Media Advisory: Minister Oda to Announce Funding to Support Women’s and Girls’ Rights in Developing Countries

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, May 31 (MARKET WIRE) —
The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation,
will make an announcement on funding for the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which promotes women’s and girls’ rights in
developing countries. Minister Oda will be joined by UNIFEM Canada’s
President Ms. Almas Jiwani.

Date: June 1st, 2010

Time: 3:45pm

Location: Charles Lynch Room
Centre Block
House of Commons

Contacts:
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Jessica Fletcher
Press Secretary
819-953-6238

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Media Relations Office
819-953-6534
media@acdi-cida.gc.ca

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Pakistani man sells daughter, 9, to meet son”s wedding expenses

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, May 26 (ANI): A Pakistani man sold his nine-year-old daughter to fund the wedding of his son.

Jan Muhammad Buzdar, from Tuman Buzdar, a tribal tehsil of Dera Ghazi Khan district, who sold daughter Rashida for Rs 80, 000, defended himself saying it was tribal tradition to sell girls in order to meet the expenses of their brothers” wedding, reports the Daily Times.

Jan Muhammad Buzdar and buyer Rafiq Buzdar said they had mutually agreed upon the deal and no third party had a right to interfere.

But residents of Tuman Buzdar say no such tradition exists in the area. (ANI)

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Cheryl Cole tops list of celebs who kids think have best sun tans

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 26 (ANI): ‘Girls Aloud’ star Cheryl Cole has topped the list of celebrities who kids think have the best sun tans.

In the list compiled by Superdrug, Peter Andre came second while his ex-wife glamour model Katie Price a.k.a Jordan landed the third spot.

David Beckham came fourth and his wife Victoria Beckham rounded off the top five, reports the Sun.

The list is as follows:

1. Cheryl Cole

2. Peter Andre

3. Katie Price

4. David Beckham

5. Victoria Beckham

6. Cristiano Ronaldo

7. Jennifer Lopez

8. Simon Cowell

9. Paris Hilton

10. Mariah Carey (ANI)

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Leonardo DiCaprio ‘flirts at Maxim Hot 100 party’

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 21 (ANI): Leonardo DiCaprio, who has a gorgeous girlfriend Bar Refaeli, apparently went on a major flirting spree at the Maxim Hot 100 party.

His behaviour caused one friend to remark: “Don”t you have a girlfriend?”

The actor was surrounded by beauties at Wednesday night”s bash at Paramount Studios.

Refaeli was, however, nowhere in sight.

“All the girls were making a beeline for him, and while he was friendly, he went home alone,” The New York Post quoted an onlooker as saying.

Another star that attended the bash was Jamie Foxx – who was seen grinding a hot brunette on the dance floor.

And Russell Simmons arrived with Aussie beauty Sophie Monk and “spent the night telling everybody she was the hottest girl at the party.” (ANI)

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Cheryl Cole ‘refusing to sign new £1mn X Factor contract’

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 20 (ANI): Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole is said to have refused to sign her new 1million pounds X Factor contract until she knows who will replace co-judge Dannii Minogue.

Cole, 26, also wants a promise that her pregnant pal Minogue will not be permanently replaced.

Minogue, 38, will miss out on the auditions stage when it starts next month, and producers plan to have guest judges to fill in for her alongside 50-year-old Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, 57.

“It’s getting very close to the start of The X Factor auditions and Cheryl has not yet signed on the dotted line,” the Daily Star quoted a show source as saying.

“It would ruin her X Factor experience not to have another ‘girly girl’ like Dannii to laugh and joke with and gang up with against the lads.

“There’s been talk about Mel B whom Cheryl is quite frightened of.

“She is also mindful of the fact any youngsters may try to upstage her in the fashion stakes,” the source added.

All the judges are set for a showdown meeting at Cowell’s London mansion next week, and Minogue, who is back in Australia and due to give birth in July, will join them via a conference call.

