Beauty pageant moms sue over talk show fracas

June 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The mothers of some beauty pageant contestants say they were tricked into appearing on a TV talk show and then accused of physically and sexually abusing their children.

U.S. | Television | Media

Five women are claiming in a new lawsuit filed in Illinois county court that the Tribune Broadcasting Co. and producers of “The Big Willie Show” fraudulently induced them to appear by claiming the show would portray them in a positive light. The talk show appears on WGN in Chicago and is hosted by Bill Cunningham.

On June 11, the moms allegedly were filmed getting ready for a pageant. The next day, they arrived at the studio for the show’s taping. Then came the surprise allegations as the studio audience allegedly verbally accosted the plaintiffs. Then it got even weirder.

According to the complaint, the children were backstage as the mothers suffered the wrath of the studio audience. Cunningham then wanted to bring the children out. Unfortunately, they had gone missing.

The mothers searched the greenroom. They say they eventually found their children as one of the show’s producers “intentionally touched (a child) in an unwanted fashion.”

The mothers refused to go back out. Producers then “began kicking in the door to the greenroom in an attempt to force the plaintiffs back on stage after the plaintiffs had locked themselves in a room to protect their children,” according to the complaint.

The women are now suing Tribune, Cunningham, the producer and others for battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent misrepresentation, and violating their rights of publicity. They demand at least $50,000.

The episode was one of the first of the new “Big Willie Show,” being advertised by WGN as filling the void of Jerry Springer’s departure. In fact, according to the show’s web site, Springer’s old staff is working on the show.

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WAGs film World Cup slum docu on poverty, HIV, prostitution in South Africa

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 12 (ANI): Five WAGS and ex-WAGs have made a BBC documentary about poverty in the South African slums ahead of next month’s World Cup.

Chantelle Tagoe, Emile Heskey””s partner, and Ellie Darby, girlfriend of West Ham defender Matthew Upson were among the five women to take part.

The ladies travelled to Cape Town last September to film a five-part documentary for BBC3 called ‘Wags, Kids and World Cup Dreams’, which starts on Sunday at 9pm.

The documentaries will focus on the orphan crisis, HIV pandemic, prostitution and social breakdown.

Elen Rivas, Frank Lampard””s former partner, and the ex-girlfriends of Jermaine Pennant and Jermain Defoe – Amii Grove and Imogen Thomas, also took part.

All the WAGs have received a contributor””s fee, and each of them will star in a documentary focusing on their “glamorous” lives back in the UK.

“We were making a documentary for our core audience of 16- to 24-year-olds who are probably aware of the World Cup but not of the underbelly of South Africa. Because they are interested in Wags, they might watch and learn something,” the Telegraph quoted a spokeswoman for the BBC as saying.

She told the Guardian that the women were chosen for their “emotional and physical” readiness.

“There was a really wide selection process and it was fairly clear that these were the ones that were best suited to doing that sort of project in terms of stamina and interest levels,” she said.

The women were not put up in luxury hotels but slept at the projects during filming, added the BBC. (ANI)

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Sydney couple forced five women to live in ‘conditions of slavery’

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 10 (ANI): It has emerged that a couple from Sydney forced five women to live in “conditions of slavery”, and made them work more than 100 hours per week, even if they were sick.

The jurors at the NSW District Court, who were told the hearing is a retrial, heard that the five women were recruited from Thailand by a third party, who arranged Australian visas for them.

Crown prosecutor Bruce Levet said on their arrival in Sydney, the women had their passports and phones taken and they were housed in “restricted circumstances” at the Fairfield brothel or the couple’s house.

In his opening address, Levet said the women were told they had incurred a debt of between 35,000 dollars and 45,000 dollars and had to work it off.

The jury was told the money the women made was split between the brothel and paying off their “artificial” debt.

He said the women, who cannot be identified, were forced to work at least 16 hours a day, seven days a week, even when they were menstruating or while they were sick.

Levet said the women were often locked in the premises and the couple dictated what they wore and where they went.

“(The crown submits) … these women were held and used in conditions of slavery,” the Australian quoted Levet as saying.

Trevor Frank McIvor, 62, and his de facto wife, Kanokporn Tanuchit, 44, have each pleaded not guilty to five counts of possessing a slave and five counts of using a slave.

