Foreigner | SilverScorpio.Com

Seoul shares climb to 8-week closing high

June 25, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Institutions were the main buyers on the KOSPI, picking up
189 billion won ($159 million) worth of stocks. Individuals sold
a net 134 billion won, while foreigner investors were net sellers
of 4 billion won worth.

Gainers led decliners 515 to 283, with 85 counters unchanged.

Trading volume was 307 million shares worth 4.3 trillion won,
down from Wednesday’s 347 million shares worth 4.7 trillion won.

The KOSPI 200 September futures index KSc1 rose 2.00 points
to 228.40 and the KOSPI 200 spot index .KS200 added 1.86 points
to 227.45.

The junior Kosdaq market .KQ11 ended 0.85 percent higher at
499.14.

Move on day +0.81 percent

12-month high 1,757.76 26 APRIL 2010

12-month low 1,350.31 24 JUNE 2009

Change on yr +3.39 percent

All-time high 2,085.45 1 NOV 2007

All-time low 93.10 6 JAN 1981
($1=1187.0 Won)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 24 June, decliners, foreigner, Futures Index, gainers, institutions, investors, kosdaq, Kospi 200, Ks200, led, Seoul, shares, stocks, trillion

Two foreigners killed in debt dispute in China

June 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Beijing, June 6 (IANS) Two foreigners were killed and another injured in a debt dispute that turned violent Saturday night in China’s Fujian province, police said.

A woman from Venezuela was among the dead in the brawl that occurred in the coastal city of Xiamen, while the other victim’s nationality has not been known yet, Xinhua reported.

The injured man, also a foreigner, has been hospitalised for injuries, police said, adding that his nationality was also not confirmed.

Initial investigation showed the incident was triggered by a debt dispute and a dagger was found near the crime scene, they said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: China Beijing, Coastal City, crime scene, dagger, foreigner, foreigners, fujian province, Initial Investigation, nationality, Night In China, Saturday night, venezuela, Violent Saturday, Xiamen, xinhua

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi appeals sentence again

May 11, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has lodged an appeal with Myanmar’s top court, seeking to overturn a guilty verdict for her breach of a draconian security law last year, her lawyer said on Tuesday.

Her legal team submitted the appeal on Monday to a special three-judge panel of the Supreme Court and hopes to have the 18-month extension to her house arrest term scrapped on the grounds that the Aug. 11 verdict was unlawful.

“This is our last opportunity to appeal,” lawyer Nyann Win told reporters. “She’s innocent. We may not get the verdict we want, but it’s important that we maintain the focus of the international community.”

Lawyers for Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years in detention because of her fight for democracy in the army-ruled country, say the law protecting the country against “subversive elements” is obsolete.

The legislation formed part of the 1974 constitution but was omitted from the latest charter, promulgated in 2008.

The ruling enraged the international community, which accused the ruling generals of using trumped-up charges to sideline Suu Kyi, the sole symbol of Myanmar’s democratic struggle, from this year’s elections.

The court ruled Suu Kyi breached her house arrest conditions by harbouring American intruder John Yettaw for two days after he swam to her lakeside home to tell her he had been sent by god to protect her from “terrorists”.

Yettaw was sentenced to seven years’ hard labour but was deported five days later after a visit by U.S. Senator Jim Webb, one of the few Westerners who have successfully engaged with the reclusive generals.

Even if the court agrees to hear her appeal, it is unlikely Suu Kyi will be freed because of her popularity and mesmerising influence on the Burmese people.

Regardless of the appeal, Suu Kyi is unable to run in the election. Her National League for Democracy party is boycotting the vote and even if she were to sign up to a new party, her criminal record and marriage to a foreigner prevent her from running.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Aung San Suu Kyi, criminal record, Democracy Party, democratic struggle, foreigner, generals, Guilty Verdict, hard labour, house arrest, intruder, Jim Webb, judge panel, nobel laureate, san suu kyi, security law, Senator Jim Webb, seven years, sideline, Subversive Elements, westerners

Britons are still stuck in the 80s

April 28, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Apr 28 (ANI): Be it fashion or food, Britons are still stuck in a 1980s time warp—they have been digging out their shoulder pads and snacking on Arctic roll, a survey has evealed.

They still long for food, telly, music, clothes and films, which belonged to the huge hair decade.

