360º News: International & National briefs

NATIONAL NEWS We all know how important it is to wear sunscreen, but one segment of the Earth's population doesn't have that luxury: whales. According to a study in the Gulf of California, whales are starting to be seen with blisters and skin damage — symptoms typically indicative of sunburn. Whales spend extended periods of time on the ocean's surface to breathe, exposing them to the damaging ultraviolet rays. Experts warn this could be due to the thinning ozone layer.

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Pope Benedict was greeted with a massive kiss this weekend during his stay in Barcelona, Spain — a kiss-in, that is. Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples protested the Church's position condemning abortion and same-sex marriage by kissing publically as the pope passed by. The pope was in Barcelona to consecrate the Sagrada Familia church designed by Antoni Gaudi, which has been under construction for 128 years. Over three-quarters of Spain's population consider themselves to be Catholic. Spain was the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS It's a sad couple of weeks when two girls plead guilty to faking cancer and collecting money for it. Jessica Ann Leeder, 21, pled guilty to fraud over $5,000 on November 9 in a Timmins courtroom. The previous week, Ashley Kirilow, 23, pled guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000. According to some doctors, faking an illness to take advantage of others is an actual condition called "malingering."

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Facelifts are a fashion faux pas? Apparently, going under the knife to "fix" your face is a no-no thanks to the growing popularity of noninvasive procedures like Botox and laser treatments. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that cosmetic surgeries went down 17 per cent last year; instead of 1.8 million, there were 1.5 million.

— compiled by Jessica Ireland and Erika Faust