Jan-Mar 2009 World News Archives

Apr 2009 World News Archives

May 2009 World News Archives

Fighting fit as 1,000 bikers help raise cash for Cork conjoined twins' surgery

(Olivia Kelleher, Irish Times) Ireland's "two little Fighters" – conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf – slept blissfully in the arms of their mother Angie yesterday in spite of being surrounded by up to 1,000 bikers preparing to undertake a charity race on their behalf. Hassan and Hussein, dressed in matching red outfits, were a picture of contentment as their mother Angie spoke to the media prior to a bike run organised by the Rebel Riders Motorcycle Club, which began shortly after 1pm yesterday at the Two Mile Inn pub in Midleton, Co Cork. Angie Benhaffaf was visibly moved by the large turnout for the race from Midleton to Dungarvan. She expressed gratitude for the huge outpouring of generosity she has received from the public since her boys were born in December.

Workers' paradise: The town built by Czech version of Henry Ford

(Colin Woodard, Christian Science Monitor) Shoes have long been at the center of life in this small city in the hills of eastern Moravia. It was built by a local cobbler, Tomas Bata, to serve what would become the world's largest shoe company. Tens of thousands worked directly or indirectly for Bata Shoes before World War II or for its Communist successor, Svit. Today, much of the complex stands empty, windows broken and walls covered with graffiti. An icon of early 20th-century industrial architecture, the antiquated factory was unable to survive the loss of the Soviet market and competition from Asian producers after 1989. But unlike many other East European industrial cities, Zlin has weathered the transition remarkably well.

In Haiti, Aid Workers Help Orphans Find Relatives

(Tim Padgett and Jessica Desvarieux, Time) Before the earthquake, Ruthza St. Louis was an accredited therapist in Port-au-Prince, specializing in counseling rape victims. Now she has become a detective of sorts, walking the city's rubble-strewn streets, talking to children who are on their own and then using every resource she can to locate caring relatives who can take them in. This sleuthing is no small feat in a country where an estimated 1.5 million survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake no longer have homes, let alone official records like birth certificates. But St. Louis is volunteering for the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), which, along with other aid groups, is working to register as many kids as possible who were orphaned or separated from their parents during the disaster, and then trying to reconnect them with their families.

Donegal doodler wins Google prize

(Irish Times) A young Irish artist will have her work viewed by millions of internet users this week after winning a contest to have her drawing displayed on internet giant Google’s homepage. Ruth Deeney, a fourth-year student, from Loreto Community School in Milford, will now see her futuristic-themed drawing go online on Wednesday. She also received a €10,000 technology grant for her school and a laptop for herself and her teacher. More than 75,000 public votes were cast to select the four finalists in the Doodle 4 Google contest under the theme My Future.

British high street's first disabled model is coming to a shop window near you

(Jerome Taylor, The Independent) A woman who uses a wheelchair is to become the first disabled model on the British high street when she is featured in a department store's window display. Shannon Murray, a model and actress, recently finished a photo shoot for Debenhams which will be displayed in the retailer's flagship Oxford Street store in the next week, The Independent has learned. The announcement will be welcome news to campaigners who have long argued that the fashion industry and high street retailers too readily forgo variety in favour of pinning their clothes on skinny models who bear little resemblance to the average British woman.

Never underestimate the joy of skating

(Natasha Fatah, CBC News) I've heard and participated in quite a few discussions recently about the value of these Vancouver Olympics and all the "wasted" money that could have been better spent on real social problems. It is an argument that is not just consuming us cost-conscious Canucks but that you can hear almost anywhere, as I discovered during my recent trip to Mexico. For obvious reasons, the Winter Games aren't that big a deal in Mexico. It doesn't have the climate or facilities to allow athletes to excel at winter sports. But there is one wintery event that the residents of Mexico City have enjoyed for the last three years and that has given rise to the same kind of bread or circuses debates as the Olympic Games — ice skating.

In Thailand, elephants raise funds for Haiti earthquake relief

(Tibor Krausz, Christian Science Monitor) Like most 7-year-olds, Plai "Peter" Noppakhao loves playing "chase" and squeals with delight at the sight of treats. He’s never heard of Haiti earthquake relief, yet recently Peter spent an afternoon with 24-year-old Plai Kacha and 14-year-old Plai Yodyeam soliciting donations for the Caribbean country’s earthquake victims. Mingling good-naturedly among delighted camera-toting tourists in Bangkok’s backpacker district, they carried around white baskets painted with red crosses. The threesome raised 700,000 baht (more than US$21,000) for the Thai Red Cross Society’s Haiti Relief Fund, surpassing the Thai government’s donation. And here’s the thing: Peter and his friends are elephants.

Couple give island to Auckland

(Bernard Orsman, New Zealand Herald) A Hauraki Gulf island used as an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre for 100 years is being gifted to Auckland by a couple who made a fortune selling towel supplies. Philanthropists Neal and Annette Plowman have funded a 99-year lease of Rotoroa Island from the Salvation Army and formed a trust to create a conservation park and restore historical features including a chapel, jail and school house. When the park opens next February, it will be the first time in 100 years that the public have been allowed on the 82ha island, east of Waiheke Island.

Haitian artists express earthquake's tragedy through paintings and music

(Edward Cody, Washington Post) Since it was devastated by an earthquake Jan. 12, Haiti has been synonymous with death, destruction and misery. But a month later, out from under the rubble has come a sign of the irrepressible human spirit that makes this tragic country someplace special. Earthquake art has arrived. Haiti has long expressed itself through its world-renowned painting. Now, in their ramshackle studios or in borrowed back rooms, using scavenged oils and makeshift easels, Haitian artists have begun painting the first canvases that seek to depict the horror of the quake and proclaim a tenacious hope that things will get better, if only because they can't get worse.

New generation of men in India shaving off mustaches

(Emily Wax, Washington Post) Cheered on by his female friends, Nanda Kumar, 26, staged a small but significant rebellion before he left his family in this Indian seaport recently for a high-tech job in Hyderabad: He shaved off his mustache. For generations of Indian men, a mustache was a must -- especially here in southern India, where fabulous facial hair has long symbolized masculinity. Among younger urban Indians, however, it's the cleanshaven men whom women prefer to kiss, date or just hang out with, according to a recent AC Nielsen survey conducted in eight major cities.

Ben Avon sisters land in Haiti to care for more orphans

(Mackenzie Carpenter and Jim McKinnon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Two Ben Avon sisters have landed in Haiti after flying there today to care for children stranded at an orphanage where last month they helped coordinate a dramatic rescue after a severe earthquake. Jamie and Ali McMutrie, along with Leslie McCombs and her son, Herbie, boarded a private jet at 10:30 a.m. at Allegheny County Airport, bound for Port Au Prince, Haiti, after a stopover in Opa Locka, Fla. The plane landed in Haiti at 4:20 p.m.

Husband wakes from coma after wife whispers in his ear that he has become a grandfather

(Luke Salkeld, Daily Mail) Some things are worth waking up for. And after two weeks in a coma David Russell finally opened his eyes - after his wife told him he had just become a grandfather. Doctors had previously warned Helen Russell that the prognosis for her 60-year-old husband was not good. But on hearing the news of the latest addition to the family, the farmer is making a full recovery.

Millionaire gives away fortune which made him miserable

(Henry Samuel, The Telegraph) Austrian millionaire Karl Rabeder is giving away every penny of his £3 million fortune after realising his riches were making him unhappy. Mr Rabeder, 47, a businessman from Telfs is in the process of selling his luxury 3,455 sq ft villa with lake, sauna and spectacular mountain views over the Alps, valued at £1.4 million. Also for sale is his beautiful old stone farmhouse in Provence with its 17 hectares overlooking the arrière-pays, on the market for £613,000. Already gone is his collection of six gliders valued at £350,000, and a luxury Audi A8, worth around £44,000.

Haitian churches rising out of the ruins

(Jaweed Kaleem and Frances Robles, Miami Herald) Mass at Port-au-Prince's Sacred Heart Catholic church is held under a UNICEF tarp beside Coleman tents. Open-air, it's conducted near the statue of the Virgin Mary, one of the few church treasures to survive the Jan. 12 earthquake. "We don't have anything else," said Bertta Chery, who recently attended a service amid the ruins of the 105-year-old house of worship, one of Haiti's most treasured. "We are all in the streets." With dozens of others, all dressed in their Sunday best, she prayed for the dead, for the living and -- in a deeply faithful country where three out of five people are Catholic and most others are Protestant -- for churches to rise again.

Dutch Musician Traveling Europe By Generosity

(PSFK.com) Tjerk Ridder recently embarked on a tour of Europe. He left his home in Utrecht on January 3rd with a packed caraven trailer, his dachshund, and guitar. Instead of hoping in his car and towing the trailer hundreds of miles to reach his destinations, Tjerk is relying on the generosity of volunteers to give him a tow and help him along his way.

Massages to help cancer charity

(Lincoln Tan, New Zealand Herald) At a point where he had nearly given up all hope of living, a mystery Kiwi's bone marrow donation saved James Roiauri's life. Now leukaemia survivor Mr Roiauri, a Wellington-born Cook Island Maori massage student, wants to share the love he has experienced by giving massages and is hoping to raise $10,000 for charity. "Throughout my cancer ordeal, it was the regular massages I got from my family that kept my spirits up," Mr Roiauri said."I thought about what I could personally do to share the love and support that I have experienced, and thought a charity massage event is the best way I could do that, and at the same time raise money to help my cancer friends."

New Orleans at the ready to help Haiti rebuild

(Bill Sasser, Christian Science Monitor) Marie Jose Poux is a hospice nurse in New Orleans, but she was born in Haiti. Ms. Poux was in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 when the earthquake struck, and she spent the next two weeks lending what help she could to the ravaged city. "My soul is not here [in New Orleans]. It remains doing what I was doing in Haiti," says Poux, who runs a charity, Hope for Haitian Children, from her home in New Orleans' Treme neighborhood. "I saw south Florida after it was hit by hurricane Andrew, and New Orleans after Katrina, and New York after 9/11. And this is like all three of those times 100." Haiti's cataclysmic earthquake has struck home in New Orleans, which itself is still recovering from the 2005 hurricane and flood. For a time, the city's survival was in doubt, but with much aid, it's come a long way. Now, many New Orleanians want to put their knowledge and experience to use in Haiti, helping others in dire need.

Former leader Nelson Mandela retraces steps of his Long Walk to Freedom

(Jonathan Clayton, Times Online) Nelson Mandela will return next week to the prison from which he walked free after 27 years behind bars for fighting the apartheid regime. The former President, now a frail 91 years old, will mark the twentieth anniversary next Thursday of the day that he left Victor Verster prison, renamed Groot Drakenstein, and took the first steps to his election four years later with a re-enactment of that iconic event. Yesterday Fikile Mbalula, the Deputy Police Minister, announced Mr Mandela’s participation, putting an end to speculation that he was in such poor health that he was in no condition to travel.

Haitian Orphanage Finds Grace In A Time Of Despair

(David Schaper, NPR) In earthquake-decimated Haiti, huge piles of rubble remain virtually untouched. But a surprising sight is tucked away in the rural plains just outside of the coastal city of Leogane: Workers are busy constructing two small, wood-frame buildings. The Canadian military and a U.S.-based aid group are working together to rebuild an orphanage. It is one of the first signs of rebuilding in an area that was reduced almost entirely to rubble in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Man saved on frozen sea by webcam spotter

(AP) Watch the sunset, save a life. A woman admiring the sunset on a tourist webcam in northern Germany spotted a man who was lost on the frozen North Sea and probably saved his life by alerting authorities, police said Wednesday. The man had climbed over pack ice off the coast to photograph a sunset near the town of St. Peter-Ording, then became disoriented on the ice, Husum police spokeswoman Kristin Stielow said. Unable to locate the beach, the man began using his camera to flash for help. That got the attention of a woman hundreds of miles away in southern Germany who was watching the sunset over the sea on her computer.

F.W. de Klerk changed course of South African history

(Fred Bridgland, Times Online) When President F.W. de Klerk rose 20 years ago on February 2, 1990, in the South African Parliament to open the new session few of us had any inkling of the bombshell that he was about to drop. Many correspondents had gathered in Cape Town in the hope that Mr de Klerk would say something about the release of Nelson Mandela. But the mood music had been disappointing. I had arranged to travel the thousand miles home to Johannesburg immediately after Mr de Klerk finished speaking. The President started slowly, his delivery, meandering between English and Afrikaans, was pedestrian for the first 30 minutes. Then, without warning, he threw a grenade.

