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A fire swept through a bar in the northern French city of Rouen overnight, killing 13 people and injuring six, after a birthday cake with candles and sparklers fell to the floor and set the carpet ablaze, police said. The fire broke out in the basement of the popular Cuba Libre bar and quickly engulfed the room where some 20 people were celebrating, filling it with thick black smoke and poisonous fumes, a Rouen police officer told Reuters. "A large number of those who died were killed by the fire, others were overcome by the toxic fumes," the officer said.

A Maryland man has been charged with handcuffing and fatally beating his girlfriend's 9-year-old son over a missing piece of birthday cake, according to court records. The suspect, Robert Wilson, 30, of Hagerstown, was charged with second-degree murder by a Washington County grand jury on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege that Wilson handcuffed and beat Jack Garcia on June 30 when he took a piece of birthday cake without permission at the home in Hagerstown, about 50 miles northwest of Washington. Jack died on July 5 at a Washington hospital. Jack's mother, Oriana Garcia, 26, and his uncle, Jacob Barajas, 23, had...

Immanuel Kant once observed that “he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men.” I thought about Kant when I recently learned that the Obamas had graced their dog ‘Bo’ with a dog house shaped birthday cake made out of veal – that’s right, veal – the most expensive item on many a restaurant menu.

This tacky monstrosity can't belong to Obama, can it? Maybe this is just wild conjecture here -- and we all know how much everyone loves opinions in Serious Journalism -- but isn't Barack Obama's birthday cake hideously ugly? This is not at all in line with Obama's sleek, skinny-tie persona, and frankly, we're shocked. It looks like the Cake Boss's disgruntled ex karate-chopped the frosting bag. Decorated with the presidential seal, the layer cake also is accompanied by various pies, including pecan, huckleberry, Key lime and coconut cream, plus a cheesecake. How'd this happen? Michelle wears $540 Lanvin sneakers to...

Birthday Party for Libertina ... OVER HERE!

State authorities have removed Adolf Hilter Campbell and his two sisters from their parents' home in Holland Township, township police Chief David Van Gilson said today. New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services took the 3-year-old, as well as JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 1, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who turns 1 in April, the chief said. The parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, were to appear for a hearing today at the Hunterdon County Justice Center, the chief said, but the hearing was postponed. The chief didn't know why the children were taken but said his department received no...

For Principal Gary Anger, one of the best reasons to keep birthday treats out of the classroom popped up one day last year when a second-grader landed in his office for making trouble at Red Pine Elementary in Eagan. Turned out it was the boy's birthday, and he didn't have cookies or a cake to share. "The big reason he was acting up was because he didn't have anything to give his classmates," said Anger, whose school began nixing birthday snacks this year. The tradition of classroom birthdays with sheet cake or pizza has survived for many families even as...

Students May Be Suspended for Having Knife at School DECATUR, GA (AP) -- Two DeKalb County students planning to graduate this weekend are appealing their ten-day suspension for having a knife at Martin Luther King Junior High School. The mother of one girl -- Wendy Pickens -- says the students found the knife at school and used it to cut a birthday cake for another student. She says they intended to put the knife back, but the room was locked. Pickens is concerned about how the case will affect the girls' plans to attend college next fall. Her daughter...