Axis of Evil members are asking, worldwide, that anyone "qualified" join the group.

"We are looking for people because the membership just isn't there," mused a spokesman for the group.

North Korean recruiters are said to be combing the Hollywood Hills, and an area around Nyack, New York for "people who are even just a little bit naughty. You know, the kind who cheat on their income tax and occasionally slap their pets."

A desperate Axis of Evil consultant has also asked that "anyone," yes "anyone" who has ever had an "impure thought" simply call the Axis of Evil Hot Line: 888 222-6666, and register with the organisation.' "We are not kidding," said Judith Krantz, a consultant to Evil Inc. when asked why the group was looking for members. " There just isn't the Evil out there that we had been counting on," sighed Krantz, who had previously worked for Addict a Kid, the Tobacco Industry lobby that has helped consign over a million kids to heart disease and early cancer through cigarette advertising.

Anyone interested in joining the Axis of Evil is urged to call the Evil Hotline, or simply contact Mephisto Enterprises, for a free, one year subscription to the groups magazine: Time.