Rescuers spend 12 hours trying to save pregnant cat from locked bin… only to discover it was a TOY

Noise came from battery-operated cat

• Fears that it was a missing pet called Puss Puss
• 
  

When passers-by heard meowing coming from inside a clothes recycling bin their first thought was to get help as quickly as possible.

Especially as it was feared the trapped cat could be missing pet Puss-Puss, who may have been struggling get out as she was pregnant.

Firefighters were even called to the clothes bank recycling centre on Anglesey, North Wales, as part of the 12-hour effort to rescue the trapped animal.

In the end it had needed engineers with cutting equipment to slice through the steel. - but all they discovered inside was a battery-operated toy.

Miaow!: Rescuers spent 12 hours trying to get this squeaky toy cat out of a clothes bank, thinking it was a real cat

The alarm was raised when a woman passerby heard mewing from the steel recycling units in the village of Moelfre on Anglesey.

A heavily pregnant cat called Puss-Puss was missing in the village for days - and it was believed she was stranded inside the clothes bin.

Villagers tried to free the animal as the meow sounds continued from inside.

But the locks had been tampered with - and they were unable to open the clothes bank to reach the cat.

The fire service, the RSPCA and bin operators all failed to open the bin as the mewing carried on.

Missing: Puss Puss, the pregnant cat rescuers thought was stuck in the recycling bin

Villagers set off to find food to put inside the bin for the cat.

With concerns for the pregnant cat growing the bin was transported 18 miles to specialist engineering firm K Owen in Llanrhyddlad.

Engineers used a steel saw to cut their way into the bin - nearly 24 hours after the drama started.

Owner Kelvin Owen said: ‘Once we got into the bin we heard the meow again, it sounded just like a cat and we all started to carefully search the bags.

‘Then I found a bag of toys and picked out a toy cat.

‘I said: ‘It couldn't be this could it?’ It wasn't making any noise and I asked if I could cut it open to investigate. As I held it, it went off, meow, meow, mystery solved!  

Effort: Rescuers try to get into recycling bin to save 'Puss Puss', but it turned out it was a toy cat, pictured with pet rescue volunteer Rachel Owen

‘The lads were in stitches, it was such a laugh.’ 

Would-be rescuer Jasmine Hazelhurst, from Anglesey Pets, said: ‘I did feel embarrassed when they pulled out the stuffed cat.

‘But I am also proud at the way everyone rallied around to save the cat.

‘Local people did so much to save the cat and it shows what community spirit there is.

‘We feared finding a dead cat in the clothes bank so to find a stuffed toy was a relief.’

• Georgetown University student spent three years translating secret military documents and blogs
• Focus of research centred on 3,000 miles of underground tunnels dug by Second Artillery Corps
• Investigation launched after 2008 earthquake in Sichuan revealed existence of collapsed tunnels
• Study claims China could have as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads - far more then current estimates of between 80 and 400

China's nuclear arsenal may be many times larger than estimates suggest, a group of students have claimed after three years of painstaking researching through restricted documents.

Led by a former top Pentagon official, the students at Georgetown University, in Washington DC, have scrutinised satellite imagery, translated Chinese military documents and filtered through thousands of online files.

The focus of their extensive research has been the thousands of miles of underground tunnels dug by the Second Artillery Corps to hide China's missile arsenal.

Stockpiling: Missiles being test-fired at an undisclosed location. A group of university students have uncovered evidence that China may have many more nuclear weapons than previously thought

After the massive earthquake which struck the Sichuan province in 2008, news reports showed that thousands of radiation technicians were rushing to the region and images of collapsed hills led to speculation of the existence of an extensive tunnel network - which the Chinese later admitted did exist.

In those tunnels, the students have managed to draw up a picture of the sheer scale of China's nuclear capabilities - thought to be far greater than the 80 to 400 warheads the country was widely assumed to have.

The 363-page study has already sparked a congressional hearing and has been viewed by top Pentagon officials.

One Defense Department strategist told the Washington Post: 'It's not quite a bombshell, but those thoughts and estimates are being checked against what people think they know based on classified information.'

Capabilities: After translating secret military documents, forums and studying images of a network of tunnels in China, the students believe the country could have as many as 3,000 warheads

Might: China's military has been expanding rapidly and in 2009 it admitted the existence of 3,000 miles of underground tunnels

Critics have questioned the study's use of internet research, including a fictional TV show about Chinese artillery soldiers, and fuelled concerns it could encourage nations to maintain nuclear arsenals as a deterrent.

The students' professor, Phillip A. Karber, was a former Cold War strategist who reported directly to the secretary of defense.

Three years ago, he was working on a committee for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency aimed at countering weapons of mass destruction.

Then after the 2008 earthquake Mr Karber enlisted the first students from his class at Georgetown to start looking into China's nuclear weapons - using military journals, news reports, photos and forums.

Students spent hours scanning pages which could then be converted into Chinese characters and eventually translated.