The trial continues before Judge Jonathan Williams. (ANI)

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The Pill could put women off sex

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 4 (ANI): Researchers have found a link between using hormonal contraception and Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD), a condition most often caused by a lack of desire.

The study of female German medical students has been published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Interestingly, women taking non-hormonal contraceptives were at lowest risk for FSD, more than women not using any contraceptive, the study said.

“Sexual problems can have a negative impact on both quality of life and emotional well-being, regardless of age,” said researcher Dr. Lisa-Maria Wallwiener of the University of Heidelberg, Germany. “FSD is a very common disorder, with an estimated prevalence of about two in five women having at least one sexual dysfunction, and the most common complaint appearing to be low desire.”

“The causes of FSD are multifunctional and in recent years the possible role of hormonal contraception has been discussed,” said fellow researchers Drs. Christian and Markus Wallwiener, University of Tuebingen, Germany. “Women tend to be aware that sexual dysfunction is often influenced by various factors such as stress and relationships, but our study has shown it might also be influenced by exogenous hormone application.”

1,086 women were included in the study, who completed questionnaires designed to identify problems with sexual function, as well as other lifestyle factors including desire for children, pregnancy and whether they were smokers. 87.4 percent had used contraceptives in the last 6 months, and 97.3 percent had been sexually active within the last four weeks.

To analyse the effect of contraception on sexual function, women using multiple forms of contraception or who had not been sexually active within the last four weeks were excluded, leaving 1046 participants. Of this figure, 32.4 percent were considered at risk for FSD: 5.8 percent at high risk for hypoactive sexual desire disorder, 1 percent for arousal disorder, 1.2 percent for decreased lubrication, 8.7 percent for orgasm disorder, 2.6 percent for satisfaction problems, and 1.1 percent for pain.

“In future research it would be interesting to see if there is a difference between the dosage of estrogen and the various synthetic progestins used in hormonal contraceptives in terms of an impact on female sexual function,” added study researcher Dr. Harald Seeger, also of University of Tuebingen, Germany. (ANI)

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Five women killed in Dera Sacha Sauda gathering

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sirsa (Haryana), Apr 30 (ANI): Five women were reportedly killed on Friday in Haryana”s Sirsa District during a Dera Sacha Sauda gathering.

Several others were injured in the incident that took place as gifts were being distributed to the followers.

The gathering was organised to celebrate the institution”s foundation day.

Dera Sacha Sauda is a non-profit spiritual institution based in Sirsa, Haryana.

The Dera Sacha Sauda was set-up by Shah Mastana from Baluchistan in 1948, as a center for spiritual learning, based upon liberal theology that was in disagreement with established orthodox religions and philosophies. (ANI)

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Women prefer chocolate to sex, wine!

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 24 (ANI): A third of women dream about chocolate during the day, compared with only 18 per cent who think about sex, says a new British survey.

Around 2.3 million British women admitted that they have the sweet treat at least three times a day, reports The Daily Express.

On the other hand, six in 10 men have sex on their minds for most of the day and 11 per cent think about chocolate, the study found.

According to the study of 2,000 women, which was carried out by cereal bar firm Fibre Plus, more than one in five women say they would kiss goodbye to their sex lives before chocolate.

What’s more, a quarter would rather give up chardonnay and Chanel.

Spokeswoman Sally Tribe said: “Women turn to chocolate for comfort, or to cheer themselves up.

“For many, it never disappoints.” (ANI)

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Bullock ‘delays divorce to work out amicable deal with James’

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, April 17 (ANI): Sandra Bullock has delayed filling divorce papers as she wants to make everything clear to her estranged husband Jesse James before their split becomes legal, it has emerged.

James is facing allegations of being involved with five women. There’s said to be 15 Jesses’ mistresses in total.

While Sandra had her suspicions about Jesse during the marriage, she never imagined the extent of his cheating, the source said.

But now Bullock is delaying the divorce process, as she wants to work out and finish a deal with Jesse before filling the papers, Radar Online.com reports.

“She will definitely be filing divorce papers, but wants to make sure everything is lined up perfectly first so it doesn’t get messy,” the source told RadarOnline.com. (ANI)

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New stem cell therapy to help women regrow breasts after cancer surgery

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Apr 17 (ANI): A new stem cell therapy developed by Melbourne scientists could help women regrow their breasts after cancer surgery.

