Martin World News

So today I have decided it's time for another fun filled romp through the news pages.  Let's start with one I saved last night:

BBC:  He was better off as Winnie the Pooh

It seems I always have something involving Chinese president Xi Jinping.  Usually it involves his resemblance to Winnie the Pooh...

...but it got worse when he took a trip to Myanmar:

The translation gaffe came to light on the second day of Mr Xi's state visit to Myanmar.  On Saturday, Mr Xi met Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi to enhance bilateral relations.  In Burmese Facebook posts about their meeting, Mr Xi's name in English was translated erroneously.

How erroneously?

Facebook apologized for a 'glitch', saying that Pooh... er, Xi's name had not been entered into their translation database yet. 

Fox News- I bet they took that wrong turn to Albuquerque

So remember a while back when the news broke that China (boy, it's China Day at MWN!) and Vietnam were going to stop taking loads of TRASH from around the world?  And how happy activists were because a high percentage of the great trash island in the Pacific came from unsecured dumps near rivers there?  Well, it doesn't appear Plan B is working out very well, either...

Malaysia, like other Southeast Asian nations, has received shipments of unwanted rubbish since China banned the import of plastic waste in 2018. Now it is fighting back.  Since the third quarter last year, Malaysia has sent back 150 containers of plastic waste. Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said another 110 containers are expected to be sent back by the middle of this year.

Of the 150 containers, 43 were returned to France, 42 to the United Kingdom, 17 to the United States, 11 to Canada, 10 to Spain and the rest to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Lithuania, her ministry said.

Wow!  How about France and the UK being responsible for 57% of the containers?  Really would like to rub it in, wouldn't ya? 

Yeo said talks were ongoing with U.S. authorities to take back another 60 containers this year. Canada also has 15 more containers, Japan 14, the U.K. 9 and Belgium 8 of the 110 additional containers still being held at Malaysian ports, she said.

So now that score is USA 77, UK 51...

"If people want to see us as the rubbish dump of the world, you dream on," Yeo told reporters during an inspection at a port in northern Penang state.

I wonder if our buddy Mr Modi in India is sending out "Say No to the Ganges" cards yet?

Not so fast, my friend!  Let's go through the containers and see if I can score another great suit like this!"

CNN- Dance of the Headlines

I didn't hit on a main story here, but found a handful of questionable headlines...

Cory Booker was asked who broke his heart. He gave an emotional response

No, not an EMOTIONAL response???  Why would he get emotional over heartbreak?

Close second in this particular category:

Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt have people in their feelings

"You got your people in my feelings!"  "You got your feelings in my people!"  "Hey, they're delicious!"

Next, apparently this is a thing:

Tennis player Elliot Benchetrit told off by umpire for asking ball girl to peel a banana for him

I guess this is the start of the #minetoo movement...


This might be one of the more ill-timed headlines of the lot...

Aaron Rodgers:  Football is 'fun again'

Just how many times did the Niners hit you last night, son?

And now, the Moscow Times in pictures

In looking through the MT for fun stuff, I clicked on a feature called, "Meanwhile In Russia".  Pictures that go with short stories.  After I read a few, I said, "This is at least as good as CNN's questionable headline barrage!"  So here are a few:

This Russian kitty supposedly has healing powers.  But wait, that's not all!  The cat told his owner "in a dream" that he should let the feline heal others as well- for 20 million Rubles ($320,000) a pop, giving the money 'to a good cause'.  If this don't work out, the owner " may give away the cat for free."

Yeah, I bet you will.

Hey, you all heard last week how Putin might be claiming even more power?  Wait'll you see where he's aiming...

Wouldja believe starring in a mural depicting him as the Greek demigod Atlas?  I think you get a rent break if you live in this apartment building...


How would you like to be a Russian train engineer, an hour late to the station, and THIS was your excuse...

A camel was walking the tracks in front of you?!  The driver in question reported that the camel started at a 14 MPH clip, but when he blew his horn, that pace slowed to about 8 MPH... and as he kept laying on the horn, video footage shows the engineer then saying, "...“It’s about to drop and lie here...”


And finally, here's something that you don't often see in your grocery's liquor aisle- unless you were recently in Tyumen...

During their night out on the town, the carefree animals were spotted browsing the alcohol aisle at a local supermarket, tipping over two bottles in the process.

“Is this a pigsty or a store, people?” one shopper was heard saying as the pigs were filmed lapping up the spilled cognac.


Like I said, a really good day for a MWN post...