Mother-to-be Claire feared she was losing him 18 weeks into the pregnancy. But, doctors discovered the “miscarriage” was actually a tumour of the womb — which her unborn son had kicked free, the News of the World reported.

Claire, 26, was advised to have an abortion immediately so her cancer could be treated. But she said, “I couldn’t end my baby’s life when he had just saved mine.

“The cancer had been growing for months — if he had not kicked the tumour it would have carried on growing until it was too late. I knew if anything happened to me, this baby would be loved, so I was willing to take that risk.” 

She continued with the pregnancy until 26 weeks, when the tumour had trebled in size. Then doctors told beautician Claire and her partner Harry they had to deliver her baby then — but gave him only a 40% chance of survival. 

Little Harry weighed just a little over two pounds when he was born at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. Claire said, “He was so tiny. We were just praying he would pull through. They showed him to me and then quickly rushed him down to intensive care.” 

The boy is a healthy two-yearold. “We were both allowed home on the same day, which was lovely. I feel like the luckiest mum in the world, for both my son and I to have survived,” Claire said. Robert Music of Jo’s Trust said, “This really is quite remarkable. We have never come across anything like this before. Claire was extremely lucky it was detected in this way.”

Mumbai-Hours after the scuffle in Arthur Road jail on Saturday morning, the underworld was abuzz with the theory that the attack could have been orchestrated by Abu Salem himself for his safe return to Portugal. Salem was deported from a jail in Lisbon to Mumbai in 2005 only after the Government of India gave an assurance that his life would be safe in the country.

“An attack on Salem could mean violation of the terms of undertaking given by the Central Bureau of Investigation on behalf of the government. It is very likely that Salem could apply to be transferred to a prison in Portugal,” said a CBI officer. 

Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Himanshu Roy said that the Crime Branch was investigating the attack on Salem by inmate Mustafa Dossa (60) from all possible angles. 

Salem, a key accused in the 1993 serial blasts case, was attacked by Dossa and his associate with a sharp spoon outside their barrack on Saturday. 

What has raised suspicion among the underworld is the fact that both Salem and Dossa have a common enemy in Dawood Ibrahim and the two have been known to share a good rapport in recent years. 

Sources say that Salem and Dossa have been feeling stifled at Arthur Road jail after 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Qasab was shifted there in late 2008, thereby converting the jail into a fortress. This apparently left them with very little room to run their syndicates openly. 

The Crime Branch and jail officials too had turned the heat on the gangsters and were keeping tabs on their frequency of visits to government hospitals. 

After the incident, Salem has been shifted to the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai, while Dossa has been transferred to the Thane Central Prison, senior jail officials said.

Salem was extradited from Portugal in 2005 and is facing trial in nine cases, including two murders. Dossa, alleged to be a close aide of Dawood, was deported from Dubai in March 2003 and is also facing trial in the 1993 blasts case. Dossa is accused of having supervised the landing of weapons and explosives in Raigad district prior to the explosions on March 12, 1993.

DAADI:- “Bahaane mat bana school ja, main bhi usi raaste se roj bazaar jaati hoon, Mujhe to koi nahi chheddta.

Felix Baumgartner of Austria is going to become the first man to break the sound barrier. He is going to do a free-fall skydive from the edge of space, 120,000 feet above, and he has tested his pressurised space suit by doing bungee jumps, says a media report.

But at just 200ft fall per bungee jump, Baumgartner will have to do 600 to match the 120,000ft he will fall during the actual jump.

Technical Project Director Art Thompson said: “You wouldn’t normally think of a bungee jump in terms of prepping for a high-altitude jump, but it gives Felix the sensation of what it’s like to step off and try to control his forward rotation.”

Despite his elation with progress made so far, Baumgartner admits that he still has moments of concern, noting that no amount of technological testing can ever rule out human error.  

