You could count it on a single hand...

A six year old boy from China has undergone an operation to remove several of his fingers and toes; after starting with fifteen fingers and sixteen toes.

A gruelling five hour operation left Li Jinpeng with a normal set of digits.

Rehabilitation after the operation will take around a month.

Causes for the condition may have been a genetic mutation or problems during his mother's pregnancy.

Whatever did cause it, thank god this poor kid can get on with a normal life now....

Lie ins are good: FACT!

Finally, teens around the world have evidence that a cheeky lie in works wonders, after a school trialling later starts reduced absenteeism.

Tyneside school, Monkseaton High School, let 800 pupils start the school day at 10am instead of 9am.

They saw an eight percent reduction in general absences and twenty seven percent persistent absenteeism.

The trial suggested the students' mental and physical health was increased by a lie in.

So, next time your mum berates you for laziness, just inform her of Monkseaton High School!

Here (was) Lenny...

A Premier Inn advert, starring comedian Lenny Henry, has been banned from kid's television as it is too scary.

The advert parodies movie 'The Shining,' and features the comedian breaking down the door of his hotel room after a restless night of sleep.

After a 'world changing' eight complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority took the move to ban the advert on dedicated children's television.

Surely, young kids will not have nightmares over the scene. Most would have been unfamiliar with the parodied scene in the first place.

As ever though, a few serious people fail to see the funny side and spoil the light hearted nature of the advert. Who else is on Lenny's side?

Judge for yourselves on the Guardian's website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/24/asa-lenny-henry-premier-inn

Too Hot To Handle?

Kings of the curry, India, have come up with a novel way of fighting terrorists - with the world's hottest chilli.

The tiny 'bhut jolokia' chilli has been dubbed the hottest chilli in the world by Guiness and will now be used by the Indian military to smoke out enemies.

The weapon will be primarily used against terrorists hiding away from capture. The strong smell is the key, choking unfortunate victims.

Perhaps if the Indians had come up with this earlier, a certain Mr Bin Laden would have been powerless to evade capture!

Noisy sex couple just can't keep it down

The woman who has made news recently for her asbo for her noisy sex antics has been arrested yet again.

Caroline Cartwright, 49, received an ASBO after neighbours complained about her and her husband's over the top noisy sex and recieved a suspended sentence in January.

She is now heading to a bail hostel before a court hearing, which keeps her and her husband, Steve, apart.

Mrs Cartwright said: "They said they believed I had breached the Asbo again because two neighbours said they heard us. It was only 10 minutes, not like the two hour sessions we used to have."

One minute or twenty minutes, how silly do you have to be to breach an ASBO. It does not ban her from sex, just keep the noise down, will you?

Movies for plants - pot office hit?

Yes, you heard correctly. A New York artist has made a movie for plants; a significantly 'larger audience' than humans.

Seven pot plants have been watching a specially made travel documentary, 'Strange Skies,' in a New York art gallery as part of a piece by Jonathon Keats.

Keats' previous work included plant porn; footage of bees pollinating flowers and is now turning his attention to books for bacteria, in order to improve their quality of life.

Is this truly art, or pure madness? Intriguing perhaps, but art? No thanks.

Harrods Too Posh For Scouts?

London department store Harrods have caused controversy this week after refusing a proud bunch of scouts entry to the store - as they would not take off their woggles.

The scout group from Hampshire were told that their traditional uniforms were not allowed in store, a view which has since been retracted by Harrods.

The group, who were visiting the capital, would have been allowed to enter the store, on the premise that they took off their neckerchiefs and woggles.

This was clearly not an option for Scout Leader Paul Kosinski, who in an interview with the BBC showed a clear horror at the thought of removing his beloved uniform.

Harrods, who have been criticised in the past for refusing customers entry (notably tracksuit wearing football team, Shakhtar Donetsk) claimed to have no record of the scout's entry refusal but sent their unreserved apologies to the group after the BBC spoke to them.

So why did Harrods refuse a group of children with colourful ties entry? Surely the kids, in line with the teachings of the scout movement, were perfectly well behaved, angelic little darlings? Previously, large groups of people have been turned away but this was not the scouts' issue, even offering to split up into smaller groups. See, how accommodating!

Conversely, why didn't the scouts just do as they were asked? At the end of the day, we're only talking about a bit of coloured fabric and a tie fastener; and they could have bought a much nicer one inside...

Despite this, scout power should have won the battle. Whilst Harrods has a right to refuse customers entry, perhaps this should not be so stringently adhered to. I severly doubt the Harrods clientele would really mind a few scouts wandering about; they should be happy that the kids are actually happily wearing a uniform...

See how the girl's equivalent to scouts, the guides got on with Harrods back in 2008: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7559647.stm