International Slipstream

"Well the truth is it's for Kuwait to make a judgement about. If I were asked...it'd be like the lion inviting the chicken into the embrace." US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on any reconciliatory move by Iraq towards its Gulf War foe, Kuwait

Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney married ex-model-turned charity worker Heather Mills at Castle Leslie here, in a ceremony where 300 celebrity guests "flew in by the planeloads". Legend has it that the castle, which has 14 bedrooms, none with TV or phone, descends from Attila the Hun. Having spent the night before in separate bedrooms, the couple departed for their honeymoon to an undisclosed location soon after a lavish party where guests sampled vegetarian food. The guests included the only other living ex-Beatle, drummer Ringo Starr, who gave spectators the peace sign as he rolled up in a black Mercedes. When Paul married photographer Linda Eastman in ’69, none of the Beatles had been invited. Heather was only a year old then. Paul’s marriage to Linda, one of the happiest in show business, lasted till ’98, when she died of breast cancer. An inconsolable Paul met Heather, who had lost a leg in an accident involving a police motorbike, the following year.

About a hundred Australian camels are headed for Saudi Arabia and will mostly end up on restaurant tables since camel meat is a delicacy there. More are expected to follow. Reports say the step has been necessitated because the Saudi emphasis on camel rearing stops with domestic purposes and racing and there is not enough of them being bred for meat production. Demand for camel meat usually goes up during the Haj season. Camels first came to Australia from Palestine and India in the 19th century. But from around 10,000, they have grown to a population touching nuisance value, just like the kangaroo.