London, February 01: Socialite-heiress Paris Hilton has aped movie icon Marilyn Monroe back to life in adverts for her tenth eponymously-named fragrance.
Hilton who posted her behind-the-scenes pictures from the commercial on micro-blogging website Twitter mimicked the tragic star’s trademark hairdo, curvy eyebrows and beauty spot to perfection, reports thesun.co.uk.
–IANS–
New Delhi, February 01: It was their love for India and their long academic association with the country that assured them a place in the list of Padma awardees this year.
Prof Tan Chung, an Indian citizen of Chinese descent was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the Literature and Education category while Prof Sheldon Pollock, Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies at Columbia, and German Indologist Prof Hermann Kulke were awarded the Padma Shri in the same category.
Baghdad, February 01: U.S. military leaders on Sunday returned four camps to the Government of Iraq in the country’s southern region.
In a second round of camp closures in Basra province in the last month, U.S. Forces and their Iraqi Army counterparts held symbolic ceremonies signifying progress of the Iraqi Security Forces ability to provide security to the region and the draw-down of U.S. combat troops in accordance with the historic Security Agreement.
Mogadishu, February 01: Five people were killed and more than 50 injured in heavy exchange of fire between Islamic insurgents and security forces in the Somali capital, officials said.
The government forces were backed by the UN peacekeepers in the latest fighting to wrest control of the areas ruled by militants in Mogadishu.
The shells hit the residential areas in Heliwaa district, killing at least five civilians, local residents said.
New Delhi, Febuary 01: The Dera Sacha Sauda and Tarksheel Society have announced their willingness to donate bodies to medical colleges in south India which have been facing a severe shortage of cadavers due to increase in number of seats over recent years.
Over the past couple of years, the two social organisations have donated so many bodies for research that medical colleges in north India are now self-sufficient in cadavers.
Abu Dhabi, February 01: The Abu Dhabi International Airport saw a 7.3-percent growth in passenger traffic in 2009, with 9.7 million people using the facility, WAM news agency reported.
The Abu Dhabi airport is one of the few airports in the world to have achieved a healthy growth.
A robust growth in Cargo traffic was also recorded during the year, with an increase of 7.0 percent compared to the previous year.
The figures were released by the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) Sunday.
Washington, February 01: US President Barack Obama on Saturday promised to rein the budgetary deficit and said the economy is now moving on the road to progress, even though it has a long way to go as unemployment continue to be very high.
“There are certain core principles our families and businesses follow when they sit down to do their own budgets … They don t spend what they don t have, and they make do with what they ve got,” Obama said in his weekly address to the nation.
New York, February 01: James Cameron’s 3-D blockbuster “Avatar” held onto its dominance of the US box office for the seventh straight weekend, industry figures showed.
“Avatar” brought in another $30 million over the weekend in the US and Canada. It has already beaten “Titanic” for the highest grossing movie ever worldwide and is just $6 million shy of beating Titanic’s North American record.
Estimates show the visual spectacular is expected to earn $2 billion worldwide by later this week.
Mumbai, February 01: Actress-entrepreneur Preity Zinta is starting a new chapter in her life following her breakup with businessman Ness Wadia. The only thing that bothers her are link-ups with co-stars and friends, as a result of which none of her male friends, she says, wants to go out with her.
“I’m surrounded by celebrities who are constantly discussing their personal lives. I’m the same Preity Zinta I used to be. You won’t find me discussing my private life in detail. I’m in a very good space right now,” Preity told IANS.
Ahmedabad, February 01: Second phase of computer based CAT-2009 concluded on Sunday with around 2,000 candidates appearing for the re-test at 26 centres across the country, convener of examination at IIM Ahmedabad said.
“CAT-2009 second phase concluded today with around 2000 odd candidates appearing for the re-test today. On day one of the second phase yesterday, 65-70 per cent out of the 7,400 candidates appeared for re-test,” convener of CAT-2009 at IIM-A Satish Deodhar said.
Los Angeles, February 01: Indian music maestro A.R Rahman has bagged two awards at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony here Sunday.
The double Oscar winning composer was honoured for his compositions in Danny Boyle’s rags-to-riches film “Slumdog Millionaire”, getting the awards for best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture and “Jai ho” being the best motion picture song. Rahman shares the Grammy with lyricist Gulzar who penned “Jai ho”.
“This is insane, god is great again,” Rahman said as he accepted his second award.
New York, February 01: After finding that seven previous US presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, are his distant kin, President Barack Obama has now discovered that the nation’s newest senator Scott Brown is also his distant cousin.
The New England Historical Geological Society (NEHGS), which has since 1845 traced the ancestry of Americans of English descent, says Obama is a long-lost cousin of Scott Brown.
Assam, February 01: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday ruled out further division of the state and creation of a separate states as demanded by different tribes of the state.
