Surprised to find photos of a young Chinese factory worker on his new iPhone, a British Apple customer decided to post the pictures online. The girl in the pics has managed to catch the attention of everybody, including her boss... Read more.

A deodorant advert that showed an apparently irresistible chocolate man being gnawed on by scantily clad women has been banned in India. An advertising executive in the country explains why it was so offensive. Read more and see the ad.

Just after Russian forces stormed the South Ossetian capital, celebrated Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who grew up in Ossetia, gave a concert to honour the victory. Our Observer there managed to photograph the event with his mobile.  Read more...

Posted on Flickr by "Fernando lugo APC"

The socialist wind blowing through South America reached Paraguay this year with the election of leftist Chavez-ally Fernando Lugo. On his first day, the ex-bishop announced that he would be renouncing his entire salary and donating it to the poor. Not like other presidents then... Read more.

Our Observer in Cuba, blogger Yoani Sanchez takes us on a tour of the propaganda billboards of Havana. Read more and see the photos.

Daft Hands probably doesn't mean anything to you, but it's likely that you've seen a video of a pair of hands, inscribed with Daft Punk lyrics, performing a well-choreographed dance routine. Difficult to describe, but the result is something hypnotic. Read more and see the videos.

The Democratic National Convention this year is unfolding at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It's an enormous sports stadium that has been re-jiggered with multiple giant video screens that allow thousands of Democratic activists packed in the audience to view the action. But much of the convention buzz actually happens outside the convention floor - at parties and other networking events, where the faithful can meet and scheme and plot their political agendas. Read more and see our Observer's video...

Image posted on Flickr by Kim Baker.

In an obvious attempt to fracture the Democrats during their Denver convention, McCain's latest campaign videos are pushing the boundaries of political correctness. Read more and see the videos...

Gathering of matchmakers in a park in Shanghai. Photo by "Jenming".

Go to a park on a Sunday in China, and you'll find thousands of parents mingling on the grass. Not for a picnic - these desperate mums and dads are exchanging photos and CVs of their sons and daughters, in hope of finding them a spouse. Read more...

An advert for Madonna's concert in Cardiff (from http://madonnalicious.typepad.com)

Never one to keep shy of controversy, Madonna raised something of a storm as she kicked off her latest international tour on Saturday. In a video aired during the show, Republican White House candidate John McCain appeared alongside images of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, while Democrat rival Barack Obama enjoyed the company of Mahatma Gandhi. Read more...

A photomontage circulating on russian blogs.The crater is on Poland.

The Georgian War and the subsequent missile defense deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic have stirred up Russian bloggers. Many vent their frustration through hawkish comments and nostalgia of Soviet military might. Read more...

In Beirut, the restaurant "Buns and Guns" markets its sandwiches by giving them questionable names. Why don’t you try a Kalashnikov burger served on terrorist pita bread? In Lebanon, nobody seems to find the trend shocking or offensive. Read more...

“Miranda regresa” (“Miranda Returns”) is the first major film produced by President Hugo Chavez’s state-run production company. A historical saga, it depicts the life of Francisco de Miranda, leader of Venezuela's independence struggle against Spanish colonialism at the turn of the nineteenth century. Miranda dreamed of creating a republic called Colombia that would have covered a large chunk of South America. Read more...

The rumour started on a few shady right-wing Christian blogs and spread like wildfire, reaching even the national TV channel CNN: Obama may be the Antichrist. A new McCain campaign TV ad has added fuel to the controversy. Read more...

While the international community waits for Russian troops to complete their withdrawal of Georgia, our Observer in the field tells us that the army is in fact consolidating its position around Poti, her town. According to her, its citizens have begun protesting against this occupation. Read More...