Dog Owner Opens Can of Whupass on Shark

Dogs may be mans' best friend, but 53 year-old Greg LeNoir has proven that a man can be a dog's best friend, too. A carpenter from Florida, Mr. LeNoir may not have had an especially loyal relationship with his dog Jake. At least, not until Friday evening. That's when man and dog went for a swim together off New Smyrna Beach, and became easy pray for a hungry shark. LeNoir barely registered the open-mouthed predator before it snatched Jake, pulling the 28 pound pooch under the surface. After a crazed moment of screaming, LeNoir dove after the shark, furious fists a-flying! ''I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram,'' LeNoir, told the Miami Herald. "I hit the back of the shark's neck. It was like hitting concrete.'' No doubt stunned by the assault, the shark released Jake, who quickly swam to safety. Amazingly, neither he nor Greg LeNoir were seriously injured during the ordeal.

Read more at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/707023.html

19 Hostages Rescued in Desert by Multinational Troop Effort

CAIRO, Egypt

A group of 19 tourists' safari in the remote Sahara region of Africa took a turn for the horrifyingly cinematic last week, when they were abducted by armed kidnappers and driven off into the barren wilderness. Egyptian and Sudanese troops rescued the European tour group early Monday morning, and the tourists and their Egyptian guides returned safely to Cairo.

The operation, apparently backed by European special forces, ends a 10-day hostage situation that took the 11 Europeans and their eight guides across a barren stretch of the Sahara Desert. They were seized by gunmen on the 19th while on a desert safari in remote southwestern Egypt. It was unclear where their abductors were taking them, or where they would end up... Sudan, followed by Libya? Chad?

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini suggested Italian and German special forces were involved. He was beaming as he explained that Sudan and Egypt carried out "a highly professional operation" with the "intervention of Italian intelligence and experts from the special forces" from Germany and Italy.

The official said the tourists, who include two Italians in their 70s, were "feeble" but in good condition. Most importantly, MENA reported that none of the captives was hurt in the rescue. Amazing!

The freed captives, who included five Germans, five Italians, a Romanian and eight Egyptian guides and drivers, were brought by a military plane to Cairo on Monday, greeted at the airport by officials who extended their welcome with bouquets of fresh flowers. They were then taken to a military hospital for checkups.

"Our compatriots and the other hostages in Egypt have been freed," Frattini said. "It is the result of international cooperation for which we have to be really grateful to the authorities of other countries that have been working with us."

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