By Nicola Boden

Last updated at 10:21 AM on 12th January 2009

A British woman plans to make history by becoming the nation's first mother to give birth to Siamese twins with separate heads but only one body.

Lisa Chamberlain, 25, is determined to go through with the pregnancy despite medical advice that she should have her children aborted.

She was told she was expecting the extremely rare set of twins during a routine scan and insists they are a miracle after years of trying for a child.

'Some people might look at me and say "You're going to give birth to a freak" but I don't care because I feel blessed,' she said.

'To me, my twins are a gift from God and we're determined to give them their chance of life.'

The pregnancy comes just weeks after a teenager made British history by becoming the youngest mother of Siamese twins.

Like Miss Chamberlain, Laura Williams, 18 and her husband Aled ignored medical advice and proceeded with the pregnancy.

Tragically, their twin daughters, who were joined at the breastbone and shared a liver - did not manage to cling to life.

Daughter Hope died minutes after they were separated and sister Faith followed, aged just 29 days, on Christmas Day, because of progressive organ failure.

Astonished doctors examining Miss Chamberlain at a routine appointment realised she was expecting dicephalus twins after finding two heads but a single heartbeat.

They are one of the rarest forms of Siamese twins, which occur when the single egg from which identical twins develop fails to divide properly after conception.

At best, the unborn twins have a 20 per cent chance of survival. If they survive after birth, they will make British medical history as its first ever living dicephalus twins.

The condition arises in just four per cent of all Siamese twin births.

 

Survivors: Abigail and Brittany Hensel, 18, are dicephalous twins and have shocked the world by living a virtually normal life

Miss Chamberlain, a former RSPCA worker, had been told she would never have children after seven years of trying for a family.

She discovered she was pregnant last month, to her and her fiance Mike Pedace's delight.

It was only last week, when she was suffered from back pain and admitted for an emergency scan, that the twins' condition was found.

'I feared the worst as I lay on the bed waiting to be scanned,' she told the Sun. 'But nothing could have prepared me for the expression on the nurse's face when the babies appeared on the screen.

'She called up another nurse to assist her, then another one. They kept asking each other if they were babies who were close together or something else.'

A doctor called in for his opinion then realised the children only had one body and one heartbeat but two heads.

 

Too weak: Siamese twins Faith and Hope William were born last month but both died from complications after they were separated

Miss Chamberlain says she was shocked when she first found out but knew within 24 hours that she could not abort them.

'Some might think my twins are strange but to me they're just special. Even some of my family say they'd have an abortion but I hate the word and I just don't think it's up to us to decide,' she said.

The mother-to-be has already named the pair Layla and Kelsey because the majority of Siamese twins are girls.

Her fiance said: 'We know it's going to be very tough but we're prepared for that as much as we can be.

'We've struggled for so long for the chance to have children. Now we've got that chance, we're not going to throw it away.'

The couple are taking comfort from the example of Americans Abigail and Brittany Hensel who were born with separate heads but one body 18 years ago.

The pair, who share organs below the navel, have stunned the world by living virtually normal lives.

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From correspondents in Beijing, China

Reuters

January 12, 2009 02:34pm

CHINESE police have arrested a junkyard owner suspected of killing eight people on a murderous one-night spree after he was spurned by a widowed grandmother who was one of the victims, state media reported.

The woman's two year-old grandson, who lived with her, was also killed in the late night attack at her apartment, the China Daily said.

At the junkyard, police found the bodies of six workers and blood-stained hammers and axes.

The 35-year-old suspect fled to an island in south China after the attack on January 4 but returned to the central province of Hubei several days later and was seized after someone recognised him and rang police, the China Daily reported.

Police have not commented on the suspect's motives, but the paper said he had divorced his wife three months earlier hoping to marry the 43-year-old grandmother, who was killed by blows to the head.

The woman turned him down however and when he tried to return to his wife, she also rejected him, it added, quoting the public security chief of the city where he lived.

