How We See The World

Britain's most exclusive burger van ... in the middle of the M25 Reader comments (4) Food on the go: The M25 burger van surrounded by traffic It has an exclusive clientele of only 150 diners who are allowed to sample its culinary delights. One of the celebrity-packed restaurants in the posher parts of London, perhaps? No, a humble burger van - standing in the central reservation of the M25 at Junction 25 in North London. And because it is solely for the use of the men toiling on the Holmesdale Tunnel roadworks near Enfield, the only dress code is a hard hat and a fluorescent jacket. The van, owned and run by M25 Catering Limited, is isolated…

Couples who pout together stay together The perfect couple? For those women who spend a fortune in the search for a perfect pout, there is good news and bad news. Research has (unsurprisingly) confirmed that men are instantly attracted to luscious lips. But while they would be happy to have a fling with the lady involved, they would probably not consider her marriage material. In fact, 88 per cent of couples in long and happy relationships have lips of similar size - and men's tend to be on the thinner side. If true, this bodes ill for the future together of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for while she is famously well-endowed in the kissing depa…

Comair statement A passenger plane carrying 50 people has crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in Kentucky, killing all but one on board. The Comair CRJ-100 jet, bound for Atlanta, Georgia, went down in woods about a mile (1.6km) from Lexington's airport at about 0610 (1010 GMT). One man is in a critical condition and is in surgery at the University of Kentucky Hospital. It is the worst US air accident since November 2001. There was no immediate word on what caused Comair Flight 5191 to crash, but aviation officials said there was no indication of terrorism. Comair have launched …

Manchester City FC has signed up to a scheme to help it attract more gay fans and staff. The club has paid a four-figure sum to join the Diversity Champions scheme, run by gay rights group Stonewall. It is the first professional club to join the scheme, which focuses on a range of gay-friendly initiatives. The club said it wanted to send a welcoming message to gay, lesbian and bisexual supporters, be inclusive and be a progressive employer. Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill described Man City's decision as a "significant step" for English football. He said: "Manchester City should be congratulated for putting their head above the parapet and movi…

The US space shuttle Atlantis is set to lift off on Sunday on a construction mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Its six-strong crew is taking giant new power-generating solar arrays to the ISS. The mission marks only the third shuttle flight since the loss of Columbia and seven astronauts in 2003. The half-built $100bn space station must be completed before 2010, when the shuttle fleet is due to be retired. Atlantis and its astronauts are scheduled to lift off at 1630 local time (2030 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission's main objective is to fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the station's truss backbone that…

... what a player he was ... he's currently recovering from a knee injury but should be back in December and i can't wait ... he's one of my all time favourite players :D ... i hope he still has the same ability when he comes back to full fitness obviously it will take a while but i think he can do it and see out his final years of his career in style and a player like him can do it! just a couple of pics below of him and hopefully we can all wish him a successful recovery from injury :D :D :D

Holiday in Iraq for sun, sand ... and burnt-out tanks Postcard from Iraq. Click on the picture to enlarge it Burnt-out tanks and spent shells should become tourist attractions in Iraq, according to extraordinary proposals in a taxpayer-funded report. The Government dossier suggests drumming up foreign visitors by placing battlefield debris at strategic points around the country and transforming northern areas into upmarket ski resorts. The £80,000 report was commissioned in 2004 to examine ways Iraq could be opened up to tourists after the fall of Saddam Hussein. With the monthly death toll topping 3,000 and most Westerners confined to guarded compou…

Malaysians will be discouraged from naming their children 007 Malaysian authorities have published a list of undesirable titles to prevent parents giving their children names such as Hitler, smelly dog or 007. Such choices are not allowed, but there is a right of appeal. The list came as a response to the growing number of Malaysians who are applying to change their birth names. Malaysia's National Registration Department made the decision after consulting with various religious bodies in the country. They represented the country's Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist communities. Traditionally, some…

Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers. The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health. These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings Coll…

Astronomers say Pluto is not a planet August 24, 2006 PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is — and isn't — a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one. Although astronomers applauded after the vote, Jocelyn Bell Burnell — a specialist in neutron star…

