Anglican Archbishop joins criticism of WYD laws

Anglican Primate of Australia Dr Phillip Aspinall has joined criticism of the New South Wales Government's laws to protect Catholic World Youth Day events.

The regulations empower police to stop and fine people who engage in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to Catholic pilgrims during the week-long event.

Those who do not comply face a fine of $5,500.

Those at risk of being fined include Cityrail if pilgrim's trains are running late, Taxi drivers if they get pilgrims lost, dodgy kebab shop owners if they give pilgrims the runs, priests if they don't use lube and God if he makes it rain.

DNA evidence frees inmate after 20 years on death row

A 46-year old US inmate who languished on death row for more than 20 years has been freed after DNA tests called into question his murder conviction.

Paul Gregory House was sentenced to death in 1986 for the rape and murder of Carolyne Muncey, a housewife and mother in the southern state of Tennessee.

DNA testing was not available at the time of the crime, but genetic tests performed since his conviction failed to determine conclusively that House was the perpetrator of the crime.

The DNA testing has also shown that he is not the father of his 16 children and that he should probably change his name to Pauline.

Plasma, LCDs blamed for accelerating global warming

A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.

Almost half of the televisions sold around the globe so far this year have been plasma or LCD TVs.

Experts say the increase in demand has been caused by consumer's desire to watch Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' in wide screen.

US to take Mandela off terror list

The US Senate has approved a bill to remove former South African president Nelson Mandela from the US terror watch list, lawmakers said.

President George W Bush stated that he his cautiously pleased with the decision because it means those resources allocated to tracking and monitoring the frail 90 year old 'terrorist-no-more' can now finally be assigned to tracking down Osama Bin Laden.

"That's one less wheel on the axis of evil," said the President, "but fortunately we carry a heap of spares in the boot!"