Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins gets back to performing after two severe strokes.

Healthcare around the world

Opera being composed on Twitter

The opera will be performed for the public in September

The Royal Opera House is to stage an opera created through social networking site Twitter.

Members of the public have been invited to submit their "tweets" online - messages of up to 140 characters - which will form the new libretto.

Failed banana case cost £20,000

Prosecutors said bringing the case was in the public interest

Prosecutors say they were justified in spending an estimated £20,000 on the crown court trial of a man who was acquitted of stealing a 25p banana.

James Gallagher allegedly stole the fruit from an Italian restaurant in Birmingham's Bullring Shopping Centre.

Anatomy of an asylum housing row

Last month Prime Minister Gordon Brown told MPs he wants English councils to give greater priority to local people on waiting lists for social housing but on many estates residents believe it is immigrants who get priority. The Report's Phil Kemp visited Birmingham where a row broke out over housing asylum seekers.

When the people of the Bromford Bridge Estate in Birmingham took to the streets earlier this year urging their council to demolish two empty tower blocks they said the flats were an eyesore and attracted anti social behaviour.

Protesters said the flats attracted anti-social behaviour

Dozens of our favorite auteurs put their words to paper, and five master graphic designers took them to the drawing board. Sure, Arthur C. Clarke refused to trim his ("God said, 'Cancel Program GENESIS.' The universe ceased to exist."), but the rest are concise masterpieces.

Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket. - William Shatner

Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer? - Eileen Gunn

Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love. - David Brin

Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so. - Joss Whedon

Automobile warranty expires. So does engine. - Stan Lee

Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time - Alan Moore

Longed for him. Got him. Shit. - Margaret Atwood

His penis snapped off; he’s pregnant! - Rudy Rucker

From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings. - Gregory Maguire

Internet “wakes up?” Ridicu - no carrier. - Charles Stross

via wired.com where there are many more! :)