Shopping for The Handbag

One of my seasonal rites is shopping for a new handbag. It's a mystery to me why I have to do this. You'd think a bag would outlast a season. But these things get a lot of wear and tear.

3

1

'Unknown' Peru Amazon tribe seen

A previously unknown indigenous group living in isolation has been found deep in Peru's Amazon jungle, a team of ecologists has said.

3

0

France approves migrant DNA tests

France's Senate has approved a controversial law allowing voluntary DNA tests for would-be immigrants seeking to join family in France.

3

0

Rules of beeping (or How to Communicate with Cell Phones without Paying)

A few days ago a Reuters report described how Africans (and others) have devised ingenious methods to communicate with cell phones without incurring charges.

4

2

Best Science Images of 2007 Honored

5

1

WWF in despair over Greek fire damage

Two percent of the surface area of Greece was destroyed by forest fires this summer, including some of Europe's lushest nature reserves.

2

1

Germany to build maglev railway

Germany has come up with the funds to launch its first magnetic levitation - or maglev - rail service. The state of Bavaria is to build the high-speed railway line from Munich city centre to its airport, making it Europe's first commercial track.

3

0

Greek mastodon find 'spectacular'

The remains of a prehistoric mastodon - a mammoth-like animal - have been found in northern Greece, including intact long tusks.

4

2

Japanese comic boosts wine sales

Wine reviews with a twist (The aroma is like a rock concert, with notes of butterflies dancing over a pond and an aftertaste of Jesus Christ and his disciples) are a specialty of Kami no Shizuku (Drops of God), a manga comic series that has taken Japan by storm and is conquering  …

3

0

Iraqi women forced to give up their jobs, marriages

When Suha Abdel-Azim, 38, received a letter from her boss saying she had to stop working for security reasons, she couldn't believe it. After three years as an engineer for a local company, she was fired without compensation.

2

1

Curing familiar foods gives them an exciting new edge

In the days before fridges, salting our food was a necessity in order to preserve it, but nowadays the salting process is used more to create luxury dishes.

4

0

ETA calls off year-old cease-fire

The armed Basque separatist group Eta said today it has called off the cease-fire it declared last year, setting the stage for a resumption of attacks.

3

0

Sonoma State unveils Wine MBA program

Sonoma State University, in the heart of the North Bay's Wine Country, is offering what officials are calling the nation's first Wine MBA program.

4

0

Video of kidnapped BBC reporter posted online

Kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston appeared in a video posted on an Islamic militant website today, saying he had been treated well. He called for the lifting of international sanctions against the Palestinian government.

2

0

Beauty Below the Belt: Doctors Warn against Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery

Taking the quest for ideal beauty to the nether regions, more and more women are undergoing labial surgery. Doctors, though, warn that the procedure could have negative effects.

2

1

Prodded By Industry Lobbying, Self-Proclaimed Global Warming Opponents Now Pushing Coal

Global carbon dioxide emissions are now exceeding even the most "extreme" predictions, and 2007 is already the hottest year ever recorded.

2

3

CCTV is talking to you!

Big Brother is talking to you! Greater Manchester's first `talking' CCTV cameras were going live today. Speakers have been rigged to 11 cameras along Liverpool Road, Eccles, allowing operators to bark commands at anyone dropping litter or involved in anti-social behaviour.

2

0

British film-makers ask: what is the hidden cost of your £2 latte?

Two billion cups of coffee are sold daily in a £40bn global industry, but now a controversial documentary showing the plight of growers asks whether there is such a thing as ethical coffee. At the end of the day, every cup we drink relies on exploitation.

5

4

Researchers eye ancient plant as source of biofuel

A plant that flourished in Europe roughly 3,500 years ago could become a major source of biofuel.

2

0

Children set-up their own school in an Indian village, defying caste barriers

The school in Sahariya was born out of sheer necessity because the primary school in the adjoining village denied access to these children, who are from a socially excluded group.

2

0

Hu Jia: Enemy of the state

Hu Jia has long been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. Last week, about to fly to Europe to talk on human rights, he was detained and accused of threatening state security.

0

0

With Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali made gripping cinema

While Salvador DalÍ is celebrated as the great painter-show-man of Surrealism, he was fascinated through his life by another medium – film.

2

0

New York Gets Its Gehry

The swooping, white-glass wonder that has risen alongside the Hudson River is the meeting of two notoriously strong-willed minds.

5

3

A scale for the price of life / In Iraq, a human life is worth $2,500; in Manhattan, $1.8 million

In 2005, Iraqi payments already seemed to average about $2,500 for a wrongful death.

1

0

Lebanon: One Unexploded Bomb Per Person

Close to a million unexploded bombs are estimated to litter southern Lebanon, according to UN forces engaged in the hazardous task of removing them.

2

0