The survey for M&S Money found ice-cream dessert Wall’s Viennetta, telly hit Blackadder, time travel movie Back To The Future and the synthesiser pop pair Eurythmics are still much-loved.

In fact, the obsession with the 80s could be gauged by the fact that one in 10 of Britons have even kept hold of their videocassette recorders.

Over three-quarters of women wear styles such as hoop earrings and leg-warmers from the decade.

The research found that the favourite show from the era was ‘Blackadder’, closely followed by ‘Only Fools & Horses’ and ‘Blind Date’.

And the nation’s favourite tune from the decade was ‘There Must Be An Angel’, by Eurythmics, followed by Foreigner’s ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ and Duran Duran’s ‘A View To A Kill’.

“Many elements of 80s culture have lasted the test of time,” the Daily Star quoted M&S Money boss Colin Kersley as saying.

“People are keeping the 80s alive by holding on to fashions, entertainment and household favourites.

“While life has moved on over the last 25 years, people are obviously still attached to the things that mean something to them – whether that’s a favourite jacket or a record player that still works perfectly.

“My personal favourite from the 80s is the first series of Blackadder, which I have on video and will keep for ever – even though I no longer own a video player!” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Back To The Future, Blackadder, Blind Date, britons, Daily Star, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, foreigner, Hoop Earrings, Leg Warmers, Music Clothes, Record Player, shoulder pads, Test Of Time, three quarters, time travel, Time Warp, video player, Videocassette Recorders, Viennetta

Six dead in attack targeting foreigners in Afghanistan

April 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

As many as six people including foreigners were killed in a suicide car bombing targeting a foreign security company in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, officials said.

Britain said it was investigating after reports that its nationals may have been among the dead in the attack in the provincial capital late yesterday.

One Afghan official said one foreigner died and a policeman was killed, while another said three foreigners and three Afghans had lost their lives in the bombing, the second to rock the city that day.

“We are aware of an explosion this (Thursday) evening in Kandahar,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in London. “We understand there are a number of internationals among the casualties but their nationalities have not yet been confirmed,” he said.

“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with ISAF personnel in Kandahar in order to establish the facts,” he said, referring to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.

The province of Kandahar is the spiritual home of the Taliban and is seen as the key battleground to reverse nearly nine years of escalating conflict in Afghanistan, which is taking an increasing toll on foreign forces.

Four German soldiers were also killed and five wounded yesterday when their patrol came under attack as they were travelling from the northern city of Kunduz to Baghlan, a Taliban stronghold.

Suicide bombings and other attacks are a part of daily life in Kandahar, which was the Taliban’s capital during their brutal 1996-2001 rule.

“It was a suicide car bomb that targeted a foreign security company,” deputy provincial police chief Fazil Mohammad Sherzad said of the attack in Kandahar which struck around 9:00 pm (2200 IST).

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the head of the Kandahar provincial council and brother of President Hamid Karzai, told AFP that one policeman and one foreigner had been killed and another policeman wounded.

A senior government official, who declined to be named, said “three expatriates and three Afghans” had been killed in the blast, but there was no formal confirmation.

“So far we have received one dead body belonging to a foreign national,” said Daud Farhad, a doctor at Kandahar’s Mirwais hospital, adding that another 16 people were admitted with injuries, including one foreigner.

Intelligence officials warned the death toll could rise and may include more foreigners.

Several hours earlier a bomb went off in abandoned car left outside a city centre hotel used by Afghan journalists, injuring at least six people, police said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: car bomb, Car Bombing, foreign and commonwealth, foreign and commonwealth office, foreign office, foreigner, German Soldiers, government official, hamid karzai, international security assistance, kandahar, Kunduz, President Hamid Karzai, Provincial Capital, Provincial Council, Provincial Police, security company, Southern Afghan City, suicide bombings, Three Foreigners

Detained Suu Kyi says would snub Myanmar polls

March 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Myanmar’s detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday she “would not dream” of registering her party for this year’s elections, but added the decision was not for her to make, according to her lawyer.

Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 15 of the last 21 years, would refuse to sign her party up for the polls because of “unjust” election laws, but insisted the comment was not an order or an instruction to other members.

“Personally, I would not dream of registering the NLD under such an unjust and one-sidedly drawn-up state constitution,” her lawyer and National League for Democracy (NLD) party member, Nyan Win, quoted Suu Kyi as saying after meeting the Nobel laureate.

