Simon Cowell will make a return to the X Factor

Simon Cowell is set to return to this year's X Factor, according to an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

The executive producer of the ITV1 talent show, Richard Holloway, said that the judge would be making a return at some point.

But Holloway wouldn't give much more information joking, "That's all I'm prepared to say … It's not a hologram."

Last series, the show had its lowest viewing figures since 2006.

TV bosses hope that Cowell's return will attract more viewers.

The first episode of the series recorded the lowest viewing figures in 6 years - only 8.1 million people tuned in to watch the show compared to 10.5 million last year.

Essex lion is my pet cat Teddy Bear- says Maine Coon owner Ginny Murphy

A cat owner has said she believes her Maine Coon cat, called Teddy Bear, is the animal at the centre of the lion hunt in Essex.

Ginny Murphy, from St Osyth, said her cat regularly went hunting in the fields around the town.

Police have advised people to get back to normal after the hunt for the lion was called off. Two police helicopters were scrambled over St Osyth over the weekend but no trace of a big cat was found.

Maine Coons, or American Longhairs, are much larger than the average cat.

Tungurahua volcano erupts in Ecuador

Tungurahua's eruption continues. This morning, a tall ash plume was rising to 32,000 ft (ca. 10 km) altitude and drifting west. A slight decrease in tremor is visible on the latest seismograms. 
So far, effects of the eruption have been limited to ash fall. In canton Quero, the ash fall during the past days has damaged more than 5000 hectares of plant cultivations and hit about 2.000 families. 
The volcano emits a neary constant eruption column, associated with explosions, that reached a maximum height of 5 km and an average height of 1.5 km above the crater, with moderate ash content, drifting to the west. There were no new reports of ash fall. 
An increase in the number and size of the explosions was observed since 15:00 local time on 20 Aug. Until 16:00 on 21 Aug, there were 16 large explosions producing strong cannon-shot noises heard in villages near the volcano and in cities as far away as Ambato, Riobamba and Miracle. 
The seismic activity at Tungurahua shows a constant tremor signal associated with steam, gas and ash emissions. 

Boy gets head stuck in stone balcony frame in China

Poor boy! Look at him , he's really desperate!

How's this for a headache?

A boy in China found himself in a tight spot when he got his head stuck in a stone balcony frame!

Rescuers had to break through the stone pillars with special cutters to get him out.

He was eventually set free and wasn't hurt, but we don't think he'll be playing that game again...

From CBBC

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup- One of the world's most expensive dishes

Kai, a London restaurant formerly known as Mr. Kai, recently served a bowl of the most expensive soup in the world. The primarily Chinese restaurant’s expensive dish was priced at £108 ($214 USD). They call it “Buddha Jumps over the Wall.”

So named because, as a vegetarian, the Buddha was forced to sneak out of the monastery and “jump over the wall” to enjoy it, the soup typically calls for such expensive ingredients as abalone, quail eggs and shark fin. Kai’s soup delivers on the shark fin and abalone while also including scallops, ginseng and gold. It also delivers on the typical one to two day prep time and then some. Kai requires at least five days notice to prepare the expensive soup.

Kai is located in Mayfair and is owned by former barrister and 2004 Olympic trap shooter Bernard Yeoh. The world’s most expensive soup is prepared by Kai’s head chef Alex Chow.

From BBC- Travel

Interesting facts about the Solar System

Facts about the Sun

The Sun is at the centre of the Solar System, and its gravity holds all the planets in place.

The Sun is the biggest object in the Solar System and makes up 99% of its mass. Its diameter is around 109 times bigger than Earth, but you could fit over A MILLION Earths inside the Sun.

Astronomers think that the Sun (and the planets) formed from the solar nebula about 4.59 billion years ago, so it's pretty old!

Its temperature is 5,500 degrees Celsius on the surface and a whopping 15.6 million degrees Celsius at the core.

The temperature of the sun isn't the same all over; in some places 'sun spots' occur where it isn't as hot as elsewhere.

