An oil depot has exploded in Hemel Hempstead. The BBC have a live video feed. Reports say the explosion could be heard as far away as Holland and Northern France.

Update: Check out this photo on flickr.

A YOUNG British man thought to be the first person to have shaken off HIV, the virus that causes Aids, is to undergo further clinical tests in the hope of a breakthrough in treating the condition.

Andrew Stimpson, 25, said yesterday that he was willing to do all he could to help to tackle the condition, after it emerged that his body had apparently rid itself of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Mr Stimpson, a Scot living in London, was found to be HIV-positive in August 2002, but 14 months later a blood test suggested that he no longer carried the virus. A further three tests confirmed the finding.

Doctors believe that this first confirmed case of �spontaneous clearance??? of HIV could offer important insights into the behaviour of the virus, and possible means of defeating it.

Much more wary of todays’ front page than Blairs’ foreign policy.

Lions at a drive-through safari park in Merseyside are chasing small cars, thinking they are prey. According to the BBC, Smart cars and Minis are particularly easily mistaken by the pride.

Allegedly taken at Notting Hill Gate tube station

the reality is mature adults couldn’t find a solution that would let us go racing

The initial situation is down to Michelin, who seemingly did not do their research beforehand. After they realised the problem, the FIA could have either let the affected teams use different tyres – thus breaking 5 rules, which were written to apply to individual teams, or they could have put in a chicane – as requested by both Michelin and 10 of the teams.

Two more quotes, the first from Martin Brundle (reporting for ITV)

if Schumacher does a victory dance on the podium, i’m personally going to go up there and punch him

and Jim Rosenthal

Coronation Street is on next – that’s a soap opera that is worth watching!

This was the comment made by Chief Superintendent Les Owen, head of the Metropolitan Police Traffic Division, following the installation of five new speed cameras in East London in February 2003.

Ch Supt Owen is currently facing a misconduct hearing after the car he was a passenger in was caught speeding at 82mph in a 40mph zone. His driver, PC Mark Bradley, has been fined �250 and given three points on his licence after magistrates heard that he was speeding because the Chief Superintendant was late for a meeting.

In a seperate case, Constable Mark Milton was caught driving his unmarked police patrol car at 159mph on the M54, as well as 100mph in a 60mph zone and 60mph in a 30mph zone. Milton was testing out a new Vauxhall Vectra GSI police car while on night patrol in December 2003.

Speed cameras are prevalent everywhere in the UK. The general rule is that there is an error margin of 10% + 3mph, so if you are in a 30mph zone, you shouldn’t get a ticket below 36mph. Being caught speeding means a fine and 3 licence points – drivers have 12 points to lose before being banned from driving. The problem is, speed cameras are hidden behind signs, in moving vans and even hand-held by parked police officers. At some sites, cameras can catch the same car speeding four times in the space of a mile – if you get 3 points for each offence, that’s your licence gone over a mile.

These police officers should have their driving licences revoked. Individual cameras at some sites bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds each year for the police force, and then they drive around at more than twice the speed limit, knowing full well they are immune to prosecution.

Rant over.