A special team of Australian military cooks has been rushed to Afghanistan to produce "Aussie food" after scores of soldiers complained about the Dutch-run mess at Tirin Kot military base, in southern Uruzgan province.
"The issue is that it's not
Aussie food, it's European food," Australia's military commander Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston told the country's parliament in Canberra.
Most of the soldiers are fighting alongside Dutch forces leading coalition efforts in Uruzgan, although special forces commandos have their own Australian cook.
"It was an insult to them," Senator David Johnston told Houston of the Dutch-supplied food, which many of the 800 Australian soldiers have complained lacks freshness and taste.
MALAYSIAAfter leaflets failed to stop litterbugs, the frustrated mayor of a Malaysian town told his officials to literally blow the whistle on offenders. Khazali Din, mayor of the northern Alor Star city, said that those who throw rubbish on the streets will be greeted with a sharp whistle blown by patrolling city officials, and a fine of up to 300 ringgit (£55).
"This is the best way because people will feel shy or embarrassed when they are caught red-handed," he said.
ROMANIAA stolen violin, thought to be a Stradivarius worth millions, has been discovered on sale on the internet for £13,000.
Police in eastern Romania said a 43-year-old man trying to sell it was visited by undercover officers posing as customers.
A spokeswoman said the instrument had "Stradivarius" and the year 1713 engraved on it. She said police also found dozens of Spanish coins, some of them more than 150 years old, in the man's house in the eastern city of Husi. Experts will establish the authenticity of the violin and the coins.
GUINEACitizens should burn any armed robbers they catch, the anti-crime chief of the Guinea's military government has declared.
Lawlessness in the capital city, Conakry, has risen in recent months, with soldiers accused of being among the main culprits of robberies and rapes.
"I'm asking you to burn all armed bandits who are caught red-handed committing an armed robbery," said Captain Moussa Tiegboro Camara, appointed by the military junta, which seized power last December following the death of President Lansana Conte, to oversee the fight against drugs and serious crime.
"The prisons are full and cannot take more people, and the situation cannot continue like that," he told a meeting of city officials.
UNITED STATESGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to put some of California's biggest landmarks up for sale to help erase a $24 billion (£15 billion) budget deficit.
San Quentin State Prison, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and The California State Fairgrounds are among the sites that could be put on the market.
Schwarzenegger said: "Everywhere I go, I hear stories about families selling off their boats and motorcycles to make ends meet. They have garage sales and yard sales.
"They know that you don't keep a boat at the dock when you can't put food on the table."
The governor said California could generate $3 billion from selling seven landmarks and 11 office buildings scattered around the state.
OH, REALLY MORE than 100 Japanese transport ministry officials have received training from professional comedians in communication skills.
"By experiencing comedy routines, we hope they can learn more about how to speak to clients and manage their staff as they begin to have more responsibility," said Atsuya Kawada, deputy director of the ministry's personnel division.
"We also hope this training will soften the stiff image of bureaucrats," he added.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
LUCA CECCARELLIA modern-day Romeo has finally got his girl, as Verona's town council offers couples the chance to follow in the footsteps of Shakespeare's "star-crossed lovers" and see for themselves "what light from yonder window breaks" at the 13th century mansion of the Cappello family – believed to be the Capulets of William Shakespeare's tragic play Romeo And Juliet.
The first Romeo to take advantage of the offer was soccer player Luca Ceccarelli, who plays for local team Verona.
"I feel very emotional," said a beaming Ceccarelli, before exchanging rings with his Juliet, Irene Lamforti. "We hope that this bring us a lot of luck."
CHERCher has sued Universal Music Group, claiming the company owes her and Sonny Bono's heirs more than $5 million (£3.1 million).
The lawsuit filed in Santa Monica claims Cher and Bono's widow and children are owed royalties on songs that were included in recent greatest-hits compilations.
Bono and Cher were married for nearly 10 years before divorcing; their daughter Chastity stands to receive some of the royalties.
MOHAMMAD SOHAILA rifle-toting Long Island store owner has taken pity on a bat-wielding robber who broke into tears when challenged, handing him $40 (£25) and a loaf of bread and making him promise never to rob again.
"This was a grown man, crying like a baby," Mohammad Sohail, owner of the Shirley Express convenience store about 65 miles east of New York City. The robber dropped the bat, picked up the bread, tucked the $40 into his waistband and fled, said Suffolk County police Sergeant John Best.