Doctors at the Bernard O”Brien Institute of Microsurgery will start the trial for new technique called Neopec in coming months.

The new method uses a woman”s own regenerative capacity to grow new fat tissue in her breasts.

The world-first trial will involve five women who have had tissue removed during surgery to remove cancer, and the first results could be reported by the end of the year.

Neopec involves implanting a breast-shaped biodegradable chamber into the chest before surgeons redirect blood vessels into the chamber with the patient”s own fat cells.

A gel is inserted to help the cells multiply over four to six months, and the chamber dissolves when the new breast is fully formed.

According to lead researcher Wayne Morrison, after successfully trialling the procedure on pigs, he was about 50 per cent sure it would work in humans.

””If it works it will be great, but we can”t be sure that it will yet,” the Age quoted Professor Morrison as saying.

The new chief executive of the operation, Dr Peter Mountford, said if the trial was successful, by 2013 he would offer the procedure to women in Australia, Europe and south-east Asia who had had a partial mastectomy, defects of previous reconstructions or congenital deformities.

And the cosmetic market would come next.

””By 2015, Neopec will be able to provide full breast reconstruction and by 2020, in conjunction with a global partner, it will provide a natural alternative to women within the burgeoning breast augmentation market,”” said Mountford.

He said the procedure would be marketed at a premium price to implants currently on the market because it would be safer and more natural than the insertion of foreign materials.

Once perfected, it would also involve only one procedure and a shorter hospital stay than existing implantation methods. (ANI)

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Mixed signals on asylum seeker stand-off

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are mixed signals coming out of Indonesia over whether the stand-off between the country’s government and a boatload of Sri Lankan asylum seekers has been resolved.

For the past six months the asylum seekers, mostly Tamils, have steadfastly refused to leave the Indonesian port of Merak until they are given a new country to live in.

The head of Indonesia’s diplomatic security, Sujatmiko, told the ABC all 181 asylum seekers on board the boat have now gone ashore after accepting an offer of temporary accommodation.

But the asylum seekers maintain they were told they had five days to consider their options.

Sujatmiko describes it as an embarrassing situation but he believes it has been resolved.

He says with help from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials, he convinced the asylum seekers to accept an offer of temporary accommodation.

He would not say if that meant a detention centre.

“We convinced them we are using a very nice approach, even sometimes I make a joke, and I think this perhaps makes them happy,” he said.

“So I invited 10 people – five women, five men – to talk with us. We explained everything, interpreted in Tamil. Then we asked those 10 people to go – [the] majority of them – I gave 20 minutes and they came back and said okay.”

The Sri Lankans were intercepted en route to Australia after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a phone call to Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Sujatmiko says the asylum seekers will be taken by bus to temporary accommodation some time this week.

“We are going to combine them in the same accommodation. We have to finish the process then we can disclose [the location] to you,” he said.

“Even in Australia, this kind of people will be put in detention centres… for the Australian Government these are illegal people, illegal migrants and the place for them is actually jail.

“But we are not going to do that… I think as long as they are cooperating we will continue to assist them in the process, as well as the settlement process.”

But one asylum seeker on board the boat, Nimal, says he is confused. He says none of the officials could tell them exactly where they would be going and he thought they had five days to decide.

“They didn’t tell us anything. That is what I’m saying. We didn’t get a clear message from them. They didn’t ask any questions,” he said.

While confusion reigns, Sujatmiko says he is disappointed with the Australian response.

He says he told the Australian ambassador in Jakarta that he would need help talking to the asylum seekers, but no-one from the Australian embassy showed up.

“I advised the Australian embassy to send one or two officials to get a grasp, but until this morning nobody was coming from the embassy of Australia,” he said.

“So we thought that we would very much appreciate if Australia was involved in this process because this is not only an Indonesian problem. I think I’ll leave it to the public to interpret.”

The Australian embassy in Jakarta declined to comment.

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Radiation therapy is underused post-mastectomy

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 30 (ANI): Women who have had mastectomy and would benefit from radiation therapy are less likely to receive it than those who have had lumpectomy, a new American study has found.