“My biggest concern is that dangerous part of the project which we just haven’t thought of. We try to think of every contingency, but there’s always going to be something that you would never imagine could happen. And that might kill you,” he said.

As part of the mission, he will use a helium balloon to float to the edge of space before plummeting back to Earth.

The high-tech suit will need to protect him at temperatures of -56C and speeds of 690mph and in an environment with too little oxygen to sustain human life.

Tests jumps have already started to perfect the suit and they will want to get it right.  

If it fails his eyeballs could pop and his blood could boil.  

Mike Todd, the Red Bull Stratos Life Support Engineer says the suit’s exterior is made of a material that is both fire-retardant and an insulator against extreme cold.  

Inside, the “bladder” is composed of a selectively permeable material surrounded by link netting.  

When the bladder is inflated, it will provide pressure at 3.5 pounds per square inch — sufficient to prevent the expansion caused by ebullism.  An integrated control valve, the “brain” of the suit, maintains pressure automatically at various altitudes.

The shell of the helmet is molded from composite materials.

Its visor, which is distortion free in the critical vision area, has an integrated heating circuit that must warm it enough to avert fogging and icing, yet not melt it — a function doubly challenged by (1) a stratospheric environment that lacks air to draw away heat and (2) a potentially supersonic freefall that will encounter rapid changes in temperature.   

The helmet will also supply Felix with 100 percent oxygen (from cylinders he’ll wear), and it includes a microphone and earphones for communication with the Mission Control Center.  

Baumgartner intends to step out of a capsule lifted 120,000 feet by a balloon and leap back to Earth, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without an aircraft. 

It is 50 years since the American Joe Kittinger made history by leaping from a balloon at 102,800ft (31km). 

Many have sought to repeat the feat down the decades but all have failed.  

Baumgartner, who is famous for stunts such as jumping off the Petronas Towers, aims to skydive from a balloon sent to at least 120,000 ft (37km). 

It is likely that in his long freefall of more than five minutes, he will exceed the speed of sound – the first person to do so without the aid of a machine. 

“One of the unknowns is how a human body will react approaching supersonic speeds,” he said. 

“The effects of the transition from subsonic through transonic to supersonic velocity and back again are not known. This is just one of the things we’ll learn.” 

Felix Baumgartner’s base-jumping has not always pleased the authorities. 

Baumgartner and his supporters claim the project will gather scientific data also about the stratosphere and how the body copes with the extreme conditions so high above the Earth’s surface. 

The most recent attempt to try to better Kittinger’s mark was made in 2008 by the Frenchman Michel Fournier.

The former paratrooper and adventurer had spent years preparing for “Le Grand Saut”, or Big Jump, only to see his balloon break free and float off into the sky just as he was about to climb inside the ascent capsule. 

Baumgartner has frequently incurred the ire of the authorities because of his base-jumping – the highly dangerous practice of parachuting from buildings. He also made headlines in 2003 when he crossed the English Channel on a carbon wing strapped to his back. 

His assault on Kittinger’s record is likely to take place later this year over an as yet unnamed location in North America. He will ascend to the stratosphere in a pressurized capsule attached to a high-altitude helium balloon, and then jump out at an altitude he hopes will exceed 120,000ft. 

The organisers of the project called Red Bull Stratos say, if all goes well, he should break the speed of sound about 35 seconds into his descent. 

Joe Kittinger’s 16 August 1960 jump was an extraordinary achievement. It was made nine months before Alan Shepard was even launched on the first American sub-orbital space trip. 

Kittinger experienced intense swelling in his right hand as his glove malfunctioned and his body reacted to the low pressure at high altitude.

The retired USAF colonel is now supporting the Austrian in his endeavour. 

As well as coping with freezing temperatures and ultra-thin air, a key objective for Baumgartner must be to try to maintain a correct attitude during the descent and prevent his body from going into a spin and blacking out. 

“Looking at the bigger picture, it’s clear that we have a unique opportunity to support science in a very specific field,” he said. 

