Popular Elsewhere
15:13 UK time, Friday, 6 May 2011
A look at the stories ranking highly on various news sites.
The New York Times' most popular story reports on the dog who appears to have found Osama Bin Laden. It says the identities of all 80 members of the American commando team who killed bin Laden are the subject of intense speculation, but "perhaps none more so than the only member with four legs". Little is known about the dog, but the article says the most common US military dogs are the German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois
A well hit Slate article goes on to ask why the military sent a dog to help kill Osama Bin Laden? It points out neither the Pentagon nor the White House is talking about the role the dog played in Sunday's operation, including if a dog was involved at all. But it still goes on to attempt to answer, saying the dog's sense of smell would have been the reason it was involved.
But the most popular Slate article is a slideshow of cats of war, which claims to report that a top-secret feline special-operations program has been revealed. The pictures show swimming and parachuting cats, but is filed under the index "dubious and far fetched ideas".
Attracting some traffic on Perth Today is a follow up to Oprah Winfrey's high profile visit to Australia. She took her audience members with her. As part of the show they were given luxury gifts, but Perth Now reports the fans are complaining that they still haven't been given the pink diamonds they were promised.
A popular story on the Daily Mail's site reports on a size eight beauty therapist "stunned" when she went into labour. The article says Lauren Peberdy gave birth to an 8lb 7oz baby even though she had no idea she was pregnant. It goes on to say she'd even been to the doctor for a contraceptive pill check-up just a fortnight earlier, and the doctor had said her weight and blood pressure were fine.
The Independent's most read story asks if America will learn to understand Cheryl Cole's accent? It comes after news that she is going to judge on the US version of the X Factor. The article explains that US broadcasting rules require entertainment programmes to deliver "reliable information" and insiders say the network fears lawsuits if viewers can't make sense of her north-east accent. This isn't the first time British regional accents caused a stir in the US. The article points out Susan Boyle's interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show was subtitled, as was Mike Leigh's film Secrets And Lies, set among working-class Londoners, and Trainspotting - the film about Edinburgh heroin addicts.
