LONDON - Downing a peg or two a day could be good for you and give you a longer life than teetotalers, new research in the United States has found.Researchers have found that good health among older people was linked to moderate drinking. The study examined data from 1,824 adults aged between 55 and 65 years. They were all former or current drinkers over the past 20 years, the Daily Mail reported.They discovered that the heavy drinkers had a 42 percent higher risk of dying in a 20-year follow-up compared to moderate drinkers, says a University of Texas release.Amazingly, teetotalers had a 49 percent higher mortality risk, according to the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.Researchers said this was because many of those who refrained from alcohol in the study sample were former problem drinkers.They were also more likely than moderate drinkers to have health problems due to lack of exercise and smoking.Study leader Charles Holahan from the University of Texas, US, emphasised the need for common sense. One or two drinks a day may be beneficial for some, but drinking a lot more can be dangerous, he said.“Older persons drinking alcohol should remember that consuming more than two drinks a day exceeds recommended alcohol consumption guidelines,” he added.
Showing posts with label international news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label international news. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mario Bros ‘Greatest Video Game Ever’
LONDON - Super Mario Bros has been named the ‘Greatest Video Game Ever’.
In the game, Italian plumber Mario and brother Luigi must negotiate the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from the clutches of evil Bowser.
The game topped a top-20 list compiled by a poll of 2,000 gamers.
More than 40 million copies have been sold since it was first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985.
Pac-Man, which was released in 1980, landed the second spot.
“Games which were invented years ago, like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Super Mario and Pac Man, all appear in the top ten,” the Sun quoted John Sewell, spokesman for OnePoll, as saying.
“This shows that classic games will live on forever in the hearts of computer game fans.
“The gaming industry is getting more and more competitive, releasing more and more innovative games by the minute - but this survey proves that sometimes the most simple formats work well to keep game players hooked,” Sewell added.
The Top 20 Video Games, as voted for in the OnePoll survey:
1. Super Mario Bros.
2. Pac-Man
3. Tetris
4. The Sims
5. Sonic the Hedgehog
6. Space Invaders
7. Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas
8. Donkey Kong
9. Mario Kart 64
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
11. Tomb Raider
12. Wii Sports
13. Final Fantasy
14. Gran Turismo
15. Lemmings
16. Frogger
17. Pokemon, Red, Blue and Green
18. Street Fighter II
19. Wii Play
20. Guitar Hero (ANI)
Scientists urge world to adopt rare surnames
BERLIN - Two scientists have proposed a worldwide fight to push back common surnames, suggesting in a German academic journal that the custom of always naming children after their fathers must stop.Harald Jockusch and Alexander Fuhrmann warned that rare surnames were dying out while too many Chinese were named Wang, too many English speakers were named Smith and too many Germans were named Mueller.They proposed that husbands and wives be obliged to weigh up which of their two surnames was rarest and give the rarer one to their children. The two published a mathematical model showing what would then happen if common surnames were weeded out this way.In the simplest scenario, after 50 years, the most common names might become only one fifth as common as now, they predicted.Jockusch is a retired German biology professor. Fuhrmann is an Arizona physicist. The University of Bielefeld said Monday the proposal was aired in an English-language article in the July issue of a journal about names, Beitraege zur Namenforschung.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
152 killed in Pak plane crash
A plane carrying 152 people crashed near Islamabad on Wednesday, killing everyone on board. The plane operated by private carrier Airblue slammed into the Margalla Hills near the Pakistan capital Islamabad. The plane was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad, and was preparing to land in cloudy and rainy conditions when it crashed. The exact cause of the crash is unknown at this time. A passenger jet crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan's capital amid poor weather Wednesday, killing all 152 people on board and blazing a path of devastation strewn with body parts and twisted metal wreckage. 146 passengers were on the flight along with six crew members. Local TV footage showed twisted metal wreckage hanging from trees and scattered across the ground on a bed of broken branches. Fire was visible and smoke rose from the scene as a helicopter hovered above. The army said it was sending special troops to aid the search. The search effort was hampered by muddy conditions and smoldering wreckage that authorities were having trouble extinguishing by helicopter. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said the government does not suspect terrorism. The plane left the southern city of Karachi at 7:45 a.m. for a two-hour scheduled flight to Islamabad and was trying to land during cloudy and rainy weather. Airblue is a private service based in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and Wednesday's flight was believed to be carrying mostly Pakistanis. Rescue workers scouring the heavily forested hills recovered 50 bodies from the wreckage. The plane was about to land at the Islamabad airport when it lost contact with the control tower. The crash site covered a large area on both sides of the hills, including a section behind Faisal Mosque, one of Islamabad's most prominent landmarks, and not far from the Daman-e-Koh resort. At the Islamabad airport, hundreds of friends and relatives of those on board the flight swarmed ticket counters desperately seeking information. A large cluster of people also surrounded a passenger list posted near the Airblue ticket counter. The Airblue has announced an investigation into the cause of the crash. The plane had no known technical issues, and the pilots did not send any emergency signals. Officials at first thought it was a small plane, but later revised that. The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane appeared to have strayed off course, possibly because of the poor weather. A spokesman for the airline said an investigation would be launched into the cause of the crash. He said the plane had no known technical issues, and the pilots did not send any emergency signals. The last major plane crash in Pakistan was in July 2006 when a Fokker F-27 twin-engine aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines slammed into a wheat field on the outskirts of the central Pakistani city of Multan, killing all 45 people on board. Airblue flies within Pakistan as well as internationally to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, India has expressed grief over the death of the 152 people in the plane crash.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Germany: 15 killed in stampede at Love Parade
Duisburg, Germany: A stampede inside a tunnel crowded with techno music fans has crushed 15 people to death and injured dozens at the Love Parade festival in western Germany.Thousands of other revelers initially kept partying at the Saturday event in Duisburg, near Duesseldorf, unaware of the deadly stampede that started when police tried to prevent thousands more people from entering the already-jammed parade grounds.Police commissioner Juergen Kieskemper says that just before the stampede, police had closed off the area where the parade was being held because it was already overcrowded. They told revelers over loudspeakers to turn around and walk back in the other direction before the panic broke out, he said.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
FarmVille players get real organic food brand to play with
New York: Operating a successful farm is a notion that is thriving in the virtual world. Some 20 million people check into FarmVille daily to plow virtual fields or buy, plant and harvest crops on online farms.Now Zynga Game Network, the social network games creator, is linking FarmVille's vast pool of players to retailers as diverse as 7-Eleven stores and the organic food company Cascadian Farm.Users who play for fun, camaraderie and friendly competition -- reach FarmVille through a Facebook account. They can play free, but they can also spend real money to buy virtual goods, like a faster-growing crop or gifts to entice online friends to become neighbors, who are needed to expand their farms.July 19th onwards, FarmVille will, for the first time, offer its pretend farmers a specific food brand. Players will be able to plant an organic blueberry crop from Cascadian Farm, a subsidiary of General Mills.The objective is for FarmVille users to learn about organic farming and green living, and at the same time, earn additional points to grow fruits and vegetables or raise animals on their virtual farms.Cascadian Farm executives say they hope that the company can expand its food niche and make itself better known by increasing awareness among the FarmVille audiences."We're at a crossroads for the brand," said Tim Goldsmid, marketing manager for Cascadian Farm, which started selling organic crops grown in the Upper Skagit Valley in Washington State nearly 40 years ago. "We're looking to get our message out in a bigger way, and we wanted a creative way to do that.""This is FarmVille's first branded, in-game crop integration, and we chose Cascadian Farm to offer our users something that would benefit them online and offline," said Vish Makhijani, senior vice president for business operations at Zynga, the company that also created Mafia Wars and FrontierVille, two other popular Facebook games.Cascadian Farm, which sells 75 products including cereal, granola bars, vegetables and juice concentrates, is the second General Mills brand to form a partnership with Zynga.In May, its Green Giant Fresh subsidiary placed a coded sticker on broccoli, celery and other fresh products sold at 4,000 Target stores across the country. Each sticker was redeemable at TheGiant.com for five free "farm cash" units, the currency players use to maintain and expand their FarmVille projects."In five weeks, $100,000 worth of the units were redeemed online by customers, who cashed in an average of two coupons each", said Mishalin Modena, marketing manager of Green Giant Fresh in Salinas, Calif."The company is planning