Monday, August 25 in the news....
- At 50, the queen of pop, Madonna, has kicked off her international 'Sticky and Sweet' tour. It is being billed as the largest menopause support group counselling session ever.
- The death of 10 French soldiers in an ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan has stoked a cry at home for France to rethink its commitment to the seven-year mission there and bring its troops home. Analysts say it may end up being the most predictable outcome of a military event ever in recorded human history.
- Lisa Leslie and the US women's basketball team were once again too good for Australia at the Olympics, winning a fourth straight gold medal. There were no drug scandals or questions of age like the Chinese gymnasts to mar the sport, although some questioned whether some of the US team were formerly men.
- Islamic militants said Saturday they had seized control of Somalia's third largest city after three days of running battles. The fighting subsided when both sides ran out of food.
- An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour. The nuns, for their part, want to fight the stereotype they can't be superficial and materialistic in catering to the lowest common denominator instincts of men.
Friday, August 15 in the news.....
- President Bush on Friday accused Russia of 'bullying and intimidation' in its harsh military treatment of Georgia, Prime Minister Putin responded by saying, "Yeah but we won't ever be voted out for it, ha I so owned you!"
- A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile defense battery exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons. Poland thought about it and released a statement: 'We've been attacked and slaughtered by both Soviets and Nazis from each side of our borders, so what the heck, we're doing this'.
- A bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine in central China on Friday, killing at least 11. This was in line with the 'one bus off a mountain road into a ravine' population control policy.
Thursday, August 7 in the news....
- Thousands of German policewomen will receive what media have labelled 'bullet-proof bras.' Made of white cotton and featuring the word 'Polizei' along the seam, the bras are meant to better protect policewomen who wear bullet-proof vests. This may have the impact of changing armed criminals tactics, such as screaming out, "Don't shoot at her tits!"
- Hundreds of French troops have deployed to train and mentor Afghan security forces in a key southern province wracked by the Taliban-led insurgency, NATO said Thursday. Afghan forces have quickly picked up on modern French techniques, such as 'Drop Gun Then Run White Flag Hanging Out From Bum'.
- A Russian gang is suspected of hijacking computers for personal data, a security researcher has found. The gang was identified publicly in May by Joe Stewart, director of malware research at SecureWorks. The investigation in the US and Europe is ongoing, but when reached for comment, a Russian embassy spokesman responded, 'What is crime?'
- A motorist stopped by Bulgarian police after a minor traffic accident admitted he had drunk 20 litres of beer - and promptly passed out, local TV reported. The man had a blood alcohol reading more than double the level usually considered lethal, bTV said. He has been offered political asylum in Ireland, Germany and Australia.