The charismatic Suu Kyi is unable to run in the much-derided election because of her marriage to a foreigner, British citizenship of her children and her criminal record.

Critics say the military government is fearful of her huge popularity and international appeal and has sought to keep her under lock and key to minimise her influence.

The NLD party, which won the last polls in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to rule, has yet to make a decision on whether it will take part in this year’s election, a date for which has yet to be announced.

There is disagreement among the NLD’s 128 committee members on whether to take part in the elections.

Some say the constitution is a farce and are in favour of a boycott, which other members believe such a decision would make the country’s biggest opposition party a spent political force.

“There are some who would like to go ahead but most are against it,” Nyan Win said, adding that the party would make its decision on March 29.

Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the former British colony for almost five decades, recently annulled the result of the 1990 vote, stating in official media that it did not comply with new rules passed this month.

“MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY”

The laws also say parties that register for the elections must exclude members serving prison terms, a rule the United States said made a mockery of democracy. Parties that fail to register could be dissolved by the junta.

Many senior NLD members are among more than 2,000 prisoners of conscience in Myanmar, where the regime denies detaining anyone because of their political views.

Nyan Win said the NLD had filed a lawsuit against the regime regarding the new laws, but it was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Separately, two new political parties registered with the newly formed election commission on Tuesday, party sources told Reuters.

They were the 88 Generation Students of the Union of Myanmar (GSUM) and the Union of Myanmar National Political Force (UMNPF) parties.

Both are regarded as being close to the military, which will automatically be given 25 percent of seats in parliament.

Analysts say the junta, which will retain full control of key ministries, will likely field proxy parties so it can dominate the lower house and restrict the powers of elected opponents.

Critics say the election, which is the final part of the junta’s drawn out “road map” to democracy, will be a sham aimed at creating a facade of civilian rule with the military still calling the shots.

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Aung San Suu Kyi, british citizenship, committee members, criminal record, disagreement, Election Laws, farce, foreigner, international appeal, landslide, military government, mockery, NLD, nobel laureate, opposition leader, opposition party, Party Member, san suu kyi, State Constitution, Unjust Election

Lahore women files petition seeking Pakistani citizenship for Indian husband

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep.17 (ANI): A Pakistani woman has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking Pakistani citizenship for her Indian husband.

Justice Mian Saqib Nisar admitted the petition filed by one Shazia Zia, and referred the matter to the High Court Chief Justice.

Zia, in her petition, said she has married an Indian national named Majid Ali, but the authorities have denied giving her husband a Pakistani citizenship despite repeated appeals.

She alleged that there was no legal justification for this refusal and submitted that it was gender discrimination which has no provision in the constitution

“A foreigner woman married a Pakistani man and got Pakistani nationality, but my husband is being refused the same,” The Daily Times stated the petition, as saying. (ANI)

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Pakistan’s Adiala Jail to build family suites for married prisoners

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rawalpindi, Sep 1 (ANI): Pakistan’s Adiala Jail, where the trial of Mumbai terror suspects are going on, has acquired 87 acres of land to build family suites for married prisoners in compliance with a decision of Federal Shariat Court (FSC) that married prisoners can maintain contacts with their spouses.

Jail Superintendent Saeedullah Gondal said acknowledgment of fundamental rights of prisoners would be beneficial to eliminate old jail culture.

He said Adiala Jail authorities had acquired 87-acre land and the Punjab government would provide funds to build family suites, separate jail for women and juvenile prisoners.

The Daily Times quoted him as saying that jail authorities were in favour of providing conjugal rights to married prisoners because it would have positive impact on their personalities.

Gondal said that over 6000 prisoners were locked in Adiala Jail including 200 women and juvenile prisoners, claiming they had been given various opportunities to bring a positive change in their personalities.

He said the jail authorities had set up a factory that manufactured carpets, iron rods, hospital beds, kit boxes and others things. “And the prisoners who worked in the factory are paid on monthly basis,” he said.

“Women inmates have facilities to play board games and badminton in the jail,” he said, adding there were table tennis courts for juvenile prisoners and foreigner prisoners could play football in the jail ground.

“We have established a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts and they have been locked in separate barracks to lessen their contacts with other inmates,” he said.

