Month: May 2010

Cuba rated best place to be a mother in developing world

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Madrid, May 05: Despite its image as a backward nation ruled by a despotic Communist regime – provides the best conditions for motherhood among developing countries, according to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers 2010 report.

The report, made public Monday, examines 160 countries – 43 developed and 117 developing ones – and analyzes the best and worst places to be a mother based on 10 factors such as the educational status, health, economic circumstances of the mothers, as well as the basic well-being of children.

$3.3 mn found inside TV sets in Mexico

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Mexico City, May 05: Police have seized $3.3 million in cash hidden inside television sets at the international airport here in the Mexican capital.

Some cash was also hidden inside massage tables, Mexican taxation agency Tributary Administration Service (SAT) said in a statement Tuesday.

The cash, in $20 bills, was bound for Caracas, capital of Venezuela, Xinhua reported Wednesday citing a government statement.

Officials from the Attorney General’s Office also took part in the operation.

–IANS–

Blood group diets a new way to fitness

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New Delhi, May 05: After hitting the gym, doing yoga and jogging, people are now trying blood group-based diets as experts say the secret to a fit body may be hidden in the blood type.

These diets are popular in the West and they are finding a foothold in India where some fitness experts are recommending them.

Explaining how such diets work, Ekta Tandon, Delhi-based nutritionist and dietician at dailydiet.in, says a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and foods as they are digested.

Now a car with in built electric scooter

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Melbourne, May 05: Traffic snarls in cities need not cause much worry as a new car with an inbuilt electric scooter that flips and folds into the boot will allow commuters to zip through the congested streets.

Carmaker Volkswagen is working on a bike that neatly compacts into the boot of a car and can be recharged on the move, The Age reported.

The “Bik.e” may look like a traditional push bike, but there are no pedals – thus it’s actually more like a folding electric scooter.

Kim visits Chinese port city

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Beijing, May 05: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il toured the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Wednesday ahead of talks with government leaders expected to focus on reviving the North’s feeble economy.

Reclusive Kim is also expected to discuss a return to nuclear disarmament negotiations during this, his first trip abroad since a suspected stroke in 2008, but any bold move is unlikely.

Trafficking in women getting worse: Filmmaker

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New Delhi, May 05: Every month at least 500 girls each are trafficked from Nepal and Bangladesh to India through the eastern corridor, and the figures are rising, says award-winning Kolkata-based documentary filmmaker Ananya Chatterjee-Chakraborty.

Chatterjee-Chakraborty has won the Ladli-United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) award for her 89-minute documentary on women and child trafficking, “Understanding Trafficking”. She will receive the prize from President Pratibha Patil May 11 in the capital.

I was inspired by Lata: Farida Khanum

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Mumbai, May 05: Pakistan-based ghazal exponent Farida Khanum, who mesmerized the audience at a packed theatre with a two-hour concert, paid homage to Bollywood playback queen Lata Mangeshkar saying “the Indian nightingale was one of the music legends who had inspired her among several big names”.

“I have performed with the doyennes of Indian music and learnt from them. Lata ji was one of them. She was so affectionate,” Khanum said.

UAE, South Korea sign nuclear training deal

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Abu Dhabi, May 05: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and South Korea have signed an agreement here related to nuclear technology training.

Abdullatif Al Shamsi, director general of the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Jun Yeon Byun, vice president, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), signed the agreement Monday for a four-week summer training programme in South Korea.

Ash forces closure of airspace over Scotland

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London, May 05: A volcanic ash cloud forced British air traffic authorities to close the airspace above Scotland and Northern Ireland as of Wednesday morning, only hours after a similar flight ban was lifted.

No take-offs and landings will be allowed as of 0600 GMT Wednesday, Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said late Tuesday. The CAA said it feared the situation to deteriorate in the course of Wednesday, as the ash cloud was expected to move south

towards England and Wales.

A ‘wish box’ for Chandigarh slum kids

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Chandigarh, May 05: Their wish list is as simple as it gets — chocolates, new clothes, shoes, birthday celebrations, a train joyride or simply boating on Sukhna Lake. Children at a slum here have put their dreams on paper and stashed it all away in a little ‘wish box’.

Joining hands with city-based NGO Yuvsatta, kids of Bapu Dham Colony, a slum rehabilitation area in Sector 26, have launched the unique Wish Box to realise their dreams.

Greeks strike against austerity, test govt mettle

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Athens, May 05: Greek protests against new austerity measures are set to swell on Wednesday when public and private sector workers take to the streets together in a test of the government’s resolve to enforce tough budget cuts.

About 4,000 teachers, garbage collectors, pensioners and civil servants rallied in Athens on Tuesday, in the first march organised by unions after the government announced sweeping spending cuts to secure an EU/IMF rescue package.

Airways landing in river

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Washington, May 05: A US Airways crew made the right decision by ditching their plane in the Hudson River rather than try to glide back to New York’s LaGuardia airport with both engines effectively disabled by a bird strike, U.S. safety investigators said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also recommended in its final report on the celebrated January 2009 landing known as the “miracle on the Hudson” that regulators pay closer attention to potential damage caused when smaller jet engines swallow big birds.

Obama announce his second nominee this week

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Washington, May 05: President Barack Obama could announce his second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as this week, administration officials said, although they declined on Tuesday to say how many names were left on his short list of candidates.

Obama has been expected to decide quickly on who he would like to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, with critical congressional elections looming in November.

Aishwarya dances on Bhansali’s tunes

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Mumbai, May 05: Steps in when the official choreographer is unable to get the moves right Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not only directing Guzaarish, but recently also choreographed a song for it.

