Atlanta, April 22, 2009 -- With bird flu, also known as avian flu, now confirmed to have mutated into a form that can be transmitted human-to-human, international disease control agencies are concerned by a new report that virtually all of this year's star anise crop, a vital component of Tamiflu grown only in four provinces of China, has been wiped out in a series of mudslides brought on by unseasonably strong tropical storms in the region.

New York, NY, October 19, 2005 -- Only two months into his controversial recess appointment as U.S. Representative to the United Nations, John R. Bolton is in hot water following fisticuffs at the UN canteen. Bolton's short record at the UN has been a rocky one, beginning on a low point with his official welcome address to the General Assembly, titled "No UN, No Cry", and culminating in yesterday's altercation.

Perth, Australia March 7, 2006 -- The latest religious scandal involving a drawing deemed to be offensive by a religious group has arisen. World media attention has now shifted to the back blocks of Perth, Australia where six year old Abigail Tuckerbag, a student at Coolabah Billabong Primary School in Perth, has sparked international outrage from Jainists across the globe with her drawing "Jain and dead cow".

Raleigh, North Carolina, May 7, 2008 -- Hillary Clinton told a crowd of several enthusiastic supporters tonight, "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" after early results indicated she had lost the North Carolina primary election to Barack Obama in a landslide, and marginally squeaked by in the Indiana primary.

Bill and Hillary Clinton: (Photo: Daniella Zalcman)