Footballer gets criminal record for making sign of the cross Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been cautioned for blessing himself in a match against arch rivals Rangers. The Catholic Church has condemned the cautioning of a Polish footballer for gestures which allegedly included blessing himself at an Old Firm match. Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc was cautioned after complaints were made about his behaviour at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow in front of Ranger's fans. Strathclyde Police investigated claims that Boruc, 26, angered a section of the home support after allegedly making the religious gesture at the start of the second half of the game on February…

UK's youngest mum aged 11: teenager freed despite admitting they had sex A teenage boy has walked free from court despite admitting having illegal sex with an 11-year-old girl who became Scotland's youngest mother. Jason Cameron, now aged 16, was originally charged with raping her at his former home in a move it was claimed led to her pregnancy, before eventually pleading guilty to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 years. But Cameron escaped a jail sentence yesterday when a judge decided to place him on probation for three years after accepting the youth's defence that he thought the girl was older. Lord Carloway said the offence wo…

Despair of Pete Doherty's mother who reveals how close he's come to wrecking her marriage Jacqueline Doherty with her controversial son. The handwritten note was polite but to the point. ‘Dear Mr Paxman,’ it began. ‘Please be gentle when you interview my son. Peter is a gifted poet, writer and thinker. Please be considerate with him. I feel he is very vulnerable. He is a sensitive soul and has many good points. 'In spite of perhaps your first impression of him, he is actually trying to address his problems.’ Addressed to the veteran Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, the note was signed ‘Jacqueline Doherty’. The occasion which prompted such a…

Humiliation: City intern Lucy Gao When city intern Lucy Gao sent out invites for her 21st birthday party champagne reception at the Ritz she thought a short email would do the trick. But what started as note to a select group of friends has entertained tens of thousands, as the Oxford engineering student's bossy email was forwarded to office workers across the city. The lowly intern has been derided by recipients for her 'control freakery' and extravagance. The venue she chose for her landmark birthday was the opulent Rivoli Bar in London's Ritz which has polished wood panelled walls and leopard-skin chairs. Miss Gao opened the invite by briefly thanking…

Retailers have attacked a plan which would see most people who are arrested for shoplifting avoid a jail term. The Sentencing Advisory Panel suggested jail should be reserved for cases with "aggravating" factors such as violence. The British Retail Consortium said the plan would give would-be thieves the "wrong message" on an offence which cost the UK £588m in 2004. The panel also suggested an alternative plan - to jail "seriously persistent" shoplifters for up to eight weeks. 'Licence to take' In its first plan, the panel, which is seeking views on both proposals, said the top sentence should normally be a "high-level community order". Richard Dodd,…

Fascism Then. Fascism Now? When people think of fascism, they imagine Rows of goose-stepping storm troopers and puffy-chested dictators. What they don't see is the economic and political process that leads to the nightmare. by Paul Bigioni Observing political and economic discourse in North America since the 1970s leads to an inescapable conclusion: The vast bulk of legislative activity favors the interests of large commercial enterprises. Big business is very well off, and successive Canadian and U.S. governments, of whatever political stripe, have made this their primary objective for at least the past 25 years. Digging deeper into 20th century history, one fi…

Cows have regional accents like humans, language specialists have suggested. They decided to examine the issue after dairy farmers noticed their cows had slightly different moos, depending on which herd they came from. John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at the University of London, said regional twangs had been seen before in birds. The farmers in Somerset who noticed the phenomenon said it may have been the result of the close bond between them and their animals. Farmer Lloyd Green, from Glastonbury, said: "I spend a lot of time with my ones and they definitely moo with a Somerset drawl. "I've spoken to the other farmers in the West Country group and th…

An American Airlines flight from Manchester to Chicago has been diverted following a security scare. The FBI said AA flight 55 landed in Bangor, Maine at 1257 local time after the authorities learned of a "reported threat" to the aircraft. It said the pilot took the decision to land the Boeing 767-300. Passengers and crew members would be interviewed and the plane would be searched. American Airlines said 167 passengers and 12 crew members were on board. The company said it was hopeful of being able to complete the flight later in the afternoon. Plane searched The US Transportation Security Administration said: "Given the current threat level, the ag…