The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, has appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The study analysed 2,260 women treated for breast cancer, assessing whether they had lumpectomy or mastectomy, and whether they would be strong candidates for radiation therapy.

Women who have particularly large tumours or cancer in four or more of their nearby lymph nodes are recommended to have radiation after mastectomy.

The research discovered that among patients who should receive radiation therapy according to medical guidelines, 95 per cent of those who had lumpectomy went on to receive radiation, but only 78 per cent of those who had mastectomy received radiation.

Among women for whom radiation is less clearly beneficial, 80 per cent of the lumpectomy patients had radiation while only 46 per cent of the mastectomy patients did.

Author Reshma Jagsi, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the U-M Medical School, said: “A substantial number of breast cancer patients are being undertreated. One in five women with strong indications for radiation after mastectomy failed to receive it. Radiation can be a life-saving treatment.”

She went on: “The fact that 95 percent of patients who had lumpectomy received radiation in the two metropolitan areas we studied indicates that we can do better than we are currently doing for the selected mastectomy patients who also need radiation. More attention needs to be paid to radiation after mastectomy.”

The study also demonstrated that doctor participation strongly influenced radiation receipt.

Patients who reported their surgeon was involved in the decision to receive radiation were more likely to receive radiation than patients whose doctor was less involved.

Jagsi said: “Even patients who wanted to avoid radiation therapy were very likely to receive it if their surgeons were highly involved in the decision process. We need to do a better job of educating both patients and physicians regarding the benefits of radiation after mastectomy in certain circumstances, and we need to encourage physicians to help their patients as they make these important decisions.” (ANI)

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Former MP Cleary to pay $630k for defamation

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Former federal independent MP Phil Cleary has been ordered to pay $630,000 in damages after a jury found that he defamed a barrister in one of his books.

Dyson Hore-Lacy, SC, sued Cleary for defamation over comments in Getting Away With Murder, a book about the killing of Julie Ramage by her husband in July 2003.

Mr Hore-Lacy claimed his reputation was injured by the book, which implied he was guilty of a criminal offence and professional misconduct by concocting a defence of provocation for James Ramage.

Ramage was cleared of his wife’s murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

A jury of five women found the book had defamed Mr Hore-Lacy and ordered Cleary to pay damages.

Outside court, Mr Hore-Lacy said Cleary had previously refused to settle the matter.

“I think we can say now we made a formal offer of $50,000 to settle it four or five years ago. All I was interested in was an apology and a retraction,” he said.

But Cleary said he was fighting for free speech.

“My evidence was simple. I said I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong. I couldn’t apologise in all faith for something that I didn’t believe was wrong,” he said.

“I didn’t believe that the words should be explained or described or defined in the way that they have been.”

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War trauma ups asthma risk among civilians

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 16 (ANI): The risk of developing asthma increases if a person lives through the trauma of war, claims a study.

Published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the study found that those who are most traumatised are twice as likely to develop the condition as those who are least traumatised by their experiences of war.

The authors base their findings on a random sample of just over 2000 Kuwaiti civilians who endured the Iraqi invasion and seven month occupation of their country in 1990, and were aged between 50 and 69 at the time.

Between 2003 and 2005, these civilians were quizzed about their health, including a diagnosis of asthma after liberation; experiences of the war; and lifestyle factors, such as smoking and weight.

The researchers acknowledge that assessing the impact of war related trauma is difficult, because some of the stressors may be unique to a particular situation and the circumstances can be complex. So they used a validated questionnaire (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), supplemented with face to face interviews to capture individual experiences.

Around one in six men and one in five women did not experience trauma during the war. But two thirds of the men and over half of the women feared for their lives.

Among the 413 participants with a low war related stress (Rasch) score, only one reported having been assaulted; three said they had been arrested; and 28 had had their house searched. None had witnessed torture, rape, or executions.

But among the 517 with a high stress score, around one in 10 had been arrested; one in six had been assaulted; and more than half had witnessed torture. New cases of asthma after liberation had been diagnosed in 6.6 percent of the men and just under one in 10of the women.

There was a direct correlation between the amount of trauma experienced and the risk of developing asthma, even after adjusting for factors likely to influence the results, including exposure to air pollution as a result of burning oil fires.

