Italian priests are currently undergoing a course in confession, where they are taught the proper way of communicating with sinners and bringing them back to confession. The program was launched to respond to reports of a decline in the number of people going to confession. After identifying one of the reasons as the inappropriate reactions of priests upon hearing of the people's confessions, the "grave crisis" was taken into account and the Vatican is currently attempting to remedy the damage through the lessons.

Danes are up in arms over the manner in which Swedish home furnishing manufacturer IKEA is naming its products. The Danes resent the naming of its lower-end products like doormats and carpets after Danish towns, while christening high-end products after Swedish names. The Danish resentment arose out of an analysis by two Danish academics who performed a thorough analysis into IKEA's naming system. Klaus Kjoller of the University of Copenhagen told a Danish newspaper, "Doormats and runners, as well as inexpensive wall-to-wall carpeting are third-class, if not seventh-class, items when it comes to home furnishings. "

eing stingy cost an Iranian man more after he was ordered by the court to buy his neglected wife 124,000 red roses worth a total of $265,000. Local newspaper Etemad reported that a woman named Hengameh claimed her mahr, or dowry after being married for ten years to her husband Shahin who according to her is so stingy that he cannot even pay for her coffee.

A cosmetics line called "Looking Good For Jesus" has been pulled from a leading department store in Singapore after Catholic residents protested the marketing gimmick as blasphemous. Reports said the retailing giant Top Shop in the Lion City, which is home to about 4. 4 million Christians, had no choice but to clear its shelves of the products. The makeup line sold items like "Virtuous vanilla" lip balm and a "Get Tight with Christ" hand and body cream, featuring a picture of Jesus Christ between two women.

A number of Gloucestershire villagers are petitioning the village parish council for a grant to help them get a donkey aimed at helping them trek their way from a shopping mall all the way to their residences atop a steep hill. According to a local newspaper, around 30 residents from Rack Hill in Chalford are complaining they cannot reach their homes by car. They say they are fed up with carrying their groceries up to their 100-yard high community on top of a hill.