Health warning: laughter could leave you in stitches

It is said laughter is the best medicine, but research has shown a sudden fit of the giggles could be bad for health, leaving some people literally in stitches.

A study of the reported benefits and damage of laughter in patients from 1946 to the present day found a loud guffaw can causing heart rupture, torn gullets and incontinence.

Researchers from Birmingham and Oxford universities concluded laughter can have serious health implications.

One woman with racing heart syndrome collapsed and died after a period of intense laughter and laughing 'fit to burst' was found to cause possible heart rupture or a torn gullet.

A quick intake of breath during laughing was also discovered to often cause inhalation of foreign bodies and can also provoke asthma attacks.

Bursts of laughter were also proven to cause incontinence and trigger hernias.

However the review found that chuckling can also have a positive impact in health.

Laughter reduces arterial wall stiffness, which researchers suggest may relieve tension. And it lowered the risk of heartattack.

Hospital clowns improved lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 'genuine laughter' for a whole day could burn 2000 calories and lower the blood sugar in diabetics.

Laughter also enhanced fertility: 36 per cent of would-be mothers who were entertained by a clown after IVF and embryo transfer became pregnant compared with 20 per cent in the control group.

The researchers say that their review challenges the view that laughter can only be beneficial but do add that humour in any form carries a "low risk of harm and may be beneficial".

They conclude that it remains to be seen whether "sick jokes make you ill, dry wit causes dehydration or jokes in bad taste cause dysgeusia (distortion of sense of taste)".

“We categorised the effects as beneficial or harmful, a usually clear-cut distinction. Some effects, however, such as lowering the threshold for seduction, could not be unequivocally categorised,” said the authors.

“Some readers may ignore the benefits of laughter. That would be serious. Others may dismiss its harms. We call them the laughing cavalier.”

The findings were reported in the BMJ Christmas edition.

Karl Lagerfeld: I want to marry my cat

Designer Karl Lagerfeld has declared that he wants to marry his pet cat Choupette.

The eccentric creative director of Chanel said the one-year-old white Siamese cat was his most prized possession.

Choupette has its own staff, including three maids who are tasked with noting down everything the feline does while Largerfeld is away from their home in Paris so that he can check up on how his beloved pet is spending its time.

"There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals… I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat," Lagerfeld told CNN's Fashion Week: Backstage Pass.

When asked if the cat flies by private jet, Largerfeld said: "Yes, why not?"

Choupette is well known among fashion circles. As well as its own maids, the cat has 27,000 followers on Twitter. It has its own pillow and dines with Largefeld twice a day, eating food that has been specially prepared.

Female clubbers complain about two-way mirror in ladies

Complaints from female clubbers that a two-way mirror in the women’s lavatory of a Glasgow nightclub allows male guests to spy on them are being investigated by police and licensing officers.

The feature at The Shimmy Club apparently allows women to be watched while they are using a row of sinks.

The mirror, similar to those used by police when interviewing suspects, is between the lavatory and a function room rented to private parties at a cost of £800.

A spokesman for Glasgow Licensing Board said: "Complaints have been received about these premises and licensing standards officers are currently investigating." Police Scotland also confirmed that it was investigating.

Drew Smith, a Glasgow MSP, said he had written to the city council to ask if licensing provisions had been broken, adding: “I think most of us find the concept of a voyeur toilet disturbing. I would urge the management of this club to board it up and show their customers some respect.

“Women using a washroom should not have to worry about whether they are part of some kind of bizarre peep show."

The G1 Group, which runs the club, posted a message on its Facebook page stating that the mirror was a design feature created as “a bit of fun”.

It said: "The vast majority of people who have visited the club have taken it as such. Its clear that those who are negatively commenting online may not have been lucky enough to get past the door staff yet and viewed the area.

"There has always been signage in the toilets but as a result of media feedback clearer signage has been put in place.

"We are committed to listening to you guys who are our core customer base. So if your feedback is that you want the mirror area to change then we will listen."

One customer called Amy complained about the mirror after visiting the club to celebrate her birthday. She said she saw men in booths adjacent to the mirror “making gestures”.

She added: "Nowhere is it made clear that this is the case, so when visiting the bathroom for the first time, there are women bending over the sink, pouting into the mirror to redo their lipstick, adjusting themselves personally whilst unknowingly being watched by people on the other side.”

