Where Has All The Election Colour Gone, Ask Pakistanis
No interesting graffiti, only the odd corner meeting and no bite even in the daily fare of verbal fisticuffs on TV. Pakistan's parliamentary elections are only four days away, but the colour and verve are strangely missing. And so people say this is the most lacklustre and pale election they have ever witnessed. The reasons cited are many -- fear of increased suicide and bomb attacks at public gatherings, price hikes making ends meet a daily impossibility, the missing face of Benazir Bhutto and lack of confidence in the interim government for holding free and fair elections. B..
Automaker Mahindra To Start Rolling In The US
Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra plans to export sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups to the US by next year, becoming the first Indian company to enter the world's biggest auto market. The Mumbai-based company has signed an agreement with Global Vehicles USA Inc of Atlanta in Georgia, which will import and distribute Mahindra vehicles. Mahindra is thus set to become the first Indian company to break into the North American auto market, the largest in the world, following up on its managing director Anand Mahindra's statements last year on expanding overseas. ..
Australia Prepared To Wither Storm Of Cancelling Pakistan Tour
The Australian cricket board is prepared to face dire consequences by sticking to the advice of independent security agencies that have asked them to abandon the tour of Pakistan, the media reported here Thursday. According to a report in The Age, Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Creagh O'Connor wrote a letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) explaining that it has been advised not to send Ricky Ponting's team to Pakistan because of political turmoil. CA insisted that they are yet to arrive at a decision and are waiting eagerly for the outcome of the Feb 18 elections in Pakist..
Sri Lanka Court Flays Indiscriminate Arrest Of Tamils
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has rapped the police for indiscriminately arresting Tamils in drives meant to nab Tamil Tiger suspects or their collaborators. A bench headed by Chief Justice Sarath Silva Wednesday asked the police to formulate rules on detention, arrest and investigation of Tamils who might be suspected of being agents of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE has been waging an armed struggle to secure an independent Tamil state of Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court said the rules for detention should be submitted to it March 4...
Perth Ready To Give Farewell To Local Hero Gilchrist
A packed crowd at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) ground here will give a standing ovation to Adam Gilchrist, as the retiring Australian vice-captain plays his last game at his adopted home ground here Friday. The first time Gilchrist appeared at the ground as a Western Australia player at the WACA ground, a home crowd booed him because local hero Tim Zoehrer was axed to make way for him. Gilchrist will make his final appearance at the famous cricket ground in the one-dayer against Sri Lanka Friday and the sell out crowd at the WACA will give him a rousing farewell when h..
Fleming Confirms Retirement After Home Series Against England
Ending all speculations about his career, former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming Thursday confirmed that he will retire from Test cricket after the home series against England next month. The 34-year-old left-hander, who is considered New Zealand's most successful skipper, will play his final match at Napier against England on Mar 22. Fleming, the most capped Kiwi Test cricketer with 108 appearances, has decided to call it quits in order to spend time with his family, especially with his pregnant wife Kelly, who is expecting their second child in June. He had already retired f..
Cricket Australia Keen To See Indian Premier League Go Ahead
Cricket Australia (CA) Thursday reiterated that it is keen to see the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition go ahead. CA chief executive Officer James Sutherland said the Australian board was continuing to work through complex details relating to the players' contractual obligations in the IPL competition. 'We have always said we want to see IPL succeed, but on the basis that it does not compromise (the) International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme,' he said. Sutherland said: 'There is ..
Bowie To Croon For Johannsson's Album
Rock music legend David Bowie will feature as a guest singer on actress Scarlett Johansson's album. Ananova.com reports that Johannsson gave a preview of the record in which Bowie appears on two tracks to a few New York journalists. The album is titled 'Anywhere I Lay My Head' and is a Tom Waits cover album. When asked if Waits approved of the recordings, Johannsson said: 'I sent him some of the early recordings and he said, 'Go ahead.' I've heard he's very pleased. ..
Force India Struggle For Pace In Test Session
Force India continued to struggle for pace on the penultimate day of the three-day Formula One test session here with test driver Adrian Sutil placed at the bottom of the time charts. Sutil completed 86 laps with a best of one minute, 22.244 seconds around the 4.428-km circuit as the team focussed on further testing the new parts that were fitted on to the car here Wednesday. Force India's lead driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, will take over duties from Sutil later Thursday. 'Even though the weather today was clear, the winds were so strong that it was difficult to do any real work..
Manson's New Alcohol Drink Flops
Rocker star Marilyn Manson's new absinthe drink is not being well received by experts. Critics have slammed the new drink called Mansinthe saying it smells like 'sewage water' and has a 'mediocre' taste, reports contactmusic.com. A panel of judges for the site epicurious.com gave their verdict saying: 'Did Mansinthe have what it takes to be a premium absinthe? The answer is, sadly, no. 'The number one problem was the aroma, which some verbally compared to sewage water or swamp mud. With the exception of a lone taster, the panel felt it wasn't re..
