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Woman wakes up in her coffin... hours before burial

(AGENCY)

On Christmas Eve the doctors signed her death certificate and sent her off to the funeral parlour.

From there she would have been taken to church for burial but for one significant fact. She wasn’t dead.

Workers preparing the body for interment noticed that the dead woman appeared still to be breathing and was twitching slightly, reports Daily Mail.

An alarm was raised and she was swiftly returned to the Brazilian hospital which had declared her deceased.

Doctors gave her emergency treatment while she was still in her coffin, and she remained clinging to life in intensive care, having missed her funeral scheduled on Christmas Day.
 
 
Assange signs $1.5 million book deal

(REUTERS)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in an interview published on Sunday he had signed deals for his autobiography worth more than one million pounds (1.2 million euros, 1.5 million dollars).

Assange told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the money would help him defend himself against allegations of sexual assault made by two women in Sweden.

"I don't want to write this book, but I have to," he said. "I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat."

The Australian said he would receive 800,000 dollars (600,000 euros) from Alfred A Knopf, his American publisher, and a British deal with Canongate is worth 325,000 pounds (380,000 euros, 500,000 dollars).

Money from other markets and serialisation is expected to raise the total to 1.1 million pounds, he said.

The latest project of Assange's whistleblower website is the gradual release of tens of thousands of US diplomatic cables.

Since this latest project began Assange, who is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to extradite him over the sex assault claims, has faced problems financing WikiLeaks.

Credit card companies Visa and MasterCard and the Internet payment firm PayPal have blocked donations to WikiLeaks, prompting Assange to label them "instruments of US foreign policy."

The Bank of America, the largest US bank, has also halted all transactions to WikiLeaks.

Washington has been infuriated by WikiLeaks as the site slowly releases the cache of around 250,000 secret US State Department cables. The US is believed to be considering how to indict Assange over the the huge leak.

Assange has been staying at a friend's country mansion in eastern England since his release from jail on December 16 on strict bail conditions that include reporting to police daily and wearing an electronic tag.

A court in London is due to hold a full hearing on the Swedish extradition request starting February 7
 
 
Sex clinic shuts as youngsters log on net

(AFP)

The clinic, which operated under the Shanghai International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital, was set up to provide free sex advice and condoms to people aged 15 to 24.

But youngsters said it was embarrassing to consult strangers even though they needed information on sex. They said they would turn to the internet for help, China Daily reported Saturday.

"The number of visitors was far below our expectations," Cen Shuyuan, an official at Shanghai Institute of Family Planning Technical Instruction was quoted as saying.

"On average, we received two or three calls each day. Only tens of teenagers, most of whom are about 18, have come to the hospital for advice over the past five years, though we arranged to open after school hours to make it easier for students," he said.

Zhou Bingqin, a 20 year-old university student, said: "If I have any sex problems, I definitely would not go to clinics for help, as it's embarrassing and unnecessary to talk about sex with strangers face to face."

"I think searching the Internet is much better, as it's convenient, informative and most importantly, private," she added.

According to a survey conducted by Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences, 32.4 percent of vocational high school students have had sex and 46.3 percent have never received any sex education.

Statistics showed that in the past five years, more than 3,500 young girls have had abortions in Shanghai.

"We Chinese tend to feel uneasy talking about sex because of our cultural background. So it's understandable that young people are not willing to go to the clinic for help," said Huang Hongji, director of Shanghai Youth Research Center.
 

Royals are accused of 'ostentatious cruelty' over their fur hats

(AGENCY)

Animal rights campaigners were furious because the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall wore fur hats on Christmas Day, reports Daily Mail.

The Russian-style hats they wore to attend a church service in ­Sandringham with other members of the Royal Family were made from fur from different types of fox, claimed experts.

Many fashion designers continue to use fur in their collections, and campaigners have expressed fears that it has come back into style. They have called on celebrities and members of the Royal Family to ‘set a good example’ by ­choosing not to wear animal pelts.
 
 
Drunk 'didn't know he was driving car'

(AGENCY)

A drunk-driver almost six times over the legal limit tipped police off after he tooted his horn and waved at officers as he drove past them, reports The Herald Sun.

The 30-year-old man later told police he didn’t know he was driving a car.

The police officers were only drawn to the car as it went past because the driver was tooting his horn and waving at them, claims the daily.

The driver was pulled over and blew .278 – almost six times the legal limit.

He had his licence suspended immediately and will face court at a later date.
 

Kate to be immortalised in wax at Madame Tussauds

(AP)

Kate Middleton might finally become a member of the Royal Family next April but she will have to wait a few months longer to join them in Madame Tussauds, reports Daily Mail.

The waxworks museum plans to arrange a sitting for Prince William’s new bride after their wedding next year.

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