There was no explanation for why the suspect turned on his employees, three men and three women.

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By EMMA MORTON

Health Editor

and TOM WELLS

Published: Today

A MUM-TO-BE is set to make British medical history by giving birth to Siamese twins with two heads — but just one body.

 

Lisa Chamberlain, 25, found during a hospital scan that she was expecting rare dicephalus twins.

She and fiancé Mike Pedace ruled out an abortion.

Lisa, of Portsmouth, insisted: ”I feel blessed.“

Pregnant Lisa told last night how she made the heart-wrenching decision to KEEP her rare Siamese twins — because they were ”a gift from God“.

She was advised to abort the conjoined babies after astonished doctors viewing a hospital scan found it showed two heads attached to a single body — and just one tiny heartbeat.

But despite being told the tots have just a 20 per cent chance of survival, she and fiancé Mike refused to end her pregnancy, which followed years of trying for a child.

Growing ... an artist's impression of Lisa's embryo

Instead they are looking forward to the day when Lisa gives birth to her dicephalus twins — one of the rarest known types of Siamese twin.

Lisa said: ”Some people might look at me and say, ‘You’re going to give birth to a freak’ — but I don’t care because I feel blessed.

”To me, my twins are a gift from God and we’re determined to give them their chance of life.“

Chances

 

If the babies survive after birth, they will make British medical history as the nation’s first ever living dicephalus twins.

The condition occurs in only four per cent of Siamese twin births worldwide.

And Lisa and Mike, 32, hope theirs will follow the example of 18-year-old Americans Abigail and Brittany Hensel, who have stunned the world by leading a virtually NORMAL life.

Laura ... had conjoined tots

Former RSPCA worker Lisa had been told by medics she would never have children after seven years of trying in vain to start a family.

She said: ”I’d been diagnosed with polycystic ovaries in the past, which harms a woman’s chances of children.

”Over the years I’ve been for so many tests and check-ups I’d virtually given up hope. But on December 18th I finally found I was pregnant.

”Naturally Mike and I were so, so pleased. We’d waited so long and been through such a lot together.“

Yet the couple’s joy turned to concern last week when Lisa began to suffer from mysterious back pains.

Medics admitted her for an emergency scan on Wednesday, fearing an infection.

Lisa added: ”I feared the worst as I lay on the bed waiting to be scanned.

”But nothing could have prepared me for the expression on the nurse’s face when the babies appeared on the screen. She called up another nurse to assist her, then another one. They kept asking each other if they were babies who were close together — or ‘something else’.

”Then the emergency obstetrician was called and he took over. He said my babies only had one body and were joined very high up.

”I asked what that meant and he showed me. They had one body and two heads — and he could only find one heartbeat.“

Doctors at Portsmouth’s St Mary’s Hospital advised the couple, who live in the city, to abort the twins.

But Lisa and staunch Catholic Mike ruled this out.

Lisa said: ”When I heard about the twins I was shocked, but within a day I knew I had to keep them. The hospital were very supportive.

”Some might think my twins are strange, but to me they’re just special. Everything happens for a reason. Mike and I have spent over seven years trying to have children and we might not get another go.

Amazing ... Lisa's scan alerted doctors to rare dicephalus twins

”Even some of my family say they’d have an abortion, but I hate the word and I just don’t think it’s up to us to decide. I’ve even given the twins names — Layla and Kelsey — because I think they’re going to be little girls. I’ve been told that 75 per cent of Siamese twins are.

”The fact Abigail and Brittany in America live a full and happy life fills me with hope for my babies.“

Lisa believes her pair have already launched their fight to survive.

She said: ”Every morning and last thing at night I put my hands on my stomach so they know I’m there.

”It sounds strange as it’s so early on, but I feel I can sense their heartbeat when I touch my bump.“

Ex-telesales operator Mike, with Lisa for eight years, said: ”We just want everyone to give us a chance.

