London, February 03: Actress Demi Lovato has sparked off rumours that she is suffering from an eating disorder after she was spotted attending an eating disorder meeting.Lovato, who spent the last three months undergoing treatment dealing with undisclosed emotional issues, was spotted attending a meeting at the New Journey Eating Disorder Centre in Santa Monica, California, reports dailystar.co.uk.
London, February 03: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow will be singing alongside Cee Lo Green and The Muppets at this year’s Grammy Awards.The actress and the soul singer are teaming up with the puppet characters, which includes Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, for an edited version of Cee Lo’s mega-hit “F**k You”.
Paltrow started singing professionally for her role as an alcoholic country singer in “Country Strong”, but since the role she made her live debut at the Country Music Awards (CMAs) last November and appeared on TV show “Glee”, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
London, February 03: Diane Kruger insists she rarely uses a stylist and if she does, it is only for big events like the Oscars.”I will only use a stylist for the Oscars or something like that, or a promotional tour for a movie when I’m travelling for six weeks and I need 25 outfits just for press days and 10 premieres. But I will tell them what I want,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Kruger as saying.
The 34-year-old actress also revealed how boyfriend Joshua Jackson’s style has evolved since they began dating, as he knows she likes him to look good.
London, February 03: Hollywood actress Jane Lynch will talk about her sexuality and battle with alcoholism in her autobiography set be released in September.The “Glee” actress, who tied the knot with long-term girlfriend Lara Embry last summer, will release her autobiography “Happy Accidents” and hopes her life experiences will help other people, femalefirst.co.uk.
Islamabad, February 03: Recounting a harrowing tale of rape, torture and exploitation, a Pakistani woman who escaped after a year in captivity says she was sold to someone new every few months since being abducted by her husband’s friend.
“Every few months I was sold off to someone new and eventually I even began to forget where I was,” said the 45-year-old woman, who was kidnapped from Karachi and finally managed to escape in Bhowana tehsil in Punjab province.
She told the police that she had been passed off from one man to another and had been raped frequently over the year.
Islamabad, February 03: Former cabinet minister and member of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sherry Rehman has withdrawn a bill tabled in the national assembly proposing amendments in the blasphemy law, a media report said.Samaa TV reported Wednesday evening that Rehman withdrew the bill on the directions of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Gilani had announced Tuesday that there will be no amendment in the blasphemy law and that he would soon invite religious parties to discuss the issue to dispel the apprehensions in this regard.
New Delhi, February 03: Indian journalist M.J. Akbar’s “Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan” and “Tender Hooks” by Pakistani writer Moni Mohsin continue to be on top in the non-fiction and fiction sections of the bestseller list for the third week.The top 10 in each category this week are:
Non-Fiction
1. “Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan”
Author: M.J. Akbar
Publisher: Harper Collins
Price: Rs.499.00
2. “India: A Portrait”
Author: Patrick French
Publisher: Penguin Books
Price: Rs.699.00
3. “Makers of Modern India”
Rio de Janeiro, February 03: The toll due to mudslides triggered by heavy rains that have deluged the mountainous region of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro has risen to 869, authorities said.The floods and mudslides have killed 418 people in Nova Friburgo, 354 in Teresopolis, 71 in Petropolis, 21 in Sumidouro, four in San Jose do Vale do Rio Preto and one in Bom Jardim, according to latest figures released by the Agencia Brasil news service.
Another 423 people remain missing, the state attorney general’s office said.
Mexico City, February 03: The leader of a gang that carried out kidnappings in Mexico’s northern state of Chihuahua has become the first woman in the country to be sentenced to life in prison.Erika Patricia Alonso Sandoval, 28, was found guilty in the abduction and subsequent murder of two businessmen, the state government said in a statement.
Another member of the Los Mochadedos – or the finger-choppers gang – 18-year-old Alfredo Cruz Guzman, was sentenced to life in prison in December.
Chihuahua prosecutors suspect Los Mochadedos in six other kidnappings.
Moscow, February 03: Over 60 percent of Russians want Vladimir Lenin’s body to be removed from his mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square and buried, according to a poll.Forty three percent of those polled were in favour of burying the leader of the Bolshevik revolution immediately, while, 18 percent believed that this should be done at a later date, according to the All-Russia Centre for the Study of Public Opinion.
Thirty percent are in favour of leaving Lenin in the mausoleum as they believe it has long become a major tourist attraction.
Mumbai, February 03: Lack of finance, design sensibilities and original story ideas are stopping the Indian animation industry from attaining global standards, says filmmaker A.K. Madhavan whose animation movie “Alpha and Omega” is set to release Friday.An Assocham study states that the $1 billion Indian animation industry will grow to $1.7 billion by 2012, but Madhavan, CEO, Crest Animation Studios India that produced “Alpha and Omega”, says it is not easy.
Toronto, February 03: A Canadian man has been locked up for six months for beating his puppy to death.A court in Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia province, Wednesday sentenced 24-year-old Brent Malcolm Connors for beating his dog to death last month.
“I am really sorry for what’s happened. It really affected me. I hope it never happens again to any other animal,” the local Victoria Times Colonist newspaper quoted the accused as telling the judge.