Peru farmers drop cocaine in favor of cocoa

(Matthew Clark, Christian Science Monitor) Deep in a valley where Peru's snow-capped Andes melt into Amazon jungle, Wilder Diaz Angulo cuts open a football-sized cocoa pod and separates precious brown beans from their fleshy white placentas. The farmer takes care not to damage a single bean. That would hurt his chances of getting the best price for the specialty organic cocoa his cooperative sells for export to high-end chocolate retailers in Europe and the United States. Life is calmer now that Mr. Angulo sells cocoa instead of coca.

Ky. volunteers create well of hope with water purifiers

(Chris Kenning, Louisville Courier-Journal) The road to Léogâne is lined with 30 miles of collapsed concrete-block houses and makeshift tent camps as it winds along the Caribbean coast. There are many needs here but among the most critical is water. The community had been without clean water for two weeks. That changed after the Louisville-based non-profit Edge Outreach arrived. Throughout Haiti, Edge's team has installed nine water purifiers, each capable of providing 10,000 gallons of clean water a day. Locations include a Salvation Army relief site, a hospital and a clinic in Port-au-Prince, along with a school, a tent city and villages near Léogâne.

Haitians in makeshift camps organize 'platoons' to provide services

(Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor) As Haitians have accepted the stark reality that the camps that sprang up after the horrific Jan. 12 earthquake will be their home indefinitely, people have moved to get their new communities organized. Enter any camp here, from the sprawling, stewing expanse of perhaps 10,000 people in the capital’s central Champ de Mars, to others on soccer fields and golf courses and inside the security barriers of now-crumbled public buildings, and in most cases you’ll find “the committee” – the small group of men and women who have taken it upon themselves to establish security, organize assistance deliveries, and maintain a minimum of sanitation.

U.S. troops welcome in Haiti – for now

(Ben Fox, AP) Young men gripping a steel fence along Port-au-Prince's waterfront call out "Hi, Sir!" to two U.S. soldiers, pleading for jobs as translators, drivers, laborers. None are getting any jobs today. But that doesn't dampen their enthusiasm for the U.S. military, despite a checkered history in Haiti for the forces that are now providing a huge humanitarian mission after the Jan. 12 earthquake killed at least 150,000 people. "The Americans are our friends," said Jean Rony Doudou, a 28-year-old jobseeker. "They are here to help us."

Volunteer brings aloha to Haiti

(Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Bulletin) Hawaii resident Deborah Quigley is headed to Haiti for a week, her second trip in eight days, to bring medical supplies to earthquake victims. Quigley, 55, a recently retired United Airlines customer service representative, has been volunteering for years on missions around the world with Airline Ambassadors International. She said she was struck not only by the death and devastation she saw in Haiti, but by the gratitude and grace of the people whose bodies and lives have been broken by the disaster.

Haitian Eatery Serves Up Taste Of Hope Amid Despair

(Tamara Keith, NPR) Two weeks after the earthquake in Haiti, the situation is still desperate for many. International aid groups are distributing food, yet many Haitians say they still are not getting the help they need. But some in Port-au-Prince aren't waiting for outside help. At one restaurant on the outskirts of town, neighbors are helping neighbors. Muncheez is open for business. But it's nothing like it was before the earthquake. The corner pizza place that was too expensive for most Haitians to enjoy is now serving rice and beans, chicken, spaghetti — anything the owners can get their hands on — and it's all free.

Holocaust Survivor Teams With Hip-Hop Group to Fight Racism

(AP) Esther Bejarano says music helped keep her alive as a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and in the years that followed. Now, 65 years after the liberation of the Nazi death camp, the 85-year-old has teamed up with a hip-hop band to spread her anti-racism message to German youth. "It's a clash of everything: age, culture, style," Bejarano, a petite lady with an amiable chuckle, told The Associated Press ahead of Auschwitz Liberation Day on Wednesday. "But we all love music and share a common goal: we're fighting against racism and discrimination."

Boy, 7, raises $200,000 for Haiti appeal

(Agnes Teh, CNN) He's no Wyclef Jean or George Clooney, but that hasn't stopped seven-year-old Charlie Simpson from raising more than £120,000 ($195,000) for the Haiti earthquake. Simpson from Fulham, west London had hoped to raise just £500 for UNICEF's earthquake appeal by cycling eight kilometers (five miles)around a local park. "My name is Charlie Simpson. I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives," said Simpson on his JustGiving page, a fundraising site which launched his efforts. "I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti," he said.

Habitat for Humanity aims to erect one-room houses in Haiti

(Andrew Stern, Reuters) Home-building charity Habitat for Humanity hopes to erect thousands of expandable one-room houses to shelter Haitians left homeless by a devastating earthquake, the group's chief executive said on Thursday. "We need direction to make sure we build the homes where the infrastructure is going to be," said Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford in a telephone interview. One million to 1.5 million Haitians are estimated to have lost their homes in the January 12 quake that has posed a rebuilding challenge that could take many years, he said.

Woman trapped in earthquake 'coffin' is rescued after eight days

(Giles Whittell, Times Online) They called her Natalie, because that is what she seemed to say when they made contact. Her real name was Hoteline Losana but as she talked to her rescuers from deep under the rubble, then sang quietly when at last they lifted her to safety, then sang again with extraordinary force as they lowered her towards the cheering crowd, it was Natalie that stuck. By then it was close to midnight, 14 hours after passers-by had heard her on the Rue Lalue, 12 hours after the French had arrived and more than a week after the earthquake had trapped her in a space slightly larger than a coffin.

A Volunteer Sticks With Aceh

(Peter Gelling, New York Times) When Muhammad Ali Ar first met Sara Henderson, he was in a state of shock. He had been recently torn from his family by a mighty flood of water and swept kilometers away to a strange, ruined village on Aceh’s western coast. “I was completely traumatized. Everything was gone. I could only think about where my family was,” he said. He would later learn that a tsunami, triggered by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, had devastated much of Aceh, Indonesia’s northernmost province, killing about 170,000 people there, including Mr. Ali’s entire family.

Guard appeals for soccer balls for kids in Iraq

(Pat Gee, Honolulu Star-Bulletin) Several members of the Hawaii Air National Guard deployed in Iraq are asking Hawaii residents to send them new or slightly used soccer balls for Iraqi children in "Operation Soccer Ball." They have joined a new foundation in northern Iraq that hopes to have a positive impact on kids beyond soccer fields, said Master Sgt. William Chang, of Makakilo, a member of the 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron based at Kalaeloa. "We just want to make an impression on these children that the U.S. soldiers are here to help them."

Haitian orphans rushed to new homes abroad

(CNN) Slashing red tape or ignoring ordinarily required paperwork, officials in the United States and the Netherlands have cleared the way for scores of Haitian orphans to leave their earthquake-ravaged homeland, according to officials from the two countries. All of the children had adoptions pending with prospective parents in the two countries before Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude quake, and government officials said paperwork was expedited or put on hold to make transfers happen on an emergency basis. Of the 300 children with pending adoption cases with American families, 150 have already been sent to their parents in the United States, Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough said. Another six were awaiting their flight out Sunday afternoon.

Japan’s royals pen poems to mark 50 years wed

(AP) Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko rejoiced in more than 50 years of life together at Thursday's annual palace poetry reading ceremony, an annual tradition that goes back more than 1,000 years. The couple, who married in April 1959, each wrote poems that reflected on walks together in the palace garden around the time of their golden wedding anniversary last year. This year's theme was "light."

Haiti earthquake: Hymns and hope on a Sunday

(Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor) The main cathedral in Port-au-Prince is completely destroyed. There is no roof. The cream-colored façade now lies in boulders on the ground, the black wrought-iron gate in a twisted tangle on top. Some of the stained-glass windows still reflect the sunlight, but they are the only remaining infrastructure to indicate that a church once stood in what is now just one of thousands of collapsed buildings throughout this capital city of two million people. That has not stopped Haitians from seeking out their religious communities this Sunday, the first time most have been able to congregate in prayer since the earthquake struck last Tuesday, destroying so many lives around them.

Amid Haiti horror, stories of survival and hope

(Mike Celizic, TODAYshow.com) Death, devastation and despair dominate the news coming out of Port-au-Prince, but out of the chaos have also come miraculous stories of survival and hope. Orphanages filled with scores of Haiti’s most vulnerable citizens — its parentless children —survived without losing a single child. A missionary lying trapped for 10 hours in the collapsed rubble that was once her mission was reunited with her husband, who drove hours to dig her out and take her to safety. A college student managed to send her worried parents a two-word text message that meant everything: "I’m OK."

What makes an Arab laugh? Report from Jordan's comedy festival.

(Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor) "In my country, just like Jordan, we aren’t tortured by our government," said Pakistani-Canadian Ali Hassan, pausing awkwardly. Laughter filled the Amman theater before he could finish: "Inshallah (God willing)." In a region known for conflict and religious conservatism, the Middle East’s only stand-up comedy festival is determined to prove Arabs can laugh – and laugh hard. Arab humor is being showcased in the unlikeliest of places: Jordan, a country where residents have long embodied the image of the stoic Bedouin as immortalized in films such as "Lawrence of Arabia."

Afghans more optimistic for future, survey shows

(Adam Mynott, BBC News) Of more than 1,500 Afghans questioned, 70% said they believed Afghanistan was going in the right direction - a big jump from 40% a year ago. Of those questioned, 68% now back the presence of US troops in Afghanistan, compared with 63% a year ago. For Nato troops, including UK forces, support has risen from 59% to 62%. The survey was conducted in all of the country's 34 provinces in December 2009. In 2009 only 51% of those surveyed had expected improvement and 13% thought conditions would deteriorate. But in the latest survey 71% said they were optimistic about the situation in 12 months' time, compared with 5% who said it would be worse.

How the Tube became the 'undie-ground' for one day only: It's the 9th Annual No-Pants on the Subway Day

(Daily Mail) Yes, it's January. Yes, it is very, very cold outside. And yes, these people are wearing no trousers. Commuters in London were yesterday treated the bizarre sight of hundreds of fellow Tube travellers wrapped up warm in jackets, scarves, hats and mittens - and nothing on their bare, pale legs. Women clad in skimpy underwear, and some men in even skimpier underwear (though most wore boxers) crowded the Tube in London - and the underground networks in New York and Mexico City - to the bemusement of their fellow passengers.

Meet the man who became a kidney donor at 73 to save the life of his nephew

(Bonnie Estridge, Daily Mail) When, two years ago, Patrick Graham heard that his nephew Richard Foley was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, he wasted no time in contacting the transplant co-ordinator at the Western Infirmary near his home in Glasgow to discuss his wish to donate a kidney. To become a live donor is a selfless decision for anyone to make. However, Patrick was slightly more unusual - he was 73 at the time, and his bravery and generosity has made him Scotland's oldest kidney donor. A semi-retired builder, Patrick turned out to be the ideal donor for Richard. Not only was he a perfect match, he was also, despite his advancing years, extremely fit and healthy.

Record four ton Israeli dip wins latest battle in 'hummus wars'

(Kevin Flower, CNN) The Middle East is well known for intractable political conflict. It is also famous for its many culinary delights. So what do you get when you combine the two? The "hummus wars." This gastronomic warfare has been played publicly the last couple of years as Lebanon and Israel have vied for the various titles of world's best and largest hummus dishes. Hummus, a regional delicacy, made of chickpeas, sesame paste and garlic among other ingredients is loved equally by Arabs, Jews, and Christians living in the Middle East.

How one US base in Afghanistan adopted two orphans

(Tom A. Peter, Christian Science Monitor) An Afghan laborer at Combat Oupost Penich was carefully maneuvering a forklift when an attack almost caused him to lose control of the vehicle. "Scrappy," an Afghan orphan who works on the United States Army base, had pinned the forklift driver down with a Super Soaker squirt gun and was blasting him in the face. Call it both the hazard and the joy of keeping two orphan kids on the payroll, but few soldiers at this remote base in eastern Kunar Province regret having them around.

From child's death, mom helps 6,000 kids

(Arwa Damon, CNN) Nia's chest shakes with every breath, her frail body twisting on the threadbare mattress. The heat inside her room is almost suffocating. Her mother fans her and wipes away a thin film of sweat from the girl's forehead. "Sometimes at night, I ask myself: If I die, who will take care of her?" Nia's mother, Rita Zahara, says. She wipes away tears as she speaks. Her eyes are permanently bloodshot, her face etched with exhaustion. Nia has cerebral palsy in Indonesia, where help for disabled children is far behind the times.