”We both feel very strongly that our babies should be given every opportunity they can of surviving.

”We know it’s going to be very tough, but we’re prepared for that as much as we can be. We’ve struggled for so long for the chance to have children. Now we’ve got that chance, we’re not going to throw it away.“

Doctors will only learn after 20 weeks how many organs Lisa’s twins share. And although last week’s scan found only one heartbeat, medics say another may yet appear.

Brave

 

Americans Abigail and Brittany share organs below the navel.

Siamese twins are always identical and the same sex because they stem from a single fertilised egg.

They occur when the developing embryo begins to split into identical twins during the first fortnight after conception.

But in the case of Siamese twins this process halts, leaving a part-separated egg that then develops into conjoined twins.

Last night Angela Hammond, of Conjoined Twins International, said: ”It's great news that the mum has decided to go ahead with the birth.

”It won’t be an easy time but those babies deserve the right to live. They could go on to have fantastic lives.“

But Britain’s foremost expert on Siamese births, Professor Lewis Spitz, said the twins should be terminated.

He said: ”There would be a greater risk of infection — and you’d have two heads controlling one side of the body’s nervous impulses. I really can’t see them surviving.“

Faith and Hope Williams, the last conjoined twins born in Britain, died at just a few days old last month following surgery to separate them.

They were joined from the breastbone to the navel and had a shared liver but separate hearts.

Despite their deaths, 18-year-old mum Laura, from Shrewsbury, insisted she had ”no regrets.“

Last night St Mary’s Hospital staff declined to comment on Lisa’s case due to patient confidentiality rules.

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From correspondents in Singapore

Agence France-Presse

January 12, 2009 03:44pm

A SINGAPOREAN MP has suffered serious burns after being set on fire by an elderly man at a community event in front of shocked residents, officials said today.

Seng Han Thong of the ruling People's Action Party was visiting his parliamentary district on yesterday when a 70-year-old man poured paint thinner on him and ignited it with a kitchen stove lighter, local press reports said.

A man sitting next to the lawmaker also suffered burns in the attack.

Police said suspect Ong Kah Chua, a retired taxi driver described in local media as a former mental patient, was arrested immediately and charged today with voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, an offence punishable by up to life in prison.

He was being held at a mental health institute for psychiatric tests, a court official said.

The legislator had skin-graft surgery today and was recovering, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Straits Times newspaper reported that Mr Ong was angry he did not receive a customary cash handout from the MP ahead of this month's lunar new year festival, the most important holiday in largely ethnic Chinese Singapore.

Attacks on public figures are extremely rare in Singapore, known as one of Asia's safest cities.

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By Jane Bunce

Last updated at 2:59 AM on 12th January 2009

 

Shabana was killed after defying the Taliban's ban on dancing

The Taliban has reportedly killed a traditional dancing girl in Pakistan, underlining its growing power in the the North-West Frontier Province.

Shabana's bullet-riden body was found slumped on the ground in the centre of Mingora's Green Square, strewn with money, CD recordings of her performances and photographs from her albums.

A Taliban leader later appeared on FM radio to admit the killing and warn the militant organisation would not tolerate any 'un-Islamic vices'.

He said any other girls found performing in the city's Banr Bazaar would be killed 'one by one'.

The last of the bazaar's celebrated dancing girls - once a 1000 strong industry - have reportedly packed up and fled to Karachi and Lahore, where their talents remain in great demand.

A resident of Banr Bazaar, Fayaz, said dance performances had earned participants about 50,000 rupees (£415) a night until the Taliban denounced them as prostitution.

The narrow street where the performers plied their trade until last week now closes at 8pm and only residents can enter, while signs state:'We have stopped dancing, please do not knock on the door.'

Shabana reportedly paid the price for publicly defying the Taliban's radio mullahs, ignoring personal warnings to stop performing and training young dancers.