He said the prisoners had been provided food according to a special diet program. (ANI)

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Thousands of girls take to streets protesting against abortions

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Coimabatore (Tamil Nadu), June 25 (ANI): Thousands of girls Girls of various schools and colleges along with volunteers of different anti-abortion from different international organisations took out a rally holding placards and raising slogans to spread awareness regarding ‘save the girl child’ in Coimbatore on Thursday.

“We are here in India to stand with the women of India. But the affect of abortion is not only in India but around the world. There are 10 million abortions in India, five million girl children are aborted every year India. India is gravely impacted but it is not the only nation, it’s in every nation of the world,” said Cindy Colins, a foreigner participant.

“There are 50 million abortions around the world every year. Over 1 million abortions in the United States, one in three women has had an abortion. It is time for the women of the nations to speak up and let their voices be heard,” Colins added

Volunteers of different anti-abortion organisations from Germany, Italy, United States, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Romania and Scotland took part in the rally.

“We are here for a march for life. We are here because girl children are being aborted, parents don’t have money to let them go to schools. But we say don’t abort girls because they also have future, give them school and they will have good job,” said Niskata, another foreigner participant. (ANI)

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Peter Andre’s ex says Jordan changed him into a vulgar person

May 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 21 (ANI): Australian pop star Peter Andre’s former girlfriend Nirmala Burns says that Jordan has changed him into a vulgar person.

Nirmala, an airhostess, says that Peter was actually “a really nice, polite person” before he met Jordan.

She says that Jordan is to blame for “the crude and vulgar person we see on TV”.

“That’s not the real Peter. Kate brought out the worst in him,” the Daily Star quoted Nirmala as telling Reveal magazine.

Nirmala has also revealed that Jordan hated her from day one and called her an ugly foreigner.

“Kate never liked me from day one,” she said.

“She’s called me vile and even an ugly, hairy foreigner. That really upset me,” she added.

Nirmala even says that she always knew that Peter’s marriage would end, as Jordan was very bad to him.

“She treated him so badly. I don’t think anyone should put up with that,” she said.

“I gave the marriage two years. I think she pushed him too far. There is only so much a person can take. He may get in contact now and I’m willing to be a shoulder to cry on,” she added. (ANI)

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Mariah Carey to revive ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’

April 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Apr 16 (ANI): Pop diva Mariah Carey is back to remaking rock classics.

And this time she has chosen to revive rock band Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is”, reports the New York Post.

The song is slated to become a potential single for her album due out later this year.

Carey, 39, beat out Marc Anthony, who was also hoping to sing the love anthem. (ANI)

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A militant suspected of attacking Bangladesh PM arrested in Kolkata

April 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kolkata, Apr 14 (ANI): West Bengal Police in Kolkata arrested a mastermind of a militant outfit, Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI), and suspected to have been involved in the grenade attack on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested a man identified as Mufti Ibrahim, alleged to have been the person behind the attacks on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000 and 2004 in Dhaka.
“Ibrahim is wanted in three cases in Bangladesh. One case relates to the incident of planting a bomb at a rally in 2000. And two other cases relate to the incident of throwing grenades in 2004 in a rally of Awami League. And apart from that hes having connection with HuJI,” said Siddhinath Gupta, Deputy Inspector General of Police, CID.

According to the investigation, Ibrahim’s name figured in the list of 95 most wanted people that Dhaka had handed over to Delhi last year.

He has been charged under the Foreigner’s Act since he had no passport or other valid documents to stay in India.

The Bangladeshi group has been blamed for series of attacks in the past including the 2004 bombing of a political rally addressed by Sheikh Hasina and later an attack on Bangladeshi born British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury. (ANI)

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BJP-Sena urge Maharashtra to vote for ‘decisive Advani’

April 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, April 5 (IANS) A galaxy of leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance here Sunday urged the people of Maharashtra to ‘oust’ the Congress-led government at the centre and bring the BJP-led NDA to power under the decisive leadership of L.K. Advani.

Speaking at a rally, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, glancing at the massive turnout at the Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, said ‘seeing the enthusiastic gathering here, there is little doubt’ which alliance would be voted to power in the elections.

Urging the people of Mumbai and the state to vote for the alliance, Thackeray – turning to address veteran BJP leader Advani – said, ‘At the next rally after May 16, we want you to come here as the prime minister of Hindustan. Even Sena chief Bal Thackeray shall be there to welcome you.’ The crowd cheered its approval.

