Madonna survives wardrobe disaster, Prince Charles does his bit for Earth and yes, butter in your coffee

Charmain Naidoo found this interesting in the news today...

1. The eruption of the volcano Pico do Fogo has destroyed two villages and threatens a forest reserve. Around 1,500 people fled their homes before the lava flow reached the villages of Portela and Bangeira on Fogo Island, Cape Verde. The lava front, which was more than 500 metres north of outlying houses in Bangeira a week ago, is sweeping over the village and is moving forward. Already, both villages have been largely destroyed according to officials. Sky News has some dramatic pictures of the active volcano spewing its red hot molten ash.

2. Our age defying material girl, Madonna, came undone by a bit of material at the Brit Awards! The 56-year-old singer/actress, dressed in a full length Armani cape specially designed for the occasion, began to climb some stage stairs when a dancer stepped onto the cape pulling her backwards. To her credit, she rallied and went on to sing songs that included words like “watch me stumble” and “I’m going to carry on”. See Madonna fall on her much on display derriere in the MailOnline!

3. The NYT reports that oncologists are trying new protocols by prescribing drugs that are not necessarily designed for a specific cancer, but for what mutations drive its growth. They have apparently had remarkable success.

4. The Huffington Post reports that US President Barack Obama yesterday said Republicans could go after his immigration programs in the courts and in Congress, but his confidence would not be shaken. "In the short term, if David McConnell, the leader of the Senate, and the speaker of the House, John Boehner, want to have a vote over whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote," Obama said at a town hall in Miami. "I will veto that vote because I’m absolutely confident it’s the right thing to do." Obama's immigration program expands deportation relief to as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants who are either parents or came to the U.S. as children. Those programs are the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents policy, or DAPA, and an expansion of the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA.

5. Want to lose weight? Put some butter in your coffee! This, from the Mail Online, supports our own Tim Noakes Banting theories: “A double espresso blended to a thick froth with a tablespoon each of butter and coconut oil, it sounds like a heart attack in a cardboard cup. But the new research finding that fat is better for us than sugar means it is becoming popular with the body-conscious. What started as a diet fad in America is rapidly gaining ground in the UK.” AND South Africa!

6. NDTV reports that Australian women have been warned against seeing Islamic states as romantic places. “A worrying number of Australian women are heading to Iraq and Syria to become so-called Islamic State group "jihadi brides",” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, warning against notions of a "romantic adventure". At least 110 Australians have left to fight alongside militants in the Middle East and security officials said between 30 and 40 women were among them or were actively supporting the group in Australia.

7. The Huff Post on singing sensation, Taylor Swift (go figure!): “I don’t like showing my belly button. When you start showing your belly button then you’re really committing to the midriff thing. I only partially commit to the midriff thing – you’re only seeing lower rib cage. I don’t want people to know if I have one or not." This was apparently told – laughingly – to Lucky magazine. “I want that to be a mystery. As far as anyone knows based on my public appearances, they haven’t seen evidence of a belly button. It could be pierced. They have no idea. If I’m going to get some sort of massive tattoo, it’s going to be right next to my belly button because no one’s ever going to see that.” One has to ask about this story: Who cares?

8. This chilling news snippet from CNN: “More drones were spotted flying over Paris on Wednesday evening, the city prosecutor's office reported. The unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted above Rue de Vaugirard, the Assembly, the city's east train station, Porte de Saint-Ouen and Porte de la Chapelle between 11pm on Tuesday and 2am on Wednesday. Authorities are investigating. The sightings come a day after five drones were reportedly seen flying over other sensitive and well-known areas of Paris. They were seen over the Eiffel Tower, the Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides and the U.S. Embassy, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor's office said.” Who is watching who? That is the question nobody seems to be able to answer.

9. Prince Charles has come out as a champion of The Earth! The Mail Online reports that the heir to the British throne yesterday called on people to improve their health by looking after the planet. In a keynote address to the Royal Society in London, the prince said: “Protect the health of the planet, protect our health. Actions which are good for the planet are also good for human health. Taking a more active approach to transport by walking and cycling and adopting healthy diets reduce greenhouse gas emissions and but also reduce rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer and more – saving lives and money. Reductions in air pollution also result, with separate and additional benefits, to human health. A healthy planet and healthy people are two sides of the same coin.”