to expand the promotion in Wal-Mart and other stores", Ms. Modena said. The campaign was done with Loyalty Lab, a firm based in San Francisco that works with companies to increase customer loyalty.Cascadian Farm, whose products are grown on 15,000 acres, is taking a different approach to FarmVille's users, about 60 percent of whom are women. Most players are 20 to 40 years old, and play the game for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, said Manny Anekal, Zynga's director of brand advertising.The food company is embedding its brand in the game by offering all players, including beginners, a crop that can be harvested faster and bring a bigger cash return than other crops. The promotion will run from July 19th to July 26."We don't want to overextend our stay," Mr. Goldsmid said."The promotion's short duration fits FarmVille", said Mr. Makhijani, because, "It is a little like episodic television. We add new content every other day, whether it's new features, new crops, new buildings or different ways of doing things. Many users play two to four times a week, and some more often. About 60 million people play in a month."Making money from that popularity, he said, is the challenge for Zynga, which says it has 215 million yearly users."This is early days for us in advertising," said Mr. Makhijani, who said Zynga also had a partnership with 7-Eleven in June to allow Facebook game players shopping at 7,000 stores to redeem codes found on Slurpees, Big Gulp drinks and other products for virtual goods. The six-week arrangement allowed coupons to be redeemed for virtual items on FarmVille and two other Zynga game sites."Cascadian Farms has Facebook and Twitter pages, and posts YouTube videos", said Mr. Goldsmid, adding, "FarmVille has a scale that we lack." Before this campaign, the company relied mainly on print ads placed in lifestyle magazines like Real Simple and on free samples at community events like 5K Races, he said."We are moving beyond that and trying to tap into social media," he said.Despite the premium prices for organic food, sales grew more than 5 percent last year, to $26.6 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association, the business group for organic producers and suppliers. Cascadian Farm's sales rose 14 percent over the last four years, it said, but it declined to give specific sales figures."Cascadian Farm plans to decide its marketing direction after tabulating the FarmVille results, which will be measured not only by Web activity but also by call-ins to the company's 800 number and hits on its blog (cascadianfarm.com)", Mr. Goldsmid said."Also available on the FarmVille site will be a $1 coupon for Cascadian Farm products, which can be redeemed in a brick-and-mortar store", said Melissa Eccles, digital creative director for the project at Sterling-Rice Group in Boulder, Colo. Sterling-Rice created Cascadian Farm's social games promotion."Allying with FarmVille, will familiarize more people with organic foods and why they are different", Mr. Goldsmid said. "This is a great venue to have a discussion," he said. "We hope that most FarmVille users will plant our crop. We are going for all 20 million."
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Ronaldo has become a father?
London, July 4 (ANI): Cristiano Ronaldo has become the father of a baby boy, according to an announcement on his website.The statement appeared on the Real Madrid footballer's official site, and on his Twitter and Facebook pages, in the early hours of this morning, reports News of the World.The message on Ronaldo's Internet page does not name the mother, but says the child will be under his 'guardianship'.It was unclear whether the statement was genuine or the work of a hoaxer.It says: "It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy."As agreed with the baby's mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship."Ronaldo, 25, has recently been linked to 24-year-old Russian swimwear model Irina Shayk. (ANI)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
‘God wants’ Argentina to be in World Cup final: Maradona
Cape Town, July 3(ANI): Ahead of Saturday’s crunch Argentina-Germany World Cup quarterfinal, Argentina coach Diego Maradona has said that “God wants” his team to win the game and reach the final. “I came across a group of kids yesterday and they said, ‘Diego, we want to be in the final. Can you give us that?’ I told them, ‘Calm down, boys. In the end, we will see what happens and, if God wants us to be at the final, you will see us there, but I know that is what God wants,” The Sun quoted Maradona, as saying.“I have spoken to my father, Don Diego. My old man is not in the best of health and has some problems. He said if we reach the final, he will come out here to see us win. He said to me, ‘Do what you did in 1986, son’. We will attack. We must not give away the ball in the way we did against Mexico,” he added.Hitting back at Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger’s comments, where he accused Argentina of being disrespectful and of trying to influence referees, Maradona said that his players would make Germany pay for the allegations. “We will not forget what Schweinsteiger has said. He has not treated us well at all. Schweinsteiger said we were a misfit team, but we play football. He will realize that when he sees what we do on the pitch against him,” Maradona said.“We will show them by playing football, by what we do with the ball. I will see to that. I’m very happy with the players I have and I know they will do a perfect job for this team,” he added. (ANI)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Fans remember King of Pope Michael Jackson on first death anniversary