Addressing the open session of Bodo Sahitya Sabha at Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district, the Chief Minister said there will be no separate states carved out of Assam but ”we want to live together and create a greater Assamese society”.
”There are demands and grievances of different communities and we will consider their genuine demands earnestly,” he said.
Los Angeles, February 01: Music composer A R Rahman scored a double triumph on Monday at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, scooping two early honours for his music from Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.
Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his “Jai Ho” won in the best motion picture song category moments later.
“This is insane, god is great again,” Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.
Seoul, February 01: North and South Korean officials held talks Monday on a joint industrial complex just days after the North renewed tensions between the neighbors by firing artillery toward their disputed sea border.
North Korea lobbed dozens of shells near the western sea border during a military exercise last week, prompting South Korea to respond with a barrage of warning shots. No casualties or damage were reported, and South Korean officials said North Korea’s artillery landed in the water.
New Delhi, February 01: The price situation will ease in the coming days with good prospects of rabi crop coupled with growing availability of sugar and pulses from abroad, says Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is pained over the attacks on him over the issue.
Pawar, however, has a word of caution that being an agriculture dependent economy, farmers should get “proper” prices.
Hyderabad, February 01: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said she is yet to decide on the resignation of three MPs from Andhra Pradesh who put in their papers over the Telangana issue.
“I have got the resignation letters. They are under consideration,” she told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Andhra Bhavan here.
Three MPs — Lagadapati Rajagopal (Congress), TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and party MP Vijayashanti — had sent their resignations to the Lok Sabha Speaker in December last year.
Seoul, February 01: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to send a special envoy to North Korea next week, his office said, amid international efforts to bring Pyongyang back into disarmament talks on its nuclear weapons programme.
U.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe will visit North Korea from Februrary 9-12 as Mr. Ban’s special envoy to discuss “all issues of mutual interest and concern in a comprehensive manner,” Mr. Ban’s office said in a statement.
Chennai, February 01: Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan has opposed any move to release Nalini Sriharan, convicted for her role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“Releasing Nalini will amount to supporting terrorism, terrorist organisations and the ideology of violence,” he said while addressing an ‘Anti-violence and anti-terrorism’ conference organised here on Sunday by the Legal and Human Rights Cell of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
New Delhi, February 01: Mumbai police investigators say they may have succeeded in putting a face to an until-now-unidentified Indian Lashkar-e-Taiba operative who played a key role in guiding the operations of the team that attacked Mumbai in November 2008.
Based on information provided by India’s intelligence services, as well as interviews with arrested jihadists, the police believe the Indian national in the Lashkar’s control room could be Syed Zabiuddin Syed Zakiuddin Ansari, a Lashkar-linked Maharashtra resident who has been a fugitive since 2005.
New Delhi, February 01: AS the state unit could not elect its chief on Sunday, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has stepped in and called Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and party veteran Shanta Kumar to New Delhi for a meeting on Monday.
Dhumal and Kumar are once again at loggerheads as both differ on the choice of candidates for the president’s post. While Dhumal wants present incumbent Khimi Ram to continue, Kumar is in favour of an “assertive and stronger” person with greater “understanding of the organisation and skills”. He is pushing for State Forest Minister J P Nadda for this post.
New Delhi, February 01: The government on Sunday said the army has already taken strong action in the Sukhna land scam case, insisting that it will not tolerate even a single instance of corruption in the armed forces.
“Already, army has taken strong action. I do not want to say anything further… We cannot tolerate even a single instance of corruption,” Defence Minister A K Antony said.
New Delhi, January 01: “Tell them this is just the trailer,” the Mumbai-accented Lashkar-e-Taiba controller ordered two terrorists to tell the media during the November 2008 assault on Mumbai. “The real movie is still to come.”
Based on interviews with arrested jihadists, and data provided by India’s intelligence services, Mumbai police investigators now believe the unidentified voice intercepted in the course of the assault is that of Maharashtra-origin jihadist Syed Zabiuddin Syed Zakiuddin Ansari.
New Delhi, February 01: In his first official interaction with a foreign dignitary after being appointed as National Security Adviser, Shivshankar Menon will meet his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev who will arrive in New Delhi on Monday to discuss bilateral issues and regional situation.
Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, will be in New Delhi on a two-day working visit as part of regular consultations.
Melbourne, February 01: Leander Paes equalled the record for most Grand Slam title triumphs by an Indian as the veteran and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black clinched the Australian Open mixed doubles Championship with a straight-set win at Melbourne on Sunday.
Top seeds and favourites, the 36-year-old Paes and the 30-year-old Black beat 10th seeds Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of Czechoslovakia 7-5 6-3 in just about one and a half hour.
The triumph gave the Indian his 11th overall and fifth mixed doubles title.