Pancakes, Prosperity, Peace

(Roger Cohen, New York Times) After the war and failed flight overseas, after her father’s persecution and the knowledge of hunger, it was the miracle of the crispy pancake that changed things for Trinh Diem Vy. That pancakes save lives is not sufficiently known. That Vy’s family pancake — a savory rice-flour creation turned a warm yellow by turmeric and stuffed with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, star fruit, mixed herbs, green banana — can reconcile a war-ravaged nation like Vietnam is a truth this woman has lived.

Edinburgh knitting project attracts ex-cons

(Morag Kinniburgh, BBC News) Weaving, knitting and crochet are not what you would expect to attract ex-convicts, drug users and alcoholics. But now a Greyfriars Community Project scheme in Edinburgh is proving popular with men and women knitting scarves, weaving ties and crocheting purses. The project volunteers said teaching the traditional skills helped centre-users rebuild their lives. Pat Laing, of the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, said: "It's about getting skills."

Afghanistan's first skatepark mixes rich and poor

(Emma Graham-Harrison, Reuters) Afghanistan's first skateboarding park and school opened in Kabul on Tuesday with a boarding showdown between dozens of youngsters -- ranging from ministers' children to streetkids -- that it aims to bring together. "Skateistan" started two years ago in a dried-up fountain in the heart of the Afghan capital, when two Australians with three skateboards started teaching a small group of fascinated kids. Now dozens of boys and girls from across all social classes can mix in a giant indoor park that looks like a cross between a military hangar and an urban hangout, festooned with the names of fashionable skating brands that have sponsored the park.

Beggar brings happiness to the lives of others

(Lata Rani, Gulf News) A beggar has never been given respect in society, but this one from Bihar has received plaudits and has emerged as a harbinger of hope for his dedication towards social service. So far, he has conducted marriages of 78 destitute and orphan girls by spending Rs3.8 million (approximately Dh300,000) — money that he collected during 25 years of begging. His achievement is all the more matchless because he is blind by birth. Meet 60-year-old Mohammad Yakoub, a resident of Deohara village in south Bihar's Aurangabad district, who has brought happiness to the lives of many villagers and fostered communal harmony in the society.

Mum and dad to 380 children

(Kara Segedin, New Zealand Herald) Heather May and James Tuhoro say they would have no trouble remembering the names of all the children they have cared for over 16 years - all 380 of them. The 66-year-old great-grandparents from Hamilton have been given the Queen's Service Medal for their services to foster care. Mrs Tuhoro said they had no idea they were up for the award, or who nominated them, and only found out when they received a letter with an official Government seal. "It's hard to describe, it's just amazing, it's humbling. We just love looking after kids," she said.

Helping hand for the solar salesman who put his cow on the market to bring power to the people

(Jonathan Clayton, Times Online) For years cows were the most important thing in John Nyirenda’s life. In Malawi, as in much of rural Africa, a man’s worth is calculated by the number of cows and other livestock he owns. Until recently Mr Nyirenda, who has nine children, was the proud owner of two cows, several sheep and goats and a flock of chickens that still peck away in the dirt outside his modest brick and corrugated iron roofed home in this tiny village in northern Malawi. "We sold milk and other diary products and with that money I brought up my entire family," the 63-year-old farmer told The Times.

Britain's most generous granny still buys Christmas presents for ALL her 200 relatives

(Daily Mail) She may be 90 years old, but expert Christmas shopper Edith Abbey has been hailed the country's most generous granny because she still buys individual gifts for more than 200 of her lucky relatives. Generous Edith, starts her Christmas mission every October, to make sure she can scout out gifts to suit the tastes of her 14 remaining children, 85 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, 20 great-great-grandchildren and their partners. Daughter Kathy Cooper, 63, helps her kind-hearted mum on her buying expeditions as her age means she would be unable to complete the task on her own.

Penpals together after 50 years

(Kara Segedin, New Zealand Herald) Exactly 50 years ago two young school girls started what would become a lifelong friendship. Penpals Linda Stokes of Florida and Heather Slade of Hastings - firm friends since primary school - met for the first time on Tuesday and could not stop smiling and laughing. After five decades of exchanging letters, photos and gifts the women came face to face at the Auckland Airport arrival gate.

From Prince to pauper: how William spent the night on the freezing streets

(Valentine Low, Times Online) As a child Prince William was taken by his mother on a secret visit to see the homeless in a Centrepoint shelter, an experience that led to his becoming the charity’s patron a decade later. Now he has extended that commitment by spending a night sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures on the streets of London. The Prince bedded down in an old sleeping bag in a doorway in the City of London, with no more than cardboard boxes to ease his discomfort. "I think he got a couple of hours’ sleep," said a spokesman for the Prince.

Carla Bruni 'befriends homeless man' in Paris

(BBC News) It is a heart-warming tale of rags and riches - or first lady and the tramp. Carla Bruni has reportedly befriended a homeless man who lives near her home in Paris's 16th arrondissement, giving him money and talking about music. The wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy had even offered to put Denis up in a hotel, he told Closer magazine. He said the two had struck up conversation as the Italian-born model and singer, 41, passed Denis on the daily school run with her son.

Conjoined twins out into a new world

(New Zealand Herald) The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne yesterday farewelled their two star patients, Trishna and Krishna, as they left five weeks after being surgically separated. The formerly conjoined twins were separated at the hospital by New Zealander Andrew Greensmith and other surgeons last month during 32 hours of surgery. Dr Greensmith said that because the girls' development had been held back, they were unlikely to remember being joined together. The twins, formerly from a Bangladesh orphanage, were discharged from the hospital in time to celebrate their third birthday today.

Snowed-in bride helped by drivers

(BBC News) A snowed-in bride from Kent enlisted the help of 4x4 drivers to get her and 40 guests to the church on time and ensure the wedding went ahead. Karen Rawlins, 42, had feared she would have to cancel her wedding to John Lee, 35, because of the snow. But following an appeal on BBC Radio Kent, listeners helped transport them to the church, in the remote village of Dode, near Luddesdown. A snowed-in bride from Kent enlisted the help of 4x4 drivers to get her and 40 guests to the church on time and ensure the wedding went ahead.

Haiti turning garbage into energy

(Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald) Ginette Sejour will tell you scouring through other people's garbage is a dirty, smelly way to make a living. But six days a week, this mother of seven and dozens of others trek through a slum once controlled by gangs, and arrive at a garbage processing plant where they spend the day sorting glass from metal, and plastic from paper. As one team dumps the recyclables into color-coded bins, another gathers and rips discarded paper and cardboard into bits. Using a technique that is as frugal as it is green, they crush wet paper into slow-burning logs, a cheap alternative known as briquettes.

Postmistress To Retire - After 61 Years!

(Lulu Sinclair, Sky News Online) The UK's longest-serving sub-postmistress is to stamp her last parcel this month after a career spanning seven decades. Mail was still delivered by horse-drawn carriage and telegrams were at the height of their popularity when Anne Gillies began serving customers on the Isle of Skye in 1948. Now, after 61 years at Staffin Post Office, the 84-year-old's best line tends to be in mobile phone top-up cards. She will hand over the reins to her daughter, Fiona MacDonald, who has been helping her run the store in the past few months.

Teams start Africa charity rally

(BBC News) A total of 50 teams have set off from Surrey to Cameroon to take part in a trans-continental car rally to raise £50,000 for charity. The drivers, in vehicles with 1-litre engines, started the Adventurists' 2009 Africa Rally at Dunsfold Park race track on Sunday. The teams have each chosen their own route from the UK and are expected to arrive in Limbe, Cameroon, in January. Tom Morgan, founder of Africa Rally, said it would be a "proper adventure."

Salsa dancing British grandmother, 75, wins Spanish television talent show with dazzling acrobatic display

(Daily Mail) A rather flexible 75-year-old British grandmother has won the Spanish equivalent of Britain's Got Talent with a dazzling acrobatic salsa display. Paddy Jones, originally from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, stunned viewers and judges with a routine which included flips, shimmies, spins and slides. The grandmother of seven only took up salsa dancing five years ago following the death of her husband. Wearing a skimpy blue dress, the septuagenarian took to the dancefloor last night with a partner 40 years her junior on the Spanish television talent show.

Amazing coincidence as the only two men in the UK named Geraint Woolford end up in adjacent hospital beds

(Graham Smith, Daily Mail) When there are only two people in Britain with the same name the chances of their meeting are remote. But that's exactly what happened when two men called Geraint Woolford ended up in adjacent beds at Abergele Hospital in North Wales. The shocked strangers then discovered that not only do they share the same name, but they are also both retired policemen from the same force.

Property tycoon donates £3m to help poor university students

(Jessica Shepherd, Guardian) A 95-year-old property tycoon who fled to Britain to escape anti-Semitic persecution in Iraq has donated £3m to help poor students through university. Naim Dangoor's gift is the largest single sum ever given to aid poor students applying to university in the UK's history. The government will add £1m, which means that 4,000 students will each receive £1,000. Dangoor said the money was his way of repaying the gratitude he felt to Britain for giving him an education in the 1930s. The money will go to students doing science, maths, engineering and technology degrees – subjects the government wants to become more popular among university applicants.

Hero pilot let plane fly unaided at 7,500ft as he battled to save parachutist hanging from wheel

(Daily Mail) A hero pilot has been awarded one of the UK's highest bravery awards after a dare-devil rescue of a parachutist who was left dangling by his feet from a plane. Garth Greyling, who is currently serving in Afghanistan, flew over the skies of Bad Lippspringe, Germany, allowing a parachute team to make their jump. But unbeknown to him, Major Jeremy Denning was left hanging underneath the plane after his left leg became tangled in a 15ft trailing rope.

Help-Portrait movement to give city's poor free glamour shots

(Katie Nelson, New York Daily News) Photographers worldwide are giving the needy a shot to improve their self-image. More than 80 New York City shooters have signed up with a movement called Help-Portrait to give glamour shots to down-and-out families ranging from battered women to poor schoolkids. They'll be snapping free portraits this month as part of a charity effort that has spread to 58 countries and counting. The idea started with pro shutterbug Jeremy Cowart, 32.

Brothers living in cave to inherit billions from lost grandmother

(Henry Samuel, The Telegraph) Zsolt and Geza Peladi have no fixed address and eke out an existence by selling junk they find in the street. But their scavenging days are about to be over. The brothers have been informed they are entitled to their long-lost grandmother’s fortune, along with a sister who lives in America. Charity workers in Hungary broke the news to them after being contacted by lawyers handling the estate of their maternal grandmother who died recently in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Special Olympics athletes push to the limit

(New Zealand Herald) Good one ... Amie Gifkins celebrates a successful shotput on the way to a heat-winning performance at the Special Olympics national summer games yesterday. The Manawatu 19-year-old is competing in four events at the games - the shotput (using a softball), the 50m and 100m sprints and the relay. More than 1000 athletes and their support crews are in Palmerston North for the games, braving chilly winds and rain.

Fancy Whistler Digs Will Help House Homeless

(TheTyee.ca) The original idea was hatched around the well-worn kitchen table of a humble East Vancouver house. Last spring, writer Charles Montgomery and his various housemates decided to rent one of their rooms inexpensively to an Olympic visitor and spend the proceeds on helping people get off the streets at night. Now their idea has taken off and, under the name Home for the Games, it is attracting volunteers with digs to offer that are, well, a bit more high end.

Students help Kenyan man go to college

(Cindy Kranz, Cincinnati Enquirer) A little baby-sitting and bake sale money can go a long way - like to Kenya. Since the fall of 2007, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy students have raised funds to send a young Kenyan man to college. Daniel Kyalo, 20, is a living his dream as a student at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi. He may be the first person from his village of Ulungu, about four hours east of Nairobi, to attend and graduate from college.

He finds clothes in the bin and grows his own food: Meet the man who has spent NOTHING for a year

(Daily Mail) A man who lived for a year without spending any money said today that it has been the happiest time of his life and he intends to continue. Mark Boyle, 30, has lived for the past 12 months as a true 'freeconomist', leading a self-sufficient lifestyle in a caravan in Timsbury, near Bath, growing his own food and reusing junk that people have thrown away. He says he has not spent a penny and has become a happier person, and today pledged to continue living without cash.

