Etc...

OK, here comes the first one

Remember the outcry late last year when the "king of pop," Michael Jackson, dangled his infant son from a hotel window as fans below gasped in horror? Well, perhaps it won't surprise you to learn that the episode has inspired a new online video game. Madblast.com offers an opportunity to test one's "parenting skills" by catching "babies" thrown from the roof of a building by a Jackson-like figure. But if you play, be advised: You should think twice about trying to catch the spiders that also fall amid the little ones.

Speaking of Michael Jackson, his publicist says the reclusive singer is not pleased about plans by NBC-TV's "Dateline" news magazine to devote a program next month to ... his face. According to promotional material, "Michael Jackson Unmasked" purports to be an "inside story" on how his appearance has changed over the years with ups and downs in his career. It will be "told by some of the people who knew him best." An outrage, sniffed the publicist, adding: "The network should focus on more important issues in the world."

'It is only inevitable to the warmongers.'

- Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, disputing suggestions that his government's response to the UN mandate to disarm has made armed conflict with the US and Britain a certainty.

Japanese cities are the world's three most expensive in which to live, according to results of a new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, research arm of The Economist magazine. Its rankings of 134 cities help multinational companies compare costs on everything from rents to household help. New York slid from seventh place last year to No. 11. Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, finished last. The 10 most expensive cities:
1. Tokyo
2. Osaka and Kobe, Japan
3. Oslo
4. Hong Kong
(tie) Libreville, Gabon
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. London
8. Geneva
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Paris
- Wire services, The Times (London)