Monday's news in under 2 minutes.

By MAMAMIA TEAM

1. The Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he supports the US taking military action against Syria – but told the ABC that any measures must be proportionate.

Mr Abbott explained that, “any punitive strike has got to be targeted, it’s got to be proportionate and it’s got to be carefully considered to try to ensure that as far as is humanly possible we aren’t making a bad situation worse.”

Abbott also framed the situation in Syria as a war between two ‘bad guys’, saying, “It’s not goodies versus baddies, it’s baddies versus baddies and that’s why it’s very important that we don’t make a very difficult situation worse.”

The Labor party and some commentators  have taken the phrase as a sign that Tony Abbott’s grasp of foreign politics is inadequate considering he may be Prime Minister.

Coalition campaign spokesperson Christopher Pyne instead argued that, “In the Syrian civil war, both sides are very unattractive … it’s actually more sophisticated to recognise that, than to try and pretend as Penny Wong does that there’s somehow cowboys and indians and one side is good and one side is bad.”

2. Dunkin’ Donuts in Thailand has come under fire, after releasing an insensitive advertisement, with Human Rights Watch calling the ad  “bizarre and racist.” The advertisement in question features a woman in blackface makeup, to promote a new ‘Charcoal Donut’.

The Thailand CEO defended the advertisement, but the US arm of the franchise subsequently tweeted: “We are working with our Thailand franchisee to immediately pull the ad. DD recognises the insensitivity of this spot.”

3. One of the perpetrators of a violent and fatal gang-rape against a student on a bus in New Delhi last year, has finally faced the courts in India. He has been sentenced to three years in a detention centre.

The family of the victim were outraged upon hearing the leniency outcome, and the father of the deceased victim told NDTV outside the court, “It’s a crime to be born a girl in India… Girls are not safe in India.”

4. Over 2500 Australians have volunteered to participate in the Mars One project, an endeavour which is aiming to create a human settlement on Mars – and a reality television show in the process.

The proposed project is a one-way trip, and participants would not be able to return to Earth. Over 165,000 people from 140 different countries have applied to participate.

5. The final five days before the election are upon us, and the latest Newspoll results show that Labor’s primary vote has dropped to 33 per cent – the lowest with Mr Rudd as leader of the party. The Coalition is ahead with 52-46 on a two-party preferred vote.

6. Nelson Mandela has finally been discharged from hospital, after three months of treatment for a lung infection. A statement from current South African president Jacob Zuma said that the 95-year-old anti-apartheid leader and former South African president had returned home.

7. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has said he will release the full list of Coalition spending cuts by Thursday. Mr Abbott has hinted that the costings will not please everyone. and will include “relatively modest” budget savings.

8. British journalist David Frost has died of a heart attack at the age of 74, aboard a cruise liner where he was giving a speech. Frost is best-known for his interview series with former US president Richard Nixon, which was turned into a major Hollywood film Frost/Nixon in 2008.

9. In lighter news, Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson was hosting his show Fox & Friends, when he fell asleep during an ad break. This is what happened next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y25rpF_z-V8