Quote:PARIS — In what seemed intended as a display of technological advance, Iran said on Wednesday that it had fired a rocket into space carrying living organisms — a rat, two turtles and worms, according to the state-run Press TV.

The test involved a rocket described as the Kavoshgar-3, which is capable of carrying satellites. Iran’s missile program has prompted worries among Western analysts that it is working on a weapons delivery system with broad regional consequences. In December, Iran said it test-fired an improved version of its most advanced missile, the Sejil-2, capable of reaching Israel and parts of Europe.

The Wednesday launching came a day after the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggested that his country would support an agreement to export low-enriched nuclear fuel, a deal put forth by the United States and other Western countries that seeks to head off a crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.

Quote:DUBAI – An Emirati splurged a whopping 24 million dirhams ($6.47 million) for 3 camels, including one which cost $2.72 million, at an auction in the desert near Abu Dhabi, an AFP photographer said.

The auction was held Tuesday at the Dhafra Festival for Camels and was attended by the biggest camel owners in the Gulf, among them princes and tribal dignitaries.

The other two camels cost United Arab Emirates national Hamdan bin Ghanem around $2.4 million and $1.35 million respectively.

Citizens of Gulf countries are passionate about camel racing, which is considered a national sport and tradition.

At the festival, competitions are held for the best camel meat and camel milk dishes, and for the best poem written about camels.

as of 02/04/2010 1:30 PM

Quote:The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”

The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song?

Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation.

Quote:The 57-year-old martial arts hero, one of the most bankable stars of the '90s thanks to hit movies like "Out for Justice" (1991) and "Under Siege" (1992) and reported total movie earnings of $923 million worldwide-but whose recent films have become constant flops-made a visit at the Los Angeles home of Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to implore the latter to do a movie with him.