“Maybe one day it will be possible to bring astronauts home safely from space if their spacecraft malfunctions. It sounds like a sci-fi scenario, but aeronautics is definitely moving in that direction.” 

A BBC/National Geographic Channel documentary is being made about Baumgartner’s project. The 90-minute film will be transmitted on BBC Two in the UK shortly after the jump.

1. He’s originally from Weymouth

Although he now resides at the Aquarium Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, Paul was actually born in Weymouth and moved from the town’s Sea Life Park in 2006.

Fiona Smith, from Weymouth Sea Life Park, told the Dorset Echo: “He never made any predictions while he was living here but maybe he was waiting for a big event like the World Cup until he revealed his abilities.” 

2. He’s a wanted man

Argentine chef Nicolas Bedorrou was so angry after Paul correctly predicted his team would lose its quarter-final clash with Germany that he suggested a way to cook the octopus.

He posted on Facebook: “We will chase him and put him on some paper. We will then beat him (but correctly!) in order to keep the meat tender and then put it in boiling water.” 

3. He’s big news

Paul’s predictions have gained so much popularity that German news channel NTV has started to broadcast his predictions live, with two reporters situated next to his tank so they can bring their viewers all the latest goings on. 

4. He’s the biggest celebrity in Oberhausen

Having wowed the world’s media with his predictions, Paul has put the mundane Germany city of Oberhausen on the map. Oberhausen, which is twinned with Middlesbrough, also boasts such sights as Germany’s biggest shopping centre and Europe’s largest disc-type gasometer. Worth a visit then … 

5. He’s got a good track record

Paul began to predict Germany’s results during the Euro 2008 tournament, correctly choosing the winner in four of Germany’s six matches. He predicted Germany to win every match but was wrong when they lost to Croatia and in the final to Spain. So far at the World Cup 2010, Paul has correctly predicted the winner of each of Germany’s five matches. 

6. He could have made you a packet

Having correctly tipped the winner of Germany’s five World Cup matches, backing Paul’s tips could have netted you a few squid (sorry).

A £1 accumulator bet on all five results would have won you £131, which could comfortably buy you a few bags of mussels. 

7. He’s an intelligent creature

Octopuses are highly intelligent animals and have been proven to have a strong short and long-term memory.

Fiona Smith, head of animal care at Weymouth Sea Life Park said: “Common octopuses like Paul are very intelligent. We equate their intelligence with that of a dog and they love problem solving and figuring things out.” 

8. He’s a Twitter and Facebook sensation

Paul has become an online phenomenon over recent weeks and is now one of the most talked about topics on the web. The phrases “Paul the Octopus” and “Pulpo”, the Spanish word for octopus, are both currently in the top 10 global trends on Twitter. 

9. He doesn’t cheat

Paul predicts results by opening one of the two flag-covered plastic food containers in his tank. Tanja Munzig from the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen has denied any suggestions that the containers are rigged.

She said: “There are no tricks, the food is the same and everything in the two containers is the same except for the flags.” 

10. He’s not scared of death threats

According to his keeper, Oliver Walenciak, Paul is unfazed by a series of death threats sent by Argentinian supporters who blame the octopus for their World Cup exit.

He said: “There are always people who want to eat our octopus but he is not shy and we are here to protect him as well. He will survive.”

“Paul has forecast that Germany will beat Argentina. In order that Paul too can celebrate on Saturday, and not just football fans, PETA Germany … is now asking for him to be set free,” PETA said in a statement. 

The organization called for the seawater soccer soothsayer, currently in Sea Life in Oberhausen, western Germany, to be released into a national park in waters off the south of France where fishing is banned.

“Paul is stuck in a small aquarium … We think that Paul would be fine in the sea,” marine biologist Tanja Breining from PETA said. 