She received an email reply from the nightclub operator which said a small disclaimer was printed on the mirror to warn that two-way glass was fitted.

The response added: "Firstly can I apologise that you have been offended, this is 100 per cent not our intention at all. The mirror detail in the ladies' toilet was put in as a talking point, only the ladies at the sinks can be seen, there is another mirror behind the wall for people to use who don't like the one at the sinks.

"I can assure you that if there was any behaviour deemed sexist or immoral or anyone was leering or making inappropriate gestures we would remove them from the club, and if necessary call the police.

"There is a small disclaimer on the mirror, however I will also look at making that bigger. We also have a toilet attendant who advises the ladies about the mirror. To date you are the first complaint, everyone else so far has seen it as we intended, as a bit of fun.”

Australian fisherman spends night with crocodile below bunk

An Australian fisherman was so enraged with finding yet another crocodile on the end of his fishing line that he took the animal home and spent the night with it sleeping below his bunk bed.

Ashley Sala with the 2 metre crocodile that became tangled in his lines while fishing at Ninds Creek, Australia

Ashley Sala spent his birthday fishing at Ninds Creek, in the river mouth at Innisfail, 55 miles south of Cairns, when he thought he'd caught a fish.

"I threw my line out to catch a barra for my birthday and I ended up catching a croc," Mr Sala said.

"I thought I'd caught my one-metre barra. I was so happy, I was yahooing and carrying on.

"Twenty minutes later after fighting it I brought it to the surface and when the moon came out from behind the clouds I realised it was a croc tangled up in my fishing line."

Mr Sala realised the crocodile – which he was "starting to feel sorry for" – would almost certainly drown if the line wasn't untangled. And so, maddened at the frequency with which the crocodiles were stealing his bait, he picked up the reptile, taped its jaws together, and drove it to the house of his local councillor to complain about the crocodile population.

The only problem was that the councillor, Mark Nolan, also in charge of the county's crocodiles, was asleep.

"I went around to Mark Nolan's house because I know where he lives," Mr Sala said. "I was a bit hyped up and shouldn't have been there trying to wake him up but I was sick of going fishing and having this problem with crocodiles."

So the fisherman then decided to take the crocodile home for the night until it could be taken to a wildlife park. His unimpressed girlfriend made the pair sleep in an empty "donga" – cabin – at his family's caravan park.

"I sat on the top bunk and had a few birthday beers by myself and watched the croc on the floor until I fell asleep," he explained.

His councillor later praised Mr Sala's care of the animal, comparing him favourably to Crocodile Dundee actor Paul Hogan.

"Paul Hogan's got nothing on Ashley Sala," he said. "Paul Hogan never slept with a saltie. Ashley has, and I witnessed it.

"So I give Ashley a 10 out of 10 for the way he cared for the reptile during the night and now it's been relocated and it's safely back in a crocodile farm."

Metal body parts recycled after cremation

Metal body parts are being recycled into road signs, lamp posts, car parts and aircraft engines after people are cremated.

The metal parts of hip replacements, like those pictured, are amongst the parts collected and recycled after a person is cremated 

The project has raised almost £1million for charity since it began in Britain in 2004.

Steel hips, plates and screws from legs and skulls are collected after a person is cremated and sent off for recycling.

Even metal plates from false teeth and tiny fragments from fillings can be recovered and re-used, together with metal fittings on coffins.

High value metals which survive the 1000-degree cremation are then sold for use in the automobile and aeronautical industries.

They include cobalt and titanium, found in some implants and dental work. Cobalt is used in aircraft engines.

But other less valuable metals are smelted down and sold for more general use - including road signs, motorway barriers and lamp posts.

The salvaged metal from cremations is put in large wheelie bins and collected by contractors who take it to specialist plants for recycling.

The Dutch company behind the recycling says around half Britain's 260 crematoriums have signed up to the scheme which is generating 75 tonnes of metal a year.

Relatives are asked if they want to keep metal parts of loved ones before cremations by the centres taking part in the scheme.

The vast majority say they have no need for them and sign a consent form agreeing to the recycling.

When the cremation is over the ashes and other remaining items go into a compartment in the cremator and then into a special cremulator machine which separates any metal from remaining pieces of bone.