The feelgood factor: The Kindness Offensive

(Jessica Brinton, Times Online) Cargo nightclub, Shoreditch, Saturday night. The MC on stage is wearing stretchy leggings, a tiny camisole, and holding a mike. "I turned 40, you know..." Dance, dance. Well, she looks 15. "And I was worrying about success..." Dance, dance. "And for a long time, it bothered me. How could I be more successful?" Dance, dance. "And I worked it out. You’ve just gotta keep giving!" She throws her arms in the air. “Because it’s the only way.” She spins around. "And if you do, if you really do..." She pauses for effect, hands cupped in front of her. "It’ll all come back to you!" And the crowd erupts. Everyone cheers, everyone hugs each other.

The Queen makes 110-year-old Catherine Masters' day with a new-look birthday card

(Daily Mail) When she complained that the Queen sent out the 'same old birthday card' each year, Catherine Masters was rewarded with a visit from Prince William - and an apology on behalf of his grandmother. But it didn't end there. On her 110th birthday yesterday outspoken Mrs Masters received a new card featuring the monarch in a refreshingly different outfit. On her 110th birthday yesterday outspoken Mrs Masters received a new card featuring the monarch in a refreshingly different outfit.

Boy, 16, becomes UK's youngest ever solo pilot... thanks to practising on his Xbox

(Daily Mail) A teenager has become the youngest pilot to fly solo in Britain - a year before he can start learning to drive. James Coyne-Downhill, 16, took to the skies when he was just 14, and made his first solo flight on his 16th birthday. His instructor put the impressive feat down to the dextrous skills of the ‘Xbox generation.’ The 10-minute flight makes James, who is yet to sit his GCSEs, the joint UK record holder with fellow 16-year-old Tom Rule. James, from Ringwood, Hampshire, flew the A28 light aircraft in near-perfect weather conditions at Bournemouth Flying Club.

'Miracle' As Second Conjoined Twin Wakes

(Sky News) The weaker of two conjoined twins separated in a landmark surgery in Australia has woken up from a coma — and blown a raspberry at her guardian. "I'm smiling today and it's the only smile I've had in a week," the twins' guardian Moira Kelly said. "I'm grinning," she said. "Krishna's woken up, unbelievable. She is neurologically sound, which gives me shivers down my spine." Kelly said she gave a "big yelp" when Krishna blew her a raspberry, and there was "a bit of a sniffle down the phone" when she shared the news with the team of 16 surgeons who separated the two-year-olds.

Socialite's School Brings Hope To Brazilian Slum

(Juan Forero, NPR) Poverty and violence are part of every day life for children living in Brazil's slums, also known as favelas. But there are some people fighting to change that. One is Rio de Janeiro socialite Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, who dedicates her time and wealth to teaching the poorest of the poor in some of the worst neighborhoods. Bezerra de Mello founded a school called Children of the Golden Rainbow. When she arrives in the mornings it is all hugs and kisses, but once classes start, it is all business.

Shaharzad Akbar is first Afghan woman to study at Oxford University

(The Telegraph) Shaharzad Akbar has become the first Afghan woman to study at Oxford University after defying the Taliban to get an education, and credits British soldiers for helping her to get there. During her childhood Miss Akbar, 21, risked her life to learn to read and write, fearful that she would be caught and punished by the Taliban who do not believe women should be educated. Now, after the work of British and American troops who have driven the oppressive regime from power, Miss Akbar is free to study openly and go to university.

Cycling trip of a lifetime

(Eloise Gibson, New Zealand Herald) When Belgian-born Wouter Van Wezemael learned his partner was pregnant, he assumed his dream holiday was off. The building manager had dreamed of cycling the length of New Zealand ever since he was a child, but he could not imagine doing it towing a toddler. It took some persuasion by his Spanish love, Vanessa Mudarra, to convince him they could do the trip with Ella - now 14 months old. They quit their jobs and set off on a 3000km journey from Cape Reinga on November 1 - Wouter pulling the luggage while Vanessa towed the buggy.

Store's generosity puts disabled boy on wheels

(Sarah Sacheli, Windsor Star) The suggestion of going shopping brings a smile to Keegan Henry’s face. The 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, among other health and developmental issues, doesn’t get out much. Every outing requires his parents to lift him out of his wheelchair and into the family car. "It’s hard because he’s only 20 pounds lighter than I am," said his mom, April Brazeau. But more outings are in Keegan’s future thanks to $20,000 from PC Children’s Charities. The money will go toward a wheelchair-accessible van for the boy and his family.

Britons row 5,000 miles to cross Pacific

(Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle) Friday the 13th was the luckiest day of the year for two British adventurers who passed under the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning after rowing a 23-foot-long boat more than 5,000 miles across the Pacific from Japan. The voyage took 189 days - more than six months - on a boat made of Kevlar and propelled only by muscle power. The two men were stalked by whales, tossed by storms, ran low on food and sometimes despaired. They did not sight land until Thursday, when the dim silhouette of Point Reyes appeared on the horizon. "A once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing," said Mick Dawson, 45, the skipper.

Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development

(Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times) Small grants given directly to villagers have brought about modest but important changes in this corner of Afghanistan, offering a model in a country where official corruption and a Taliban insurgency have frustrated many large-scale development efforts. Since arriving in Afghanistan in 2001, the United States and its Western allies have spent billions of dollars on development projects, but to less effect and popular support than many had hoped for.

Mitzvah Day and the spirit of service

(Jonathan Wittenberg, The Guardian) If the Jewish community has a sometimes deserved reputation for insularity, this is far from the whole truth and later this month there'll be plenty of people to prove it. Ten thousand took part in Mitzvah Day in 2008; the number is expected to rise to 15,000 on Sunday the 15 November this year. Jews, young and old, will be involved across the country in activities as diverse as mucking out on city farms, singing in residential homes, cleaning up cemeteries and collecting spectacles for Visionaid. They will be joining others across the world, from Ireland and France, to the US and Israel.

The love train: The day passengers ditched their indifference and started hugging

(Daily Mail) British rail passengers are renowned for their indifference towards fellow commuters. Even eye-contact is off-limits for many who would rather bury their heads in newspapers or stare at the ground than acknowledge another traveller. So the sight of more than a hundred passengers embracing made for quite an astonishing sight as they set a new world record for hugging today. In all, 112 people, many of them total strangers, set aside their usual stubborn reserve towards fellow passengers at St Pancras station in central London as they embraced for 60 seconds.

Smile! It’s Random Act of Kindness Day

(Greg Mercer, TheRecord.com) A crowd of people in Waterloo’s Town Square are planning to do the most unusual thing Friday. They’re going to smile. That’s right — they’ll do that strange exercise where you curl your mouth up at the edges and show your teeth. They’ll be doing it because of something called Random Act of Kindness Day and because of a woman named Deb Loyd. Loyd has organized her massive smile-off at noon Friday, and she’s roped in the mayor and a few sponsors, too. She and helpers will be handing out free coffee, doughnuts, buttons that say "I love your smile" and red clown noses.

Iraq latest crucible for Harvard mediation

(James F. Smith, Boston Globe) No longer locked in one big war, Iraq has become a land of a hundred little wars. And this promised to be one more of them, as two well-armed tribes clashed over a coveted swath of land. One tribe brandished a promise to 2,000 acres from the current Iraqi government. The other pointed to a like promise from the regime of Saddam Hussein. Guns were raised, shots fired. There seemed no ground for compromise, beyond the familiar local remedy: blood. But then something extraordinary happened. The tribes agreed to negotiate.

In Ghana, no one is a stranger for long

(Dan Lawton, Christian Science Monitor) While trudging under the cascades of the Wli waterfalls in Ghana's Volta region, I found myself at a standstill. I was attempting to navigate the crushing torrent of white water to a tiny enclave behind it, when the deluge engulfed me like a pair of fizz-colored blinders. As I clung anxiously to the slick rocks underfoot, I spied a phantasmagoria of shimmering figures through the downpour. Seconds later, I was linked arm in arm with a troop of young Ghanaians, all singing – including myself – at the top of their lungs.

Amid war Afghanistan trains thousands of new midwives

(Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Christian Science Monitor) Through a courtyard piled high with heaps of trash and teeming with flies, two sturdy women sit in a cool, dark room before a group of nearly a dozen women who range in age from 15 to 50. The two are midwives who have come to talk to the women living here with limited electricity and little clean water about the importance of maternal health. Girls from nearby houses stream in as the midwives begin their presentation, pouring water from a clay-­colored pitcher and moving their soapy hands slowly clockwise to show the proper method of hand washing.

Pakistan Fashion Week a Symbolic Blow to Taliban

(AP) Some women strode the catwalk in vicious spiked bracelets and body armor. Others had their heads covered, burqa-style, but with shoulders — and tattoos — exposed. Male models wore long, Islamic robes as well as shorts and sequined T-shirts. As surging militant violence grabs headlines around the world, Pakistan's top designers and models are taking part in the country's first-ever fashion week.

Local residents help people in village of Boxahuku get a library

(Sandy Sims, Sunnyvale Sun) Some birthdays mark stages in one's life. It isn't often, however, that a birthday celebration itself brings major changes. For Los Gatos residents Betsy and David Fullagar, one celebration did precisely that. In 2007 both Fullagars hit milestone years. Deciding to commemorate their birthdays in a big way, they went on a safari in Africa. They had no idea their lives would be profoundly touched by a young man's dream and his small South African village.

Clinton lauds oldest Peace Corps volunteer, an 85-year-old

(Charley Keyes, CNN) U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday praised as "one of the best" the oldest Peace Corps volunteer in the world, an 85-year old Florida woman serving in Morocco. Clinton recognized Muriel Johnston during a meet-and-greet session of U.S. Embassy officials and other Americans in Marrakech, Morocco. Clinton was representing the U.S. at an international conference in Morocco, during a trip that stretched from Pakistan to the Middle East.

The maid, the policeman and random acts of kindness

(Richard Pretorius, The National) The maid at the Kingsgate Hotel off Salam Street in Abu Dhabi had outdone even my mother. Every article of clothing had either been placed on a coat hanger or folded neatly, even the socks. The disposable razors and washing gels were lined up like toy soldiers, waiting to do battle. I thanked Agnes profusely, gave her a generous tip and went about my day. Late that evening, when I returned from work, a shiny new alarm clock was on the bedside table. As I had occasionally asked the maid for the time of day, I knew right away what had happened. She had used some of the money I had given her – money she certainly needed for herself or her family back home in the Philippines – and bought the clock.

U.S. aid saves lives but few know, Bill Gates says

(Maggie Fox, Reuters) Foreign aid may provide the best value for money spent by the U.S. government, Bill and Melinda Gates said Tuesday, but few seem to know it. They launched a new project to try to publicize some public health successes in foreign aid, to encourage the U.S. and other governments to keep giving money. "Dollar for dollar, global health is America's best investment for saving lives," Gates told reporters. "U.S.-supported global health programs are saving and improving the lives of millions of people."

Meeting India's tree planting guru

(Amarnath Tewary, BBC News) An Indian civil servant, SM Raju, has come up with a novel way of providing employment to millions of poor in the eastern state of Bihar. His campaign to encourage people to plant trees effectively addresses two burning issues of the world: global warming and shrinking job opportunities. Evidence of Mr Raju's success could clearly be seen on 30 August, when he organised 300,000 villagers from over 7,500 villages in northern Bihar to engage in a mass tree planting ceremony. In doing so the agriculture graduate from Bangalore has provided "sustainable employment" to people living below the poverty line in Bihar.

19-year-old Norwegian takes Monopoly world title

(AP) A lucky swap and some eager building propelled a 19-year-old Norwegian student to the top of board game fame and sent three would-be tycoons to the poor house at the Monopoly World Championship in Las Vegas. Bjorn Halvard Knappskog, who graduated this year from the Oslo Private Gymnasium school, captured the title on Thursday when the battleship token of 25-year-old Geoff Christopher of New Zealand landed consecutively on Pacific Avenue and North Carolina Avenue, and he couldn't afford the combined $1,600 rent.

