Obama Wants His Toy Plane Back – President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States has asked Iran to return a U.S. drone aircraft that Iran claims it recently brought down in Iranian territory. “We’ve asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond,” Obama said in a news conference. [cnn]

New Castro Interview Footage From Days After Revolution Emerge [Video] – A new documentary, “The Longest Day”, released in Cuba on December 10 showed an interview with a young Fidel Castro made just days after he declared the Cuban Revolution victorious. The interview had been lying untouched in Cuba’s archives for the past 50 years. [telegraph]

BBC Comes Clean: Polar Bears Were Filmed In Zoo, Not Arctic – Dramatic footage of a polar bear tending her newborn cubs in the flagship BBC show Frozen Planet was filmed in a Dutch zoo using fake snow. Eight million viewers were led to believe the scene had been captured by BBC cameramen inside an underground cave in the brutal sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic wilderness. [dailymail]

Putin Rally Fails To Draw Numbers – Increasingly assailed by charges of electoral fraud, Russia’s governing party, United Russia, held a rally in Moscow on Monday apparently meant as a show of strength after a big anti-Kremlin protest over the weekend. But attendance at the party’s demonstration was sparse, not enough to fill part of the modest square designated for the event. Blind. [nytimes]

New Jersey Jets Owner Challenges Putin For Presidency – After a week of surprising challenges to his authority, Vladimir Putin faces a new one from one of Russia’s richest and most glamorous figures: The billionaire owner of the New Jersey Nets says he will run against him in March’s presidential election. [associated]

Another SA Woman Bust Smuggling Drugs, This Time In Bangkok – A South African woman was arrested at Bangkok’s international airport after police said they found 1.5kg of cocaine hidden in her dreadlocks. The search uncovered 1.5kg of cocaine with a street value of 4.5 million baht ($150 000) hidden in her dreadlocks. Good luck with that. [news24]

BBC Pulls Jeremy Clarkson Episode After 30,000 Complaints – The BBC has postponed an episode of QI featuring Jeremy Clarkson to avoid being criticised for putting him back on air so soon after his contentious comments on the strikes. The programme was filmed over the summer but the channel said, in light of the recent events, some of his comments might be taken out of context. [skynews]

Brace Yourselves For Austin Powers – The Musical – Mike Myers will soon bring you another Austin Powers movie, but mere celluloid cannot contain this comic creation. Myers is working on a story for an Austin Powers musical that will serve as a prequel to the movies. This will be an origin story that tells how the spy found his mojo in 1960s London, set to the songs of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Yeah, baby! [collider]

Dewani Appeal Starts Today – Suspected honeymoon killer Shrien Dewani’s extradition appeal will start in the London High Court on Tuesday. He is accused of organising a hit on his wife Anni Dewani while they were on honeymoon in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. [ewn]

Elizabeth Hurley Eats Three Times As Much As Shane Warne – The actress, model and business woman models her latest swimwear line, including polka-dot bikinis and leopard-print one-pieces, reveals fitness and diet tips, six steps to party confidence for the festive season and admits that, despite her amazing figure, she eats more than fiance Shane Warne. [huffers]

Canada Pulls Out Of Kyoto Protocol – Canada is formally withdrawing from the Kyoto accord, Environment Minister Peter Kent said Monday. The decision to do so will save the government an estimated $14 billion in penalties, Kent said. The Conservative government says it has no choice given the economic situation. [cbc]

Charlie Sheen Tweets His Number To The World – Charlie Sheen’s cellphone went into a meltdown after he accidentally tweeted his personal phone number while trying to direct-message Justin Bieber to call him. The tiger-blooded actor had yet another trademark “#winning” moment when he mistakenly tweeted his private digits to his 5 million Twitter followers over dinner at Michelin-starred restaurant Guy Savoy in Vegas last week. [nypost]

Baby Sloth Orphange – The Cutest Place On Earth? [Video] – Baby sloths are completely irresistible. Perhaps it’s because their faces are shaped in a permanent smile. Or maybe it’s because they love to hug — stuffed animals, trees, other sloths, people. It could simply be their signature comical slowness. And orphan baby sloths? Well, If you think you can resist them, try watching this video only once. [wired]