Apparently, the script required Aishwarya Rai to do a ‘spontaneous’ dance, but Sanjay felt the steps were just not spontaneous enough.

When the choreographer was unable to deliver what Sanjay wanted, he stepped in and choreographed the song himself. The shoot was then completed in just four hours. Those who’ve seen the song say its one of Ash’s best numbers ever.

Kareena beats Ash and Katrina

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Mumbai, May 05: An online auction portal announced the latest edition of their Bollywood Barometer, which gauges celebrity popularity based on the number of celebrity-related products available for sale on their website.

Kareena Kapoor tops the list, followed by Rani Mukerji and Aishwarya Rai. In the male actors, Shah Rukh Khan’s name is ahead of Akshay Kumar and John Abraham.

But strangely, Katrina Kaif figures way below in the list in spite of having many brand endorsements, being the ‘most googled’ actress and ‘luckiest’ actress! Aisa bhi hota hai.

-Agencies

Salman refuses to take offence over Katrina remark

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Mumbai, May 05: Bollywood brat Salman Khan, who’s unpredictable behavior is pretty well known recently stunned everyone when he refused to go by the script prepared for him. The script was prepared for a Television awards function for which Salman was supposed to be interviewed by Vidya Malvade, who was the host of the show.

Salman was given the elaborate script prepared by the show’s organizer’s which he took with him to the vanity van to read but returned after sometime saying that he would not be able to follow the script.

Weather aids U.S. oil slick fight; current feared

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Washington, May 05: A flotilla of nearly 200 boats tackled a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, taking advantage of calm weather to intensify containment efforts while a scientist warned that a powerful current could carry the crude to Miami and points beyond.

Cleanup crews waiting on shore along the U.S. Gulf got a few days reprieve as the slow-moving slick remained parked in the Gulf waters that are calm, for now.

“Right now, we’re not showing shoreline impact for three days,” BP Plc Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said.

Katrina Kaif is Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘daughter’

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Mumbai, May 05: Prakash Jha’s multi-starrer, Rajneeti, is all set release soon. The director has already begun to work on his next project. So impressed is he with his Rajneeti leading lady, Katrina Kaif, that he has cast her in his next film as well. And teaming up with Katz on this one are Bollywood megastars Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn.

Jha has been known to make films on hard-hitting reality and Aarakshan is no different. It deals with the sensitive issue of job reservation.

Hrithik taught my son how to dance: Barbara Mori

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Mumbai, May 05: The makers have deleted a dance sequence featuring Mori. They feel the moves don’t suit her.

She shot for the song but it didn’t go well with her personality and appeal. And though she will be seen dancing in the film, the steps are more natural and have a Latin flavour.

I haven’t got my due in Bollywood: Udita Goswami

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Mumbai, May 05: Model-turned-actress Udita Goswami feels she has not got her due in Bollywood, which she is worthy of after doing quality work in films like “Rokk” and “Paap”.

“I haven’t got my due in Bollywood which I should have got till now. I have given films, done meaningful roles that not all actresses get. I feel the reason for my being on the backfoot could be that I don’t believe in public relation (PR) practices, which have become a regular routine for any celebrity,” Udita told in an interview.

Eight killed in Venezuelan prison riot

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Caracas, May 05: Eight inmates died and three were injured in a riot at a prison in Venezuela, officials have said.

The fight broke out Tuesday at the Santa Ana prison in Tachira state after a ‘confrontation among the inmates’ over long-standing disputes, Consuelo Cerrada, national director of prison services, said.

The situation has been brought under control and Venezuela’s national guard was conducting a role call to determine if any other prisoners had been injured or killed.

Meet the sizzling Item Girl in Raajneeti

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Mumbai, May 05: In Prakash Jha’s films since Damul. TV actress Barkha Bisht features in Raajneeti’s sizzler track

For all his politically charged cinema, Prakash Jha sure comes across as an unlikely lover of item songs. In all his films post 1985’s Damul, he has included an item song in all his films. He has just finished shooting one for his latest, Raajneeti.

He admits that he adores item songs, “The item songs in my films don’t bring the story to a halt but actually moves the plot forward. I love them and enjoy shooting them. They’ve been part of all my films since Damul.”

Water Nymph, Deepika Padukone

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Mumbai, May 05: After doing a diving scene in Housefull, Deepika Padukone now plans to take up scuba diving and become a certified diver.

She began lessons during the making of Housefull and will continue them during her Mauritius schedule of Break Ke Baad.

A source close to Deepika says, “She loves swimming in the ocean and after doing deep-sea diving in Puglia (Italy), she now wants to take it up seriously and get a certificate.

$3.3 mn found inside TV sets

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Mexico City, May 05: Police have seized $3.3 million in cash hidden inside television sets at the international airport here in the Mexican capital.

Some cash was also hidden inside massage tables, Mexican taxation agency Tributary Administration Service (SAT) said in a statement Tuesday.

The cash, in $20 bills, was bound for Caracas, capital of Venezuela, reported Wednesday citing a government statement.

Officials from the Attorney General’s Office also took part in the operation.

—-IANS

Arrested teen had sold five girls in two years

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Mumbai, May 05: The 19-year-old girl who was arrested last week by Kurla railway police for allegedly attempting to sell a minor girl into flesh trade, has reportedly confessed that she had already sold five girls in the past two years.

“We are trying to trace those girls,” said senior police inspector D. Ghore of Kurla police station. The accused Momina Salim Sheikh Mansuri, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested last Wednesday when she along with the 13-year-old girl alighted from train at Kurla terminus.