Talent show judge Piers Morgan offered to kiss Scottish charity worker Susan Boyle, who said she had never been kissed before becoming an international You Tube sensation last week.
Boyle, whose stunning singing performance has so far been viewed over 19 million times on You Tube, lived on her own with a cat called Pebbles before her appearance on the Britain's Got Talent television show last weekend.
The dowdy-looking, plump 47-year-old said in a pre-performance interview that she had never been kissed.
But in a video on his website, Morgan - a former British tabloid newspaper editor who has become a star in his own right as a talent show judge in Britain and the US - said he was ready to change that.
"I've decided to extend an invitation to Susan to take her out for a meal - a very romantic restaurant, I think, with some roses, some fine wine, some glamorous waiters, and to offer her the chance to break her kissing duck with these little things.
"So Susan, if you're watching, I'm available," he said.
In the video, the down-to-earth Boyle walked on stage, saying she dreamed of emulating West End star Elaine Page.
When she began to sing, the panel of three judges led by music guru Simon Cowell appeared visibly taken aback, and the audience in Glasgow rose to its feet as her voice soared through I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.
8,200 kilometres on horseback
A middle-aged British woman and two Chinese companions yesterday set off on an epic horse ride that will see them cross China, Central Asia and Europe - and arrive in London for the 2012 Olympics.
Megan Lewis, a 60-year-old British pony breeder and head of the expedition, said the three-year trek from Beijing to London was a lifelong dream.
But the former geography teacher, who is raising money for charity, admitted the more than 8,200-kilometre journey was as much a test of the horses as the riders.
The first section of the trip will take the three-man team to Inner Mongolia, along the north of China, to end up at the Jiayu Pass in Gansu province in August - the end of the Great Wall.
From there, they will ride across China's westernmost region of Xinjiang, Central Asia and Europe, to eventually end up in London in time for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012.
Somalia parliament approves Islamic law
Somalia's parliament unanimously approved yesterday a government proposal to introduce Islamic sharia law in the country, in a move aimed at appeasing Islamists waging a civil war since 1991.
"There were 340 members at the session and they voted unanimously for the implementation of Islamic sharia in Somalia," parliamentary deputy speaker Osman Elmi Bogore told AFP.
Bogore, who presided over the debates in the absence of speaker Aden Mohamed Nur, said: "The bill... is approved by the Parliament.... We have an Islamic government."
Obama names chief technology officer
US President Barack Obama yesterday named a Harvard-educated Indian-American to the newly created post of chief technology officer in an appointment much-awaited by Silicon Valley.
As the country's first CTO, Aneesh Chopra, 36, will use technology to "improve security, ensure transparency, and lower costs," Obama said in his weekly address to the nation.
"In this role, Aneesh will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities - from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," the president added.
Chopra, whose background is in health policy, has served as secretary of technology for the state of Virginia and as an executive in a company which advises hospitals.
Britain's MI5 seeking real 'Q'
James Bond always went to Q to keep one step ahead of the enemy with the latest smart gadgets, and now the real-life British spies of MI5 are to get their own technology mastermind.
Britain's domestic intelligence agency, commonly called MI5, is seeking a chief scientific adviser "to lead and co-ordinate the scientific work of the Security Service so that the service continues to be supported by excellent science and technology advice", its website said.
Applicants must have "world-class scientific expertise and credibility in relevant scientific and technology disciplines", their advertisement read.
However, the successful candidate will help protect Britain against threats to national security by keeping on top of the latest moves in science and technology.
Applications close on Friday.
Royal apologises for Sarkozy comments
French opposition politician Segolene Royal yesterday kicked up a fresh row over President Nicolas Sarkozy's alleged comments about world leaders, issuing an apology for her rival's remarks.
The former Socialist presidential candidate said she wrote a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero after the Liberation newspaper reported that Sarkozy said at a luncheon with lawmakers last Wednesday that Zapatero was not very smart.