Thursday, October 11 in the news....
- Britain's Prince William is to follow in his father's footsteps by learning to fly with the Royal Air Force next year, his spokesman said on Wednesday. His father is very happy of his wanting to emulate his path, including the early stages of hair loss and falling for an average-looking missus.
- Taliban rebels have freed a German hostage in Afghanistan after more than two months of captivity, said a diplomatic source who declined to be named. He was released after a secretive deal made by German officials and the Taliban, of which there were rumours that the captive would be released unharmed, and 'the Taliban wouldn't upset the Germans like the Zionists once did'.
- Last month's pro-democracy protests in Myanmar and the military junta's ruthless and bloody crackdown have hit tourism hard, industry insiders said. A campaign is underway to get things back on track, but the slogan 'Bolder and Badder than Baghdad, Bigger and Better than Basra' has left tourists shy.
- Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Wednesday his government was drawing up plans to authorize a military incursion into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels using the region as a base. The Americans said they would not stop it, but they passed on their protest by sending Bruce Willis to meet with the Turkish PM, his message was simple and direct: "WELCOME TO THE PARTY PAL!"
- Sudan's army has denied attacking the only Darfur rebel faction to sign a peace deal with Khartoum, saying tribal clashes were to blame for the fighting on Monday in which 45 people were supposedly killed. When asked by journalists to comment on the situation, President Bush said that it was wrong to jump to conclusions about who was to blame for the tragic loss of life, the President pointedly noting how he believes Darfur is a religion of peace.