'On the eve of January 2, some men knocked at the door and asked for a dance party,' Shabana's father Qamar Gul reportedly said.

'She instantly agreed and opened the room and asked the men to wait while she prepared herself.

'When she returned the four men said: "Let us start." They seized her at gunpoint and told her they were going to slit her throat'

The dancer reportedly cried for help and begged for her life, but she was dragged out of her house to Green Square and shot.

The Taliban and the Pakistan Army have been fighting for control of the Swat Valley, where the millitant organisation recently ordered girls' schools and music shops to close and forced barbers to stop shaving beards.

But with the woman's death and the dancers' banishment the Islamic extremist group has once again tightened its hold.

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From correspondents in Port Moresby, PNG

AAP

January 12, 2009 09:01pm

PAPAU New Guinea police have arrested a woman attempting to carry a dead baby in her hand luggage on an internal flight.

Police in PNG capital Port Moresby were called to the airport today when security discovered the dead baby in the woman's traditional string bag.

The unnamed woman's husband fled the scene while police made the arrest, police sources said.

The couple had wrapped the body of a dead baby in a cloth and was put inside the bilum (string bag) when boarding an Airlines PNG flight from Port Moresby to Lae.

The woman did not have any documents that are required to transport a dead body on a plane.

Authorities could not confirm whether the woman was related to the baby.

Chief executive officer of PNG airports Clement Kapapal confirmed a dead baby had been discovered by security.

Last week police arrested a PNG Highlands man for having a rocket launcher and nine grenades in his luggage when travelling on a flight to Mt Hagen police station.

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By Matthew Drake

Last updated at 7:43 AM on 12th January 2009

Earn £70,000 to live on this island, watch whales and scuba dive.

It  is the perfect job to help you forget freezing, credit-crunch Britain.

Tourist officials in Australia are looking for somebody to look after a desert island.

Glorious: The view from the balcony of the caretaker's three-bedroom villa

They are willing to pay £70,000 for someone to work 12 hours a month for six months while carrying out such duties as feeding turtles, watching whales and picking up the island's post.

No academic qualifications are needed, but good swimming skills and a love of snorkelling, scuba diving and other water sports are a must.

A passion for the great outdoors and the ability to speak English are also considered to be an advantage.

 

Lizard Island: Part of the candidate's territory

The successful candidate will have to demonstrate an 'adventurous attitude' coupled with a 'willingness to try new things'.

They will live rent-free on Hamilton Island (population 5,000), the 'jewel in the crown' of the Whitsunday Islands off the Queensland coast, and also look after some neighbouring islands.

The salary equates to an astonishing £972 an hour based on a flexi-time schedule of a 12-hour working month.

Dream location: The successful candidate will get to live here on Hamilton Island

In year-round sunshine  -  the top temperature this month will be 29c (84f)  -  they will stay in a three-bedroom villa with 'unbeatable' views of a crystalclear lagoon ringed by palm trees and white sandy beaches.

Free return flights, transfers, and transport around the island are included. Motor vehicles are prohibited, so golf buggies are the most common form of transport.

The cost of relocating any family members will have to be met by the new caretaker.

The offer might sound too good to be true, but the Queensland Tourist Board insists there is no catch.

 

Hamilton Island is dubbed the 'jewel in the crown' of the Whitsunday Islands

It says the role is an ideal opportunity for Britons to swap the rat race and the cold winter for a more relaxed life Down Under.

Jonathan Sloan, who works for Tourism Queensland in the UK, said: 'This is the best job in the world, there's no question about it.

'It has everything most people dream of  -  white sandy beaches, blue skies, warm seas and friendly people.

 

Activities board on Hamilton Island: Plenty of things to do when the successful candidate is not working

'It also boasts a generous salary package and requires only a few hours of relaxed work with minimum effort per week.'

Described as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity', the role of 'Island Caretaker' is being advertised in 18 countries. Starting work on July 1, the successful applicant will have few responsibilities and can decide how best to fill their days.