The new series of The X Factor is scheduled for August. (ANI)

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Robert Pattinson doesn’t understand girls, says Ashley Greene

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 20 (ANI): ‘Twilight’ hunk Robert Pattinson may be every girl’s dream boy, but his co-star Ashley Greene has stated that the actor just does not understand girls.

Greene, 23, spoke to Seventeen magazine in their June/July issue about why Pattinson, 24, can’t understand girls.

“He gets a lot of attention from them, but he doesn’t quite understand it because before ‘Twilight’, he was just a guy from ‘Harry Potter’,” the New York Daily News quoted her as saying.

The actress even revealed why she may be the only woman who has yet to fall for him.

“When I met Rob, I didn’t think twice about him. He’s really attractive, but that chemistry wasn’t there,” she added. (ANI)

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Robert Pattinson doesn’t understand girls, says Ashley Greene

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 20 (ANI): ‘Twilight’ hunk Robert Pattinson may be every girl’s dream boy, but his co-star Ashley Greene has stated that the actor just does not understand girls.

Greene, 23, spoke to Seventeen magazine in their June/July issue about why Pattinson, 24, can’t understand girls.

“He gets a lot of attention from them, but he doesn’t quite understand it because before ‘Twilight’, he was just a guy from ‘Harry Potter’,” the New York Daily News quoted her as saying.

The actress even revealed why she may be the only woman who has yet to fall for him.

“When I met Rob, I didn’t think twice about him. He’s really attractive, but that chemistry wasn’t there,” she added. (ANI)

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Cricket in UK schools ‘less elitist and more ethnically diverse than in past’: Survey

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 20(ANI): A new survey has revealed that cricket in the UK has become less elitist and more ethnically diverse than in the past, with it growing in popularity among kids in state schools.

The survey was conducted by the ‘Chance to Shine’ foundation, which has brought cricket to a million schoolchildren across the UK. The results were based on an online YouGov survey of 993 parents of children aged 8 to 17.

When asked whether ‘cricket has become less elitist’ than when they were at school, three times as many parents of children at state schools polled strongly agreed (42 percent), compared to those that strongly disagreed with the statement (13 percent).

Twenty-four mums polled said that cricket is now offered as a team sport to girls at their child’s school, twice the number that say the “gentleman’s game” was an option for them when they were at school (11 percent).

It also showed that a whopping 72 percent of parents believed playing cricket could improve their child’s grades.

Meanwhile, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff explained why he has been backing the foundation.

“Cricket in state schools was in real danger of dying out before Chance to shine launched in 2005,” The Sun quoted Flintoff, as saying.

“I believe every child has the right to play competitive cricket at school and to learn skills that they can use throughout their lives,” he added. (ANI)

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Now, dissolvable-wedding-dress for money-saving brides!

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Girls who think that it is foolish to spend big bucks on a wedding dress, here’s a environmental friendly solution—a dissolvable wedding gown.

According to Brides.com”s American Wedding Study from 2009, an average woman spends 1,056 dollars on her wedding dress.

And thus, students at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom came up with the dissolvable wedding gown.

They wanted to make a statement about our disposable society, where clothes frequently go from wash-n-wear to wear-n-waste.

Their dress is made polyvinyl alcohol, a biodegradable substance using in washing detergents.

From Gizmag, the substance “is knitted into the dress fabric which allows it to dissolve in water leaving no impact on the environment,” reports Discovery News.

But before dissolution, the wearer can transform the dress into five different outfits.

The designs were featured in the exhibition “A Sustainable Marriage,” at the university”s Furnival Gallery. (ANI)

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12-year-old ‘Paparazzi’ YouTube star chats with idol Lady Gaga

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 15 (ANI): Greyson Chance, the 12-year-old web singing sensation, finally got the chance to chat with his idol Lady Gaga on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Just a day after posting his rendition of Paparazzi online, Greyson attracted more than a million YouTube hits and was invited on show.

And that’s where he got a big surprise from the host— a phonecall from none other than Lady Gaga herself.

“You”re so sweet and so talented. I was so excited that you covered Paparazzi,” the Sun quoted the ‘Just Dance’ singer as saying.

