Kiwis Into Some Serious ANAL!?

They’re an odd lot the Kiwis, overtly polite, a little too enthusiastic and well, very brown-slack. New Zealand government officials have released a list of baby names put forward by parents that have been rejected by the registrar of births, deaths and marriages because they were too out-there or just down-right offensive, including “V8″ and “Mafia No Fear”.

 The list of 77 names reveals one child was set to be called “Anal” before the Department of Internal Affairs vetoed the proposal, while another child narrowly avoided being dubbed “.” or full stop.

Other names on the list included “4Real”, “Lucifer”, and “/”. In some cases, parents appeared to have lost any inspiration for coming up with a moniker for their offspring, wanting to call the latest addition to the family simply “2nd”, “3rd” or “5th”.

The inhabitants of the small southern nation are apparently a proud bunch, the registrar’s rules forbid a name that might imply a child holds an official rank or title, so “King”, “Duke” and “Princess” were among those that had been turned down, we love a good over-reach!

“Justice” was the most popular, having been rejected 62 times, although “Justus” and “Juztice” also failed to gain official approval. Surprisingly there where very few applications for offensive – possibly an oxymoron – hobbit names submitted :: Read the full article »»»»

Legendary Divinyls Front-woman Chrissy Amphlett Dies

One of Australia’s most revered rock legends, Chrissy Amphlett, best known as the singer of the Divinyls, has died in New York aged 53. The charismatic front-woman was surrounded by family and friends at her home when she died on Monday morning.

Her husband of 14 years, former Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton, says Amphlett died of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. In a statement released by ARIA, he added she had fought the diseases with “exceptional bravery and dignity”

Christine Joy Amphlett was born in Geelong, Victoria, in 1959.

She gained fans – including this fan – for her energetic performances, complete with a signature outfit of a school uniform and fishnet stockings. Amphlett revealed her fight against multiple sclerosis in 2007 and in 2010 announced she had breast cancer :: Read the full article »»»»

UPDATE! Darwin Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering His Neighbour For Interrupting His TV Viewing

The top-end of Australia is a tough, dangerous place, it’s got a reputation as one of the developed world’s last frontiers. Forget the man-eating crocodiles though, the life threatening inhabitants of the Northern Territory – NT – seem to be the locals. Darwin man Darin Clare murdered his neighbour - by setting him on fire – for  interrupting his TV viewing.

Darin Andrew Clare, 37, has entered a guilty plea to murdering 60-year-old Philip John Cure in Darwin’s outer northern suburb of Coolalinga last year. The Northern Territory Supreme Court was told today that at around 8.30pm (local time) last June, Clare became irate at his neighbour for starting his car and running it for a short period while Clare was watching television.

Police said Clare fetched a jerry-can of fuel, jumped over a fence and poured petrol over the victim, Clare then set him alight in a carport. According to police, a female neighbour attempted to assist the victim however he died from his wounds – burns to 90 per cent of his body – the following day in hospital :: Read the full article »»»»

Latest Australian Census Data Maps Best Council Areas

New Australian census data has ranked how well-off each local council area is, showing Western Australia and New South Wales as the states with the most affluent suburbs.

The Socio-Economic Index generated by the 2011 census measures people’s income, type of employment, housing and broadband access in different locations across the country, Dr Gould from the Australian Bureau of Statistics – ABS - says the data can be used by state and local governments to help better target support programs.

The data can be downloaded from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website for use in Google Earth, which interprets the data using Google maps. The small riverside suburb of Peppermint Grove in Perth has been ranked as the country’s most well-off council area, closely followed by Ku-ring-gai in Sydney’s affluent north :: Read the full article »»»»

Google Maps Ghost-town Tours, Fukushima Nuclear Wastelands

Internet behemoth Google has launched a virtual tour through the nuclear wasteland surrounding Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Virtual tourists can now take an eery tour through the deserted streets of Namie, one of the towns abandoned after the Fukushima meltdowns spewed radioactive fallout across a large area.

The site reveals streets overgrown with weeds, and time appears to have stood still since Namie’s entire population of 21,000 people was evacuated two years ago.

Fifty percent of the town on the Pacific coast sits within the 20-kilometre evacuation zone around the nuclear plant, which was crippled by Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami ::  Read the full article »»»»

UPDATE! MORE INDIAN RAPE! Swiss Tourist Raped By Six Indian Men

Indian Police say six men have been arrested over the gang-rape of a Swiss tourist in central India, in an incident that has renewed focus on the rampant violence against women in India.

The woman was on a cycling holiday with her husband in the impoverished Madhya Pradesh state when six men attacked the couple on Friday night, sexually assaulting the woman, bashing the man, and robbing the pair. Concern remains high in India over the safety and status of women and girls in the nation of 1.2 billion. According to government statistics, one women is raped in the country every 20 minutes.

The Swiss foreign ministry in Bern released a statement on Saturday expressing deep shock at the “tragic incident”. The attack comes just three months after thousands took to the streets in nationwide protests following the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi in December last year.In 2003, a 36-year-old female Swiss diplomat was abducted in the car park of a popular New Delhi auditorium, driven away by two men and raped. :: Read the full article »»»»