One of the crematoriums in the scheme is at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset which has an average of four-five services a day.

Around one large bin a month is filled with the unwanted metal body parts for recycling.

The crematorium at Haycombe in nearby Bath has around 2,000 cremations a year and also recycles unwanted metal body parts.

A spokesman for the council-owned crematorium said: "We subscribe to a not-for-profit recycling scheme for all metals recovered from the cremation process.

"Applicants may opt to retain the metals but they must take them away and they cannot be returned afterwards."

The recycling schemes are governed by strict criteria set down by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.

Bristol City Council, which operates two cemeteries, is considering joining the scheme.

Currently metal body parts are buried in the grounds of the crematoriums, but new legislation means this will no longer be possible.

Ruud Verberne, owner of OrthoMetals, the Dutch company behind the recycling, said: "Metals reclaimed from cremations are being increasingly re-used.

"High value metals such as cobalt go into the aircraft or automotive industries.

"Others are sold to smelters and foundries and it is possible that they end up as roadsigns or motorway barriers - there's no way of knowing.

"What is important is that the metals are being recycled, and this is a growing business both in Britain and elsewhere in Europe."

Men take six months to do 'little jobs' around house

The typical man takes six months to get around to all the 'little jobs' in the house, new research has revealed.

A study found a lack of time, knowledge or enthusiasm is often the reason for the failure to carry out tasks such as repairing squeaky floorboards, replacing light bulbs, and hanging pictures.

Other jobs which regularly wait six months or more include cleaning stained carpets, touching up paint and mending leaking taps.

A spokeswoman for Homebase, which commissioned the study among 2,000 homeowners, said: "We all have 'little jobs' that we put off around our homes.

"These can appear quite daunting and overtime could lead to more serious problems.

"Knowing how to tackle them is key to staying on top of things, and can mean they take little time and effort to put right.

"It's understandable that many people are unsure how to fix certain little problems that crop up in the home and the best way to build your confidence is to seek advice and practice.

"The potential cost of a project can put property owners off too, but fixing problems early mean they won't cost as much as many of us would expect."

Researchers also found 41 per cent of Brits put off their home improvement tasks because they don't know how to do them.

British homeowners have confessed to not knowing how to do some of the smallest jobs around the house.

Mending a squeaky floorboard, a dripping tap or exposed wires leave many of us scratching their heads.

Fixing a broken TV aerial, broken window panes are also thought of as 'difficult' while cracked tiles have one in ten people searching for help.

The cost of a job can also leave Brits cowering, as homeowners are looking at spending around £244 to complete all the little jobs which currently need addressing.

It also emerged in the past 12 months, the average household has already spent £190 on home improvements.

Despite all the tedious tasks waiting to be completed, 46 per cent of people said their house was still 'home sweet home'.

Four in ten said they would describe their home as tidy but tired.

Five-year-old girl who can solve Rubik's Cube in just 100 seconds

An amazing five-year-old girl can make solving a Rubik's Cube look like child's play by completing it in just one minute and 40 seconds.

Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions. 

Bright spark Summer Razaq only picked up the 3D colour-matching puzzle at a family party six months ago.

The talented child, from Rotherham, was able to complete a cube in under five minutes before she turned five in October.

Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions.

Dad Kamran, 33, said: "She just picked up a Rubik's Cube at a party. She couldn't really do it at first, but soon got the hang of it.

"The cubes can be quite expensive, but we've bought her one or two more. It's amazing to see how quickly she can do it now."

Summer, who has siblings Zakir, three and Fahim, one, also enjoys jigsaw puzzles and is now learning a 4x4x4 cube.

She said: "It's fun. I like to sit in the treehouse in the garden at home and do it. I can finish faster now than when I first started."

Mum Nasreen, 29, said: "We're very proud of her. She picked it up so quickly."

The Rubik's Cube was invented in Hungary in 1974 and went on to become the world's best-selling toy.

Kamran, a charity worker, said: "Solving it is all to do with algorithms depending where all the colours are on the sides.

"I don't play chess, but I imagine it's the same as that. You have to think three or four steps ahead all the time.

"You've got to have the patience for it too.

"We're looking at the World Cube Association website at the moment. There's a girl in Bristol who can do it in about the same time but she's seven years old.

