Miracle kitten survives wash cycle

A curious kitten had an amazing escape after climbing into a washing machine and going through a full wash cycle.

Seven-month-old Siamese Suki was soaked, washed, rinsed and then spun dry after climbing in with a full load of dirty linen.

The first that owner Liz Fear knew of the cleaning catastrophe was when she reached in to pull out the newly washed clothing and discovered an unexpected fur ball.

Mrs Fear, of Melbourne, Australia, recalls: "I lifted her limp and lifeless body out and she was really cold and colourless and I held her in my arms."

The family - Mrs Fear, husband Tony and children Charlotte, 13, twins Harry and Amelia, 11, and James, 8 - had been watching TV when they noticed that Suki was missing.

"She's more like a dog and always under your feet. The kids had asked where she was," she added.

"But we just thought she was taking time out somewhere and - doing four loads of washing a day - I just closed the machine door after the kids had put their clothes in and didn't think any more about it."

When Suki was discovered after her washing machine ordeal she was rushed to the local vets where she was discovered to be severely ill.

But despite initial grim predictions she has amazingly pulled through and is now expected to make a full recovery.

Transformers still on top after 25 years

Transformers robots are still one of Britain's most popular toys after a quarter of a century despite a dramatic change in children's tastes, say retailers.

The 'Robots in Disguise' are as popular today as they were in 1985, industry figures show, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Experts from Toys R Us have disclosed the best-selling toys of the past 25 years as it celebrates a quarter of a century of trading.

And despite the way children's playtime habits have changed in that time, it seems youngsters still appreciate the wars between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Experts said the 2007 Hollywood film, starring Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel, helped keep the toys in the bestseller range.

"While technology is now more popular than ever before with children, customers who have been with us for the full 25 years will start to recognise some toys which are making a comeback," said Mike Coogan, the chain's marketing director.

"Back in the eighties all the kids wanted to own the Transformers robots, and while they died out during the nineties they are hugely popular once again due to the 2007 movie which was based on the original series."

Oxford Union in sex shop link up

A row has blown up after the prestigious Oxford Union debating society negotiated a discount with a local sex shop for its members.

Members can receive sex goods up to 10% cheaper at Adult World if they "flash" their membership card, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Officials said the scheme was one of several designed to ensure "best value" for members - but critics claimed it was "offensive" and "undermined" women's rights.

The Union, founded in 1823, is one of the university's most high-profile societies and has produced 12 British prime ministers.

Listed on the Union's website under the title "Treasurer's Treats", members are told they just "flash" their membership card to receive the discount.

"Your Union card just got a whole lot more valuable, with treats now available at 63 different businesses all over town," it read.

But one critic complained: "It's incongruous with the image of the Union, its prestigious history and the list of great and good who have spoken there.

"It is a sign of the times. Even a few years ago this wouldn't have happened, or, if it had, it would have kicked up a storm of debate."

Alistair Walker, a Union spokesman, defended the scheme. He said it was a "long-standing member's discount" deal with the sex shop. He said there were plans to expand the scheme.

"This is just one of the 63 current discounts the Union's current and former committee members have negotiated to ensure best value for its members," he said.

Wind could have parted Red Sea for Moses

Scientists say they have used computer simulations to show how the parting of the Red Sea could have been caused by strong winds.

The Bibles describes how the waters of the sea parted, allowing Moses and the Israelites to flee their Egyptian pursuers.

US scientists say their simulations show how the movement of wind could have opened up a land bridge at one location, reports the BBC.

The researchers say a strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have pushed water back at a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon.

With the water pushed back into both waterways, a land bridge would have opened at the bend, enabling people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety.

As soon as the wind died down, the waters would have rushed back in.

"The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," said the study's lead author Carl Drews, from the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in."

In the Book of Exodus, a mighty east wind blew all night, splitting the waters, after Moses and the fleeing Israelites became trapped between the Pharaoh's advancing chariots and the Red Sea.

The Israelites were able to flee to the other shore. But when the Egyptian Pharaoh's army attempted to pursue them in the morning, the waters rushed back and drowned the soldiers.