Force: New recruits for the Chinese People's Liberation Army stand at attention in Suining city. The study also shows how the military transports missiles through its tunnel network

Concerns: A Chinese naval vessel fires missiles during an exercise off the Shangdong peninsula

After three years of graft, they had created a searchable database of more than 1.4million words on the secretive tunnel system.

Among their findings, they were able to establish a rough guide of the location of the tunnels and the types of missiles inside them.

They were also able to work out how the missiles were transported, including the possible existence of a 'missile train' and modified railway carriages used to carry the weapons.

Mr Karber told the newspaper: 'I don't have the slightest idea how many nuclear weapons China really has, but neither does anyone else in the arms-control community.

'That's the problem with China - no one really knows except them.'

Underground: The study began after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province revealed strangely collapsed hills that were believe to have tunnels underneath them

In 2009, the Chinese military admitted the existence of the network of tunnels - 3,000 miles of them - including underground bunkers capable of withstanding nuclear attacks.

For years, the Chinese government has insisted it maintains a small stockpile of warheads for 'minimum deterrence'.

But the group of students say that number could in fact be as many as 3,000.

Gregory Kulacki, a China nuclear analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the Washington Post: 'The fact that they're building tunnels could actually reinforce the exact opposite.

'With more tunnels and a better chance of survivability, they may think they don't need as many warheads to strike back.'

Man who climbed pylon to propose to his girlfriend suffers horrific electrocution... and worst of all she said no

A man suffered serious burns after climbing a high-voltage electricity pylon in an attempt to propose to his girlfriend.

The would-be Romeo attempted the stunt two days after he has split up with his girlfriend in Quanzhou, southern China.

In an effort to win her back, he decided to climb a pylon near to where she worked and cover it in signs declaring his love and asking her to marry him.

Shocking: Firefighters carry the badly-burned man after he attempted to propose to his girlfriend after climbing an electricity pylon in Quanzhou, China

But after ascending the metal pylon, he was electrocuted and thrown off into a muddy puddle below.

Witnesses called emergency services and when firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the man's clothes had been virtually burnt off his skin but he was still breathing.

He was stretchered to a waiting ambulance and rushed to hospital. Doctors say he suffered serious burns, but is now out of danger.

Unfortunately, his ex-girlfriend was less than impressed with the stunt, which she called 'stupid' and 'too extreme', and rejected his proposal.

Proposal: The man was thrown clear of the pylon into a muddy puddle after attempting to put up signs expressing his love for his girlfriend (on the floor top centre)

Stunt: The man suffered serious burns, but doctors say he is out of danger. His girlfriend was unimpressed, and turned down his proposal

What a trip! Time-lapse video captures 12,225-mile road journey across America... in just FIVE minutes

A freelance photographer took to the road for inspiration and came back from his trip with a time lapse video speeding across 12,225 miles in just under five minutes.

Brian DeFrees, 25, took a two month road trip across the United States to visit places he had never been and catch up with relatives along the way. The fact that he is a freelance photographer helped him lend a goal to the project, as he hoped turn the trip into a creative piece of some sort at the end.

'I wanted to inspire people to go out and take a trip of their own, whether they live in the U.S. or not- there are a lot of parts of it that you haven't seen then hopefully you'll go out and see,' Mr DeFrees told MailOnline. 

Amid the rocks: Mr DeFrees' video doesn't note which state each photo was taken in, so it is up to the viewer to guess based on landmarks

Driving over sea: He took the ferry in Seattle, Washington

Hitting the highway: There is an idealized mystique attached to the Great American Road Trip, and images like this help to tell why

The man behind the wheel: Brian DeFrees, 25, works as a freelance video editor and photographer in upstate New York

Though he set out by himself in his Honda Civic Si, Mr DeFrees was happy to go it alone, if only for a few days.

'I know enough people across the country to only go a couple days by myself, but I have to say I really didn't mind [being alone] that much. Another part I really enjoyed was only having the belongings that i had in my trunk, it was kind of freeing,' he said.

Starting his journey on August 8 in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, Mr DeFrees then headed south along the east coast, hitting eight states along the way. 

By attaching a digital camera to his wind shield that had a program installed to instantly take photos every five seconds, Mr DeFrees was able to drive and shoot at the same time.

He continued his trip heading west along the Gulf of Mexico before getting to Texas and driving up the historic Route 66.

'I went on Route 66 from Amirillo, Texas to Arizona and that was really cool,' he told MailOnline. 'I was just trying to stay on the old roads and stay in the old towns.'

Given the frequency of the digital shots, viewers are able to see the evolution of rain clouds along the side of highways. Differences in climate also prove entertaining, going from sunny Los Angeles and it's palm tree-lined streets to the snow capped Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs.

Quite the journey: Mr DeFrees drove through about 32 states

Winter: Though the trip lasted from August 8 to October 1, Mr DeFrees saw the first snowfall of the season in Point's Pike, Colorado Springs

Detail: Because the photos were taken every five seconds, the viewer can see as clouds start to form along the roads

He returned to Syracuse on October 1, having driven through at least 32 states over the course of 55 days, and launched into a new project: the video.