'Desperate Housewives' Cast Returns To Shoot
The cast of 'Desperate Housewives' has returned to shoot the show after the end of the writers' strike. The cast met with the show's creator Marc Cherry to discuss the upcoming shoot and decided they would work for six days a week, reports pagesix.com. The shoot will begin Feb 25. Speaking of the actresses having to stop their daily life and return to work, a source said: 'They're all very excited.' ..
Cricket Australia Keen To See Indian Premier League Go Ahead
Cricket Australia (CA) Thursday reiterated that it is keen to see the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition go ahead. CA chief executive Officer James Sutherland said the Australian board was continuing to work through complex details relating to the players' contractual obligations in the IPL competition. 'We have always said we want to see IPL succeed, but on the basis that it does not compromise (the) International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme,' he said. Sutherland said: 'There is ..
Cricket Australia Searching For Aborigine Role Model
After Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to Aborigines, Cricket Australia (CA) is now pushing hard to find a role model from the Aborigines, the media reported here Thursday. According to a report in The Courier Mail, CA is sorry that of the 399 men to represent Australia during 130 years of Test cricket, none has been a full-blooded Aborigine. In fact, no full-blooded Aborigine has come close. Former fast bowler Jason Gillespie, a descendant of the Kamilaroi people who once populated northern New South Wales, is the only Test player to publicly acknowledge his Aboriginal..
Crime Drops When Moss Moves Into A Neighbourhood
A study by Britain's Camden New Journal has found that crime rates drop considerably in neighbourhoods when supermodel Kate Moss moves there. Pagesix.com reports that since Moss moved into her $16 million mansion in St. John's Wood in London, crime rates have dropped sharply. The neighbours believe it is because of Moss. One neighbour said: 'With her security cameras and all the photographers out in the street, crime has stopped altogether.' ..
Reynolds Disappointed About Not Having Love Scenes With Roberts
Actor Ryan Reynolds was excited about starring alongside Julia Roberts in 'Fireflies in the Garden' until he found out that they won't be playing lovers. Reynolds confessed that Julia, who plays his mother in the film, is his all-time Hollywood crush, contactmusic.com reports. 'I was so excited to work with Julia until I found out the scenes I have with her are when she's playing my mother. I was like, 'Couldn't we have a hot romance instead?' It's so sad. I have to tell my friends that I'm getting to act with the old Julia Roberts.' ..
Most Pakistanis Want Musharraf To Go: Survey
Most Pakistanis want the new parliament to restore sacked Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and feel that President Pervez Musharraf's resignation can improve the political and security situation, says a survey. A survey conducted by Globe Scan for bbcurdu.com says that 63 percent Pakistanis want sacked Chaudhry's status to be restored by the new parliament and a 'majority' are also demanding Musharraf's resignation. Those calling for Musharraf's resignation are of the view that this can improve the political and security situation in the..
Pregnant Lopez's Hospital Preparing For Possible Kidnapping
The Long Island hospital where singer and actress Jennifer Lopez is set to give birth is practising security drills as a preventive measure against kidnapping. Tmz.com reports that sources at the North Shore Medical Centre say the hospital conducted a Code Pink drill last Friday. Code Pink is the code for locking down the hospital to prevent a kidnapping attempt. A representative for the hospital confirmed that the hospital did have a drill but the timing was just a coincidence. ..
Lilly Dreads Returning To Hawaii Due To Allergies
'Lost' star Evangeline Lilly is dreading returning to Hawaii to shoot the serial because she suffered from many allergies while staying there. Contactmusic.com reports that the writers' strike had halted production on 'Lost' for a while and Lilly enjoyed the break. She said: 'As soon as I found out about the strike I got off the island. Island fever is not a joke. It's something everyone in Hawaii experiences. I'm allergic to Hawaii. Everything there makes me react in some way. 'I have spent the last four years with allergic reactions, or s..
Beyonce's Father Slams Franklin For Criticising Her
Beyonce Knowles's father has slammed legendary singer Aretha Franklin for her public comments criticising Beyonce's Grammy Awards performance. Franklin was upset with Beyonce for calling her duet partner Tina Turner 'the queen', reports contactmusic.com. Franklin is usually called the queen of soul music and thinks Beyonce and the award writers took 'a cheap shot for controversy'. Beyonce's father Matthew said: 'Beyonce referred to Tina as a queen, not queen of gospel, queen of soul, queen of blues, queen of England. I consider my wife a queen and..
Boy Babies Depress Mothers More
Giving birth to a boy may bring severe postnatal depression and lower quality of life for some mothers, a study by French researchers has suggested. A team of researchers led by Claude de Tychey at the University of Nancy, who examined 191 mothers, found that seven out of ten women who had given birth to a boy reported a lower quality of life compared with women who had given birth to a girl, regardless of whether they had postnatal depression. Although mothers of girl babies were more likely to have mild postnatal depression, among the 17 women diagnosed with severe postnatal depression,..