Those who had experienced the most trauma were twice as likely to develop asthma as those who had been the least traumatised. (ANI)

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Spector appeals murder conviction

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lawyers for music producer Phil Spector have appealed his conviction for killing a Hollywood actress.

The appeal, filed last week in California’s Second Appellate Court, says the judge unfairly allowed five women to testify that years before the 2003 shooting Spector had threatened with them with a gun.

The lawyers, led by Dennis Riordan of San Francisco-based Riordan & Horgan, say trial judge Larry Fidler made errors with jury instructions, wrongly changed rulings and, importantly, offered his own testimony in Spector’s second trial, which violates state law.

“Reversal of [Spector's] conviction is required on the basis of improper judicial testimony alone,” the lawyers said in their appeal, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

Spector, 70, is serving 19 years to life in prison for shooting 40-year-old actress Lana Clarkson in the mouth on February 3, 2003.

The case drew worldwide interest because Spector is widely known as a pioneer of rock music.

Along with The Beatles, he has worked with The Ronettes, Cher and Leonard Cohen and created the distinctive “Wall of Sound” production technique that layered musical tracks over one another and became widely used in the early days of rock.

Spector met Clarkson at the House of Blues nightclub on the famed Sunset Strip. The two went back to his house and Clarkson was shot and killed.

Spector’s defence lawyers claimed the actress committed suicide by shooting herself in the mouth because she was depressed about her acting career. But prosecutors said Spector murdered her in a fit of rage.

A first trial ended in a deadlocked jury.

At a second trial, Spector was convicted in April last year and sentenced on May 29. At the time, his lawyers said they would appeal.

Key to the defence lawyers’ appeal is their claim that prosecutors shifted testimony on forensic evidence dealing with blood spatters.

The change in testimony was supported by a videotape, made during a meeting outside the presence of the jury, in which Judge Fidler offered his own opinions.

The lawyers say that video was essentially new evidence that should never have been admitted.

- Reuters

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BBC radio producer who secretly taped his sex sessions with five women jailed

March 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 5 (ANI): A BBC radio producer is said to have been jailed for eight months after he was exposed for secretly filming himself having sex with five different women.

Benjamin Wilkins, 37, was caught when his girlfriend found a stash of DVDs in his loft, the Inner London Crown Court was told.

Judge Roger Chapple told him he had “betrayed” the trust of his victims.

Wilkins secretly taped a series of sexual liaisons with lovers, including TV and radio presenters, using a hidden camera in his bedroom, his bathroom and another in the fire alarm directly above a bed in his London flat.

They were linked to his computer, which allowed him to transfer the films to DVD.

The sex tapes were made over a three-year period from 2005, but Wilkins dismantled the system before his girlfriend, who he had a son with, moved into the home.

His girlfriend found and watched a film, then sent it to the woman involved who decided to go to the police.

A victim impact statement made by one of the women, who cannot be identified, was read to the court.

She said she was too ashamed to tell her family what had happened, adding it left her “feeling violated, dirty and sick” and needing counselling after she found out what he had done.

The judge said the effect on the women that had been filmed had to be considered when sentencing Wilkins.

“What you did represents a cruel, selfish betrayal of the trust they put in you,” the BBC quoted the judge as saying.

Wilkins pleaded guilty to 11 charges of voyeurism at Camberwell Magistrates” Court earlier this year.

“Of course, he has had to inform his own family which has been a shock for his elderly mother,” Nicola Kay, defending Wilkins, added.

He has been ordered to sign the sex offenders” register for 10 years. (ANI)

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Four Nepali women being sent to Muscat detained at Gorakhpur

September 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Gorakhpur, Sept 19 (ANI): Volunteers of a social service organisation and the personnel of the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of Uttar Pradesh Police at Gorakhpur detained four Nepalese women.

Reportedly, as per the statement of the women who were taken into custody at the Gorakhpur Railway Station, they were intending to go to Muscat.

These women had entered India through the Sanauli border post.

Although all the four women had their respective passports with them, only two of them could show their endorsed visas for Muscat.