Texas Sheriffs Say Terrorists Entering US from Mexico By Kevin Mooney CNSNews.com Staff Writer August 21, 2006 http://www.CNSNEWS.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=/SpecialReports/archive/200608/SPE20060821a.html (CNSNews.com) - The chief law enforcement officers of several Texas counties along the southern U.S. border warn that Arabic-speaking individuals are learning Spanish and integrating into Mexican culture before paying smugglers to sneak them into the United States. The Texas Sheriffs’ Border Coalition believes those individuals are likely terrorists and that drug cartels and some members of the Mexican military are helping them get across the border. Sh…

Horror writer Stephen King is among the nominees for US book award The Quills. The veteran author is on the shortlist for his science fiction thriller Cell, about a virus spread via mobile phones. Former US presidential candidate Al Gore is also nominated in the politics and history category for The Inconvenient Truth. JK Rowling won overall book of the year in 2005 for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - the first time the awards were contested. Recognition The writer also picked up the prize for best children's book. Rock singer Bob Dylan also won in the best biography and memoir category for the first volume of his autobiography. The Quil…

Cricket bosses bid to save Test Top cricket officials were locked in talks to try to save the fourth Test between England and Pakistan after it descended into chaos on day four. Pakistan initially refused to take to the field after tea in protest at being penalised for ball-tampering. But after Pakistan made a u-turn, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove then threw the match into total confusion by staying in the pavilion. There are hopes the match at The Oval in London will continue on Monday. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan told the BBC: "We simply said we would stay indoors for a few minutes then go out and play. We want to play but the u…

The coffee chain has been accused cunning tactics to get customers to spend more Starbucks is 'hiding' its cheapest drink from customers in order to boost profits, it has been revealed. The marketing ploy known as 'product sabotage', in which consumers are cleverly encouraged to buy more expensive and profitable goods, is being used by many major retailers. Starbucks, the high street coffee house chain, has been exposed by a BBC investigation as one of the chief culprits. It sells a drink called a 'short cappuccino' which at 8oz is a third smaller and cheaper than the smallest size on the menu. Staff know what it is and have a button on the cash till to …

Cruise firing triggered by studio head's trophy wife Career meltdown: Tom Cruise with fiancée Katie Holmes. Bottom, Paula Fortunato, 43 is photographed with husband Sumner Redstone, 83 The unknown trophy wife of a Hollywood film executive has been revealed as the unlikely driving force behind Tom Cruise's dramatic firing this week. Paula Fortunato, 43, the wife of 83-year-old Sumner Redstone, the Viacom chairman who sacked Cruise, took a dislike to the actor after he publicly criticised the actress Brooke Shields for using post-natal anti-depressants. An 'incensed' Fortunato advised her ageing husband that the comments Cruise made live o…

Al-Manar's Beirut offices were bombed by Israel during the conflict A US businessman has been charged with offering broadcasts of Hezbollah's al-Manar satellite television station to customers in the New York-area. Javed Iqbal, originally from Pakistan, is accused by prosecutors of doing business with a terrorist entity. The Hezbollah Shia militia has been involved in a month-long conflict with Israeli forces in Lebanon and is seen as a terrorist group by the US. Mr Iqbal's lawyers say his arrest violates his right to free speech. "It's like the government of Iran saying we are going to ban the New York Times because we think of it as a ter…

Las Vegas is famous for its "quickie" marriages Couples hoping to tie the knot at Las Vegas' late-night wedding venues on the spur of the moment face disappointment. The Las Vegas marriage bureau, which issues licences, said that as of Monday it would no longer be open between midnight and 0800, to save money. Staff at the city's famous Little White Wedding Chapel - venue for many celebrity unions - expressed sadness. Love-struck couples will still be able to marry after midnight, but must get a marriage licence during daylight hours. "They can't just run down to the bureau at 3.05am and be married by 3.10am," said county clerk Shirley Parr…