Throughout the trip, Mr DeFrees uploaded the five-second shots to his computer and later turned all of the still photographs into one, two and a half hour long video.

Two weeks of editing later, the video is now five minutes and 14 seconds long and set to a song by the band Waking Lights.

Not so Golden: Because he was driving right in the midst of weekend commute, Mr DeFrees said he was in bumper-to-bumper traffic in San Francisco

Gaudy: The congestion of cities like Las Vegas stands out in stark contrast to the open fields from other stretches of the video

'It was nice to stay in one place when I got back, but as soon as I got back I thought of all the places I didn't see,' Mr DeFrees said.

'I already plan on doing it a few more times in my life.'

Study says one in three single girls has used a male 'friend with benefits' for sex

One in three single girls has used a man for 'friend with benefits' sex, a poll has found.

Half of the women who have a no-strings relationship with a male friend do so because they don't want a serious relationship, the study found.

Experts believe the rise in popularity of having a 'friend with benefits' has come about as women are more laid-back about relationships.

No strings fun: A third of single girls have a 'friend with benefits', just like Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake in the film of the same name

Nineteen per cent of those who have friends with benefits get into bed with a male friend 'to have fun', while just eight per cent do so hoping the fling might develop into something more serious.

The 2,168 women polled by MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk were asked to specify the kind of relationships they have with their male friends.

Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) said men were 'just friends', while over a third (34 per cent) admitted they had 'friends with benefits'.

Ex-boyfriends accounted for 29 per cent, while 23 per cent had male friends who were colleagues.

Around one in five women said their best friend was a man.

Andy Barr of MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk, which held the poll, said: 'The idea of 'friends with benefits' is growing in popularity. 

'Perhaps people shouldn't automatically think all women want to settle down right away and have a serious relationship.'

Jobseekers who fail to find work will be forced to do voluntary work for 30 hours a week

Tough: David Cameron has announced that the long-term unemployed will have to join voluntary work schemes

Feckless people who fail to get a job after two years claiming out of work benefits will be forced to do voluntary work.

David Cameron announced yesterday that those on Jobseeker’s Allowance will be expected to do 30 hours a week of community work for six months.

The Prime Minister said the reforms would get people into the habit of getting up in the morning and doing a useful day’s work, rather than sitting around hoovering up state handouts.

Those who refuse to comply with the rules could see their benefits stripped away.

Mr Cameron told MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee that he wants to reform the benefits system because it encourages people to take something for nothing.

Ministers have been shocked to see research that shows some people claiming out of work benefits currently spent as little as eight minutes a week actually looking for work.

In exchange they are able to pocket £67.50 a week – or £53.40 for those aged 16 to 24.

The scheme is reminiscent of controversial 'workfare' schemes in the United States, where benefits are simply cut off altogether in some states after people have been claiming for a year or more.

The Prime Minister told MPs: ‘Today we are announcing that if you go through the Work Programme but still don’t find work, then we are actually going to be asking people to go through a community work programme where they work 30 hours a week for 26 weeks to contribute to their community.

‘That will help many people to get back in touch with the world of work, the idea of having a job, the skills that you need that will give them further help in order to get back into work.

‘Have we created a benefits system that has insufficient responsibility at its heart, I say yes we have.’ 

Unemployed: The Government's new Work Programme will try to get those on benefits back in to work

Mr Cameron also hopes the plans will help boost his Big Society concept, which envisages people doing more to conduct voluntary work in their local communities.

He added: ‘I think it will teach people a lesson that if you claim benefits, a benefit called Jobseeker’s Allowance but you’re not looking for work, you can’t expect to go on claiming the benefit.’ 

The get tough approach will be part of the Work Programme, which is being introduced by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The scheme is designed to tailor training and assistance for the jobless to each individual’s needs to help them back into the workplace.

Ministers have already revealed that those who refuse to apply for jobs, attend job interviews or take reasonable jobs they are offered will have their benefits taken away.

Sceptical: Dame Anne Begg doubts the new proposals will be effective

The punishment for a third offence could see them stripped of taxpayer-funded largesse for three years.

Under coalition plans, those who commit crimes on benefits will also be stripped of up to £25 a week to pay fines – rather than the £5 a week as at present.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: ‘We want a welfare state which is a ladder up which people climb not a place in which they live. 

‘If people who are fit for employment, still haven’t managed to find a job after the intensive support provided by the Work Programme, we want them to do community work and get into the habit and routine of work. No one should expect to be able to sit at home doing nothing.’ 

During his appearance at the liaison committee, Mr Cameron clashed with Labour MP Dame Anne Begg, chair of the Commons Work and Pensions committee.

She warned the plans will do nothing to help those in areas where the economic slowdown has wiped out hopes of employment.

She said: ‘If they don’t have enough jobs for people who are looking for them it doesn’t help.’