“Our team visited the railway station along with a Nepali counsellor. When she saw these women and spoke to them, they gave some wrong information, which in turn sounded fishy and made us to suspect something was amiss. When we asked them where they were heading, initially they said Oman and again changed their statement saying, New Delhi. When our counsellor asked them for their passports, some said they had it while others said they didn’t. So, we found them suspicious,” said Gyan Kumar, co-ordinator, Maanava Sewa Sansthan, Gorakhpur.

Amidst such confusing utterances by the women, the police believe that one of the women named Dilmaya was trying to send the other three to Muscat by bringing them from Nepal.

She claimed that they were going to Muscat because they had their relatives residing and working there.

“These people held us for interrogation. We asked them either to let us go to Nepal or else allow us to go to Muscat. We have our relatives there,” said Dilmaya.

A couple of months ago, police officials of Gorakhpur had detained five women who were allegedly being trafficked to Gulf countries for flesh trade.

Reportedly, a pimp was escorting these women to Mumbai from where they were to be sent to certain destinations in the Middle East. (ANI)

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Brit mums-to-be still believe eating curry can bring the bay on early

September 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, September 8 (ANI): A survey of more than 1,200 British women has shown that most mums-to-be still believe that eating curry and drinking raspberry leaf tea can bring on labour.

Conducted by the charity Tommy’s and Johnson’s Baby, the study has shown that nearly one in five women thinks that tucking into spicy food will help bring on labour, while 38 per cent believe that raspberry leaf tea is the answer.

It has also revealed that 13 per cent of women believe that they are having a boy if they carry the baby “all at the front”, while 7 per cent think that drinking coffee in pregnancy affects the baby’s skin.

“Eating curries or drinking raspberry leaf tea will not, unfortunately, induce labour,” Sky News quoted Tommy’s midwife Sharon Broad as saying.

“There is no evidence to support this. I still speak to many women, however, who continue to eat spicy food and take raspberry leaf tea in late pregnancy hoping that either will bring on labour.

“Carrying a baby boy with your pregnancy bump all at the front, damaging your baby’s skin by drinking coffee or hurting your baby by sleeping on your back are also modern myths.

“It’s true that in later pregnancy sleeping on your side, supported by pillows, will be more comfortable and help boost your blood circulation,” she added.

As regards women’s confusion over the types of food that are safe to eat in pregnancy, the survey has revealed that 62 per cent are unsure what types of cheese they can eat, 56 per cent do not know what kind of fish they can have, and 50 per cent are unsure about eating mayonnaise.

According to the study report, women are also confused about whether or not to drink caffeine, and whether or not taking folic acid offers any benefits.

A third of women do not know about what sandwich fillings they can eat, and whether or not pate is safe to consume.

“The key to an enjoyable pregnancy that isn’t filled with terror is to use trusted sources such as Tommy’s or NHS Direct to find out what you can and cannot do,” said Broad.

“There is so much information out there that women often can’t absorb it.

“Much of it’s quite scary and many of the women feel frightened at a time when they really need to be at their most calm,” she added. (ANI)

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INLD releases first list of candidates for Haryana poll

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep 4 (ANI): The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) released its first list of 42 candidates, for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls here on Friday.

Party president and former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala said the list, includes five women candidates.

Chautala is contesting from Uchana Kalan constituency in Jind District.

Former state minister Ashok Arora has been fielded from Thanesar in Kurukshetra district.

The INLD is fielding 10 youths in the polls fray. Almost all the senior leaders of the party managed to get the ticket in the first list only.

The party’s women candidates includes Kanta Devi from Jhajjar, Swatantar Bala Chaudhary from Fatehabad, Sheela Bhyana from Barwala, Seema Devi from Uklana and Shashibala Tewatia from Pirthala.

The young faces figured in the list are Pradeep Chaudhary from Kalka, Dilbagh Singh from Yamunanagar, Narinder Sangwan from Gharaunda, Ashok Kashyap from Indri, Atul Malik from Gohana, Charanjit Singh from Kalanwali and Satish Nandal from Garhi Sampla Kiloi.(ANI)

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Biggest health myths busted

May 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 29 (ANI): If you believe that pregnant women are supposed to eat for two or sugar makes children hyperactive, better think again because these are just two of the countless health myths followed since generations.

