Dubai’s ‘World’ Island Is Sinking – The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai. But the World, the ambitiously-constructed archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of the globe, is sinking back into the sea, according to evidence cited before a property tribunal. Their sands are eroding and the navigational channels between them are silting up, the British lawyer for a company bringing a case against the state-run developer, Nakheel, has told judges. [telegraph]

KZN Drunk Drivers To Be Named And Shamed – Drunk drivers convicted in KwaZulu-Natal during the festive season will see their names in newspapers next month, the provincial transport department said. Spokesman Kwanele Ncalane said motorists should not assume that the name-and-shame campaign was “just a scare tactic” because the department failed to publish the names as planned in January. [timeslive]

SABC Must Pay R1 Billion For Bafana Games – The SA Football Association (Safa) are demanding a whopping R1-billion from the SABC for the right to broadcast Bafana Bafana matches for the next five years. The national team’s current deal with the public broadcaster is worth a measly R150-million and ends on March 31. Under the current terms, Safa also has to pay the SABC R700 000 worth of production costs for every match Bafana plays.  [sadailynews]

Google To Launch Groupon Competitor – Google is preparing to launch Google Offers, the search giant’s Groupon competitor. Sources have leaked a confidential fact sheet straight from the Googleplex about the company’s new group buying service. “Google Offers is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in their area through a daily email,” the fact sheet says. Google Offers looks and operates much like Groupon or LivingSocial. More info after the jump. [mashable]

MTV’s Controversial ‘Skins’ Show Airs Teenage Love Scene [Video] – As advertisers flee, MTV’s ‘Skins’ keeps getting racier. In an upcoming episode, they introduce the lesbian sexual yearnings of one of its leads, Tea, played by Sofia Black D’Elia. And the trailer for the upcoming broadcast doesn’t leave any mystery about how she goes about handling them. The network’s hit new show, a British import about the sex and drama of high school, has been hit with outrage from the conservative Parents’ Television Council and loss of revenue dollars from companies such as GM and even cultural purity paragon, Taco Bell. [huffers]

Osama Bin Laden Threatens France – The leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, has called for the withdrawal of French troops from Muslim lands in exchange for the release of hostages, in an audio message. Referring to French hostages being held in Niger, the speaker on the tape, who sounded like Bin Laden, says their release depended on moves by their own government. He says France will pay dearly for its policy in Afghanistan and elsewhere. “President Nicolas Sarkozy’s refusal to remove his forces from Afghanistan is nothing but a green light for killing the French hostages,” Bin Laden says in the recording. [aljazeera]

Lottery Winner Goes Missing – It seemed like a feel-good story ripped from the pages of a Hollywood script: A struggling single mother from Idaho won a $190 million Mega Millions jackpot. But since Holly Lahti, 29, struck it rich on Jan. 4, her uplifting tale has quickly unraveled. Lahti, who was assaulted by her husband in 2003, has vanished, and her estranged hubby is now mounting a legal battle to claim a portion of her fortune. [nydailynews]

Elton John Feels Like A “Second Class Citizen’ – Sir Elton John is “fed up” with being a treated like a “second-class citizen” in the U.S. That’s why the 63-year-old gay singer said he took a stand last week during a performance at a private Beverly Hills fundraiser for the ongoing legal challenge to California’s gay marriage ban. The outspoken British piano man, who became a parent to a baby boy on Christmas Day with partner David Furnish, added that “as I get older, I get more angry about it.” [nydailynews]

China Heading For Financial Mess – With Hu Jintao, China’s president, currently visiting the United States, stories about growing Chinese economic might are everywhere. And those stories are entirely true: although China is still a poor country, it’s growing fast, and given its sheer size it’s well on the way to matching America as an economic superpower. What’s also true, however, is that China has stumbled into a monetary muddle that’s getting worse with each passing month. [nytimes]

Jim Carrey Goes Back To Models – Jim Carrey — who split from his long-time girlfriend Jenny McCarthy last spring — has found love again with former America’s Next Top Model contestant Anchal Joseph, who’s 25 years younger than the Canadian-born funnyman. Carrey, 49, and Joseph, 24, were snapped walking hand-in-hand Thursday night in New York as they left the theater after watching Laura Linney’s new play Time Stands Still. Joseph — born in New Delhi, India — appeared on the seventh season of America’s Next Top Model, hosted by Tyra Banks. [radar]

A Bad Day For New York’s Mafia – The death of omertà, the fabled Mafia vow of silence, signalled the slow demise of the New York Cosa Nostra itself. The FBI arrested more than 127 mobsters on Thursday, largely on the strength of informants. The New York Italian mafia is definitely hurt, but is it dead? Not really. [dailymaverick]

Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘Bunga Bunga’ Parties – The Italian prime minister says he has nothing to be ashamed of, and that he has just been having fun. But the sheer mass of sordid details of his “bunga bunga” parties has now been revealed for the first time. The descriptions provided by prosecutors, investigating allegations of wrongdoing, prostitution and sex with an under age dancer, read like a bacchanalia. [telegraph]

Top 10 Reasons Why Couples Argue – There are the really big issues that divide couples … and then there are the very, very small ones. And the latter don’t half add up. Minor irritations such as leaving wet towels on the bed, flicking between TV channels and hoarding bits and bobs cause most of the 312 arguments that the average couple has each year, researchers say. Those little annoying habits can become such a big problem that one in five have even considered them a reason to split up – with a Thursday evening the most likely time for a row to develop. [dailymail]

Ivanka Trump Is Pregnant – Ivanka Trump is expecting her first child with husband Jared Kushner. “I have been wanting to share some amazing news with you all for some time… I’m pregnant! Jared and I couldn’t be more excited,” she tweeted on Friday. This will be Donald Trump’s third grandchild; his oldest child, Donald Trump Jr., has a son and a daughter. Ivanka, 29, also used Twitter to announce her engagement. She and Jared, 30, were married in an Orthodox Jewish ceremony in 2009. [huffpo]

Celebrity TwitPics – It’s that time of the week again, folks! Ellen DeGeneres snapped a picture of Ricky Gervais in her underwear, Kim Kardashian bonded with Lea Michele, Letterman Took a cleavage shot of Olivia Munn, and Jimmy Fallon made everyone jealous of table 101. See the best celebrity Twitter photos of the week, after the jump. [dailybeast]

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