“Everyone loves you so much, keep following your dreams, work really hard… and stay away from girls,” advised Gaga.

Greyson revealed he has had piano lessons for three years, but never taken a voice lesson to this day.

The Oklahoma lad also said he had never even been on a plane until producers invited him to the studio in LA.

Speaking of his luck with the ladies, he added: “Let”s just say I”ve got a couple of numbers and made some new friends.” (ANI)

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Caste councils warn couple about marrying in same community

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), May 13 (ANI): The Bhatti Village and Caste Council has warned a couple not to marry in the same ”gotra” in Uttar Pradesh”s Greater Noida city.

The Bhattis are one of the largest Rajput warrior clans in India.

The councils” members said that Jaivendra Baisla and his bride-to-be, Manisha Bhatti, belong to the same ”gotra”, and that they both are descended from a common ancestor.

However, the families of both have refuted the claim.

Jaivendra Baisla is due to marry Bhatti, who hails from Bisnoli village, on May 15.

He said his family was busy in the preparations, when the judgement of the village council was forced on them.

“My marriage was to be on 15th of May. We were busy with the preparations but some people from Chittairah village (Baisla”s village) have banned this marriage. They have warned us that if this marriage takes place then they will forcibly stop it,” said Baisla.

“They have threatened that anything thing can happen if this marriage takes place,” he added.

The caste council from Chittairah village, where Baisla lives, ruled against the marriage and even threatened to kill the groom, if he goes ahead with the marriage.

Meanwhile, the bride-to-be, Manisha Bhatti, expressed her fear of the village council”s death threat.

“A village panchayat (council) of Chittairah has objected. I just want my marriage to take place on the date it was supposed to. They have threatened to shoot my husband-to-be and I request that nothing of this sort should happen,” said Bhatti.

The council has threatened not to let Manisha Bhatti enter the village.

“We are stopping this marriage because we are from Bhatti ”gotra”, and all the girls from this ”gotra” are our sisters.

Shouldn”t we send our girls outside the ”gotra” or should we get them married within the same ”gotra”?” said Rajvir Bhatti, head of Chittairah village council.

“All the people from Bhatti ”gotra” are brothers and sisters and cannot marry each other,” he added.

Earlier on March 30, a sessions court in Karnal had awarded death punishment to five persons on the charges of killing a young couple – Manoj and Babli, who had married in 2007 against the community”s wishes. (ANI)

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Woman survives 12-feet fall – after landing on lover””””s Aston Martin!

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 13 (ANI): A woman survived a 12-feet horror fall when she landed on her lover””””s Aston Martin.

Jade Bates, 22, tumbled backwards from an open bedroom window but miraculously escaped only with a leg injury.

She landed on the bonnet of his new 140,000-pound DB9 sports car – which was left with a huge dent.

“There was a huge scream and Jasvir looked outside to see Jade lying on his car. He was frantic.

“If the Aston hadn””””t had such a long bonnet, she could have been paralysed or dead. The car saved her,” The Sun quoted Jade’s friend as saying.

Jasvir, 28, rang 999 and Jade was taken to hospital by ambulance.

She was recovering at home yesterday.

Jasvir is thought to be “distressed” at the fall, having upgraded the Audi R8 weeks earlier.

“They were celebrating a friend””””s birthday.

“The guys were in the kitchen and the girls were upstairs. It appears to have been just an accident.

“Jasvir just bought the car and there seemed to be problems with electrics. It””””ll cost a lot more to fix now,” the friend added. (ANI)

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Bathani Tola massacre: Three sentenced to death, 20 get life term

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Ara (Bihar), May 12 (ANI): A court here on Wednesday awarded death sentences to three persons and life imprisonment to over 20 others in connection with the infamous Bathani Tola massacre in Bhojpur District in 1996 in which 21 Dalits were killed.

Additional District and Sessions Judge A K Srivastava announced the quantum of punishment for the accused.

Earlier on May 5, Srivastava had convicted 23 accused persons and acquitted 30 others for want of evidence in connection with the carnage that took place under Sahar block of Bhojpur district on July 11, 1996 by suspected activists of Ranvir Sena, a private militia of land owners.