Michael Jackson fans around the world are preparing for the one-year anniversary of the music icon's death today, planning candlelight vigils and slumber parties to honor the tragic superstar. Jackson died from a drug overdose at a rented Los Angeles mansion exactly a year ago, a seismic celebrity death that triggered a global outpouring of tributes for the eccentric genius known as "The King of Pop." On the first death anniversary of this legend, leys have a look into his life and his career. The news came filtering in through different media - phone calls, SMS, instant messages, e-mail - but the message was the same - Michael Jackson is dead! This was 365 days ago but the message is still processing in some minds. The King of Pop had put in over four decades of hard work, as debatably, the world's greatest entertainer ever. From humble beginnings in little Gary, Indiana, USA, the young man born Michael Joseph Jackson on August 29, 1958, the eighth of his parents' 10 children, would conquer the world. His story has been told endlessly. There have been countless newspaper headlines, numerous magazine articles, several TV specials and more. Whatever the case, MJ is, for all intents and purposes, a phenomenon. With all the extensive coverage on his life - professional and amateur - we each have more than enough to go on to claim a personal bond with the larger than life super-duper-star, even referring to him on first name basis. When the world practically stopped on June 25, 2009 at the shocking news of his passing, it just went to show the profound effect he had on several generations. Yet, even in death, the legend continues and there is no stopping Michael. According to a Billboard report, Jackson has made approximately $1 billion since his death. Modern technology, primarily the internet, will also make it hard to forget Michael, or easy to remember him, depending on how you choose to look at it. During his storied career, Wacko Jacko, as he was cruelly or comically christened, suffered public scrutiny regarding allegations of inappropriate relations with minors; his sexual orientation; perceived arranged marriages; his Neverland Valley Ranch home; the paternity of his three children; his claimed vitilago and many other unflattering positions. The Hip-Hop generation, many of who were either unborn or attempting to walk at the height of his star in the Thriller era, has embraced this fallen star with open arms. Even disaster, in the form of the devastating Haiti earthquakes, led to the stars of today - misguided or otherwise - congregating to regurgitate Michael's love offering alongside Lionel Richie, "We Are the World," towards relief efforts for the displaced Haitians. The power of music seems to know no bounds and few, if any, managed to masterfully wield its magic wand with such magnificent ministration as Michael Jackson. He was, after all, human, although the extent of his talent, naturally, made us revere him, often to the point of worship. A year on from his physical passing, not much has changed. Love him, hate him or misunderstand him, you cannot deny or even ignore his genius and sheer brilliance.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Higuain’s hat-trick drives Argentina ahead of South Korea; Argentina score 4-1 goals
A hat-trick by Gonzalo Higuain eased two-time champions Argentina to a 4-1 victory over South Korea in their World Cup Group B match here at Soccer City on Thursday. Higuain's treble plus an own-goal by Park Chu-Young gave the Diego Maradona-coached Argentinians six points from their two matches. They will become the first team in the last 16 should the other group match later on Thursday between Greece and Nigeria finish in a draw. South Korea - whose sole goal came from Lee Chung-Yong - can still reach the second round as they lie on three points having beaten Greece 2-0 in their opening match. Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat trick in Argentina's 4-1 win over South Korea at the World Cup on Thursday, a result that put the South Americans on the brink of qualifying for the next round from Group B. Higuain scored his first goal in the 33rd minute, making it 2-0 following an own goal from Park Chu-young, after Nicolas Burdisso flicked on a cross from Maxi Rodriguez. Lee Chung-yong pulled one back for South Korea by pouncing on a defensive mistake in first-half injury time, but Higuain added two second-half goals -- in the 76th and 80th minutes -- to put the result beyond doubt. With Lionel Messi playing in a slightly deeper role, Argentina lacked a cutting edge in the opening stages, its main threat coming down the left wing where Carlos Tevez was drifting into space and linking well with Gabriel Heinze and Angel Di Maria. Higuain, who missed a string of chances in the opening match against Nigeria, shot high over the bar in the eighth minute and Messi only showed occasional flashes of brilliance as the South Korean midfield closed him down. South Korea came close in the 26th minute when Ki Sung-yong sent in a swerving shot from outside the box that just cleared the crossbar. Two minutes later, Messi backheeled a free kick to Tevez, who sent a powerful shot over the bar. The match was played in a cold wind, and the second half saw the South Koreans emerge with more confidence after they had pulled a goal back. In the 58th, Yeom Ki-hun almost equalized following a flowing counter-attack but put his shot just wide of the left-hand post. Argentina coach Diego Maradona brought on striker Sergio Aguero in the closing stages, and with 14 minutes left Messi skipped past two challenges and shot against the post, and Higuain stabbed in the third goal. Four minutes later, Messi played in Aguero, who crossed for Higuain to head in the fourth.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Rooney in position to become World Cup legend like Pele, Maradona: Gerrard