It's made almost entirely of hydrogen, with a little helium and a few heavier gases including oxygen - and there's even some iron in there too.

Light from the Sun reaches the Earth in just 8 minutes!

Remember : Don't ever look directly at the sun!  you could seriously damage your eyes!

Click for less

UFOs spotted 'around one a month' says UK air traffic boss

Have you ever seen a weird object in the night sky?

Well apparently UFOs aren't as rare as you might think according to the man in charge of UK airspace.

Richard Deakin is in charge of making sure that around 6000 flights a day move through airspace safely but says they can't always identify what they see.

He said there are objects "that don't conform to normal traffic patterns... typically around one a month".

So keep your eyes on the skies!

Fabrice Muamba retires from professional football

Fabrice Muamba announces his retirement from football

Muamba, 24, collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest on 17 March during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

"While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for," Muamba told the club website.

"I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me."

Muamba had travelled to Belgium earlier in the week to have minor heart surgery, which was said to have been routine and had no bearing on whether the player would return to action.

But Muamba says he received advice during his time there, prompting his retirement.

"Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for Bolton Wanderers once again," said Muamba in a statement.

"As part of my ongoing recovery, last week I travelled to Belgium to seek further medical advice from a leading cardiologist.

"But the news I received was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement from professional football."

The news comes just six months after he suffered his cardiac arrest, with doctors saying he was "in effect dead" for 78 minutes.

From BBC Sport

Contents of athletes' village goes on sale

If you've ever fancied sleeping in Tom Daley's bed, reading under Mo Farah's lamp or putting empty crisp packets in Jessica Ennis' bin you're in luck.

A website's been launched to sell off the contents of the athletes village and items from the Olympic Park.

If you've always wanted a London 2012 parasol, you're in luck!

Everything is up for grabs on the 'Remains of the Games' site, including matresses from the athletes' bedrooms.

Olympics fans can also buy an umpire's chair for £200 or a London 2012 parasol.

If that's too costly you can grab a "traffic wand" for £3.49 or a metal bin for your bathroom for just £2.50.

Poland holds European dog frisbee championships

Several European countries already hold national dog frisbee championships

It is not an Olympic sport and cannot rival London 2012 but Poland is proudly hosting the European Dog Frisbee Championships for the first time.

Two hundred teams are competing in the western city of Poznan and the winners will be announced on Sunday.

The five events include Super-Pro Toss and Fetch, Small Dog Freestyle and Dog Diving, Polish national radio reports.

It says border collies are thought the best frisbee catchers, yet an American mongrel is one of the world champions.

Points are awarded for length of throw and the dogs' precision in catching the frisbee.

In the freestyle event the competitors' two-minute routines are assessed for artistic impression, the news website Rzeczpospolita reports.

From BBC News

Kids complete a statue made entirely out of chewing gum

Students in the Netherlands have helped build a statue with a difference - It's made entirely out of chewing gum.

Three thousand school kids helped make the sculpture by chewing a piece of gum each and sticking it onto the existing structure.

From a distance you'd never be able to tell but if you get too close you might just get stuck.

This was the real team work!

Usain Bolt's lightning kit designed in Wales

Usain Bolt may have won gold for Jamaica on Thursday night but the kit he was wearing was British.

Ffion Appleton from Wales was chosen to design the yellow and green running gear for the team to wear.

She was picked after applying to an advert she saw in a designer trade magazine.

Appleton said her inspirational outfit came from listening to Jamaican music.

She also said she chose the bright style to make sure the runners stood out on the track.

With Usain's speedy performance, he definitely did that!

6ft snake dumped at gate of animal charity

A 6ft (1.8 metre) long boa constrictor has been found abandoned at the front gate of an animal charity in Surrey.

Staff got a shock when they opened a polystyrene box left outside the RSPCA animal centre and found the snake inside.

It's thought that the female reptile was dumped there because it's owner could no longer care for it.