Break-Dancers in Gaza: Keeping It Real

(Abigail Hauslohner, Time) Mohammed al-Ghiez sets his laptop down on the concrete rooftop of a school in the central Gaza Strip. As he turns up the music — a blend of American hip-hop, techno and Palestinian rap — the rest of his B-boy crew starts warming up by jumping rope, stretching and shaking their limbs to the beat. This is hardly a typical Monday-morning scene in the deeply conservative Gaza Strip, ruled by the Islamists of Hamas, and where Western pop culture is largely shunned. But you wouldn't know it to watch al-Ghiez — also known as "Funk B-boy" — and his five friends prepare to teach more than a hundred Palestinian schoolchildren the art of break dancing.

Putting a smile on somebody’s face

(Chris Eakin, Fairview Post) The Servus Credit Union is casting bread upon the waters to create a ‘feel good ripple’ in Fairview. Last week, the Credit Union passed out a few hundred folders each containing a crisp, new $10 bill and a plastic card explaining the intent of the program. Those accepting the folder were asked to use the $10 to do something nice for somebody else and to pass the card onto them in the hope that they will in turn do something nice for somebody else.

At the centre of time

(Lucy Rodgers, BBC News) Without it international travel would be in turmoil and calling friends in faraway places at the right time impossible. Exactly 125 years after the Greenwich Meridian line was drawn, how and why did Britain become the centre of time? At longitude 0° 0' 00", the arbitrary stroke on our maps that passes from pole to pole and bisects the UK, France, Spain, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana divides the Earth into east and west, just as the Equator splits it into north and south. This imaginary line now known as the Greenwich Prime Meridian not only allows us to navigate the globe but also keeps the world ticking to the same symbolic 24-hour clock.

Graffiti gangs chant: Knit one, purl two

(Toronto Star) Yarnbomb – verb. To gently fasten knitted and crocheted works to public surfaces as cozy, impermanent graffiti: The kindergarten teacher yarnbombed a pole in the park with a stocking stitch in shades of blue and green. From Houston to Vancouver, Stockholm to Mexico City, graffiti artists of a softer sort are "tagging" poles, statues, trees and bicycle racks with multicoloured knits. The more ambitious have covered an entire bus, an army tank and piece of the Great Wall of China. The goal? World yarn domination. Surprising strangers. Promoting an underappreciated craft. Really, it depends on whom you ask.

Helping orphans, Tibetan and Chinese alike

(Stephen Kurczy, Christian Science Monitor) Fifty years ago, the parents of Tendol Gyalzur were two of about 85,000 Tibetans killed during the suppression of the uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet that pushed the Dalai Lama into exile. Only 7 years old at the time, Mrs. Gyalzur grew up feeling hatred toward the occupiers who'd orphaned her. Yet today, she works closely with the Chinese government as the founder and director of Tibet's first private orphanage.

Girl, 16, sets off on 23,600-mile yacht trip

(AP) A 16-year-old Australian steered her bright pink yacht out of Sydney Harbor on Sunday to start her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world. Jessica Watson's plan to make a 23,600-mile journey through some of the world's most treacherous waters sparked a debate in Australia about whether someone so young should be allowed to try such a potentially dangerous feat. Watson and her family insist she is an experienced and capable sailor who has studied navigation, electronics and maritime safety procedures.

For Tree That Comforted Anne Frank, 11 New Places to Bloom

(Joseph Berger, New York Times) Through saplings descended from the majestic horse chestnut tree that gave her so much pleasure in her bleak hideout, Anne Frank will soon have her story joined with that of the Little Rock Nine — the black students who integrated an Arkansas high school under the guard of 1,200 soldiers in 1957. The school, Little Rock Central High School, is one of 11 sites dedicated to fighting intolerance that have been chosen by the Anne Frank Center USA in Lower Manhattan as the destination for saplings that originated from the tree in Amsterdam, now 150 years old.

Coin bears nine-year-old's design

(BBC News) The Royal Mint is due to unveil the first UK coin designed by a child, which will enter circulation next year. Florence Jackson, nine, from Bristol, beat 17,000 other entries to win a BBC One Blue Peter competition celebrating the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Her high-jump motif is the first in a series of 29 officially-licensed 50p designs to commemorate the Olympics. She said: "It was amazing to... see my picture turned into a coin. I can't wait to see it in my pocket money."

The 'youngest headmaster in the world'

(Damian Grammaticas, BBC News) Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because their families are too poor to afford to send them to school. In India, one schoolboy is trying to change that. At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world. He's a teenager who is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family's backyard, where he runs classes for poor children from his village. The story of this young man from Murshidabad in West Bengal is a remarkable tale of the desire to learn amid the direst poverty.

AYA Awards: It's payback time for Yeoh

(David Yeow, New Straits Times) Nobody likes a know-it-all, but most will make an exception for Yeoh Chen Chow - a friendly, down-to-earth walking encyclopaedia on scholarship and university applications. The phrase "pay it forward" means to ask that an act of kindness be repaid by having it done to others instead. For Yeoh Chen Chow, it's not a concept; it's a life principle. Growing up in a poor family from a small town in Penang, Yeoh worked hard to be all that he could be.

Schoolgirl Jessica Watson ready to set sail in solo record bid

(Sophie Tedmanson, Times Online) When Jessica Watson was asked to describe her bright pink 33ft yacht today, she referred to Ella’s Pink Lady as "really cute ... but really tough as well. She’s ready to take on the world." The same could be said about Jessica, a petite 16-year-old from Australia’s northeastern Sunshine Coast, who this weekend will embark on her dream: to become the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world.

Malawian boy uses wind to power hope, electrify village

(Faith Karimi, CNN) William Kamkwamba dreamed of powering his village with the only resource that was freely available to him. His native Malawi had gone through one of its worst droughts seven years ago, killing thousands. His family and others were surviving on one meal a day. The red soil in his Masitala hometown was parched, leaving his father, a farmer, without any income. But amid all the shortages, one thing was still abundant. Wind. "I wanted to do something to help and change things," he said. "Then I said to myself, 'If they can make electricity out of wind, I can try, too.'"

Couple return home after four-year honeymoon sailing around the world... with a daughter, now aged 2

(Daily Mail) A couple who spent the last four years sailing around the world on their dream honeymoon have finally returned home - with the two-year-old daughter they conceived during their voyage. Dave and Hazel McCabe set off on their 14,000 mile odyssey after getting married in the UK in 2005.

Grandfather's 104-headed sunflower started as a weed in his carrot patch... now it could be a record-breaker

(Daily Mail) When keen gardener Gordon Davis first spotted a rogue sunflower in his carrot patch, he was tempted to pull it up. Three months later, the grandfather-of-four is blooming pleased that he didn't. Despite washout weather in July and August, Gordon, 70, has watched in amazement as the sunflower has continued to grow ... and grow. The plant now boasts a staggering 104 separate heads. He believes he's within reach of a world record as the plants usually produce just one main flower.

Blindness fuels drive to achieve

(New Zealand Herald) Blind Aucklander Rob Matthews says having a disability is in the eye of the beholder. Losing his sight became a catalyst for discovering how far he could push himself and he threw himself into activities many blind people would sensibly shy away from. Since becoming legally blind at 20, Matthews has driven a race car, fired a gun, tried archery, gone jet- and waterskiing, cross-country skiing, cycled throughout Britain and Europe and played golf, football and cricket.

I put my grandmother on eBay, but it was a joke says 10-year-old Zoe, after bids hit £20,000

(Andrew Levy, Daily Mail) When selling an item on eBay there is a strict etiquette - give an honest appraisal of the goods including their faults. So when ten-year-old Zoe Pemberton put her grandmother up for auction, she was brutally honest. Among the many points listed were 'annoying and moaning a lot', although she admitted 61-year-old Marian Goodall could be 'very cuddly and loves word searches'. It was, of course, only meant as a joke. But that didn't stop dozens of people placing bids that reached more than £20,000 before the auction was shut down for breaching 'strict sales policies'.

The kite-runners are out again in Kabul

(Martin Fletcher, Times Online) High above the dirt and the dust, the heat and the haze of congested Kabul, thousands of brilliantly coloured kites hovered and swooped in the sky like so many exotic birds of prey. Afghanistan’s kite-flying season has begun, and on Friday afternoons — as the sun begins to cool — the capital’s careworn residents now flock up flat-topped Nader Khan hill to indulge in their national pastime.

Korean families in rare reunion

(BBC News) A group of elderly South Koreans has made a rare journey across the heavily fortified border to visit long-lost relatives in the communist North. Two hundred families were chosen to take part in the reunions after more than half a century of separation since the Korean civil war. The two Koreas began reunions in 2000, but the programme was suspended two years ago because of political tension. The resumption is being seen as a sign of a possible thaw in relations.

Clinton initiative raises more than $8 billion

(MSNBC.com) The Clinton Global Initiative gathered more than $8 billion in pledges at this year's summit, surprising its organizers who had worried that the recession would lower the level of support. The philanthropic effort started by former President Bill Clinton aims to tap wealthy donors for funds to try to solve some of the world's most pressing problems, from poverty to climate change. "We were concerned, and we actually came into this CGI with more sponsorships than we had last year, under adverse circumstances," Clinton said on Friday at the closing session of the four-day summit.

Estonians to launch first e-Bank of Happiness

(Juhan Tere, The Baltic Course) Estonia's Onnepank – the so-called e-Bank of Happiness, the world's first, is going to start operation soon with a goal to promote the idea of doing good deeds for free, Tigerprises/LETA reports. The aim of the bank is to bring together those, who are in need of help and those who can help. In the e-bank one can exchange information on needs, offer help and register good deeds. For every good deed you get a Star of Gratitude and the person with the biggest number of Stars will become one of the happiest in the world.

Man with metal detector strikes gold in Staffordshire

(Press Association) A 55-year-old man has unearthed the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, archaeologists said today. The staggering discovery, made using a metal detector, on private farmland in Staffordshire, will redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England, experts predict. Terry Herbert came across the hoard as he searched a field near his home in Burntwood with his metal detector. Experts said the collection of more than 1,500 pieces - which will be officially classified by a coroner as treasure today - is unparalleled in size and may have belonged to Saxon royalty.

Saudi Arabia Opens First-Ever Fully Integrated Coed University

(AP) The opening of Saudi Arabia's new multibillion dollar, first-ever fully integrated coed university on Wednesday is a pivotal step forward in the oil-rich kingdom's quest to strengthen its economic base, said the Oil Minister Ali Naimi. "With all the natural resources that God has endowed us, the kingdom is keen to diversify its sources of income for the future," Naimi said at the institution's inauguration outside the coastal city of Jeddah in remarks carried by the state press. The university breaks many of the conservative country's social taboos by allowing, for the first time, men and women to take classes together.

Cakes and climate change: WI joins 10:10

(Rose Gamble, SidewaysNews.com) The Women’s Institute, traditionally associated with village fêtes and home cookery, recently announced that it is one of a string of organisations to join The Guardian 10:10 campaign. And far from the common preconception, the WI is a force to be reckoned with - providing an inspirational example of how the campaign starts with the individual.

Gates Foundation helps bring banking to the poor

(Donna Gordon Blankinship, AP) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, best known for its work combating malaria, AIDS and other diseases, this week announced an effort to bring banking, including savings accounts, to the poor. It may be hard to understand how savings is even an issue for the people who live on less than $2 a day, said Bob Christen, who directs the Gates Foundation's financial services initiative. However, access to a safe place to store money is a top priority of poor people around the world, he said.

New Airline-Ticket Tax to Aid the Developing World

(Peter Gumbel, Time) Starting next January, whenever you buy an airline ticket at a travel agency or online, there'll be a new question to answer before you hand over your credit card: Would you be willing to donate $2 to help fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa? It sounds like a small step, and many airline travelers, already irritated by compulsory surcharges for fuel, baggage and wider seats, may simply ignore it. But behind this call for a voluntary contribution is an unprecedented worldwide effort to make up a shortfall in official government aid to poor countries — a shortfall exacerbated by the world financial crisis.

Get Out of Jail Free: Monopoly's Hidden Maps

(Ki Mae Heussner, ABC News) It's a story that will forever change the way you think of the phrase, "Get Out of Jail Free." During World War II, as the number of British airmen held hostage behind enemy lines escalated, the country's secret service enlisted an unlikely partner in the ongoing war effort: The board game Monopoly. It was the perfect accomplice. Included in the items the German army allowed humanitarian groups to distribute in care packages to imprisoned soldiers, the game was too innocent to raise suspicion.

Microfinance group helps Kenyans build a new life

(Jim Simon, Seattle Times) On the second night in her new house here, Jane Ngoiri told one of her children to get something out of the kitchen. Then she started laughing. "I told them, 'It is us talking about a kitchen. A kitchen!' " recalled Ngoiri, a former prostitute who moved with her four children earlier this year from a rented, one-room shanty in the Nairobi slum of Mathare. "It's unbelievable." Kaputei represents an audacious leap for both Ngoiri and the Jamii Bora Trust, a Kenyan microfinance organization that began a decade ago lending 50 women beggars money to start their own businesses.

Arabs tackle free speech taboo

(Caryle Murphy, Christian Science Monitor) As soon as the cameramen called it a wrap, the audience swarmed onto the TV studio set. Almost giddy with delight, several university students from Saudi Arabia went straight for chairs vacated by the performers and pretended to be stars of the show. The program that thrills these students isn't a reality show, a religious forum, or a sexy soap opera. It's something far more ordinary – but also mightier. As the show's producers like to say, it's about "the power to change minds" – through words.

Lonely hearts flock to Lisdoonvarna

(Tamasin Ford, BBC News) If internet dating, speed dating or even the lonely hearts columns have not worked for you, then the Irish spa town of Lisdoonvarna may have the answer. Despite having a population of only 1,000 people, it hosts the world's biggest match-making festival. For five weeks every summer, it opens its doors to 40,000 visitors.

Italy’s ex-cons get 2nd chance as tourist guides

(AP) Luigi "Giggino" Nocerino once stalked tourists through the tight alleys of this southern Italian city, snatching bags and valuables to fuel his drug addiction. Now he looks after his former prey, escorting them through bad neighborhoods and giving tips on how to avoid muggings and where to eat the best pizza. Nocerino is one of 70 former convicts, including muggers, drug traffickers and con artists, hired by authorities to guide tourists through the art-rich but crime-plagued city and use their inside knowledge of the local underworld to keep visitors safe.

Note in bottle found after 5 years at sea

(AP) A note that a Maryland student put into a corked wine bottle and tossed from a cruise ship in the Bahamas five years ago was found this summer in England by a man walking his dog. Retired electrician Tony Hoskings of Cornwall spent weeks trying to find the sender of the note. After searching the Internet and seeking the aid of his local newspaper, Mr. Hoskings found Daniel Knopp, 19, a student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

How a picnic led to the fall of the Berlin Wall

(Colin Woodard, Christian Science Monitor) These days, cars whiz through the abandoned border-control stations in the hills separating this Hungarian city from the villages and vineyards of Eastern Austria. Crossing the old Iron Curtain is much the same as traveling between US states: no fences, no guards, just a welcome sign. Twenty years ago today, the militarized barrier between Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and the democracies of the West met its end when Hungary's reform Communist government announced it would open its borders, allowing tens of thousands of East Germans to escape into Austria.

Thrice blessed in pursuit of everlasting happiness

(Lincoln Tan, New Zealand Herald) Chinese couples rushed to tie the knot yesterday, believing the once-in-a-century date will make their union last an eternity. According to traditional belief, 09-09-09, or "jiu jiu jiu" - which, in Mandarin, sounds like the word "everlasting" repeated thrice - is considered an auspicious day to wed, as the longevity of the marriage will be tripled.

Iraq-born doctor hopes to help Kurdish women become a force for life

(Bruce Finley, Denver Post) At 86, retired Denver psychiatrist David Kazzaz still misses his native Baghdad — sleeping out on a rooftop during summer, strolling along a cafe-lined lane by the Tigris River, savoring freshly grilled fish. He also remembers the persecution of Jews by pro-Nazi Iraqis who in 1950 drove his family away. While he yearns to return to his Baghdad neighborhood, he doesn't dare because of regular suicide bomb blasts. But Kazzaz is doing what he can to create an opportunity by addressing the Arab-Kurdish tensions that analysts see as a main threat to stability after U.S. forces depart Iraq.

104th Birthday For UK's Oldest Facebook Star

(Sky News) Britain's oldest Facebook star is celebrating her 104th birthday with web messages from fans all over the world. Ivy Bean, who was born in 1905, started using the internet at her Bradford care home just over two years ago. Within months she had thousands of online fans to chat to and became one of the most popular Britons on social networking sites. While most centenarians receive no more than a telegram from the Queen on their birthday, Mrs Bean receives messages from all over the world.

10,000 Roman coins unearthed by amateur metal detector enthusiast... on his first ever treasure hunt

(Daily Mail) A massive haul of more than 10,000 Roman coins has been unearthed by an amateur metal detecting enthusiast - on his first ever treasure hunt. The silver and bronze 'nummi' coins, dating from between 240AD and 320AD, were discovered in a farmer's field near Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, last month. Finder Nick Davies, 30, was on his first treasure hunt when he discovered the coins, mostly crammed inside a buried 70lb clay pot. Experts say the coins have spent an estimated 1,700 years underground.

Young Palestinians play to their strengths

(Olivia Sterns, CNN) The Palestinian Youth Orchestra (PYO) is just one example of the Middle East's many arts and music initiatives that are helping spread a message of peace and harmony. Founded in 2004 by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine, the group aims to bring together talented young musicians from the Palestinian Territories and throughout the Palestinian diaspora.

British Schindler welcomes steam train carrying evacuees he helped to escape the Holocaust as children

(Daily Mail) A steam train carrying evacuees who escaped the Holocaust as children was met in London today by the man who saved their lives. Sir Nicholas Winton, an indefatigable 100 years old, greeted the passengers, who had boarded the train in Prague to mark the 70th anniversary of the Second World War rescue. Walking with the aid of a stick, Sir Nicholas shook hands with many of the evacuees as they stepped off the vintage steam train at London's Liverpool Street station.

Bargain hunter pays £3 for a box of old postcards... and finds a priceless picture of his mother celebrating the end of WWII

(Daily Mail) A bargain hunter bought a box of old postcards at a car boot sale - and was shocked to find one of them featured a picture of his mother. Reg Barker, 49, paid £3 for the tattered shoe box stuffed with more than 200 old cards. The teaching assistant was looking through the collection two days later when his eyes were drawn to one showing crowds celebrating Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945.

Two Decades On, India Eye Clinic Maintains Innovative Mission

(Fred de Sam Lazaro, NewsHour) The Aravind Eye Care System is an island of cutting edge technology amid the cows and chaos of India, another business success story in one of the world's leading emerging economies. There is one critical difference about Aravind, however: Its customers are some of the world's poorest citizens.

WW 2 concert: Music is a power for peace

(Michael Roddy, Reuters) Russian conductor Valery Gergiev led musicians from 40 countries Tuesday in a thrilling concert in the heart of former Nazi-occupied Poland to mark the outbreak of World War Two 70 years ago. "I turned the first page of the music and said I can't handle this and then professionalism took over," said violinist Monica Curro of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, who joined a select group of about 90 musicians for two concerts by the World Orchestra for Peace in Krakow and Wednesday in Stockholm.

Disabled Yachtswoman Sails Into Record Books

(Sky News) Disabled yachtswoman Hilary Lister has become the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around Britain. The 37-year-old was cheered by wellwishers at the quayside when she sailed into Dover harbour, Kent. Her 15-mile, five-hour sail from Ramsgate marked the final leg of a marathon journey. Mrs Lister's 40-day series of sails took her along the east coast of Ireland, then down the east coast of Scotland and England.

It's Random Acts of Kindness Day!

(NZPA) doesn't have to cost a cent - that's the message behind Random Acts of Kindness Day, which takes place on Tuesday. Organiser Megan Singleton said the day was a chance for people to prove New Zealand was the kindest nation on earth. "We're challenging people to step out and do something kind for someone else."

Man completes 85-day kayak paddle

(BBC News) A 47-year-old man from Lancashire has completed an 85-day challenge to paddle his kayak 1,700 miles (2,736km) around the British Isles for charity. Eric Innes, from Kirkham, landed at Blackpool lifeboat station at 1530 BST after finishing his mammoth paddle, which began on 6 June.

In fractured Lebanon, starting reconciliation at a young age

(Nicholas Blanford, Christian Science Monitor) Some Lebanese, especially those with a sense of irony, like to share an American traveler's impressions of their homeland on the eastern Mediterranean. William Thomson noted that Lebanon's religions and sects – there are 18 recognized ones in a country smaller than Connecticut – share a country but little fraternal feeling. Breaking such deeply embedded and historical suspicions is no easy task, but one nongovernmental organization (NGO) is turning to Lebanese schools in a grass-roots approach to promote a culture of problem solving and tolerance in the classroom.

North Korea to Allow Family Reunions and Release Fishermen

(Choe-Sang-Hun, New York Times) In a further sign of thawing relations, North and South Korea agreed Friday to hold a new round of family reunions next month to allow hundreds of elderly Koreans to meet their family members for the first time since the Korean War separated them nearly 60 years ago. Also on Friday, North Korea agreed to release four South Korean fishermen on Saturday, the South’s Unification Ministry said in a statement.

British teen becomes youngest to sail world solo

(Avril Ormsby, Reuters) A 17-year-old Briton became the youngest person to sail round the globe single-handed on Thursday after nine months at sea. Mike Perham suffered knockdowns and damage to his yacht during the 24,000-mile (38,700-km) trip and the teenager from Hertfordshire, southern England, said he was now looking forward to a "good meal and a very good night's sleep."

British teen to study ballet at the Bolshoi - and is only the fourth Brit to do so in the school's 230 year history

(Vanessa Allen, Daily Mail) For more than two centuries, only three British girls have ever been invited to study at the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Russia. Now 16-year-old Natalie Carter can be added to that illustrious list after beating thousands of hopefuls from around the world to win a place at the prestigious ballet school in Moscow.

Even in death, Kim Dae-jung unites Koreas

(AP) In death as in life, Kim Dae-jung managed to bring the two rival Koreas together. Hours before his funeral Sunday, North Korean officials dispatched to Seoul to pay their respects to the Nobel Peace Prize winner held talks with South Korea's president — the first high-level inter-Korean contact after many months of tension.

Jeremy Gilley’s Journey for Peace

(Sumaiya Malik, Good News Gazette) It’s impossible not to be affected by Jeremy Gilley’s contagious enthusiasm as he speaks at a rapid-fire pace about what is clearly his passion – peace, or more specifically the International Day of Peace, which takes place on September 21st each year. Gilley doesn’t think small. In 1998 when he was inspired on his mission for peace, he didn’t think about focusing on a town or even a country. His vision was for global peace, starting with a single day recognized around the world – a day that could serve as the foundation for something greater, a day when everyone could become involved in the peace process.

Pakistanis in Seattle give a Pakistan community the gift of girls' school

(Sarah Stuteville, Seattle Times) Thirteen-year-old Humiera Kausar's oversized sneakers hurry over piles of granite boulders and through scrubby pines bristling with last night's rain. A headscarf and pink shawl are wound tightly around her small frame to protect against the thick mist that has settled over her high mountain village. Her school uniform, traditional baggy pants and a long tunic, is glowing white and Humiera is careful not to soil the cuffs as she quickly makes her way along a rugged green spine of the Karakoram foothills. She's late for school and still almost four miles away.

Palestinian woman hopes to open Israeli education doors for others

(Dana Rosenblatt, CNN) For many graduate students seeking an advanced education degree, obstacles abound. Issues of finance, time management and family logistics often get in the way of students furthering their education and their dreams. For Sawsan Salameh, the obstacles also involved politics. Several years ago, Salameh, a 31-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Anata, was granted a scholarship to study at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Maryland residents 'adopt' Ghana village

(AP) Groups in Western Maryland have been working to improve life in Ghana in West Africa. In Akramaman, a village about 2 1/2 hours by car from Accra, the capital, a new playground was paid for by the Westminster Rotary Club. A new preschool also has a summer literacy program thanks to Western Maryland generosity.

Little Bo Peep bride marries in stunning dress made of wool from her own flock of sheep

(David Wilkes, Daily Mail) And the bride wore white - long, curly white strands of wool. Louise Fairburn, who is an award-winning sheep breeder, decided to get married in a fleece from her own flock. She designed the gown and took wool from her favourite rare Lincoln Longwool, Olivia.

Connie's 102nd birthday bike ride

(BBC News) A great-grandmother who still works every day has celebrated her 102nd birthday with a surprise outing on a motorbike, and then a Ferrari supercar. Connie Brown MBE, from Pembrokeshire, gets up every morning to prepare food for the family run chip shop. While she still up early on birthday number 102, she was greeted by well-wishers and whisked off round Pembroke. Dressed in a leather motorcycle jacket and a black helmet, she said: "Everyone should try it."