Rustenburg (South Africa), June 11(ANI): England skipper Steven Gerrard is tipping striker Wayne Rooney to become a World Cup legend like Pele and Maradona.“Wayne’s in a position to make this World Cup his own just like Pele and Maradona did. He is a fantastic age, he is in great shape and he is coming off the back of an unbelievable season, probably his best, so his confidence is sky high,” The Sun quoted Gerrard, as saying.“He is right up there in the category of the very best players in the tournament like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. That gives all of us such confidence,” he added.Gerrard further insists that he is delighted with Rooney being in his team, and said that the entire England team will be right behind him.“Hopefully he can be our main goalscorer and score the goals that spur us on to victory,” he added.Pele became a global superstar as a 17-year-old, when he scored twice for Brazil in a 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final, while Maradona inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in Mexico in 1986.England is pitted against USA, Algeria and Slovenia in Group C, and will play their first game against USA in Rustenburg on Sunday. (ANI)
‘Pakistan fifth most unstable country in world’
Washington, Jun 11 (ANI): Pakistan is ranked fifth in the list of the world’s most unstable countries, according to the US State Department’s Global Peace Index (GPI).Only Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan rank lower that Pakistan, whose position deteriorated for the second consecutive year as it slipped three places to find itself placed in the bottom five in the list of 149 countries.Among other South Asian countries Nepal has the best record and is ranked 82nd in the list, while India finds itself in the 128th spot, The Dawn reports.The report pointed out that Pakistan’s score and rank did not fall further in part because of an improvement in the measure of relations with neighbouring countries, albeit from the lowest possible level, and a slight rise in political stability.The report also said that the “overall, government level relations between India and Pakistan are much stronger than in the past, and the fact that India’s recent general election resulted in another government led by the Indian National Congress party means that Indian policy towards Pakistan will remain stable.” (ANI)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Jackson leaves over USD 33 million each for his kids
London, May 31 (PTI) Pop icon Michael Jackson has reportedly left his three children USD 33 million each, according to his will.The 'Thriller' hitmaker has set up trust funds, which could make his children billionaires in the future. But Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8, will be at least 30 before they can get their own hands on the money, reported News of the World.Under the terms of the Michael Jackson Family Trust fund, first drafted before he had children, and signed off in 2002, the three kids are today each worth USD 33 million.Jackson's mother Katherine is entitled to USD 99 million from the legacy, but he has left nothing to his other family members including his father, brothers, sisters and former wives.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Taliban attack two mosques in Lahore, over 1000 taken hostage
Lahore, May 28 (ANI): After a brief lull in terror activities in Pakistan, the Taliban struck with deadly force, with armed militants and suicide attackers storming into two mosques killing at least five persons on Friday here.The mosques are located in Lahore’s Garhi Shahu and Model Town areas.According to media reports, at least five people were killed, including two security personnel and over 15 injured as one of the many suicide bombers blew himself up at the Garhi Shahu mosque.The attack took place when a large number of people had gathered to offer special Friday prayers at both mosques, and reports said that the attackers have taken over 1000 people hostage in the brazen terror strike.There were reports of several blasts followed by gunshots near the two mosques, which belong to the Ahmedia sect.Television footage showed heavy exchange of gunfire between the militants and security forces.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has already claimed the responsibility for the attack (TTP).The gunfight between security forces and militants was still continuing the last reports filtered in. (ANI)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Garmi Ka Dushman Sharbat, Talwaar Soap - some of the hit consumer products in Pakistan!