"It would be nice to see Summer go along the next time there's an event nearby and see how she gets on."

"We've bought all the books, like ones by Carol Vorderman and study at home. We just find the time.

"Summer's really good with her times tables. We're hoping there's a place back at school for her this September."

British couples row twice a week about the mess in their homes, study finds

A staggering 2.4 million couples row twice a week about who should tidy up with arguments becoming so heated it affects their sex lives and causes some to break up.

The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess

Two thirds of women have refused to have sex when distracted by clothes that need to be folded, hung up or put away.

The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess.

Women's biggest complaint was revealed to be their man leaving piles of clothes on the floor, with 36 per cent irritated by this.

Unfortunately for them, 18 per cent of men still believe it is their partner's job to clean the house, with just 5 per cent taking responsibility themselves.

This slack attitude just increases domestic friction, the study by furnishing store Ikea found.

As a result one in six women - 16 per cent - resort to shouting at their boyfriend or husband to get him to tidy up.

And 10 per cent bribe their man with the promise of an "early night" if they keep the house tidy.

But a third concede it is less of a hassle to tidy up themselves than continually nag.

Partners are most likely to row about the amount of cosmetics and clothing their other half owns, and where they leave it.

A fifth of men (18 per cent) complain their girlfriend has too many beauty products, and 17 per cent say they own too many shoes.

A third (31 per cent) believe their partner simply has "too much stuff".

Furthermore, 13 per cent of women say they would break up with a man if he refused to change his messy habits.

Others find cunning ways of dealing with clutter, sneakily throwing it out or hiding it, the study found.

A third of Brits (29 per cent) have intentionally thrown out items belonging to their partner in a bid to free up space, and then claimed it was a "mistake".

And half (47 per cent) remove clutter from communal areas and hide it in their bedroom when expecting guests, because "no one will go in there".

One in seven women, 15 per cent, say the most stressful thing about moving in with a partner is having to share wardrobe space.

Unlike women, just a quarter of men (23 per cent) say they have turned down a night of passion because their partner's bedroom was too messy.

Graphic designer Rachel Hughes, 34, from Portsmouth, Hants, said: "I argue with my boyfriend every week about the state he leaves our house in.

"He seems to think it is acceptable to leave his dirty clothes in a pile at the end of the bed, but then moans about my shoes 'littering' the wardrobe.

"I do nag him to try and get him to pull his weight but I eventually end up cleaning by myself anyway. It is easier than continually nagging him."

Gemma Arranz, from Ikea, said: "People have very different ideas about what 'tidy' means, but it is still remarkable how many couples argue several times a week about mess and clutter in their homes.

"Our findings show stereotypes continue to ring true, with men annoying their partner by leaving piles of clothes in the bedroom, while women have too many shoes and cosmetics.

"It is sad some argue so much it affects their love lives or may even lead to them splitting up, when simple storage solutions could help them live happily."

TV psychotherapist Stelios Kiosses said: "The results highlight that some men aren't pulling their weight when it comes to keeping a tidy home.

"For women, a house left in a mess symbolises that her partner doesn't care about how she feels.

"Women tend to express this by increasing the amount they complain, but men misinterpret this and tend to take it as a remark meant to make them feel incompetent.

"Mess then becomes a barrier between the couple, creating feelings of resentment.

"Few couples realise the importance of dealing with it until it is way out of control.

"Piles of stuff in every room may affect the couples ability to think clearly, relax, and enjoy their living space so it's important to have storage space for every item to prevent more pile-ups."

Britain's worst driver fails record 107 test attempts

Britain's worst driver has failed a record 107 attempts at the car theory test and is still yet to pass.

The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions

The hapless unnamed 28-year old, from London, has so far spent £3,317 trying to pass the theory test, at a cost of £31 each.

The test includes a 57-minute multiple choice exam which 43 out of 50 questions must be answered correctly and a hazard perception test which requires a pass mark of 44 out of 75. Motorists must pass both parts before they can sit their practical test.

A 40-year old determined candidate logged a record number of practical driving tests - passing on his 37th attempt. The unnamed man from the area of Stoke on Trent forked out at least £2,294 trying to pass, which could have bought him a reasonable second hand car.

