AN Irish woman has become the first adult in the world to receive a revolutionary REMOTE CONTROLLED 'ROBO SPINE', which uses magnets to combat the effects of scoliosis. Deirdre McDonnell, 34, from Drogheda, County Louth, can now stand tall for the first time after undergoing the pioneering MAGEC rod operation. The operation, also known as the magnetic expansion control system, involves the insertion of a magnetic rod that is screwed onto the spine and controlled externally in order to correct the curvature caused by scoliosis. Up until now, the £15K procedure has only been performed on children, as it was thought only to be effective for early onset scoliosis - typically diagnosed before the age of ten.
An aerial view of flooding in Gloucestershire .
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
The beds are consumed by moss instead of customers at this abandoned hotel .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
FROM motorcycling to department store shopping these spookily faceless people are part of the Chinese-fad for wearing protective solar-visors in public .
WELCOME to the Temple of Zoom where you can “experience” sliding down a Mayan temple into shark infested waters .
A mischievous fox cub demonstrates his playful side by biting his sibling’s tail .
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
A luxury caravan with a price tag of ONE MILLION DOLLARS is due to hit the road later this year .
A makeup artist from the West Midlands magically transforms herself into famous cartoon characters using body paint .
A fox takes a tumble and lands on his head when he tries to fend off a pair of eagles in Japan .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .