1. On February 28, Pope Benedict XVI will become the first Pope to resign his position since the thirteenth century. The 85-year-old told Vatican cardinals yesterday that “after having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”
2. The US Navy SEAL who killed Osama Bin Laden has given an interview to Esquire magazine about the last moments of the world’s most notorious terrorist. The shooter told Esquire that: “He looked confused. And way taller than I was expecting… For me, it was a snapshot of a target ID, definitely him. Even in our kill houses where we train, there are targets with his face on them. This was repetition and muscle memory. That’s him, boom, done.”
3. Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia have both put in place official ‘kid free zones’ on long haul flights. Their policy applies to A380 aircrafts and will mean children are restricted from entering the upper deck of the economy section and the business class section.
4. The NSW Premier has called for the six NRL clubs that have been involved in illicit drug use to be publicly named. Penrith, Canberra, North Queensland and Newcastle have since come forward to confirm that they are under suspicion. The remaining clubs which are in the spotlight are yet to identify themselves.
5. Alcohol brand Jim Beam are now selling clothing – marked with their logo – to kids as young as four. In some seriously controversial advertising, a special ‘kids version’ of Jim Beam’s V8 super car merchandise is being produced and marketed.
6. A new video uploaded to YouTube by a 20-year-old Brazilian man shows thousands of spiders falling out of the sky, like rain. Apparently, the spiders formed what is called a ‘sheet web’ which when of a significant enough size, appears as if it covers the entire sky. Eww.
7. Remember the Tamagotchi? The key ring sized ‘virtual pet’ that drove parents, teachers and baby sitters absolutely bonkers through most of the 90s? Well, it’s back and coming to a smartphone near you. Prepare yourselves.
Top Comments
I watched 4 Corners last night and it broke my heart. All about the many people in America who are struggling with poverty and homelessness still after the GFC. There was a young Mum with a baby and a toddler living in their car while her husband works 10 hours a day travelling from farm to farm doing fencing & other manual labour. And apparently there are heaps of houses that are vacant that banks have foreclosed on. It just doesn't make sense to me - young families deserve to be in affordable housing. What is being done about this? It doesn't seem to be talked about much, but it looks to me like the capitalist model has failed miserably. So so sad. As one man who has been homeless for a few years now (previously had a good job and comfortable life) said, "there is no safety net".
Ugh, all those spiders!!!!!!