Boa constrictors can grow up to 4m (13ft) in length and live for up to 30 years.

Hamster rescued after window fall and cat chase!

Talk about an adventure - this hamster was rescued by police after falling from a first floor window onto a car bonnet and then getting chased by cat!

Rolo fell after escaping from his cage, which is on a window ledge, during the night.

Luckily, police officers in Beddington, London, were in the area and spotted Rolo being chased by a cat in the road.

So they distracted the pussy before safely capturing the hamster by throwing a police hat over him!

Rolo was reunited with his owners after officers did some detective work and spotted a house with a hamster cage and a 'Beware of the hamster' sign!

The family had all been asleep so were completely unaware of Rolo's mini adventure!

Police officers came to the rescue of 'Rolo' the hamster at 23.30hrs last night (26th July) after he had fallen 12ft from a first floor window onto the bonnet of a car - and was then chased by a black cat.

PCs Helen Hansen and Dave Kadwell had just dealt with a call in Tritton Avenue, Beddington, when they caught sight of a cat chasing a hamster around the road.

"I can't believe this tiny hamster has survived a drop like that."

After waving their arms to deter the cat from its chase, the officers began a pursuit of their own in the middle of the night - trying to catch the hamster who was darting under parked cars and around wheelie bins left out for collection.

After a few minutes - and 75 yards away at the opposite end of this quiet residential cul-de-sac to where the hamster had fallen - PC Hansen threw her police hat over the top of the hamster and scooped it up.

The officers checked a number of houses in Tritton Avenue until they came across one house with a hamster cage and a 'beware of the hamster' sign in a first floor open window. Then the one-year-old hamster was quickly reunited with its owners, the Rook family - Mum, Dad and two children - who had been asleep in bed and knew nothing of the hamster's escape. The hamster's cage is on the first floor window ledge and Rolo had escaped after the tube at the back of the cage had come loose.

Sgt Rob Bourne, who was in charge of the officers last night, said: "It seems 'Rolo' had escaped his cage, fallen from the window, landed on a car bonnet in the driveway then stumbled into a cat before being saved by the officers. Rolo had quite a night!

"Our Borough Commander Guy Ferguson wants us to surprise and delight residents - and we certainly did surprise and delight this household last night."

Sgt Bourne added: "I've been in the job 12 years and never been required to deal with anything like this before."

Mum Debbie Rook said she was 'flabbergasted' by what had happened. "I can't believe this tiny hamster has survived a drop like that. Until police knocked on the door we did not know he was missing." The hamster belongs to her son Bradley, aged 13. She also has a daughter Milly, aged eight. "We are grateful to police for coming to he rescue," said Debbie.

London 2012: Michael Jamieson wins silver in the pool for Team GB

CONGRATULATIONS; Michael!

Michael Jamieson has won a silver medal for Britain in the 200m breaststroke final.

Hot favourite Danil Gyurta from Hungary denied the host nation their first male swimming champion in almost 25 years, by setting a world record.

Ryo Tateishi of Japan took bronze, but Briton Andrew Willis finished a disappointing eighth.

Jamieson set a new British record of two minutes 7.43 seconds in the final.

It's Team GB's second medal in the pool after Rebecca Adlington won bronze in the women's 400m freestyle earlier this week.

Adlington will not swim in Wednesday morning's 4x200m relay heats, after deciding to concentrate on retaining her 800m freestyle title.

The decision to leave her out of the relay is a bit of a gamble though.

The squad failed to reach the final after coming ninth in the heats when Adlington was also rested in the relay four years ago in Beijing.

First gold medal for Team GB

CONGRATULATIONS, GALS!

Rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning have brought home Team GB's first gold medal of the Olympics.

The pair were favourites to win and dominated the women's pair final from start to finish.

They're the first British women to win Gold in rowing. They've never competed in an Olympics before and Helen only started rowing four years ago.

Australia got silver whilst New Zealand, the defending World Champions, took bronze.