Doctors thought he was in a coma, but he was in fact conscious

For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralysed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out. The car crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but appears to have been conscious the whole time. An expert using a specialised type of brain scan that was not available in the 1980s finally realised it, and unlocked Mr Houben's mind again. Mr Houben, 46, is now communicating with one finger and a special touchscreen on his wheelchair.

"Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learnt to live with it," he said, punching the message into the screen during an interview with the Belgian RTBF network, aired on Monday. He has called his rescue his "renaissance". I cannot imagine what torture this man went through. My thoughts are with him for a decent recovery, not just of health but of his life.

FIFA invites ridicule by denying Irish request for replay

FIFA has rejected a request by the Irish soccer authorities for a World Cup replay following the debacle of the match in which the winning goal was scored through a blatant hand ball. The fact that the incident could be seen by every person in the stadium except for the referee and his two assistants, who completely missed is incredulous. But worse is the situation where FIFA appears to have kowtowed to the French officials who rejected a fair call for a replay, it really is mind boggling.

FIFA seriously needs to show more leadership and the world world that something this important is not merely "swept under the rug" as the cliche goes. The rejection of a replay is pathetic and immoral. I would also caution those who wish to label Thierry Henry as a cheat, that they are way off the mark, as he is and always was a man of integrity. He has further demonstrated this by backing the call for a replay. Having said all of this, the most important thing to be done here is for FIFA to stop hiding behind rules and just do the right thing. Ensure that a fair result is always the case.

Stinky Robber

Authorities in Florida are searching for an alleged bank robber with "notably bad breath" who asked a teller to fill an orange Halloween bag with cash. The Broward County sheriff's office says the man wore sunglasses when he held up the TD Bank branch in South Florida on Monday morning. I wonder if it was disguise to throw people off???

'Dumb' American criminals attempt robbery with ‘permanent marker pen disguises’

Two hapless robbers in America, Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller, have been arrested with the "worst disguises ever" after trying to hide their faces with permanent marker pen. McNelly, 23, and Miller, 20 were arrested by armed police in Carroll, Iowa, last Friday after witnesses reported seeing two men trying to break into an apartment with fake beards and "masks" scrawled on their faces.

Police responding to a call about the attempted burglary later pulled over a car matching the alleged suspects' vehicle. When they stopped their 1994 Buick Roadmaster, bewildered police discovered the drunk hapless pair – nicknamed “dumb and dumber” – complete with makeshift disguises.

Three Cheers for Citizen Power

A murder suspect who left his car running in a Florida street couldn't get away because a woman took the keys from the ignition. Now, 28-year-old Paul Gayle is being held at the Broward County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and armed burglary.

Police say a woman walking her dog called 911 Tuesday, telling the dispatcher she heard screams from inside a home so she took the keys from the running car because she wanted police to check the vehicle.

The unidentified woman stayed on the line with the 911 operator until officers arrived and arrested Gayle. Officers found Hasting Clarke dead inside the Coconut Creek home. Authorities said Clarke and Gayle had been fighting over Clarke's former girlfriend.

Cricket forges strong bonds in friendship

In a story that illustrates how interethnic and international relations should be handled, former Indian cricketer and commentator Ravi Shastri, rushed to the side of his fellow commentator and former Pakistani cricket captain Wasim Akram when Akram's wife was rushed to hospital in Chennai in critical condition. Huma was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on advice from doctors on board the Singapore-bound air ambulance where she received necessary intensive medical attention. Hospital sources said Huma suffered a multiple organ failure and she was put on ventilator support. The two colleagues stayed together for two hours while Akram's wife received the initial treatment she needed. In a region known for deep seated hatreds, this is a wonderful example of respect and friendship from two former masters of cricket, and a great message to the rest of the world.

Madonna the neighbour from hell

Apparently, Madonna is the "neighbour from hell" and been accused of using her New York home as a rehearsal studio. The singer has infuriated Karen George - who lives above Madonna in the apartment block overlooking Central Park - with her alleged "blaring music and stomping". George has filed a lawsuit against the 51-year-old pop star in Manhattan Supreme Court, complaining of "unreasonably high-decibel, amplified music and vibrations pouring through walls, ceilings and radiators". The lawsuit states: "Madonna and one or more of her invited guests repeatedly dance and train... to unreasonably high-decibel, amplified music, causing noise and vibration to pour through the walls, ceilings and radiators. It constantly amazes me the things that 'celebrities' will do just because they think they can.

Sam Stosur wins first WTA title

I am very happy that tennis World No. 15, fellow Australian Samantha Stosur, has won her first WTA tour title. She has been playing really well the last couple of years and deserves her win and her position in the women's game. Way to rock them Sammy!

Congratulations Ghana

Ghana held on with 10 men to beat Brazil in a penalty shoot-out to become the first African team to win the Under-20 World Cup on Friday and end a decade of South American dominance. What a wonderful result for football and for Africa. The final finished 0-0 after extra time at Cairo International Stadium, and Ghana's Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu scored the winning penalty to make it 4-3 after Brazil's Maicon missed a chance to win it at 3-2. Agyemang-Badu's confident shot uncorked wild scenes of jubilation by Ghana's players and staff, and their fans among the 68 000-strong crowd. Agyemang-Badu peeled off his shirt and thumped his chest as Brazil's dejected players fell to the ground in disbelief.

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