Wrong pedal: Driver reverses car over 21ft drop after stepping on the accelerator

By Wil Longbottom - 29th January 2010

Jokes about reverse parking are usually reserved for female motorists.

But this lucky driver in China had a miraculous escape after plunging his car 21 feet tail-first into an alleyway.

The man, from Xiamen in China's southern Fujian province, was reversing his car into a parking space when he mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

Lucky escape: The driver and his five-year-old son miraculously emerged unscathed from the accident in Xiamen, China

His automatic white car shot backwards through wire fencing and toppled over the edge of the car park before dropping to the alleyway below.

Luckily, the embarrassed motorist and his five-year-old son, who was sat in the passenger seat, were unhurt in the accident. There was no-one in the alleyway at the time.

But his car was not so fortunate after the boot was crushed flat by the impact and the bonnet was badly damaged as the car toppled into a nearby building.

The vehicle, which was written off by the crash, had to be removed from the alleyway by a crane.

Wrong pedal: The white automatic lies on its rear bumper after plunging 21 feet into this alleyway from a car park above

Warning against using Microsoft browser Internet Explorer

Logo: Microsoft admitted last week that its browser was the weak link after hackers in China hacked Google

By Graham Smith-19th January 2010
France has followed Germany's lead and urged web users to avoid using Internet Explorer until Microsoft develops a patch to fix a security flaw that led to hacks against websites including Google.

Both French and Germans have now been instructed to use a browser other than Explorer to ensure their computer's security.

Certa, a French government agency that protects against cyber threats, warned against using all versions of the web browser.

The move comes just days after Germany's Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, said even running Explorer in 'security mode' did not render it fully safe.

Microsoft admitted last week that its browser was the weak link after hackers in China hacked Google to pry into the email accounts of human rights activists.

It said the security hole can be closed by setting the browser's Internet security zone to 'high'.

Other German security experts have echoed the government warning, telling users to wait for Microsoft to develop a patch.

But the BSI insisted that setting Explorer's security setting to 'high' would not be sufficient enough to prevent further hacks.

'Using Internet Explorer in "secure mode", as well as turning off Active Scripting makes attacks more difficult, but can not fully prevent them,' the BSI said in a statement.

Thomas Baumgaertner, a Microsoft spokesman in Germany, said the company was aware of the warning, but did not agree with it.

He pointed out that the attacks on Google were by highly motivated people with a very specific agenda.

Mr Baumgaertner said 'These were not attacks against general users or consumers. There is no threat to the general user, consequently we do not support this warning.'

But Graham Cluley of anti-virus firm Sophos said instructions on how to exploit the flaw had been posted in detail online.

He said: 'This is a vulnerability that was announced in the last couple of days. Microsoft have no patch yet and the implication is that this is the same one that exploited on the attacks on Google earlier this week.

'The way to exploit this flaw has now appeared on the internet, so it is quite possible that everyone is now going to have a go.

'We've been working with Microsoft to see if the damage can be mitigated and we are hoping that they will release an emergency patch.'

'One thing that should be stressed is that every browser has its security issues, so switching may remove this current risk but could expose you to another.'-www.dailymail.co.uk