But they will be required to produce a weekly online blog, photo diary and video updates of their time on the island.

 

The job offers an ideal opportunity for Britons to swap the 'rat race' and the cold winter for a more relaxed life

They will also have to give media interviews and email reports to chiefs at Tourism Queensland at the organisation's HQ in Brisbane.

Requirements for candidates include: 'Excellent communication skills, good written and verbal English skills, an adventurous attitude, willingness to try new things, a passion for the outdoors, and good swimming skills and enthusiasm for snorkelling and/or diving.'

Anthony Hayes, chief executive of Tourism Queensland, said the offer was being made to promote the island to a 'global market'.

 

'A passion for the great outdoors would be an advantage' for applicants

He said: 'The campaign aims to highlight the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and showcase Australia's unique island experience to the global market.'

Interested parties can apply by submitting a 60-second video outlining the reasons why they deserve to be picked. Applications close on February 22.

 

The successful applicant will start work here on July 1

Tourism Queensland will select 11 potential candidates who will be flown to Hamilton Island for a selection process. The lucky applicant will be named on May 6. More information can be found at www.islandreefjob.com

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From correspondents in Paris

Agence France-Presse

January 12, 2009 04:15am

TWO British climbers, including the youngest Briton to conquer Everest, fell hundreds of metres to their deaths on Mont Blanc, French police said today.

The two men, both aged 21, were found under the Gervasutti route up Tacul, a 4360-metre peak in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps, after a fatal fall, officers in the city of Grenoble said.

On May 17, 2006, one of the victims, Rob Gauntlett, had become the first British teenager to reach the highest point in the world, the 8,848 metre peak of Everest in the Nepalese Himalayas.

The youngest climber to ever make the ascent was a 15-year-old Nepalese Sherpa called Temba Tsheri, who succeeded in May 2001 despite having lost five fingers to frostbite on a previous attempt.

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The Daily Telegraph

January 12, 2009 12:01am

"She tried to mother the child because she felt sorry for them," her lawyer Frederick McDermott said.

Prosecutors claim McCallum weaved her way into the boy’s life in late 2005 when she became a tutor for his younger brother.

But within months she was allegedly giving them vodka and rum - and sleeping with him in her house.

Police said McCallum ended the relationship in a fit of jealousy when she discovered the boy was using a mobile phone she bought him to text other girls.

The alleged affair was uncovered last week when a friend of the boy told his mother.

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By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jan 12, 1:40 am ET

TOKYO – Japanese are taking their noses global with a Web site that describes different odors around the world and pinpoints where they can be found on a map.

Launched in December, the "Nioi-bu," or Smell Club, has registered more than 160 scents around the world, ranging from "steam coming out of a rice cooker" to "used socks in the summer," and pinpointed their locations on a Google map.

Nearly 200 members, called "smellists," have joined the Japanese-language only site, said Kayo Matsubara, spokeswoman of its operator, KAYAC Inc.

Users can either click on a balloon on the world map on the Web site, or use an index to find each scent if they're not yet on the map.

Some of what they report: "A toasty odor of cow dung" in Fujisawa City, just southwest of Tokyo. In Kamakura, eastern Japan, "cats with halitosis" were suspected to be roaming about.

"All that is missing on the web is a smelling function," Matsubara said. "That's our next challenge."

Not all reports are of stenches, with others including mouth-watering dishes, fresh laundry, greenery and scented soap. From Paris, there is a "scent of verbena soap near a monastery," and from Thailand's ancient capital Ayuthaya, a mix of "incense, grass, dirt and wild dogs."

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By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:56 AM on 12th January 2009

A toy helicopter is believed to have been used in an attempt to smuggle drugs into a prison.

Guards at Elmley Prison in Sheerness, Kent, spotted the remote control miniature aircraft flying over the walls of the jail and heading for the accommodation blocks one night after it was picked up by CCTV cameras.