The practical test costs £62 for a test on a weekday or £75 for a test on an evening, weekend or bank holiday.

The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions and know the Highway Code.

An AA Driving School spokesperson said: "This is clearly an unusually high number of test attempts, but it is important to remember that everyone learns at their own pace.

"Their determination to pass highlights how important learning to drive is to most people.

"It is a milestone that many people aspire to achieving because of the freedom and independence it brings."

Drunk man 'tried to have sex with an ambulance'

A 25-year-old drunken man tried to have sex with an ambulance, a court heard.

Callum Ward was seen 'simulating a sex act' on the bonnet of the ambulance

Callum Ward, 25, was seen "pressing" himself against the emergency vehicle before "simulating a sex act" on the bonnet.

Official police logs show an officer who saw him stated: "It looks as though he is attempting to make love to the front of the ambulance".

Ward was drunk and had taken cannabis and amphetamine and was "in relatively high spirits" before the incident in November in Barnstaple, Devon.

He was first spotted setting fire to a packet of peanuts inside a phone box before mounting the ambulance, Barnstaple Magistrates Court was told.

He was found guilty of being drunk and disorderly and in possession of Class B drugs.

He was sentenced to a community order with a supervision requirement for six months and ordered to pay £60.

Ward, of Barnstaple, told the court: "I did start using drugs and drinking. I have seen the error of my ways with that."

In 2007, Robert Stewart, of Ayr, Scotland, was placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.

Giant rabbit scares burglar out of family home

A petrified burglar fled a family home in the middle of the night - after coming face-to-face with their giant pet rabbit.

Toby the rabbit 

Kimberley May, her fiance Martin, and their three-year-old daughter Olivia were all sound asleep when the thief broke into their house.

But as the raider rifled through cupboards the noise woke up Toby the family's British Giant bunny in his kitchen cage.

The 4.5kg, two-feet long pet began stomping so loudly on the floor that the intruder was caught on the hop and left.

Kimberley said: "We went to bed on Wednesday at about 10pm. In the early hours of the morning Toby our rabbit did five loud thumps.

"I sort of half woke up then realised he'd stopped and went back to sleep.

"When I went downstairs every single cupboard and drawer were open, there were bits out everywhere, then we started noticing things were missing and we phoned the police."

Kimberley, a nurse, is convinced that two year-old Toby's thumping scared the thief off from their house in Plymouth, Devon.

She found a hoard of items left piled up on the sofa which she thinks the burglar was preparing to take but left behind.

She added: "Because of Christmas and my birthday just gone, I had loads of gift sets and perfumes that they'd laid out across the sofa.

"We think that when the rabbit thumped it scared the burglar off and they left all the stuff they were going to take.

"He's like a little dog, if you whistle him he comes.

"The rabbit was just traumatised in his cage, shaking. He's usually really friendly but he tried to go for the policeman."

The crook still managed to get away with other valuables including a treasured First World War medal that belonged to Kimberley's great-grandad.

Kimberley added: "They managed to take a laptop, an iPad and my handbag with my purse and everything in, but the worse thing was my great granddad's medal.

"My gran actually died in 2007, she lived in a council house all her life, hardly had any possessions That was the one thing important thing she had.

"They also took a box which had all our wedding invitations and favours in it, as well as paperwork which I was due to give to the church and reception venue."

Detective Constable Nick Bloom said: "We believe the family was burgled between 10.30pm on Wednesday February 6 and 7am on Thursday February 7.

"The police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward."

Toby still has some way to go before he is fully grown - British Giant rabbits can reach up to 5.9 kg.

Owner Kimberley, 30, said monster bunny Toby was so big he lives in a cage built for a Labrador.

Kimberley and online salesman partner Martin, 33, got their prized pet from an animal adoption centre who took him in an unwanted pet.

She said: "He's playful, really friendly, and he doesn't mind my three-year-old crawling all over him. He's like a small dog really.

"He has the run of the house and at night he goes in a dog's crate. It's a Labrador-sized cage.

"When he thumps on the floor its incredibly loud - you can hear it echoing around the house."

On the night of the burglary Toby stomped his five-inch long feet so loudly on the plastic floor of his crate that he managed to wake Kimberley up.

She said: "The rabbit had obviously seen the burglar when he went into the kitchen.

