Best of web: Spider with a human face...

 

 

UK: This lichen crab spider with a human "face" on its back has been found in the UK – for only the 41st time in 120 years.

 

The creature, which grows to the size of a 20p piece, was discovered at an RSPB reserve in Arne, near Wareham, Dorset, reports The Sun.

 

Site worker Mark Singleton said: "If this were a bird then queues would be stretching around the car park.

 

"But it's not, it's a spider with a slightly amusing abdomen." 

 

 

 

 

CHINA: A Chinese man died after internet gaming for three days straight, the Beijing Times reported.

 

The unnamed man, in his thirties, had not slept, had hardly eaten and had barely moved from his computer when he collapsed and slipped into a coma Monday evening at an internet cafe outside Beijing.

 

The man, who had reportedly spent more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500) on internet gaming over the past month, was rushed to a nearby clinic but was pronounced dead a short time later.

 

Police removed several computers from the cafe for investigation but have ruled out homicide and were examining specific causes of death.

 

The incident highlights China's increasing number of internet addicts, which according to researchers has risen to more than 30 million. 

 

 

 

 

AUSTRALIA: Two women who were allegedly made redundant by their employer Virgin Blue because they were pregnant are now suing the airline.

 

Both women had their positions in the public affairs department terminated in the same week, one of whom was four months pregnant at the time, The Daily Telegraph reported.

 

The two women, who had 16 years of service to Virgin Blue between them, claim they were forced into redundancy in mid-2010 without any consultation.

 

One of the women, who asked not to be named, was told there were no suitable positions that would suit her "specialist skills" after nine years service with the airline.

 

She had previously taken 12 months maternity leave in 2005 following the birth of her first child.

 

The other woman, who was on maternity leave for four months and was then asked to do part time work for four months.

 

After this she was then requested to take the rest of employed for seven years with the company, returned to work on a part-time basis following 18 months of maternity leave.

 

She was asked by her employer to increase her position to full-time two months later and accepted.

 

She says two months later, she was told her position was no longer required, despite Virgin Blue advertising and recruiting for the same position following the redundancies.

 

A Virgin Blue spokeswoman said the company completely rejected the allegations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LONDON: In what echoes Hollywood science fiction movie 'Minority Report' which focused on detection of pre-crime, criminologists have claimed that brain scans could help pick up violent tendencies in children as young as four.

 

Two leading criminologists, who have put forward the theory, say by predicting which children have the potential to be trouble-makers, treatments could be introduced to keep them on the straight and narrow.

 

Prof Adrian Raine, one of the two British criminologists, argued that abnormal physical brain make-up could be a cause of criminality. Scanning can help predict it, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

 

His studies have shown that psychopaths and criminals have smaller areas of the brain such as the amygdale and prefrontal cortex, both of which regulate and control emotion and behaviour.

 

He also believes that lack of conditioning to fear punishment which can be measured in toddlers before disruptive behaviour is apparent, could also be a strong indicator.

 

Another criminologist, Dr Nathalie Fontaine, argued that children as young as four exhibited "callous unemotional traits" such as lack of guilt and empathy that could also suggest criminal behaviour. Linking these features with "conduct problems" such as throwing tantrums could be a strong way to predict who could be anti-social later in life.