A sketch of a liger

Ligers Born In Taiwanese Zoo – A private zoo in Taiwan has become the island’s first to breed “ligers” – a hybrid of a lion and a tigress – but officials seized the cubs and said on Monday they may fine the owner. The three liger cubs were born on Sunday at the World Snake King Education Farm in the south, but one of them died almost immediately, the farm’s owner, Huang Kuo-nan, said. Nice. Ligers are pretty much my favourite animal. [msn]

US Media Urges Zuma To Shelve Tribunal – A body representing major media houses in the United States has sent a letter to President Jacob Zuma urging him to shelve legislative proposals that would “severely restrict” South African media. The committee, consisting of leading media houses including NBC News, the New York Times and the Washington Post, was responding to the ANC’s proposal on an independent media tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill. [timeslive]

Miss Universe Topless Scandal – The Miss Universe Organization is in a world of controversy yet again. New official photos have surfaced featuring many of the contestants topless, covered only in body paint. Among the racy ladies who participated in the fleshy photo shoot was a topless Rima Fakih, Miss USA herself. I don’t have a problem with this. Michelle, it’s never too late to become a Tuesday Tabs ambassador.. [abcnews]

The ANC Reckons Zille Is Lying About Corruption – Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille’s political marriage with the Independent Democrats will flounder because it is based on the lie that the ANC government is corrupt, ruling party spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said on Monday. Not surprisingly. “These are tired scarecrow tactics that could not sustain Cope and would not hold (the) DA-ID marriage together.” Blah blah blah. [koos]

French Thieves Flash Breasts During Robbery – Police in France are looking for two attractive female thieves who bared their breasts at a man at a cashpoint to distract him before stealing his money. The women in their 20s exposed themselves to the victim as he punched his pin code into an ATM machine in Paris. As he stared at one, the other then withdrew 300 euros from his account before the pair fled with the money. God, that’s awesome. Rob me! Rob me! [telegraph]

Harvard Tops Forbes List Of Billionaires – With 62 of its alumni now billionaires, Harvard tops Forbes’ list of ‘Billionaire Universities’, followed by Stanford that boasts of 28 billionaire graduates. The number of Harvard alumni who are billionaires swelled to 62, up from 54 in 2009, “more than any other American university by a long shot,” Forbes said. Harvard’s billionaire alumni are an accomplished group. They include Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and media tycoon Sumner Redstone. [luxuo]

Passenger Jet Crashes And Breaks Into Three After Lightning Strike – A woman has died and 114 passengers were injured when a plane crashed after being struck by lightning in the Caribbean. The Airline Aires plane broke into three on impact when it went down short of the runway on San Andres island. The island’s governor Pedro Gallardo said it was a “miracle” that only one person was killed. I’d say that’s a fair statement. [skynews]

Angelina To Play Marilyn – Angelina Jolie is to star as Marilyn Monroe in a new film about the Hollywood bombshell, it has been revealed. The 35-year-old actress is set to play Monroe in an adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s The Life And Opinions Of Maf The Dog, And Of His Friend Marilyn Monroe, the author revealed at the Edinburgh Book Festival yesterday. And George Clooney has been lined up to play Monroe’s close friend Frank Sinatra. Weird choice, if you ask me. [dailymail]

Italy Vs. Florence: Who Owns David – Florence has threatened to take the Italian government to court over questions of ownership of Michelangelo’s iconic David. The Italian Ministry of Culture claims that because the Florentine republic no longer exists, the statue belongs to Italy. The statue is widely viewed as an integral part of Florentine heritage and draws 1.5 million visitors annually. The Accademia gallery, where David stands, collects over $10 million a year. That’s quite a lot of “tin.” [time]

3D Porn On The Way – A group of Hong Kong filmmakers have started shooting what they claim will be the world’s first 3D pornographic film. The 3.2 million-US-dollar ‘3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy’, set for release in May, has already generated interest in a host of Asian film markets, as well as Europe and the US. The film chronicles the story of a young man who, after being introduced to the erotic world of a duke, realises his ex-wife is the love of his life and features “orgies, swinging and some very graphic sex scenes”. Gripping stuff. [afp]

Sadie Frost Cut Herself With Scissors During Jude Law Relationship – Life with Jude Law was so crazy, his ex-wife landed in a psych ward, she reveals in a new book. Sadie Frost, who split with the Hollywood star in 2003, is due to release her autobiography “Crazy Days” next month. In it, she reveals the troubled times during their marriage and details her struggle with depression. [nydailynews]

China Becomes World’s Second Biggest Economy – China is expected to surpass Japan this year as the world’s second-largest economy, an unprecedented position for a still-developing country and one that has brought strains as well as triumphs.Second-quarter GDP figures from Japan reported Monday morning show that its economic output, at $1.288 trillion, fell short of the $1.339 trillion China reported for the three months ended in June. [wallstreetjournal]

Weren’t You Or A Friend Of Yours Looking For A Tent? For Rocking The Daisies, perhaps? Well you’re in luck, damnit! our boys at OneDayOnly.co.za are selling proper Ozzie quality “Oztrail” 4-person tents for close on 50% off tomorrow. And it’s tomorrow ONLY. That’s why they’re called OneDayOnly. It’s genius! R799 instead of R1,299 – no spice! Sign up to their mailing list and you’ll get emails ahead of time. 50% discounts are normal for these guys. [onedayonly]

Live on 2oceansvibe Radio This Morning From 8 to 12 – Seth will be out in Jozi land tomorrow, so while His Royal Highness the cat’s away, three mice by the name of Bruce “Rupert” Good, Richard Hardiman, and an unchained SilverStreak will play. We’ve got South African muso’s Goodluck lined up for a chat in studio, along with the usual shenanigans including the Lesbian Minute, the Chick Song of the Day, Bruce’s Business Minute, and a random selection of unbelievable music – just to keep your endorphins guessing. [2oceansviberadio]