Washington, February 03: Cairo: Supporters of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened fire on Thursday on protesters demanding he quit, wounding seven, a witness said, after what many saw as an attempted government-backed crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
Al Arabiya television quoted a doctor at the scene as saying one protester was killed as fresh fighting erupted in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the night. Two more protesters were injured by stones, the witness said.
Islamabad, February 03: Former cabinet minister and member of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sherry Rehman has withdrawn a bill tabled in the national assembly proposing amendments in the blasphemy law, a media report said.
Gilani had announced on Tuesday that there will be no amendment in the blasphemy law and that he would soon invite religious parties to discuss the issue to dispel the apprehensions in this regard.
New Delhi, February 03: A man has been arrested in north Delhi for kidnapping an eight-year-old boy and throwing him in front of a train, police said Wednesday. The child survived but his right hand had to be amputated.
Karambir, a resident of Mangolpuri area, abducted Rahul, whose father was getting married to Karambir’s sister-in-law. The accused was against the marriage as he was attracted to his sister-in-law, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Sharad Agarwal.
Hyderabad, February 03: Taking strong exception to “complete distortion” of his statements, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday night asked the media to report only what he said.
“Or, I will have to avoid the media,” he warned during a hurriedly-convened press conference in the state Secretariat.
The Chief Minister referred in particular to two of his recent statements made on different occasions that stirred a major political controversy and caught him on the defensive.
Washington, February 03: Fascinated by her maiden trip to Mumbai and New Delhi last November, US First Lady Michelle Obama wants to make another trip to India; but this time along with her two daughters Sasha and Malia.
This was stated by none other than President Barack Obama himself when he dropped in at a White House meeting between National Security Advisor ShivShankar Menon and his American counterpart Tom Donilon, informed sources said.
Muzaffarnagar, February 03: Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has banned media persons from entering its premises till February 23 as they felt that their presence was affecting students’ preparations for the upcoming examinations.
There has been an increased media presence at the seminary following the controversy generated by Vice-Chancellor Maulana Gulam Mohammad Vastanvi’s remarks on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Maulana Abdul Khalique said.
New Delhi, February 03: With the Defence Ministry and its land use coming under the scanner, the government on Wednesday announced it was framing policies for the issue of No Objection Certificate (NOC) and denial of such document to private builders in certain cases.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony told parliamentarians here that the Adarsh Housing Society and Sukhna land issues cast a shadow on the management of 17 lakh acres under his Ministry. In both cases, grant of NOC and ceding of land under occupation of the Ministry has been in focus.
London, February 03: Hollywood actress Sharon Stone has shown she still has a saucy side, as she stripped to her bra during a trip to a hair salon.
The 52-year-old who has stripped on-screen for her role in “Basic Instinct” and “Sliver”, proved she is still not shy about her body by removing her shirt at the Point de Vue salon in Beverly Hills, California.
Stone visited the salon to have her locks trimmed, but was photographed in just a bra top and trousers before putting on a blue robe for her restyle.
–IANS–
London, February 03: Hollywood actor Adam Sandler has admitted he didn’t expect Jennifer Aniston to have such a great sense of humour.
Sandler has teamed up with the former “Friends” star in a new comedy “Just Go With It”, which also stars Brooklyn Decker, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
“I couldn’t believe how quick and funny Jennifer is,” he said.
“I know she is funny in real life, but it was pretty amazing when we were together how much fun we had and how she added and ended up beating me in scenes,” he added.
–IANS–
London, February 03: Veteran actress Jane Fonda worries about young women who constantly compare themselves to impossible standards of beauty.
“I feel so sorry for these young actresses coming up. There are always photographers everywhere, if they have a dimple in their buttock, there’s a close-up of it in some gossip magazine,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Fonda as saying.
“So there’s this cult of perfection. Consequently all the young people who emulate celebrities think they have to look perfect and that’s so destructive,” she added.
London, February 03: Actress Cameron Diaz has been roped in to star alongside Colin Firth in a remake of the 1966 film “Gambit”.
The film that originally starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine will now be directed by Michael Hoffman and produced by Mike Lobell. Shooting will start in London in May, reports contactmusic.com.
Firth will play a London art curator who plans to con a wealthy collector into buying a phony Monet painting and enlists a Texas cowgirl, played by Cameron, to pose as a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War II.
–IANS–
Cairo, February 03: Egypt’s newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman said Wednesday evening he would not speak with the opposition until Egyptian protesters stop demonstrations and return to their homes.
“The request by President (Hosni) Mubarak to open dialogue with opposition will not continue until protesters stop and leave the Egyptian streets to return to normalcy, which will enable us to continue and succeed in a dialogue under favourable conditions,” Suleiman told state media.
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged in a report released Wednesday that security forces in India often subject suspects detained in their anti-terrorism operations to religious discrimination and torture.
The HRW report said such abuses and arbitrary arrests of suspects by Indian security forces increased drastically after the bombings in Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad in 2008. It also warned the Indian government that such tactics could have an adverse effect in the country’s fight against terrorism.