It had a small load beneath the fuselage, thought to contain drugs.

The toy or its cargo was not found.

 

Night flight: A toy helicopter was spotted flying over the walls of a jail with its fuselage thought to contain drugs

However, staff could not find any trace of either the helicopter or the package which it appeared to be carrying underneath it when they searched the Category C jail.

'Using a mini-helicopter to get contraband into jails is unprecedented. When officers spotted it they nearly fell off their chairs', a prison source told the Sun.

'It could have been drugs or a mobile phone in the package. It is possible it was a dummy run.'

 

Target: The remote control toy helicopter was spotted heading for the accommodation blocks at Elmley Prison

The Prison Service confirmed the incident took place.

A spokesman said: 'A remote control helicopter was flown into the grounds of HMP Elmley on December 23.

'As a result of this, a search of the prison grounds and an accommodation block were carried out and nothing was found.'

Daring raid: An aerial view of the prison grounds where the toy was flown in last month

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Mon Jan 12, 12:25 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – A 107-year-old Chinese woman who was afraid to marry when she was young has decided to look for her first husband and hopes to find a fellow centenarian so they will have something to talk about, a Chinese paper reported.

Wang Guiying is worried she is becoming a burden to her ageing nieces and nephews since breaking her leg when she was 102 and had to stop doing chores like washing her clothes.

"I'm already 107 and I still haven't got married," the Chongqing Commercial Times quoted her saying. "What will happen if I don't hurry up and find a husband?"

Born in southern Guizhou province the child of a salt merchant, Wang grew up watching her uncles and other men scold and beat their wives and often found her aunt crying in the woodshed after an attack, the paper said.

"All the married people around there lived like that. Getting married was too frightening," she said of an era when Chinese women had few rights and low social standing.

Many also had their feet bound in an excruciating process aimed at making them look more dainty and marriageable.

After Wang's father, mother and older sister died, she still shied away from marriage. Instead she moved to the countryside and survived as a farmer until she was 74 years old and no longer strong enough to work in the fields, the report said.

Her nephew in the booming city of Chongqing then took Wang in, but she is worried he and her other nephews and nieces are too old to take care of her now even the youngest is 60.

"My nephews and nieces are getting older and their children are already tied up with their own families and I am becoming more and more of a burden," she said.

Local officials have said they are happy to help Wang search for a 100-year old groom, and suggested her family get in touch with old people's homes to find candidates, the paper said.

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By Nigel Blundell

Last updated at 7:46 AM on 12th January 2009

For most dogs, it would be temptation beyond endurance.

But for Yoko the labrador, being teased by a cat is all in a day's work.

Sixteen-month-old Yoko is a pupil at the Guide Dogs charity's training school, where Leo the tabby is a key member of staff.

1) No pussyfooting: Leo makes paw contact

Either Leo or his sister Nina is placed in a dog's way to see if it will be distracted or, even worse, try to chase its tormentor up a tree.

If, as in Yoko's case, there is no reaction, then the pupil will pass with flying colours. An aggressive response suggests that the dog will not make the grade because it could not be trusted not to abandon its owner.

Leo and Nina arrived as kittens eight years ago at the school in Woodford Green, Essex.

2) High-tailing it: He walks disdainfully past

'Our trainers walk the dogs past Leo and Nina wherever they happen to be at the time,' said Carolyn Kirkpatrick, who cares for 30 of the school's 100 dogs.

'Both cats just get on with it and are good at taking it all in their stride. Nothing seems to faze them - they are very robust.'

Yoko, one of around 1,200 would-be guide dogs born annually in the UK, spent her first year with a volunteer puppy walker who introduced her to the sights, sounds and smells of the world.

After an 18-week course at Woodford Green, she will be sent for final training and introduction to her new owner.