India passes free education bill

(BBC News) The Indian parliament has approved a landmark education bill which seeks to guarantee free and compulsory education for children aged between six and 14. The bill, passed by the lower house of parliament, will set up new state-run neighbourhood schools. It will also force private ones to reserve at least a quarter of their places for poor children.

N. Korean leader reportedly pardons U.S. journalists

(CNN) North Korean President Kim Jong Il has pardoned and ordered the release of two U.S. journalists, state-run news agency KCNA said Wednesday. The announcement came after former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with top North Korean officials in Pyongyang to appeal for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been arrested while reporting from the border between North Korea and China.

The delicate operation to move the world's oldest pot plant to its new Kew Gardens home

(Fiona MacRae, Daily Mail) Usually it is a simple matter, involving a sheet of newspaper, a trowel and a bag of compost. But when the future of the world's oldest pot plant is at stake, repotting becomes a much more complicated process. It took nine gardeners, a crane and three months of meticulous planning to place a one-tonne tree believed to be the oldest plotted plant in the world in a new container.

Palestinians in kite record bid

(BBC News) Palestinian children turned out in big numbers on a beach in the northern Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the world record for kite flying. More than 6,000 children gathered to fly more than 3,000 kites, according to the United Nations, which organised it. The previous record was set in Germany last year - when the Guinness Book of World Records says 967 kites took to the sky simultaneously.

Baby is 20th descendant to be christened in antique gown

(The Telegraph) George is the fifth generation to be christened in the Victorian cotton and lace garment. It was hand stitched by his ancestor Elizabeth Bull in Wiltshire in 1884 and first used for her daughter Margaret's christening. The antique has been worn by every Parfitt child since, including Margaret's daughter Amy Cleverley in 1916 and George's great grandmother Kathleen Acres in 1919.

Generosity through a little lemonade

(Naeema Siddiqua, Spruce Grove Examiner) A six-year-old has been busy stealing the hearts of her customers with a mix of some lemon and sugar for just 25 cents. Like any other youngster, Chloe Smith understands the concept of presents, toys and money, but unlike many in her age group, she doesn’t want them for herself. She is busy with her philanthropic work. While visiting her grandparents in Willow Park, Stony Plain, she set up a lemonade stand with her friend, Gabrielle Tortowsky, and raised $55, which she donated to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

Boy, 10, prepares for Kilimanjaro

(BBC News) A 10-year-old Berkshire boy has flown to Tanzania ahead of an attempt to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Jack Harley-Walsh, of Ascot, will begin the 19,330ft (5,892m) challenge on Friday, making him one of the youngest people to take on the peak. He has set off on a four-day trek of Mount Meru, which is 14,980ft (4,566m), to acclimatise for the big climb. Jack is raising money for the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust and charity Sebastian's Action Trust.

Pakistan Philanthropist Cares For Karachi's Forgotten

(Julie McCarthy, NPR) Abdul Sattar Edhi has personally washed tens of thousands of corpses that he has rescued from gutters, beneath bridges and from the sea. The 82-year-old Pakistani has devoted his life to the destitute of Karachi, burying the city's forgotten and giving fresh life to its abandoned newborns. His pioneering social work has drawn comparisons to Mother Teresa's. His mission is synonymous with this sprawling port city, where rickshaws bearing veiled women, scooters spewing smoke and drivers pressing palms to horns all squeeze in the narrow streets through spaces as thin as a ray of hope.

Nepal thanks Lumley over Gurkhas

(BBC News) Nepal's president and prime minister have thanked visiting actress Joanna Lumley for helping get "justice" for British army Gurkha soldiers. President Ram Baran Yadav said she had "championed" the cause, while Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said Nepal was "rejoicing" over her achievement. Ms Lumley, whose father was a Gurkha regiment officer, fronted a campaign for UK settlement rights for Gurkhas. She was greeted in Nepal by a crowd with signs describing her a "goddess."

School of Rock

(Darina Shevchenko, Newsweek) Back in the Soviet era, Airat Yarullin had to negotiate with the Kremlin's houses of culture to get permission to play his beloved rock music. "As long as we performed all the 'correct' songs at official concerts," he recalls, "they let us play what we wanted." On occasions they were unable to reach agreement with the authorities, they would play in cellars. Even after the USSR crumbled, rock retained its subversive aura: when Time Warner sponsored a Moscow concert featuring heavy metal bands like Metallica and AC/DC, it was billed as a "celebration of democracy and freedom."

'Fit' Prince William leads homeless teens up peak

(CNN) Britain's Prince William went hiking Friday with a group of homeless teenagers on a picturesque peak in northern England to raise awareness for two charities he patrons, spokespeople for the prince and one of the charities said. William, 27, was joined by six teenagers from Centrepoint, a charity for homeless young people, as they walked up Helvellyn, a mountain in the Cumbria region of northeastern England. Leading the group were members of Mountain Rescue, a volunteer-run charity. Prince William is the patron of both charities.

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

(Daily Mail) A pensioner, embarrassed to discover that the streets of Thailand were cleaner than her home town, has launched a one-woman campaign to clean up her local streets. Sandra White spends three hours every morning patrolling the streets of Spalding, Lincolnshire, cleaning litter, and even paid a local window cleaner to wash shelters in the town's bus station. The 67-year-old, who doesn't earn a penny for her efforts, has set her sights on returning the town's streets to the condition they were in when she first moved there in the 1960s.

Happy ending for love letter pair

(BBC News) A Devon man has married an old flame after a love letter he wrote 10 years ago which went astray was discovered behind a fireplace by workmen in Spain. Steve Smith, of Paignton, met Spaniard Carmen Ruiz-Perez 17 years ago when she was an exchange student in Devon. The pair had been engaged but their relationship fizzled out after Ms Ruiz-Perez went to live in Paris.

Purple daze: These vivid clouds of purple are cloaking an English village in a bumper year for British lavender

(Victoria Moore, Daily Mail) You can smell it long before you can see it: a heady, floral perfume carried on the country air. Then, rounding the farmhouse, it comes into view: a haze of lavender cloaking across the hillside all the way up to the skyline in a billowing mass of bluish-purple. 'It's lovely at sunset,' says Alec Hunter, who is standing thigh-deep in a field of flowers, happily waving away the dozens of big fat bumblebees rising off them.

Lending a hand

(Economist.com) At the main international airport for Mexico City, the first thing to notice is that the path from the baggage claim is lined with smiling employees guiding passengers to their taxis or connecting flights. The second is that they are all in wheelchairs. Since the opening of a new terminal in November 2007, the airport has hired some 60 disabled, bilingual workers to serve as Mexico’s face to the world. Their presence delights both passengers, who frequently offer congratulations and ask to take their picture, and their superiors.

Pakistan in tree planting record

(Riaz Sohail, BBC News) A team of volunteers in Pakistan has set a new world record by planting more than half a million trees in one day. Guinness World Records confirmed that 541,176 trees had been planted in the southern province of Sindh on 15 July. Some 300 volunteers, working in groups, planted mangrove saplings in the 750 acres of the Indus river delta region.

Homeless teenage mother grows up to be a straight A Cambridge student

(Daily Mail) A young mother of two has told how she made it to Cambridge University - despite once being homeless and having a baby at 15. Jade Norman's parents divorced when she was three, she left home at 11, then again at 14, and was badly bullied at school. At 15, she fell pregnant, dropped out of education and ended up living in a homeless hostel. Now studying history at Cambridge's Lucy Cavendish College, Jade is still amazed by what she has achieved.

Tweenies helped girl save mother

(BBC News) A two-year-old who had seen characters on the children's television show Tweenies dial 999 called the emergency services after her mother collapsed. Isabelle Keeling raised the alarm as her mother Joanne, 34, suffered an allergic reaction to latex at their home in Bournemouth, Dorset. Mrs Keeling told her daughter: "Can you get the phone, mummy is poorly." Isabelle managed to open the door to let in neighbours and paramedics who treated her mother.

Big Ben rings in 150th birthday

(BBC News) A giant birthday message has been projected on to Parliament's clock tower to mark 150 years since the first ringing of Big Ben. The Great Bell struck its first hour on 11 July 1859 and a year of celebrations is taking place for the anniversary. The message reading "Happy Birthday Big Ben, 150 years, 1859 - 2009," was beamed on to the tower after sunset.

Bono says Ghana "rebranding" Africa

(Peter Cooney, Reuters) When Barack Obama arrives in Ghana Friday for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president, it will be the new face of America meeting "the new face of Africa," says Irish rocker and anti-poverty activist Bono. In a New York Times column Friday hours before Obama arrives in Ghana, Bono wrote that if America's first black president were making a sentimental journey to Africa, "he'd have gone to Kenya," the birthplace of his father.

A Palestinian Boy's Death Gives 5 Israelis The Gift Of Life

(PBS Wide Angle) When a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in the West Bank city of Jenin by Israeli soldiers who mistook his toy gun for the real thing, it could have been just one more blip on the news: one more war, one more child, one more human tragedy that ripped the heart out of a family and a community, but rippled no further into the world's consciousness. But something extraordinary happened that turned Ahmed Khatib's tragic 2005 death into a gift of hope for six Israelis whose lives were on the line.

Click here for the full PBS program

Easy breathing - the gift of new lungs

(BBC News) Eight weeks ago, Ciaran Murphy was taking what might so easily have been his last breaths. Now, thanks to the gift of two new lungs, Ciaran, who is 22 years old and a talented musician, sings for the sheer joy of living. "My mum hasn't come down from the chandeliers yet," he said. Ciaran, from Glengormley, has cystic fibrosis. Prior to his lung transplant, he could do very little without becoming tired and listless.

Costa Rica tops list of 'happiest' nations

(CNN) Forget Disneyland! Costa Rica is the happiest place in the world, according to an independent research group in Britain with the goal of building a new economy, "centered on people and the environment." In a report released Saturday, the group ranks nations using the "Happy Planet Index," which seeks countries with the most content people. In addition to happiness, the index by the New Economics Foundation considers the ecological footprint and life expectancy of countries.

Couple marry aged 81... 65 years after she rejected his first proposal

(Daily Mail) They say that true love never dies and that certainly seems the case for one pair of newly weds. Michael Fitter and Mary Oaten first met in a London church during the final years of the Second World War and enjoyed a brief romance. But after Michael proposed Mary rejected his proposal saying it was 'too soon'. Now 65 years later the couple have finally tied the knot, both at the grand age of 81.

U. project is helping Ghanians help selves

(Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune) A few years ago, a boy in the Ghanian village of Barekuma fell so ill with malaria, his family assumed he would die. They took the child to a teaching hospital several miles away in Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city, where he was treated by a doctor named Daniel Ansong, a partner in one of the University of Utah's international humanitarian endeavors. In gratitude, village leaders asked how they could help the hospital. Ansong and others suggested expanding the U.'s presence into their rural area to promote development and disease prevention hand-in-hand with the locals. The community is now home to Barekuma Collaborative Community Development Project, which is becoming a model for self-sustaining humanitarian aid.

Tibetan Monks and Nuns Turn Their Minds Toward Science

(Amy Yee, New York Times) Tibetan monks and nuns spend their lives studying the inner world of the mind rather than the physical world of matter. Yet for one month this spring a group of 91 monastics devoted themselves to the corporeal realm of science. Instead of delving into Buddhist texts on karma and emptiness, they learned about Galileo’s law of accelerated motion, chromosomes, neurons and the Big Bang, among other far-ranging topics.

'UK Schindler' in birthday flight

(BBC News) A man known as the "British Schindler" for saving hundreds of Jewish children has celebrated turning 100 with a microlight flight over Berkshire. Every year Sir Nicholas Winton, from Maidenhead, celebrates with a birthday flight over White Waltham Airfield. Pilot Judy Leden is the daughter of one of the boys he saved.

Ancient Boat to Sail From Philippines to Southeast Asia

(AP) Adventurers who conquered Mount Everest successfully launched a replica of an ancient Philippine boat Saturday that they will use to sail around Southeast Asia and possibly to Africa to promote Filipino pride and unity. The replica of the balangay — a wooden-hulled boat used in the archipelago about 1,700 years ago — was built in 44 days by native Badjao boat-builders from the southernmost Philippine province of Tawi Tawi using traditional skills handed down through the generations.