ISLAMABAD - Kalashnikov Surf, Pistol Soap and Talwaar Soap - these are just some of the quirky names of consumer goods being sold to the rich and poor alike in Pakistan these days.These off-beat brand names appeal not only to the highly educated and rich - who select their shirts, shoes, wrist watches or fast food and beverages of certain brands - but also to the poor such as the war victims from the northern areas of Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan living in the temporary camps set in different areas of the city.And so, started an interesting trend of brand naming of a different kind, by local manufacturers of soaps and detergents of the northern areas of the country, especially Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, who name their products with strange brand names, such as Kalashnikov Soap, Pistol Soap, Barood (explosive material) Soap, Kalashnikov Washing Powder, Aakhri Goli (the last bullet) Soap and Talwaar (sword) Soap.According to the Daily Times, an elderly Shahzaman, to people living in war-afflicted areas, these brand names are a matter of honour.“Kalashnikov is an automatic rifle that has been the most popular in Pakistan since the 1980s and when you posses this rifle, you can literally wipe out your enemies, so the detergent manufacturers named their washing powder as Kalashnikov Surf. People can understand that it would washout all the stains from the cloth just like the rifle wipes out the enemies,” he explained.However, products with weird brand names have also trickled into the local markets of Karachi, specifically in the areas where immigrants from the tribal areas or Afghan refugees are living.Psychologists have called this a smart marketing move.“Humans are emotionally and deeply attached with their cultural values and taking advantage of that, most manufacturers name their products after these cultural values just to attract more customers,” The Daily Times quoted Dr Qasim Birhoi, renowned psychiatrist, as saying.Some other bizarrely named products, including Suhaag Rat Paan (wedding night betel leaves), Garmi Ka Dushman Sharbat (anti-heat beverage), Gai Marka (cow mark) Soap and Murgh Marka (chicken mark) Tobacco. (ANI)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
X-rays reveal 10 rocks in pooch’s stomach
NEW YORK - A 2-year-old dog swallowed 10 rocks, the biggest the size of a chicken egg.Mia, a German shepherd-greyhound mix was taken in to the Willakenzie Animal Clinic in Eurgene, Ore. after her owner, Vivian Cooper, tossed a ball for the pooch to fetch and heard a noisy rattle.“The sound was really quite loud, like she had marbles in her pocket,” the New York Daily News quoted Cooper as telling peoplepets.com“I leaned down and put my head near her ribcage and shook her. Inside it went, clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk.”X-rays showed 10 rocks in Mia’s stomach. She had swallowed these from the backyard water fountain.However, Mia is doing fine - since the rocks were big and smooth they didn’t hurt her stomach’s lining or make her sick. (ANI)
Pakistan bans Facebook over Prophet cartoons
Pakistani authorities on Wednesday cut off access to Facebook following a court's order to block the popular social networking website over a page featuring blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.Justice Ijaz Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court issued the order to temporarily block Facebook till May 31 while acting on a petition filed by the Islamic Lawyers Forum, which had sought a complete ban on the website.The court directed the foreign ministry to raise the issue of the blasphemous caricatures at international forums.It also asked the Foreign Secretary to register a protest with the concerned countries.Acting on the court's order, the Information Technology Ministry directed the Pakistan TelecommunicationAuthority to block Facebook and all "other internet links displaying sacrilegious caricatures" of the Prophet Mohammed.The ministry also directed PTA to "remain alert and watchful and block all such links displaying the profane caricatures immediately", an official statement said. The ministry asked people to inform it about "objectionable caricatures" at any website.PTA also said it had established a "Crisis Cell" to monitor objectionable contents on websites.Thousands of members of Facebook launched a campaign demanding a boycott of the website over the offending page called "Draw Mohammed Day" that invited people to send in caricatures of the Prophet till May 20.The depiction of the Prophet in any form is strictly prohibited in Islam and Pakistan witnessed violent protests after blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Mohammed were carried in European newspapers in 2005.Facebook users across Pakistan were unable to access the website on their computers by late afternoon. However, some users were able to log in to Facebook using their smartphones.Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi strongly condemned the competition for blasphemous caricatures on Facebook. In a statement, he said the blocking of such websites would only provide a temporary solution as "anti-Islam elements have been hurting the sentiments of the Muslims in the past too".An effective plan of action should be devised against the perpetrators of such acts, he said.Kazmi urged Islamic countries to join hands for devising an effective policy so that nobody could dare publish such caricatures in future.Religious parties like the Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Jamiat Tulba and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam organised protests against the caricatures on Facebook in Lahore, Kasur, Narowal, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
THAI PROTEST TODAY
