British singer Leona Lewis was attacked by man during a book signing today in London. Lewis, who won stardom by winning the reality television show X Factor, signed her autobiography for her assailant just moments before punching the 24 year old.

A spokesman for the singer told the BBC:

"a guy came up and punched the side of the head".

Miss Lewis didn't need medical treatment but was said to be very shaken by the incident. Police have arrested a man in his mid twenties following the attack.

President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice, especially with it being so early in his presidency, which began just tow weeks before the February 1 nomination deadline.

According to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, Obama woke up to the news a little before 6:00am ET. The administration was taken by surprise with the announcement, and thus far has made no immediate comment on it.

When informed of the decision this morning, one aide queried: "It's not April 1, is it?"

Obama was not informed that he won the award prior to the announcement out of Oslo this morning. The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided not to inform him because they did not want to wake him up. Committee chairman Thorbjoer Jagland said: "Waking up a president in the middle of the night, this isn't really something you do."

The committee applauded the change in the global mood shaped by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation. However, they also recognized several Obama initiatives that have yet to bear any fruit, including easing American conflicts with Muslim nations, reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, and strengthening the U.S. role in fighting climate change.

Jagland added:

The Chinese news agency Xinhua recently reported on the existence of a town in Sweden called Chako Paul City, which supposedly is inhabited only by females and where lesbianism runs rampant. Much to the dismay of Chinese readers, Sweden is denying the existence of the town.

According to Xinhua, the town was founded in 1820 in the northern Swedish woods by a wealthy widow and boasts 25,000 residents, as well as a medieval castle. A pair of blonde female sentries stand guard at the town, and men wishing to enter risk being "beaten half to death" by the police. And according to the Chinese news service Harbin News, many of the residents also turn to homosexuality "because they could not suppress their sexual needs".

The Chinese press also claims that much of the all-female population is employed in the forestry industry, with many sporting a "thick waist belt full of woodworking equipment". Women who decide to leave the town to fulfill their sexual needs with men are only allowed to return to the city if they agree to bathe and undertake other measures that are designed to ensure that their trysts won't negatively affect the mental state of other women in the town.

Mary Josephine Ray of New Hampshire claimed the title as the oldest person in the United States after Gertrude Baines of Los Angeles died on Friday.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks extreme old age, the only person in the world that is known to be older than Ray lives in Japan. Kama Chinen was born on May 10, 1895, just seven days before Ray. As of August 2009, Ray is also considered to be one of the 60 oldest verified people in world history.

When asked what she thought of her long life, Ray said:

"It was so long ago, I don't remember much about it."

According to the UK's Guardian, South African runner Caster Semenya has now gone into hiding and is receiving "trauma counseling" after the results of her gender testing were announced publicly last week. Australian media claimed that they were leaked the results of her gender tests, which were said to reveal that she is a hermaphrodite.

Semenya, 18, won the women's 800-meters at the World Championships in Berlin on August 19. However, her deep voice and masculine build sparked concerns over her gender. Test results did show that her testosterone levels exceeded the average for a woman, but further testing was needed to determine her gender.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph said that the tests conducted showed that the world champ has a chromosomal abnormality which means that she is without a womb and ovaries, but has internal testes that produce the male hormone testosterone.

Semenya withdrew from competition on Saturday. She was supposed to compete in a 4km cross country race in Pretoria. Athletics South Africa spokeswoman Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholesane confirmed that Semenya was receiving counselling, but denied reports that she is suicidal. The spokeswoman said:

South African track star Caster Semenya dropped out of a race Saturday after reports claimed that she is a hermaphrodite. Citing an unnamed source, both the Sydney Daily Telegraphy and Sydney Morning Herald claimed earlier this week that Caster has both male and female sex organs.

The International Association of Athletics Federation ordered a gender test after she won the women's 800-meters at the world championships in August in Berli. However, they would not confirm or deny the reports. The IAAF said it would continue to review the test results and release their findings in November.

Caster's coach, Michael Seme, said:

"We have decided that Caster will not run [Saturday]," adding that the 18-year-old was "not feeling well."

The newspaper report claiming that Caster is a hermaphrodite has angered her family and supporters, who say that they will not allow her to be banned from international competition.

South African sports minister Makhenskesi Stofile said:

"We will go to the highest levels of contesting such a decision. I think it would be the Third World War.

After doubts were raised about Caster Semenya's gender, the 18-year-old South African was forced to take a gender test. According to reports, Caster has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female.

The tests were ordered by The International Association of Athletics Federations after Semenya's 800-meter victory in the World Championships. These tests determined that she is what is known as a hermaphrodite, meaning she has both male and female organs.

According to Australia's Daily Telegraph, Semenya could be stripped of the gold medal she won in Berlin last month. In addition, her future in competition is also up in the air. The IAAF is also expected to advise her to have surgery to fix the potentially deadly condition.

The results of the testing have not yet been officially released, and as such the IAAF refuses to comment on the reports.

A source with knowledge of the test results said that Semenya has internal testes, the male sexual organ which produces testosterone.

Columbian President Alvaro Uribe has come down with the swine flu, and officials in the country are now contacting other South American officials whose leaders attended a recent summit with Uribe.

Uribe began feeling symptoms on Friday, the same day he attended a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina. On Saturday, the 57-year-old leader was confirmed to have the H1N1 virus. He is not considered to be a high risk patient, and is not being quarantined. None of his family or close associations have experienced symptoms.

Uribe had spent the day Friday defending a plan that would give US troops access to Columbian bases as a parto f the war on drugs during a UNASUR group summit which was attended by most presidents in the region.