3) Eye to eye: He challenges Yoko to react

The cats presence is now an important part of the training, testing the dogs for ‘cat distraction’ weaknesses – thereby ensuring that, once fully qualified, the dogs will not be tempted to abandon their blind owners for the thrill of the chase.

”Our trainers walk the dogs past Leo and Nina wherever the pair happen to be at the time. Both cats just get on with it and are good at taking it all in their stride. Nothing seems to faze them; they are very robust.“

When not testing a dog’s patience to the limit, the cats spend most of their days lazing in the staff room or laundry.

4) It's a rollover: Leo lies down on the job

For the hard-working dogs, their encounters with the cats must at first seem an infuriating insult to a pooch’s pride. But most soon learn that cat chasing is simply not on if they have the important job of leading a blind or partially-sighted person.

Yoko is among the school’s top students. One of around 1,200 would-be guide dog pups born (nationwide) annually, she spent her first year with a volunteer puppy walker who introduced her to the sights, sounds and smells of the world.

Having learned the basics, she was brought to the Woodford Green school last November for her 18-week course, after which she’ll be sent for final training and introduction to her blind or visually impaired new owner.

”She is one of our prize pupils,“ says Carolyn. ”She has the cutest face but is is really intelligent and self-controlled.“

And her view of cats? Silly little things. No discipline. Just not our sort, m’dear!

5) Congratulations, you passed: Despite all Leo's efforts, Yoko failed to react

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

CHICAGO —  A 4-year-old boy in Chicago has died after he was mauled by his family's Rottweiler.

Chicago Fire Department spokeswoman Eve Rodriguez says the boy was found Sunday afternoon in the backyard of his home in the city's Southwest Side. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, but died from his wounds by the time he arrived.

She says the boy's family has more than one dog and that the Rottweiler has been taken away by the Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control. It was not immediately known what would happen to the animal.

Chicago Police Department spokeswoman.

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By Ray Massey

Last updated at 8:50 PM on 11th January 2009

It's long been the fantasy of every motorist stuck in a never - ending traffic jam  -  a flying car.

Well, the good news is that one is scheduled to take to the skies next month.

The bad news for commuters is that it needs 1,700ft of uncluttered road before it can take off. And it costs £132,000.

 

The Terrafugia Transition will undergo its first test flight next month

Undeterred, the craft's inventors, who include former Nasa engineers, say it could finally be the breakthrough of a long-held dream  -  instant travel by air.

Said to be the first flying car with wings that fold up automatically at the push of a button, the Terrafugia Transition should be equally at home in the sky or on the road.

It can switch from being a two-seater road car to a plane in only 15 seconds.

If the vehicle survives its first test flight, it is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months' time.

Its maker says it is easy to keep and run because it uses normal unleaded fuel and will fit into a garage.

How the flying car shapes up

Carl Dietrich, who runs Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, said: 'This is the first really integrated design where the wings fold up automatically and all the parts are in one vehicle.'

An earlier flying car  -  the Aerocar of the 1950s, which is still flying today and featured recently on James May's programme Big Ideas  -  requires the wings to be removed and stowed separately when not flying.

The new Transition is powered by the same 100 brake horsepower engine  -  about the same power as a Ford Fiesta  -  on the ground and in the air.

Terrafugia claims it will be able to fly up to 500 miles on a single tank of petrol at a cruising speed of 115mph.

Up to now, however, it has been tested only on roads at up to 90mph.

The vehicle uses normal unleaded fuel and will fit into a garage

Mr Dietrich said he had already received 40 orders, despite the £132,000 price tag, the same as a Bentley or Ferrari.

He said: 'For an airplane that's very reasonable, but for a car that's very much at the high end.'

There are still one or two drawbacks to an idea which has already suffered many false dawns. For example, owners may find it difficult to get insurance.

And finding somewhere to take off may not be straightforward if the driver is away from an airport.

The only place in the U.S. in which it is legal to take off from a road is Alaska. And as well as your driving licence, you will need your pilot's licence.

