Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he was forced to give up on the social networking phenomenon Facebook after too many people wanted to be his friend.
Gates, the billionaire computer geek-turned-philanthropist who was honoured yesterday by India for his charity work, told an audience in New Delhi he had tried out Facebook but ended up with "10,000 people wanting to be my friends".
Gates was in the Indian capital to receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, awarded by the government for his work for the charitable organisation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (AFP)
Child's plea for candy ban denied
A five-year-old Swede has failed in his attempt to get Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to ban the sale of candy.
"Hi Frederick! My name is Willem and I am five years old," the youngster wrote in a letter to the politician that found its way onto the pages of the Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet newspapers yesterday.
"Could you decide that shops stop selling candy? If so, I'd be able to save my money to buy a bracelet and some magic dice."
Reinfeldt, unimpressed, replied: "Many people think it's nice to eat some candy from time to time. If people don't want to eat candies, they can decide not to buy any." (AFP)
Iran able to strike nuclear sites
Iran has the capability to strike arch-foe Israel's nuclear sites firmly and will do so if it comes under attack, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps said yesterday.
Asked by Iran's Arabic language television channel Al-Alam whether Iran has the ability to strike Israeli nuclear sites, Mohammad Ali Jafari said: "Yes, definitely we have this capability because of the advances we have made in the past two years to carry out such a task." (AFP)
Berlusconi's lawyer denies scandal
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's lawyer denied the premier hid archaeological ruins at his Sardinian villa and said tapes purporting to show him boasting to a call girl were fake, newspapers said yesterday.
The recordings, allegedly of Berlusconi in conversation with Patrizia D'Addario, have riveted Italy by revealing details of their purported sexual liaison. L'Espresso weekly released a further transcript in which the billionaire politician appeared to boast about tombs in the grounds of his island residence. (Reuters)
Pope's broken wrist healing well
Pope Benedict underwent a medical examination on his broken wrist yesterday which showed the injury is healing well, the Vatican said.
The 82-year-old Catholic leader slipped in the bath and broke his right wrist eight days ago while on holiday in northern Italy.
A team of doctors, including the Pope's personal physician and the surgeon who operated on his wrist, conducted clinical and X-ray tests yesterday close to the chalet where Benedict is staying in the Aosta Valley, near the French border.
"The medical tests showed that the development is good and corresponds to what was expected," Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's chief spokesman, said in a statement.
The Vatican has said the Pope will need to wear a cast on his wrist for about a month. Lombardi said Benedict would celebrate his weekly Angelus blessing as usual today, in a meadow close to his residence. (Reuters)
Raiders rip cash machine out of bank
Raiders used a lorry with a mechanical arm to rip a cash machine from the wall of a London bank and rammed police cars during a four-mile chase, Scotland Yard said yesterday.
The grab-arm was used to take out the whole ATM from a Barclays bank in Golders Green, north London, and hoist it onto the back of the truck in the early hours yesterday.
The lorry sped away through east London, smashing its way past police cars and slightly injuring two officers. The vehicle was eventually stopped after crashing into more police cars.
The lorry driver, aged 39, was arrested and is in hospital with minor injuries. Two other men, aged 31 and 37, were arrested in a van parked near the bank. (Reuters)