Discussing the issue of terrorism unleashed from across the border, Thackeray called upon the people of the country to unite. ‘If we are united, nobody will dare to look at us with an evil eye, if they do, we shall gouge their eyes,’ he declared.

During his brief speech, Thackeray trained his guns on both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. ‘A foreigner woman has grabbed the control of the country. What is the prime minister doing about it?’ he remarked.

Demanding a ‘decisive’ government headed by a firm leader, he said: ‘Today, there is no better leader in the country than Advani. We must ensure that the saffron flag flutter in New Delhi after the next elections.’

In a brief videographed speech that was played before the rally, Bal Thackeray demanded that nobody should vote for the Congress until Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab, the captured Pakistani terrorist after the Nov 26 attacks here, is hanged.

He admitted his body was weak and he could not address rallies like in the past. ‘In this country, if (H.D.) Deve Gowda could become PM, anybody can become PM. I am satisfied with only becoming the Shiv Sena chief,’ he said.

Addressing the rally, senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said Advani was a tough leader like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Accusing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of failing to tackle the issue of terrorism, he urged people to vote for the tough and decisive BJP leader, Advani.

Former Lok Sabha speaker and senior Sena leader Manohar Joshi expressed confidence that the alliance would come to power after the next elections.

‘Advani shall become the next PM of India with the blessings of Chhatrapati Shivaji. It is important for the saffron flag to flutter in New Delhi for the security of the country,’ Joshi said.

In his speech, Advani said some states shall throw up surprising results in the next elections – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and a couple of states from the south.

Regretting that two top alliance leaders – former prime minister A.B. Vajpayee and Bal Thackeray – both ailing, were not present, Advani said: ‘It is our loss that they are not amongst us here.

‘We miss them. At the same time, it is also a challenge for us to succeeed in the next elections with their blessings. We must not let them down,’ he said.

Earlier, other alliance leaders like Sena’s Subhash Desai and Ramdas Kadam, opposition leader in Maharashtra, and BJP state general secretary Vinod Tawde addressed the gathering.

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Foreign, Indian devotees join campaign to clean Yamuna River

March 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Vrindavan, Mar 23 (ANI): Hundreds of devotees, including foreigners, converged on the banks of Yamuna River here to do their bit to save the river from pollution.

Organised by an The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) Temple here, the programme saw devotees singing devotional songs of their lord as they took out a procession of the Radha and Krishna on a decorated boat on the holy river.

” The campaign is going on for the past ten years. We have taken out a procession of Radha and Krishna and prayed to the lord. All the devotees have decided to come together and join in the campaign,” said Mahant Anandswarup, a priest.

The foreign devotees who attended the programme called for a major initiative from all the devotees to save the river.

“We all should come together and protect Yamuna River otherwise it will disappear for sure,” Radha, a foreigner from Switzerland who is staying in India for the past 30 years.

The River Yamuna is today in a pathetic state, and its water is unfit for even bathing, leave alone consumption.

According to a Central Pollution Control Board report, around 70 per cent of the pollution in the Yamuna is human excrement.

A major pollutant of Yamuna is Delhi, which contributes 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage falling into the river. Only half of the sewage produced in Delhi is treated effectively.

Sewage discharge from Delhi and major towns like Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra has irreversibly altered its ecology. The river has been termed as incapable of supporting any aquatic life whatsoever.

Environmentalists have also been highlighting the damage caused to human health by allowing the discharged sewage to re-enter the human food chain via the agricultural produce watered by it in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

The Yamuna Action Plan started in 1993 with the aim of conserving the river has met with no success, despite billions being spent on it. (ANI)

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British postmaster from Sri Lanka says customers must speak English

March 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London – A British postmaster born in Sri Lanka has caused a stir by declaring that he will refuse to serve customers in his shop if they do not speak English.

Deva Kumarasiri, who came to Britain from Sri Lanka 18 years ago, runs the Sneinton Boulevard Post Office in Nottingham, central Britain.

“If somebody stands up and says ‘sorry, I can’t serve you if you can’t speak English’, then they’ll think twice,” he said.

The 40-year-old said he felt he was only asking people to make the same efforts as he had done.

“I was born and raised in a different country, my language was different, my religion was different. But when I came to England I obeyed the British way of life, I got into the British way of life,” he told the BBC.