Most Pakistanis Want Musharraf To Go: Survey
Most Pakistanis want the new parliament to restore sacked Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and feel that President Pervez Musharraf's resignation can improve the political and security situation, says a survey. A survey conducted by Globe Scan for bbcurdu.com says that 63 percent Pakistanis want sacked Chaudhry's status to be restored by the new parliament and a 'majority' are also demanding Musharraf's resignation. Those calling for Musharraf's resignation are of the view that this can improve the political and security situation in the..
Nelson Began Smoking Marijuana At 10, Biography Claims
Country music legend Willie Nelson started smoking marijuana at the age of 10, according to a new biography. Contactmusic.com reports that the book 'Willie Nelson: An Epic Life' by Joe Nick Patoski recounts Nelson's wild young days, including his drug abuse and four marriages. Patoski claims Nelson first smoked marijuana at the tender age of 10 and that he battled drug and alcohol addictions all his life. A source said: 'His constant use of various substances and booze made for chaos during his love affairs and marriages.' Patoski also claims that one lov..
'Jodhaa Akbar' Opens In Record 115 US Theatres Amid Boycott Call
Bollywood movie 'Jodhaa Akbar' is releasing in a record 115 theatres in the US Friday, but some Indian American groups have called for its boycott. They have also asked the Indian government to ban the film. The period romance directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, of Oscar nominated 'Lagaan' fame, has come under fire from some groups in India. A group in Rajasthan, the Rajput Karni Sena, has claimed that Jodhaabai was not Akbar's wife but that of his son Jehangir. The protesting groups in the US, along with NRI groups in other countries, have picked up from there and sa..
Physical Activity Reduces Gallstone Formation
Regular exercise may reduce the chances of gallstone formation - a solid crystal deposit that forms in the gallbladder, American scientists suggest. A study by scientists at the University of Illinois found that exercise-trained mice got far fewer gallstones than sedentary mice. The study also identified potential mechanisms to explain why this occurs. Previous studies have suggested that people who are physically fit have fewer gallstones and lower cholesterol, but laboratory studies had not confirmed the link. The researchers claimed their study is a useful model because the genes th..
British Hindus Protest Mercy Killing Of Cow
Over 100 Hindus staged a noisy mock-slaughter of a cow outside the British parliament to highlight legal loopholes that they say allowed authorities to euthanise a temple cow last year. The protestors staged the mock-slaughter Wednesday as Hindus in India's holy town of Varanasi scattered the ashes of the euthanised Jersey blue-cross, named Gangotri, in the Ganges. Organisers Hindu Forum UK say the cow, which was unable to stand after an accident, was being cared for by devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in the northwest London suburb of Watford. They say vets from the Royal S..
Opposition Parties Fear Rigging In Pakistan Polls
All major Pakistani opposition parties contesting the Feb 18 polls fear rigging and have alleged that the parties allied to President Pervez Musharraf have prepared a plan for large-scale electoral fraud. 'The rigging has already started and all members of the local government are favouring the government candidates,' a spokesperson for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) told IANS, referring to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) that is being supported by Musharraf. The opposition parties of former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have been saying that ..
Yahoo! Talking To News Corp To Fend Off Microsoft
Yahoo Inc is in talks with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp for a possible merger of the media conglomerate's MySpace and other online properties with Yahoo! to fend off Microsoft's takeover bid. The deal is not very likely but the negotiations can help Yahoo! boost its market value above Microsoft's initial offer of $44.6 billion, or $31 per share, made on Feb 1. The possible deal envisages News Corp and a private equity firm buying a significant stake - over 20 percent - in Yahoo!, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The deal, which would include cash from News Corp to Y..
India, China May Overwhelm US Economy: US Senator
The US economy and foreign policy are at risk of being overwhelmed by cosmic economic shifts driven by immense rapidly industrialising societies like India and China, an American senator has warned. 'Neoclassical economics analysed economic growth in terms of capital, labour, and technical progress. But, I now think, it is more enlightening to view the fundamental drivers as energy and ideas,' Republican senator Dick Lugar said Wednesday, citing Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf. 'If Wolf is correct, and I believe he is, our economy and our foreign policy are at risk of..
'Tata-backed Air-power Car Within A Year'
A car running on compressed air and backed by the Tata Group will hit the Indian market within a year, says the French engineer who is working on the invention. Guy Negre's OneCAT will be a five-seater with a glass fibre body, weigh just 350 kg and cost just over 2,500 pounds (about Rs.200,000), the BBC reported. The project is backed for an undisclosed sum by Tata, which says it may also use the technology for power generation. The BBC quoted analysts as saying Tata's backing makes the idea much more marketable and that the Indian company will be putting finishing touches to..
British Hindus Protest Mercy Killing Of Cow
Over 100 Hindus staged a noisy mock-slaughter of a cow outside the British parliament to highlight legal loopholes that they say allowed authorities to euthanise a temple cow last year. The protestors staged the mock-slaughter Wednesday as Hindus in India's holy town of Varanasi scattered the ashes of the euthanised Jersey blue-cross, named Gangotri, in the Ganges. Organisers Hindu Forum UK say the cow, which was unable to stand after an accident, was being cared for by devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in the northwest London suburb of Watford. They say vets from the Royal S..
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