"I heard him thump five times on the bottom of his cage and I woke up, sat up, then turned over and went back to sleep.

"As I've done that the bed springs have made a loud creaking sound, so the guy has probably heard movement and made a run for it."

Although the thief managed to take some valuables Kimberley fears the break-in could have been even worse had it not been for Toby.

She added: "If he hadn't been scared off he could have come upstairs looking for things. My daughter was asleep up there - it could have been really dangerous.

"Toby has done the job of a guard dog. We're so proud of him we've rewarded him with a new tunnel to play with.

"It's a cat's tunnel obviously because he needs a big one."

Richard Clayderman serenades Galapagos tortoises with Chariots of Fire rendition

A pair of Galapagos tortoises at London Zoo were serenaded with a rendition of Chariots of Fire by pianist Richard Clayderman today, in a bid to get the slow-moving reptiles in a mood to mate.

The music – from the French musician's latest album Romantique – appeared lost on the slow-moving giants who didn't appear particularly impressed.

Clayderman played his hit Ballade pour Adeline and a rousing rendition of Chariots of Fire – however neither hit did anything to lift their spirits.

They only seemed to perk up when zookeepers brought them some carrots.

Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world and can live for over 150 years. But the gentle animals have struggled to fend off predators and are now under threat.

Clayderman said that his golden retriever loved to lie by the piano when he was playing, "so maybe it's good for the animals to listen to music."

Maybe. But it's possible tortoises just don't appreciate what Clayderman has described as his "New Romantic" style.

Clayderman himself seemed a bit bemused by his record company's launch stunt.

"After playing all around the world – I used to do concerts in Asia, in South America, in Europe – it's funny to be here, in this very nice zoo," he said.

Chinese millionaire street sweeper refuses to give up work

A Chinese millionaire has refused to give up her day job as a street sweeper for fear of losing her work ethic and worrying over her lazy children.

Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years 

After nearly four decades of hard labour as a farmer, cook, lorry driver and street sweeper, a sudden million pound windfall might tempt sweet thought of retirement.

But 53-year-old Yu Youzhen has a rather more unbending work ethic.

Five years ago, her family land in Donghu village, near the city of Wuhan, was bought by the government for a property development.

She used the compensation money to being building a property empire which now includes 17 apartments worth some 10 million yuan (£1 million), according to the Wuhan Evening News.

Nevertheless, six days a week Mrs Yu dons an orange coat and goes to work as a street sweeper, earning a monthly wage of £142.

"Work is not just about the salary, it makes one focused. Laziness gives rise to all sorts of bad habits," she said, to the Chinese newspaper.

The head of her cleaning team, Fu Guoju, noted that Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years in order to attend the funerals of her mother-in-law and father.

Mrs Yu's dogged attachment to her orange jacket appears to stem partly from habit and partly from a nagging worry over her feckless children.

Her 33-year-old son, Liang, has had a chequered career, working selling lottery tickets for a while and spending long spells at home, lounging on the sofa.

"I want to be a role model for my children," said Mrs Yu. "I do not want to sit around idly and eat up my fortune".

"My son once stayed at home for two months, and I kept scolding him during that time. Now he is doing pretty well. He said to me later I was right. I was worried he would hang out with bad people and ruin our family."

Her son is currently working as a driver in her home village for £120 a month while her daughter mans the kiosk at a cinema for £200 a month.

Since the Chinese newspapers revealed Mrs Yu's work ethic she has become a minor celebrity. The Communist party's propaganda machine has also been quick to pounce on her as an example of a model worker.

"Starting from loving labour and living a meaningful life to make her feel at ease, Yu Youzhen gives us a good starting point," said the state-run Beijing News in an editorial.

Boy burned as BlackBerry phone 'bursts into flames'

A schoolboy suffered serious burns after a BlackBerry smartphone appeared to burst into flames in the middle of the night and set fire to his bed.

 

Kian McCreath with his duvet that was set on fire by the exploding phone 

Kian McCreath, 11, fled from his bedroom screaming "my bed is on fire" after flames engulfed him while he slept last weekend.

His mother Sarah, 39, awoke to her son’s screams after the new BlackBerry device, bought as a gift for his brother, Mason, malfunctioned and spontaneously combusted.