90-year old B.C. swimmer going for the gold in Sydney

(CBC News) A 90 year-old former swimming champion, Noel Morrow, is training to win another gold medal in swimming at the World Masters games in Sydney, Australia in October. She has competed in Sydney before, in the 1938 British Empire Games, where she won a gold medal in the 4×110 yard freestyle relay, as it was known then, and placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke. "When I heard the games were going to be there, I just thought I'd like to see it again. Just a good excuse to go," she said.

Underwear drive to benefit homeless shelters across Canada

(CBC) A Calgary businessman's desire to make a small gesture to help a local homeless shelter supply a basic clothing item to its clients has turned into a cross-country road trip for charity. It began when Brent King, 40, called the Mustard Seed Street Ministry asking what he could do to help.

Little kids give lessons on love and kindness

(Michelle Cooke, East & Bays Courier) It’s too early for newborn babies to start learning at school but they are already teaching other students in the classroom. New Zealand is one of the first countries to trial Canada’s Roots of Empathy programme in an effort to reduce bullying among children. Little Emma Rose is one of 60 babies around the country visiting primary school students in an attempt to teach empathy, observation and sensitivity.

Better lives in Bangladesh – through green power

(Lisa Schroeder, Christian Science Monitor) Here in the Bangladesh countryside, amid the emerald-green rice paddies and farmers threshing crops with their bare feet, are beige cows, giant haystacks… and solar energy panels – 200,000 of them scattered throughout the country. This clean-electricity source is part of an innovative program conducted by Grameen Shakti, the environmental arm of Grameen Bank, which won a Nobel Peace Prize for its pioneering use of microloans in Bangladesh. Its projects also include biogas production, improved cookstove technology, and solar power training centers for women.

Girl learns to hug for first time

(BBC News) A seven-year-old girl with physical and learning disabilities has learned to hug her family for the first time. Megan Bailey, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, is almost blind and has struggled to communicate all her life. Now though, with the help of Sense, a national deaf-blind charity, she is learning to communicate and can show her affection.

Music Echoes Off Walls Once Silenced by Taliban

(Matt Gutman, ABC News) The girl in the pink pashmina scratches out scales on a battered violin. The screeching careens off the walls of the darkened classroom, but Ahmad Sarmast gushes with pride. "She's very advanced for having picked up a bow only three weeks ago," he says from his seat in the corner. He's referring to Frishta. A month ago she was selling plastic bags on Kabul's streets, soupy with diesel fumes.

Baby survives 'incurable' illness

(BBC News) A baby diagnosed with "incurable" meningitis made a miraculous recovery after her life-support machine was switched off, her mother has said. Grace Vincent was six weeks old when she contracted a rare form of the brain disease and was taken to hospital. She spent four days in intensive care before her family from Newcastle opted to switch off life support equipment.

WWI veteran marks 111th birthday

(BBC News) Harry Patch, the last British survivor of the World War I trenches, is celebrating his 111th birthday. Mr Patch, who grew up in Coombe Down, near Bath, never spoke in public about his part in WWI until he turned 100. At 18, he was conscripted into the Army and sent to fight in the Battle of Passchendaele in Ypres, which claimed the lives of more than 70,000 soldiers. He now lives at a care home in Wells, Somerset, where a party was held in his honour.

Nearly all EU countries opt into free fruit scheme

(Jeremy Smith, Reuters) Millions of children in nearly all of the EU's 27 countries will get free fruit and vegetables from next school year under a scheme to promote healthy eating and tackle child obesity, the bloc's farm chief said on Tuesday. Only Finland, Latvia and Sweden chose not to take part in the first year of the scheme, which provides 90 million euros ($125 million) in EU funding to help pay for and distribute fresh and processed fruit and vegetables.

Layman-turned-relics hunter rescues China's antiquities

(Yuli Yang, CNN) Searching through the rubble of demolition sites across the 800-year-old capital of China, Li Songtang has unearthed a treasure trove of ancient relics. They include gate piers depicting Mongolians and the Han Chinese during the Yuan dynasty, a Buddhist carving that is more than 1,000 years old, and a Ming dynasty marble fish water tank. Li Songtang is neither museum curator nor antiques expert, but an ordinary man who did not want to see China's rich history lost to modernization during the late 1970s.

'Miracle' baby's heart cured, doctor says

(CBC News) Doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital are calling it a miracle: a young boy will be alive to celebrate his first birthday after his heart failed. Panagiotis Baltzis came to the hospital on Dec. 18, at the age of five months, after his parents noticed he wasn't putting on weight or growing. When a cardiac surgeon told the parents that Panagiotis was in imminent danger, they thought the doctor was mixing them up with another family.

Open-hearted staff save lives

(Leesha McKenny, Sydney Morning Herald) How many lives do you reckon could be saved in a week by 50 Australian medical volunteers doing heart operations overseas? Russell Lee, of Operation Open Heart, who has just returned from the group's latest marathon effort in Papua New Guinea in the first week of this month, says about 50 lives were saved. Mr Lee, a former intensive care nurse born in PNG, developed the idea for the program in collaboration with the Sydney Adventist Hospital 24 years ago after seeing devastation caused by untreated heart conditions in Tonga.

Britons urged to try a simple act of kindness

(Emily Dugan, The Independent) Juliet Stevenson, Michael Palin and the Archbishop of Canterbury are among the first of thousands across Britain to put time aside for refugees as part of a campaign to acknowledge their contribution to the country. A group of charities – including Refugee Action and the Red Cross – is encouraging the public to carry out one of 20 "simple acts" during Refugee Week, which starts tomorrow. From inviting a refugee for tea, to cooking a foreign dish or learning another language, authors, comedians and actors have helped to complete more than 2,000 acts already, with thousands more expected as the week goes on.

Doctor Turns Personal Loss Into Hope For Gaza

(Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR) The Israeli army launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip late last year to stop rocket attacks on Israeli cities. Palestinian officials say at least 900 civilians lost their lives in the fighting; among them were three daughters of Izzeldin Abuelaish, a well-known Palestinian doctor. But instead of calling for revenge, Abuelaish is preaching reconciliation. With the money Israel will pay in compensation, he plans to start a foundation to help Gazan women and girls in need.

For the Piano Man of Baghdad, What Will Be, Will Be

(Nada Bakri, Washington Post) Christopher Garabedian lighted the candles perched on top of his Korean-made piano and flipped through a folder of music, some of it handwritten. He glanced at his watch. It was 7:30 p.m., so he sat down behind the instrument. At home, his drink of choice is vodka. Here at the piano, it is Lebanese red wine, served at room temperature. He reached for his glass, placed at the left corner of the piano, took a sip, then let his fingers slide across the keys. What followed were songs seldom heard in Baghdad, a city where pianists are rare and music venues are few. Garabedian is the Piano Man of Baghdad, and his performance had begun.

Taiwan 96-Year-Old Grad Student: All-Nighters Work

(Annie Huang, AP) A 96-year-old Taiwanese man who will receive his master's degree in philosophy this weekend said he was able to compete with younger students by pulling all-nighters before exams. Chao Mu-he, better known to his classmates at Nanhua University in southern Taiwan as "Grandpa Chao," said he began graduate school after being told he was too old to continue as a volunteer at a local hospital.

How some students, thousands of bulbs and a computer made an amazing 11-story light show

(Julian Gavaghan, Daily Mail) A group of Polish students have created a YouTube hit by putting up a stunning light show on an 11-storey university building. The electronics scholars from Wroklaw Polytechnic hooked up thousands of coloured bulbs to a computer and giant circuit boards to generate the display.

Discarded paintings net Goodwill $150,000

(Raveena Aulakh, Toronto Star) The two paintings were extraordinary – Helen Zhuang knew that the minute she laid her eyes on them. "I thought it was really fine art," said Zhuang, manager of the Goodwill store on Dundas St. W., who came upon the works last fall while pricing items left overnight in the donation bin. They were luminous, on canvas and framed.

‘Tour de Felons’ takes convicts down new road

(AP) From behind prison bars, the view never changes. From behind the handlebars of racing bikes, dozens of French inmates are seeing the vineyards of Provence, the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast and the majestic spires of the Alps in their own special Tour de France. The convicts are cycling in the inaugural "Tour de France Penitentiaire" — an event whose goal is not just to physically challenge the prisoners, organizers say, but also to instill self-respect and pride that will help prepare their return to normal life.

World War One Vet Celebrates 113th Birthday

(Sky News) The oldest survivor of the First World War, Henry Allingham, has celebrated his 113th birthday with a party organised by the Royal Navy. Europe's oldest man also holds the record as the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service and the last surviving founding member of the Royal Air Force. The Royal Navy and the RAF take it in turns to host Mr Allingham's party and this year it is was held at HMS President, a building overlooking the River Thames, near London's Tower Bridge.

Paraplegic Marathoner Still Has Mountain To Climb

(NPR) Maj. Phil Packer of the Royal Military Police participated in the London Marathon this spring. He finished last — almost two weeks later — but earned a world of admiration. Packer is paraplegic. He lost the use of both legs when he was dragged under a vehicle after a rocket attack in Basra, Iraq. Doctors told him he would probably never walk again. Since then, he has rowed the English Channel and completed the marathon, and now he's ready to climb a mountain — which, in a way, he's already done.

'Supermothers' and grandfather lift 1 ton Renault Clio off trapped schoolboy

(Daily Mail) Two mothers have been dubbed 'Superwomen' after saving a schoolboy's life by lifting a 1.1 ton car off his body. Donna McNamee and Abigail Sicolo sprang into action when the eight-year-old boy was run over outside their homes. Bailey Fowler was screaming in agony after he was trapped beneath the engine of the Renault Clio. On hearing his screams, neighbours Miss McNamee, 24, and Miss Sicolo, 29, ran out and grabbed the car's bumper. They were then joined by Anthony McNamee, 47, Donna's father, who helped the two lift the car so the boy could be pulled free.

In Normandy, Gratitude Is Lasting

(Edward Cody, Washington Post) Sixty-five years have gone by since D-Day, but Louis Delevin remembers. When he was elected mayor of this tiny Normandy village in 1989, Delevin's first gesture was to raise a monument to the U.S. 354th Fighter Group, whose time in Cricqueville local farmers have never forgotten. After the landing at nearby Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, Delevin recalled, young American pilots from the 354th used a grassy meadow here as an advance landing strip for several months, until the German army folded back and the front moved on.

What drive! Boy told he will never walk properly becomes golfing champion

(Daily Mail) A boy who was told he might never walk properly or play sports has stunned medics by becoming a champion golfer. Brandon Craggs was born with cerebral palsy and grew up wearing orthopaedic boots. Doctors told his parents the 11-year-old would always be too clumsy to take part in sporting events, let alone major competitions. But the determined youngster from Wolverhampton has proved medics wrong by winning a major championship in the Midlands.

All-black battalion that landed in Normandy, France on D-Day to be honored on anniversary of siege

(Linda Hervieux, New York Daily News) William Garfield Dabney, a 20-year-old enlistee, landed on the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago Saturday. Tethered to his waist was a bomb-armed helium balloon, meant to bring down a German dive bomber. George Davidson, then 22, ferried messages between American commanders under the cover of night, dodging enemy fire with nothing but his wits to guide him. Both men, members of the same all-black unit, survived the bloody D-Day landings that launched the Allied liberation of France. But because they were black, they disappeared into oblivion - a historic wrong that at last is being rectified.

Spurned lover sparks Twitter treasure hunt

(Katherine Newton, Sydney Morning Herald) Anthony Gardiner couldn't give a diamond ring to the woman of his dreams so he's giving it to a total stranger instead. The New Zealand call-centre worker is putting the $NZ5000 engagement ring he bought last September up for grabs this Saturday. But those hoping to snare the precious goods will have to work hard for their happy ending - Mr Gardiner, 29, plans to hide the ring somewhere in the city, posting clues to its whereabouts on his Twitter account.

The kindness of strangers

(David Gutnick, CBC) They first met at their children's kindergarten and then again last spring, just as the chill came out of the air and the green began to announce itself. The two mothers would meet at Gilbert Layton Park, a favourite gathering place in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace, a thickly immigrant neighbourhood where friends are often more like family. Iveta Vicenova, who had come to Canada from Slovakia, was there with her six-year-old daughter Emma; Ianna Kobeleva, a single mom from Ukraine, had her two children in tow, Serafim, 5, and six-year old Sofia. The mother's casual conversations about everything from recipes to summer camps would soon change Iveta's life in a fundamental way.