 

The flying car could be available in showrooms in 18 months' time

But Mr Dietrich is optimistic that his flying car has a future.

'In the long term we have the potential to make air travel practical for individuals at a price that would meet or beat driving, with huge time savings,' he said.

A flying car  -  fictional rather than real  -  featured in the 1970s James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun when the villain Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee, used one to escape Roger Moore's 007.

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska  —  A convicted sex offender won a $500,000 Alaska raffle that was a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization that helps victims of sexual abuse.

Alec Ahsoak of Anchorage, 53, came forward Saturday to collect his prize.

The state sex offender registry lists Ahsoak as convicted of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in 1993 and one count in 2000.

The raffle drawing was Friday night.

State law says all games of chance must benefit a charity. The designated beneficiary for the half-million dollar raffle was Standing Together Against Rape, or STAR.

Ahsoak says he plans to use the money to buy a home and to improve his life. He tells KTUU-TV he will donate $100,000 to STAR.

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By Arthur Martin

Last updated at 9:12 AM on 12th January 2009

 

A Ukrainian-born bride advertised for wedding guests on the internet after most of her friends and family were unable to attend her nuptials in London

As most brides will confirm, an integral part of their special day is having family and close friends in the congregation to witness the union.

But sadly, one bride-to-be faces the prospect of walking past empty pews on her side of the church because most of her loved ones cannot make the trip from her home town in the Ukraine to London.

Undeterred, the resourceful woman placed an advert on a popular website looking for 'decent' guests to act as replacement friends to avoid the embarrassment of empty seats.

In the advert, placed on Gumtree.com, the bride writes that she is looking for 30 people to sit with her in a 'large mixed wedding of about 150 people'.

In return for their services, she offers all volunteers a free meal at the reception after the wedding.

One of her new-found friends will even be asked to be the bridesmaid while others will be asked to be ushers.

The bride has, perhaps sensibly, chosen to keep her identity a secret and has not revealed the exact location or date of the wedding.

Her cautious approach will prevent hordes of unwanted and drunken gate-crashers from spoiling her wedding day as has happened when teenagers have advertised their house parties on Facebook, the social networking website.

Any potential guests who want to attend the wedding will have to send the bride a picture of themselves and a brief description of themselves, before the location is revealed.

On the advert, she writes: 'My partner has loads of family around to invite to the wedding.

'Unfortunately for me, my family are all in Ukraine so they all can't make it, only my mum and dad will be there.

'I need 30 decent people to represent me for the church wedding and you will get free reception tickets. This includes free meals and dance, it could be just a time for you to relax and have fun.

'To get a ticket please send a picture of yourself and tell me a bit about you. PS. I also need volunteers to be bridesmaid, groomsmen and ushers.'

The Gumtree website has traditionally been used to find a room or a job.

But more recently, it has successfully developed into a social networking site where people can make new friends or look for a date.

Its popularity has seen it become one of the top 20 mostly heavily used websites in the UK.

However, its success has also meant that the website has been the target of scammers around the world, particularly from Nigeria.

Some users claim their identities have been stolen by fraudsters.

Trisha Routledge, of Gumtree, said: 'For brides and grooms whose family live abroad, it must be tough not to have them there on the most special day of your life.

'It's great to see that they're finding other ways of filling the seats, whilst offering some lucky people the chance to go to a wedding for free - and you never know who you might meet.'

Once the couple tie the knot, the bride could be back on the Internet for an altogether different reason.

Psychologists believe that an increasing number of young brides are turning to marriage guidance websites to cope with post-nuptial depression.

The expectations of newlyweds are so high, and married life such a let-down after all the planning and excitement of the big day, that an increasing number of brides are suffering from bridal blues, according to recent research.

The study comes from California but experts believe the post-nuptial blues hits a similar proportion of Britain's 275,000 brides a year.

                       

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