News of the show’s brief hiatus caused concern for fans, who noted that it was unusual for a show to be suddenly pulled from production with such short warning. Some ticket-holders found out that the taping was cancelled just hours before they were due to show up.

The show is now expected to go back to regular production, but there has still not been an official statement as to the reason why the hiatus had to happen in the first place.

Pretty much every high-profile news event these days leads to this type of scam. The idea for the scammers is to lure people to a website where they are tricked into taking part in a survey before they can see the supposed video. Users complete the survey and are then redirected to some site where there is no video to be found, while the scammers pocked commission for the surveys.

Variations on the scam claim to offer material from various reputable websites, and some claim that there is a ‘shocking secret’ on offer. Some versions also tell you that you need to install an update for your video player before you can see the video, which isn’t true and could potentially leave users open to malware being installed on their systems.

It was reported last year that Caitlin Beadles had Crohn’s Disease, and at the time rumours of stomach cancer were pretty thoroughly rejected. The latest rumours seem to have developed stronger ‘legs’ and are spreading pretty fast.

Stomach cancer is responsible for around 800,000 deaths a year worldwide, partly because it is asymptomatic in its early stages and diagnosis is therefore often delayed. The early symptoms are usually indigestion and a loss of appetite (especially for meat), followed later by weakness and bloating.

If the Glenda Monster story turns out to be true, she wouldn’t be the first high-profile Lady Gaga fan suicide. Last year teenager Jamey Rodemeyer apparently committed suicide because of bullying, and Lady Gaga launched an anti-bullying foundation last year after speaking out about the issue.

It’s important to be careful about stories like this, however, because there have been occasions in the past when stories about people committing suicide have been spread as part of the bullying itself. The nature of Twitter makes it almost impossible to quickly verify such stories.

If the EU had any power of Greece, it was this: the idea that the EU could step in and save Greece from the failures of Greek politicians. Such a notion now lies in tatters: the EU’s forced austerity has crippled Greece and has led to unprecedented social upheaval. The country long since passed from democracy to a kind of imposed Democratic^TM system that has failed miserably and totally. Greece is a litmus test of the EU’s approach to the financial crisis, and it shows that the EU lacks the ability to deal with its problems. Greece today, Italy and Spain tomorrow. And then what?

Looki at Greece today and you see pure anger on the streets. Anger at a political class that is unable to deliver the necessary solutions. If our politicians can’t deal with this type of problem, then what is their purpose? If they add more problems than they solve, what good are they? Greece needs to be put back on a stable course, and the frustrating thing is that this would be fairly easy to acheive if only those in charge could be persuaded to move away from their constant failures. Put the right people in charge, and Greece would be saved tomorrow. The people know that. That’s why they’re angry.

Houston is believed to have been in Los Angeles for the Grammy awards, which take place tonight (Sunday) and are now likely to have to rush to put together a tribute. Although her public appearances had become fairly erratic in the early 2000s, in recent years she was believed to have started to return to her former glory.

Whitney Houston sold more than 170m albums in a career that spanned four decades and included hits such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody and I Will Always Love You. The latter came from the film The Bodyguard, in which Houston starred as a singer involved in a romantic relationship with a bodyguard played by Kevin Costner.

The story claims that gunmen broke into the North Korean embassy in Beijing at about 14:45 on Friday afternoon local time. And that’s about it! It seems an unusual number of cars were parked outside the embassy during the afternoon, but that hardly means there’s been an assassination attempt.

So far, it seems that the rumours are false. And while it’s never wise to completely dismiss such stories, it seems we’ll probably soon be treated to some new photos of Kim Jong-Un looking at things or, if he’s feeling particularly animated (and alive), pointing at things.

The video, which you can see here, has been described by some as simply a bear with something large in its mouth (hence the ‘trunk’), by some as an elephant, by some as computer trickery, and by some as a real mammoth. It’s not clear why the video only lasts for about half a minute, and it is unfortunately (but perhaps not surprisingly) rather blurry.

There have been rumours for many years that woolly mammoths might have survived in Siberia, and the idea is just about plausible given that large parts of the area are rarely explored by mankind. The discovery of a real woolly mammoth would be sensational, but experts are warning people not to get too excited just yet.

Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano first published the anonymous letter (link is in Italian), dated from the end of December 2011, with claims that the letter was originally written in German and was delivered to a Vatican official. There have long been rumours that the Vatican is particularly riven by internal politics at present, although few observers had previously suggested that an assassination plot could be on the cards.

While destabilising the Vatican by plotting an assassination might seem a little unlikely, destabilising the Vatican by spreading rumours of an assassination plot might be a little more believable. Vatican sources have so far dismissed the letter, but sections of the Italian media have seized upon the story as one that will attract public attention. So if you find a dead Pope anywhere in the next 12 months, don’t say you weren’t warned!

Romney has everything on his side. He has money, he has name recognition, he has experience, and he has the backing of numerous Republican big hitters. So his continued failure to shine in this race is a testament to his failure to engage with his party’s support base. He remains favourite to win the nomination, but already he is looking fatally flawed. To put it simply: Tuesday’s results were an epic humiliation for a man who should be soaring right now.

It was also a bad night for Newt Gingrich. If Romney is failing to press home his advantage, Gingrich is failing to convince as a credible anti-Romney candidate. This is the predicament that the Republican party faces right now: they don’t seem to like Romney, and they don’t seem to like any of his rivals. Can an apparently fractured party take on Barack Obama in November and win? It would be too early to count them out, but they aren’t doing themselves any favours so far.