His remarks have caused a stir as they could be interpreted as “discrimination” – or worse – inflame anti-foreigner sentiment, local people said in interviews.

While some agreed with him, others said no-one should be forced to learn English.

Kumarasiri’s stance was described as “unacceptable” by Nottingham’s Racial Equality Council, which said the postmaster was taking a “stereotypical view.”

Post Office Counters, the organization which runs the post offices and the shops attached to them said that its branches were “open to all customers” and steps would be taken to ensure this happened at Kumarasiri’s store.

Kumarasiri has told half a dozen of his customers that they must go and learn English. “They have all come back with a smile, and one even brought a dictionary,” he said Thursday. (dpa)

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Mathura Priests celebrate Holi by walking through fireball

March 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mathura/ New Delhi, Mar 11 (ANI): Priests at Prahlad Kund in Phalen village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura District celebrated Holi on Wednesday by walking through a fireball.

“We have been seeing this fair from a long time. Our ancestors said this fair has been held here for thousands of years. Priests cross the fire like Lord Vishnu’s devotee Prahlad. The Priests worship constantly for five days and bathe in the Ganges,” claimed Radhey Singh, a local.

In Delhi, people from all walks of life sprayed each other with colours.

They also danced to drumbeats and consumed traditional ‘thandai’.

‘Walker’s club’ of Lodhi Garden celebrated Holi with great enthusiasm. People of all faiths participated in it,” said Jaswant Singh Arora, a local.

Foreigners also danced on the occasion and greeted people.

“I would like to wish you a very happy Holi. It’s fantastic and crazy, which is great,” said Prince, a foreigner.

Holi is associated with an uninhibited expression of love and affection.

The festival brings people of all classes and age groups together. They distribute sweets and take out procession. (ANI)

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Paul Giamatti, Witherspoon, Sacha Baron Cohen to star in film about mini people

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 04 (ANI): Hollywood actor Paul Giamatti and Reese Witherspoon are all set to team up with comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for a flick about miniature people.

The flick aptly titled ‘Downsizing’ will be directed by Alexander Payne, who earlier worked with Giamatti in ‘Sideways’, reports Variety magazine.

Giamatti will portray a poor man who decides to undergo surgery in a bid to shrink himself, after getting convinced the operation will radically improve his life.

Witherspoon will portray a woman, who meets Giamatti’s character after he undergoes the shrinking surgery.

On the other hand, Sacha Baron Cohen, who is 6 foot, 3 inch in real life, will portray a pint-sized foreigner, who meets Giamatti’s character. (ANI)

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Zhang Ziyi under fire after topless photos hit Internet

January 10, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

London, January 10 (ANI): Zhang Ziyi has incurred the wrath of critics after topless pictures of the Chinese actress getting intimate with her Israeli fiancé hit cyberspace.

‘The Memoirs of a Geisha’ star had recently been snapped soaking the Caribbean sun donning only a pair of bikini bottoms while her billionaire Vivi Nevo thinned out the air between them.

The vacation snaps had enraged the ‘tradition-preserving’ critics with many of them dubbing the artist as “shameless”, reports the Daily Express.

One critic wrote: “Zhang Ziyi is really shameless. She is with a foreigner, but should remember certain conduct is expected of Chinese women.”

China’s Internet authorities had stepped in to censor the photographs, with many websites pulling them off cyberspace completely. (ANI)

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Sacha Baron Cohen’s gay fashion correspondent role in new flick may cause stir

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

London, Jan 9 (ANI): English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has come out with a more controversial film than Borat, which is certain to ruffle some feathers.

His new flick has been dubbed by fans on the net as Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America For The Purpose Of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable In The Presence Of A Gay Foreigner In A Mesh T-Shirt.

Cohen plays the part of a gay fashion correspondent from Austria in the movie, and he is sure to infuriate religious groups with one of the key characters a black model called Jesus who wears a loincloth and a crown of thorns.

The movie got a screening in the US and it has already failed to make the more religious members of the audience laugh.

“Sacha has really gone for the shock tactics this time,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

“The characters were created deliberately to wind certain sections of society up and Jesus is one of them.

“It won’t be the first time Sacha has landed himself in hot water. The water might be a little hotter this time round though. Religion isn’t always the best place to poke fun,” the source added. (ANI)

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