At least 17 people were killed in clashes between police and Red Shirt protesters in Thailand on Saturday. Tensions still running high Saturday, with protesters yelling and screaming as they stood behind barricades of tires, spikes and bamboo poles. The Thai capital has become an urban fortress under siege and beset by gunfire, tear gas and stone-throwing that boiled over after Thai authorities set a new deadline to seal off the Bangkok intersection where protesters have gathered by the thousands for the past month. Thai troops are clashing with anti-government protesters in the capital Bangkok; on a third day of violence that has killed at least 17 people. Plumes of smoke are rising from sections of the city Centre, where the protesters, who want the prime minister to resign, are barricaded in a camp. Some 150 people have been injured since violence broke out in the Thai capital on Thursday evening. Troops have set up roadblocks to prevent further protesters from entering the camp. On Friday, troops fired live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with the protesters, who threw petrol bombs and stones at the soldiers. Violence escalated on Thursday after a renegade general who supports the protests was shot in the head by an unknown gunman. Explosions and sporadic gunfire can be heard around the protest site in central Bangkok despite the fact that the government says the situation is under control. Barricades of types are still burning. In some places police and telephone boxes have been attacked. But in other areas the protestors are camped outside smart hotels and shopping centers where no damage has been done. Some parts of the city center look like a day old-war zone with small groups of protestors still harassing troops. Authorities have ruled out negotiations with the red-shirt protesters. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged both protesters and the authorities to avoid further violence. His office said he "strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully". The US has also urged restraint and encouraged the two sides "to find a way to work peacefully through these differences". The Thai government says the situation is under control and insists its soldiers have only fired in self-defense. The Bangkok authorities have cut off water and electricity to the camp in a renewed effort by the government to reclaim the city Centre after a two-month stand-off. Around a third of the city is now under emergency rule, but while there are pockets of fighting in that area, life beyond the barricades seems to be going on as normal, correspondents say. The protesters want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Cameron takes over as Britain's new PM
David Cameron, the youthful leader who modernized the party of right-wing icon Margaret Thatcher, became prime minister Tuesday after the resignation of Gordon Brown — capping a gripping election saga that returns the Tories to government after 13 years of Labour Party rule. New British Prime Minister David Cameron is beginning to shape his government, after the Conservatives agreed to form a historic coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Cameron, 43, was installed as Prime Minister on a dramatic day on Tuesday. Following tradition, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Cameron at Buckingham Palace — a stately denouement to a behind-the-scenes dogfight between Cameron and Brown for the cooperation of Britain's third-place party, after an election that left no party with a majority. Within minutes, Cameron was installed at No. 10 Downing Street, becoming the youngest prime minister in almost 200 years, since Lord Liverpool took office at age 42. An announcement followed that Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg would become deputy prime minister — a rarely awarded and prestigious post — after days of hard bargaining with his former political rivals. Four other Liberal Democrats also received Cabinet posts. Cameron and Clegg agreed to form a coalition after Cameron's Conservative Party won the most seats in Britain's May 6 national election, but fell short of winning a majority of seats in Parliament. Less than 90 minutes earlier, an emotional Brown made a brief farewell address outside 10 Downing St., speaking in strained tones as he wished Cameron well. The 59-year-old Brown then walked hand-in-hand with his wife, Sarah, and young sons John and Fraser down Downing Street, where a car waited to take him to the palace for a 15-minute meeting. Clegg announced early Wednesday his party's agreement into entering such a partnership. Clegg also sought to allay party members' concerns going into the arrangement. US President Barack Obama telephoned to congratulate Cameron and invited him to visit Washington this summer. Britain's new government could spell changing relationships with its foreign allies. Both Cameron and Clegg have signalled they favour looser ties to Washington than those held by Brown and his predecessor, Tony Blair. Cameron and Clegg back the Afghanistan mission but Cameron hopes to withdraw British troops within five years. Relations with European neighbors could also become problematic. Cameron's party is deeply skeptical over cooperation in Europe, and has withdrawn from an alliance with the parties of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy. The coalition has already agreed on a five-year, fixed-term Parliament — the first time Britain has had the date of its next election decided in advance. Conservative and Liberal Democrat teams met for several hours Tuesday. Rank-and-file members of the two parties held separate talks in London late into the night and both approved the coalition deal.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tiger Woods' 'black guy condom' pick up joke
New York, May 4 (ANI): Professional golfer Tiger Woods is said to have a joke that he has been using successfully as a pick-up line for at least a decade.Woods, 34, told the joke in 1997 in front of a GQ reporter, and even though he took flak for it then, he was still using it in 2006 when he hit on exotic dancer Cori Rist."What's this?" the New York Post quoted him as having asked while rubbing the tips of his shoes together."A black guy taking off his condom," he would reply.Rist, who became one of Woods' many mistresses, said he then invited her to come up to the apartment of a "superstar ball player", where he had a room. (ANI)