The youngster was rushed to University Hospital Coventry with serious burns to his legs and feet after plastic stuck to his skin. He has been left permanently scarred.

The year 7 pupil said tonight: "It was really scary. I woke up with my legs in a fire at the bottom of my bed. I'm also having problems sleeping at night."

The family is now demanding the popular BlackBerry Curve 9320 mobile is recalled from shops in time for Christmas.

Tonight, local trading standards officials were investigating the incident, which occurred just after 2.30am last Sunday at the family’s home in Coventry, West Mids.

Research in Motion, the manufacturers behind BlackBerry, also confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched as “a priority”.

Kian’s father, Pete, a 39 year-old carpenter, bought the £13 a month mobile phone for his eldest son as a 13th birthday present, from a Vodafone shop in Birmingham.

No problems were reported for about a week. Mrs McCreath had placed the charging phone in the boy’s bedroom because it is used as an alarm just a few hours before it blew up.

She said that after going to sleep, she heard a loud “pop” sound, before he son started “screaming at the top of his voice, shouting ‘my bed's on fire’”.

They dashed into his room, to find the bottom of his duvet and mattress alight as Mrs McCreath frantically smothered the fire using a quilt.

Kian was immediately put in the bath to cool the burns before being rushed to hospital. Mrs McCreath, an administrative assistant, said her son has been left traumatised by the incident.

She said: “It was just horrific. He was in a lot of pain as his feet had pretty much been engulfed in flames.

"I ran into the room and started battering the flames with his brother's quilt to put them out.

"The bed was charred and the phone itself was just a blackened shell. It could have easily been much worse if he hadn't have woken up.”

She added: "If I had left the phone on the landing, the whole house could have gone up. You just don't expect this to happen with a mobile phone.

"You wouldn't think something so small could do so much damage – my son could quite easily have died. It sends a shudder down my spine to think what could have happened. “

"He hasn't been able to use his own mobile phone since and is having trouble sleeping. He is going to be scarred for life as well.”

She warned that thousands of children will be receiving the phones as Christmas gifts, so “parents need to be aware of the dangers before somebody dies”.

Mr McCreath added: "If Sarah hadn't acted so quickly that room could have gone up in flames within minutes.

"It was just lucky she got there so quickly. I'm shaking just talking about it.

"The phone... needs to be tested. A lot of kids are raving about that Blackberry phone right now. My main concern is for the safety of other kids.”

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council's trading standards office said: "We have received a complaint and we are going to investigate the matter."

The family have since contacted Trading Standards, who have urged them to keep the mobile as evidence, while McCreath has held a video conference with RIM officials over his concerns.

A spokesman from Research in Motion said: "We take claims of this nature very seriously and are investigating this matter as a priority." She declined to comment further.

Blackberry devices were the biggest selling smartphones in Britain last year.

Music graduate gets job as human scarecrow

A student who graduated university with a degree in music and English is putting his skills to good use in a Norfolk field, after being employed as a human scarecrow.

Jamie Fox will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges

Jamie Fox, 22, who recently graduated from Bangor University, will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges.

While his fellow students may be pulling pints, going travelling or desperately seeking their first professional role, Mr Fox will earn £250 a week patrolling the ten-acre field.

Wearing a bright orange coat, he will play the musical instruments in a bid to finally scare off the hardy birds, which were unperturbed by ordinary scarecrows.

His employer, a farmer from Aylsham, Norfolk, even warned him to “bring a deckchair and a good book” for his days in the oilseed rape field, where he will also practice his ukulele in the hopes of getting a full-time job in music.

Mr Fox, who says his friends are “slightly envious” of his role, is now saving to pay for a trip to New Zealand next year.

"I get to sit and read for a lot of the time but whenever I see the partridges, I have to get up and scare them off," he told the BBC.

“I ring a cowbell and I've even played the accordion, but the ukulele doesn't seem to have any effect on them.

"The farmer said to me, 'Bring a deckchair and a good book'. A couple of my friends in busier, more generously-paid jobs, are slightly envious.”

Farmer William Youngs said he resorted to his human scarecrow after partridges were not put off by more ordinary methods of frightening them away.

"The only way to get rid of them is to walk down the field and push them off," he said. "Jamie's doing a good job. You can really see the difference."