And now, scientists have debunked the biggest health myths that have existed until now, reports The Mirror.he myths and truths are:

1. Myth: Eating carbs makes you fat

Truth: According to the Food Standards Agency, starchy foods only become fattening when actual fat, such as cream or margarine, is added. Carbs contain less than half the calories of fat and tend to be more filling – making you less likely to overeat.

2. Myth: You need to drink eight glasses of water a day

Truth: Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found not a single study to back this up. Excessive amounts of water can actually be dangerous, even fatal. Most people only need 750ml to one litre and can get this from juice, tea, coffee… or beer.

3. Myth: The flu jab can give you flu

Truth: The flu jab isn’t a live vaccine so it can’t infect you with the virus. People make this mistake because the jab is usually given in autumn -peak time for cold viruses. And if they go on to get a minor cold they misinterpret it as flu.

4. Myth: I’m fat because I have slow metabolism

Truth: A recent study by the University of Chicago revealed that fat people have faster metabolisms and burn off more calories as energy than slimmer people.

5. Myth: Pregnant women should eat for two

Truth: Two out of five women admit to believing this myth, according to SMA Nutrition. But they only need an extra 200 calories a day – equal to two slices of bread – and even then, only in the last three months.

6. Myth: Vitamins make you live longer

Truth: Popping ‘antioxidant’ vitamins such as C, A and E won’t extend your life, concluded one study last year. They may even lead to a premature death

7. Myth: Chocolate gives you spots

Truth: Acne is caused by the effects of hormones on sebaceous oil glands in the skin. This is why it particularly affects teenagers and can also be increased by stress. So chocolate won’t make a difference.

8. Myth: Sugar makes kids hyperactive

Truth: Sugar does not cause hyperactive behaviour. Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis reviewed 12 trials and was unable to detect any effect. Scientists found when parents think their child have had a sugary drink they rate behaviour as hyperactive – so it may be all in the mind.

9. Myth: Sit-ups shift a pot belly

“Even 100 sit-ups a day will do nothing to get rid of the layer of fat on your tummy, only cardiovascular exercise – the type that gets you out of breath – can shift body fat,” said fitness expert Nicola Botton.

10. Myth: When you sneeze, your heart stops

Truth: When you sneeze the pressure in your chest increases as you inhale and drops when you exhale, so your heart rate is affected, but it keeps beating. Yet a survey by esure found two million motorists have had an accident, near miss or lost control as a result of sneezing while at the wheel. (ANI)

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12 labourers die while digging in Adilabad

May 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh), May 25 (ANI): In a tragic incident at least 12 labourers, including five women, were killed and a person wounded when earth caved in while they were digging in Andhra Pradesh’s Adilabad district on Monday.

According to the police, the digging was being done to strengthen the base of an electricity tower at Mulkala village in Mancherial mandal of Adilabad district.

Though seven to eight metres deep earth had been dug using a machine, the labourers went inside to put cement material to strengthen the base of the massive tower before the earth caved in, official stated.

The bodies of the deceased had been taken out and the wounded labourer was admitted to a hospital.

All labourers belonged to Devarakadra of Mahabubnagar district. (ANI)

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Sixteen killed in naxal attack in Maharashtra

May 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), 22 May (ANI): In a brutal naxal attack at Twitola in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district sixteen policemen, including an inspector, a sub-inspector and five women constables, were killed.

According to reports, a police party was on routine patrolling between Mumumgaon and Dhanora when Naxals opened indiscriminate fire from Hatti Gota hillock, near Dhanora taluka headquarters. he deceased were identified as Inspector Avinash Iyer, sub-inspector Shantaram Ghorpade, Shafi Bhaktdas Shettiwar, havildars Suresh Kirange and Hemraj Tembhurne, nayak Kashinath Rohankar, constables Damodar Naitam, Sadanand Madavi, Santosh Durge, Vilas Mandale, Manik Usendi and woman constables Shobha Tade, Gendkumar Fardia, Shakuntala Aalam, Alka Gawde and Sunita Kallo.
Immediately after the attack a police force, medical team, bomb detection and disposal squad and doq squad were rushed to the site.

Additional Superintendent of Police Manoj Sharma said that all the bodies were being brought back to Gadchiroli district headquarters and further will be kept at the district hospital for post-martem.(ANI)

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