The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced today that it was leaning towards taking a step forward for women's rights and finally allow its female population to use forks. The highly anticipated move comes as the autocratic Islamic regime faces calls to be banned from the 2012 Olympic Games in London over its refusal to field women athletes and ongoing criticism around the world for its overall record on women's rights.

A spokesperson for the Saudi government says "We hope this gesture of goodwill today will assure our critics that the Kingdom is open to reform on all issues and is sensitive to the needs of its female population."

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Republicans in the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress introduced a bill today that would require NASA to include a Christian missionary on any future manned trips to planets outside our solar system, with the goal of  "shining the light of Jesus Christ across the cosmos."

Astronomers have thus far identified 763 such extra-solar planets and estimate that there may be as many as 100 billion exoplanets in our galaxy alone. Although scientists do not currently have the ability to look for signs of life on these far off worlds, some number of these exoplanets are believed to lie within the habitable zone of their stars and could thus be suitable candidates for life.... Read More →

 

In a speech to a hostile audience  at the headquarters of the anti-illegal immigration group the Minteueman Project, former U.S. President Bill Clinton made an impassioned plea for congress and the White House to reform that nation's immigration system, which he described as "broken",  "chaotic" and "unnecessarily restrictive". The U.S. has debated for nearly a decade measures to combat illegal immigration - mostly originating from Latin American countries - while also encouraging highly skilled workers to settle in what remains the world's number one destination for immigrants.... Read More →

 

Still loathed by the international public four years after precipitating the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression, American investment bank Goldman Sachs has found itself in a new quandary as the firm faces allegations that it invested in a company that runs a child sex trafficking website.

Upon being presented the allegations by the New York Times the mega-connected Wall Street firm quickly divested its interest in a private equity fund which held a stake in Village Voice Media , the company that runs the website in question. However, Goldman's CEO has gone further, personally vowing to never let such a thing happen again.... Read More →

 

Shock reigned across South Asia today as it was revealed that the region's two biggest rivals had solved a decades long territorial dispute overnight. Pakistani and Indian officials announced this morning that following months of secret talks Pakistan has agreed to trade the parts of Kashmir under its control for the Indian coastal enclave of Goa, a former Portuguese colony known mostly for the quality of its beaches.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari held a joint news conference in New Delhi where Singh extolled the virtues of the deal which finally unites the province of Kashmir for the first time since the partition of British India in 1947, while also allowing Pakistanis access to decent beaches for the first time in their history.  "Kashmir and Goa are both very important parts of our national identity," Singh exclaimed "But when the opportunity presented itself to finally achieve victory in Kashmir, it was a chance too good to pass up."... Read More →

 

Have you ever agonized over not getting your sugary breakfast food out of the toaster at exactly the right time? You know what I mean. You're late to the office (or school or whatever). You pop a Pop Tart in your toaster while you're busy changing in the next room and getting your last minute Powerpoint together.

As you're putting the finishing touches on your genius proposal, BOOM - you remember that you popped that pastry in the toaster. But alas, your pastry is now too cold to eat, and if you throw it back in the toaster it will overcook. Yes - your pastry is lost.... Read More →

 

Researchers at Harvard Medical School reported last month that consumption of red meat greatly increased the risk of death from all causes. Their 16 year study found that  each extra three ounces of red meat eaten daily increases one's risk of cardiovascular disease by 16%, cancer by 10% and death from all causes by 12%.

However, this week researchers at the Coalition for a Balanced Diet - a group funded mostly be large U.S. meat companies - have presented a contrasting study. The new study finds that people who follow a strictly vegetarian diet actually increase their risk of all cancers by a whopping 385%. This striking conclusion would mean that excluding meat from one's diet contributes more to one's cancer risk than any other single cause - including smoking.... Read More →

 

Concerns swirled around Washington D.C. and New York today as leaders in the United States' political and economic capitals fretted about the impact of a partial shutdown of a Bureau of Engraving and Printing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The facility produces half of the paper currency in the United States and since Monday has been operating at 25% capacity due to a technical error in several of its printing machines.

In a speech to the Economic Club of New York Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke  made clear the urgency of the situation, "We all know that the foundation of economic growth is printing enough money to meet the government's spending needs. What's happening now in Fort Worth is very troubling . We at the Federal Reserve are monitoring things very carefully and are prepared to act if needed."... Read More →

 

The US state of Florida, home to legal fiascoes such as the 2000 US Presidential Election , is considering abandoning a law that allows its white citizens to shoot its black citizens whenever they feel like it. Pressure to change the law has been intense since the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old black high school student who was killed while unarmed by George Zimmerman, an overzealous neighborhood watchman.

A spokesperson for the state claimed that the law was intended as a way to deter crime, but this incident has shown that perhaps it is not particually effective. "It sounded like a good idea at the time" he explains, "I mean if you let white people shoot black people, you get rid of most of the criminals right? At least that's what we thought would happen."... Read More →

 

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran has decided to endorse Rick Santorum for the US Republican presidential nomination. Speaking in a television interview to Iranian state owned Press TV, Khamenei says he was impressed with Santorum's dedication to his faith and opposition to homosexuality.

"I don't agree with Rick on every issue," the Ayatollah explained, "But he's right on the right to life. He's right on the place of women in the workplace. He's right on standing up to the homosexual agenda. The more I hear from him the more I like."... Read More →

 

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is said to be considering dropping out of the Republican nomination race for United States president, according to sources close to the former Massachusetts governor. Tentative reports out of the Romney camp indicate that the candidate has realized that despite the fact that he nearly has the nomination locked up,  it might be cheaper for him to simply buy the entire country of Canada and elect himself Prime Minister than it would be to continue on with an expensive American general election campaign.

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