“Octopuses are among the most intelligent of invertebrates. They are capable of complex thought processes, have short and long-term memories, use tools, learn through observation, have different personalities and are particularly sensitive to pain,” the organization said. 

Sea Life, however, said it would be a bad idea.”Animals born in captivity are used to being fed and have no experience finding food by themselves,” a spokeswoman told AFP. 

“It is highly likely that he would die.” Two plastic boxes, one with a German flag and one with their opponent’s, are lowered into Paul’s tank, each with a tasty morsel of food inside. The box that Paul opens first is judged to be his predicted winner.  

About Paul the Octopus

Ø Paul the Octopus or Paul Oktopus is a two-year-old common octopus with a history of correctly predicting the results of major German international football matches, especially in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  

Ø This total rate of 11 out of 12 games correct constitutes a significant deviation from what flipping a coin would suggest, using a Binomial test. A fair coin would guess at least 11 out of 12 games correctly only 1 time in 315. 

Ø Paul was hatched at the Sea Life Park in Weymouth, England but currently resides at the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany.  

Ø  Before German international football matches, Paul is presented with food in two identical containers; one container is marked with the flag of Germany and the other is marked with the flag of Germany’s opponent. In each instance, Paul’s choice of food is interpreted as his predicted victor.  

Ø Paul is reported to have correctly chosen the winner in five of Germany’s six UEFA Euro 2008 matches, predicting that Germany would win every match except a loss to Croatia, but incorrectly predicting Germany’s victory over Spain in the final in 2008.  

Ø He correctly chose the winner in each of Germany’s six matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including Germany’s loss to Serbia during the group phase, and a loss to Spain in semifinals.

Interestingly, there are several reasons for his urgent trip to the US, all of which seem to be contradictory. Not so long ago, Sunny Deol had said, “I have been ill since the past few years and have a severe back problem. It’s under control now. But when it does act up, I’m forced to slow down.”

A source confirms, “Sunny’s back problem has aggravated. He was admitted to a city hospital last week, but the problem intensified. The worried family has sent him to the US for better treatment.”

But Sunny’s secretary Nina offered a completely different reason, “Sunny has a kidney stone, which needs to be treated. That’s why he has gone to the US.” When asked why he chose to be treated in the US , Nina shot back, “I didn’t ask him all that. He should be back in seven days.”

Sunny’s man Friday Tolaram, who has been working for him since his debut in Betaab, had another story to tell, “Sunny Saheb is in the US not for any treatment. His kidney stone was cured in the city hospital recently and his back problem is over. He is absolutely fine. He has gone to the US to be with his kids who have been holidaying there since a few days. He will be back after fifteen days.”

It’s not been easy for the Deols on the health front. Due to Sunny’s US visit, his film Yamla Pagla, Deewana has come to a grinding halt. Incidentally, the shooting of the same film had stopped also when Dharmendra had been hospitalised in mid-March for chest pains.

We hope Tolaram’s version is true. Trust you’re having fun with your kids there, Sunny. (lally batth)

Adili Wuxor, who has been walking about 19 kilometers a day on the tightrope strung across the stadium, finished his last performance Friday, breaking the record for the longest period of mid-air walking. He walked more than five hours a day for 60 days.

The rope hung above the stadium was 60 meters high and 3 centimeters in diameter.  A representative from Guinness World Records presented him with a certificate at a news conference.

“I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to walk in such an iconic structure,” Wuxor told The Associated Press. “It’s not just a record for myself, but also a record for all Chinese people.”

Chinese media have dubbed Wuxor the “prince of tightrope walking.” Since April, he has lived in a small cabin adjacent to the tightrope, eating and sleeping there while performing stunts for visitors during the day. He already holds five Guinness World Records for various tightrope-related stunts.

The Bird’s Nest was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field events for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Wuxor, an ethnic Uighur from the far western region of Xinjiang, says he’s ready to take on a new challenge in October: to walk on a tightrope from an island off the southern city of Xiamen to the shore.