... Watch video of the tame robin Mr Quinn, 70, said: "It gives me a real thrill. There is something s…

...On guess what Penalties (No Surprises please) Holl U21 1-1 Eng U21 (13-12 pens) England exited the European Under-21 Championship after a dramatic penalty shoot-out semi-final defeat to Holland. Anton Ferdinand's (Rio's brother, what a surprise) effort, which smacked against the bar, proved decisive as they lost 13-12 on spot-kicks. Leroy Lita had put England ahead before half-time, holding off his marker before scoring with a left-foot shot. Lita also hit the outside of the post with a free-kick but the Dutch equalised in the 89th minute when Ryan Donk headed across for Maceo Rigters. England had looked to be on their way to the final for the first…

Kate: The brutal truth about her fading looks By LIZ JONES - More by this author » Last updated at 11:54am on 22nd June 2007 Comments Last Sunday night, I had a revelation that was both shocking and, let's face it, inevitable. There I was, listening to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, and a few rows in front of me was someone I could have sworn was Kate Moss. But I kept craning my neck to look at her, thinking: no, it can't be. The giveaway in the end was that she was sitting next to her lover Pete Doherty and was whispering in his ear. Yet, other than that, the tired-looking woman with brassy, over-dyed hair who was wearing a cheap, nasty vest (one of …

'Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot Last updated at 14:00pm on 22nd June 2007 Comments One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands. An official air-miss report on the incident several weeks ago appears in Pilot magazine. Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as "a cigar-shaped brilliant white light". Scroll down for more Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, described what he thought to be a UFO as 'a cigar-shaped brilliant white light', similar to the image supplied by Dennis Plunket of th…

Martins is contemplating his international future after the attack Newcastle and Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins escaped uninjured after being shot at while driving in Lagos. The Magpies striker was attacked by masked gunmen on Monday night, hours after he returned home from Nigeria's Nations Cup qualifier against Niger. The 22-year-old escaped unhurt but a friend was injured after his Mercedes was sprayed with bullets. "For a moment I thought I was going to die as they kept shooting at my car indiscriminately," said Martins. "Those guys wanted me dead - they had no intention of sparing anyone in the car. They were not robbers because after the shooting they le…

Which do you prefer, the Zune or the Ipod

Many cheap aftershaves contain high levels of ethanol Russian men are risking death by drinking aftershave and cleaning agents, a study has suggested. UK researchers estimated that half of all deaths in working age men in the country are due to hazardous drinking. The products, which also include herbal tinctures sold in pharmacies, are widely available, cheap and contain up to 97% alcohol, the Lancet study says. It was found that they contain very few toxins but are deadly simply because of the extreme alcohol levels. Russian men have an "exceptionally low" life expectancy of 59 years, compared with 72 years for women. Men of working age are three-a…

'Down in one' drink adverts to be banned Last updated at 14:02pm on 19th June 2007 Comments 'Downing drinks is damaging because it can cause people quickly to get drunk', according to manufacturers' association Portman Drinks firms will be banned from encouraging people to "down it in one" under new marketing rules published today. Products described as shooters or slammers are likely to fall foul of industry body the Portman Group's revised code of practice. The restrictions apply to promotional material and packaging for all alcohol, but spirit-based brands are likely to be most affected. They apply to drinks producers, but promotions run by pu…

Things get out of hand pretty quickly and people don't have the good sense to stop - Commander Harold Piatt, Austin police An angry Texas crowd has beaten and killed a 40-year-old car passenger after a driver injured a young girl near the site of a busy local festival. Police said the driver of the car stopped to check on the health of the girl, said to be aged three or four. But when the passenger got out to see how she was, he was set upon by a group of up to 20 people before being left lying in a car park, police said. The girl was hit at low speed and was not seriously injured. The incident happened near Austin, Texas, as crowd of between 2,000-3,000…

Compulsory retirement ages could be scrapped within four years - to save money By JAMES CHAPMAN - More by this author » Last updated at 23:17pm on 18th June 2007 Comments Hutton: Claims giving up work in your 60s will be seen as 'taking early retirement' Compulsory retirement ages could be scrapped to save money, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said. John Hutton said unless people were prepared to work for longer, an "ever greater and frankly unsustainable burden" would be passed to their children and grandchildren. And he claimed giving up work in your 60s will increasingly be seen as "taking early retirement". Mr Hutton suggested cur…

What's a bumblebee's favourite colour? Purple of course By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 23:23pm on 19th June 2007 Comments Bees prefer purple flowers like lavender Gardeners who want to bring back the gentle drone of the bumblebee to their borders and beds should plant more purple flowers, scientists say. Not only do the creatures have a preference for violet colours, their colonies will do better if they feed from purple plants, a study has shown. More.... More Brits to stroll down Lavender Lane in our warming climate Researchers say the discovery could help restore the declining bumblebee back to its ri…