Detroit on Thursday became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy protection after decades of decline and mismanagement rendered the home of the nation’s auto industry insolvent. The bankruptcy is expected to make it harder for municipalities in Michigan—and across the country—to borrow money by undermining confidence in what used to be […]
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un plans mushroom powerhouse
NORTH KOREA’s leader has a new hobby and no, it doesn’t involve destroying the US in a ball of nuclear flames or photoshopping up a naval fleet. Kim Jong-un’s new hobby is … mushrooms. North Korea’s Supreme Commander visited a mushroom farm this week as part of a grand plan to turn the country into […]
Jahar Tsarnaev featured on Rolling Stone cover
BOSTON bomber Jahar Tsarnaev has been portrayed as a charming kid with a bright future in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. The new issue of the magazine features a heartbreaking account of how the 19-year-old was ‘failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster’. Contributing editor Janet Reitman spent two […]
‘I’ve never sent an email, never will’: MLB commissioner Bud Selig
THE Commissioner of Major League Baseball in the US has never sent an email and he never will, he claims. Bud Selig revealed his technophobia at a press conference this morning, claiming that he shouldn’t have to learn how to send emails if he doesn’t want to. “I’ve never sent an email, and I never […]
Wealthy dad Ben Hatch is stingy and proud
HIS father was a knight and he drives a brand-new car, but that hasn’t stopped Ben Hatch claiming to be the stingiest man in the UK. The UK author, son of the late Sir David Hatch who was the former head of BBC Radio, has recently written a guidebook to France called Road to Rouen, […]
Water resistance stands out in new Sony phone
Think of a leading phone maker. Apple and Samsung might come to mind — maybe even HTC, maker of the well-received One. But you’re probably not thinking Sony, a company better known for its TVs, cameras and video game machines. With the new Xperia Z, Sony shows it can play in the smartphone big leagues. […]
Hubble determines colour of distant planet for first time
ASTRONOMERS using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have, for the first time, determined the true colour of a planet orbiting another star. If seen up close this planet, known as HD 189733b, would be a deep cobalt blue, reminiscent of Earth’s colour as seen from space. But that’s where the similarities end. This “deep blue […]
‘Hell and back’: three US kidnap victims break silence over their ordeal
Three US women who spent a decade of captivity in a Cleveland home have spoken publicly for the first time since their escape, thanking supporters and asking for continued privacy to rebuild their lives. The woman who reportedly suffered the most violent abuse at the hands of their captor said she had been to “hell […]
Ellen gets Sydney visitor numbers swelling
Americans are flocking to Sydney following the visit of TV superstar Ellen DeGeneres. So far there’s been a 22 per cent bounce in inbound tickets sales from the US to Sydney compared to normal, NSW Tourism Minister George Souris says. Ellen and her entourage, including Australian wife Portia Portia de Rossi, spent five days in […]
America no longer world’s fattest developed nation, UN report says
We did it, America! According to a new report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the United States is no longer the world’s fattest developed nation?Mexico is. Nearly a third of Mexican adults (32.8 percent) are considered obese—people aged 20 and older whose body mass index (BMI) is 30 and above. That edges […]