Washing machines, up

l'Osservatore Romano, the semi-official Vatican newspaper, says that perhaps the washing machine did more to liberate women in the 20th century than the pill or the right to work. And I was going to guess the iron.

Cameroon, down

Cameroonian security forces have smashed up the street stalls, where thousands of people earn a living, to give the capital Yaounde a face-lift for a visit by Pope Benedict next week.


Kangaroos, up

An Australian couple thought they were being attacked by an intruder when a kangaroo crashed through their bedroom window then jumped on top of them, gouging holes in the furniture and smearing blood all over the walls.

GEZ, down

A German mathematician who died 450 years ago has been sent a letter demanding that he pay long-overdue television license fees. Germany's GEZ broadcast fee collection office sent the bill to the last home address of Adam Ries, an algebra expert who bought the house in 1525.

Salt, down

Alarmed by high death rates from strokes in Portugal, deputies from the ruling Socialist party submitted a bill to parliament to slash the use of salt in bread, blamed for many blood pressure problems.

Canada, down

Six high-risk prisoners escaped a Canadian jail last summer after spending four months chipping a path to freedom with nail clippers and other makeshift tools. The prisoners, four of whom faced murder charges, used their tools to break through a brick exterior wall.

Society, down

German twenty-somethings would ditch their spouses and do without a car in a heartbeat if they had to choose between having them, Internet access or a mobile phone, according to an industry study.