Around 70 Sena men had raided the village and killed 21 Dalits, mostly women and girls, including two babies in the age group of three to nine months. (ANI)

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Tyra Banks to publish her first novel

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 12 (ANI): Supermodel/talk show host Tyra Banks has announced that she will be publishing her first novel.

A press release from Random House, the publishers of the novel, which will be titled “Modelland”, stated that it is one of a three-book deal, and is expected to be published in summer 2011.

“It’s for all the girls and guys who want a lot more fantasy in their lives … and some fierceness and magic, romance and mystery, crazy and wild adventures, and yeah, some danger too,” the New York Post quoted Banks as writing on her website describing her new book.

Banks, 36, authored a how-to make-up book in 1998, called “Tyra’s Beauty, Inside and Out”. “Modelland” will be her first fiction book. (ANI)

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Reality star sentenced to six months in jail for breaking into Bloom”s home

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 11 (ANI): Reality star Alexis Neiers has been sentenced to six months imprisonment for burglarising actor Orlando Bloom”s home.

The E! show ‘Pretty Wild’ star had broken into the Bloom’s Hollywood Hills house last summer with two other females.

Authorities said the girls had stolen more than 500,000 dollars in watches, cash and other items.

They were caught committing the crime on security camera, reports the New York Daily News.

Neiers confessed she was on Bloom”s property the night of the burglary but was too drunk to remember anything.

She also faces three years” probation and must stay away from Bloom”s property in the future. (ANI)

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Karnataka devotees pierce their bodies to worship goddess

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Davangere (Karnataka), May 11 (ANI): Devotees of the Goddess Mattu Mariamma in Karnataka”s Davangere town pierce their bodies with iron nails in an act of worship and to seek her blessings.

They pierce various parts of their bodies, including their tongues, backs, chests and cheeks.

“Some people don”t have children and some people have difficulties at their homes, and to overcome these difficulties, we follow this ritual every year and pierce our bodies,” said Meenakshi, a devotee.

Many childless devotees pierce their bodies in the belief that the goddess would grant them children.

“People worship Mattu Mariamma if they don”t have children, if they have some disease, if girls don”t get married,” said Lakshman, another devotee.

Some devotees go as far as putting tridents in their mouths or hanging iron hooks from their backs as a mark of worship of Mattu Mariamma.

Devotees even hang heavy weights from their bodies in the belief that their wishes would be fulfilled. (ANI)

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‘Smitten’ will.i.am calls Cheryl Cole ‘wifey’

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 10 (ANI): Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am has revealed how besotted he is with Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole, who he apparently refers to as wifey, and says needs rescuing.

will.i.am, 35, real name Williams James Adams Jr, said that Cheryl’s husband Ashley was stupid to cheat on her, and that from now onwards he will be there for her whenever she needs him.

“She needs rescuing after all she’s been through and I’m the man to do it,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

“The way Ashley treated her was just stupid and she knows I will always be there for her now.

“If she’s in New York I will get a flight straight away to see her. If she’s in LA I’ll get on a flight there. I’ll even come to London if she wants me to.

“Whenever she needs me she knows I’m straight there, no excuses,” he said.

Troubled Cheryl, 26, who describes the hip-hop star as her “fairy god-father”, appears to have found a loyal friend in Will, though she remains undecided about whether to divorce Ashley.

But Will is keen to prove to Cheryl that he can be trusted.

“She isn’t the type of girl who’d go out there flaunting it. She’s a real good girl. When you get a girl like that you do what you can to keep her,” he said.

“To get a girl that’s hot who knows how to conduct herself is a rare thing. You’d have to be stupid to jeopardise that,” he stated.

The rapper has even been bragging to his fans that Cheryl is his “wifey”.

“When I chatted to Will at a London club, he kept calling Cheryl his ‘wifey’,” a fan revealed.

“It’s obvious that he’s besotted by her,” the fan added. (ANI)

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Fruits, vegetables ‘can cut child cancer risk’

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 10 (ANI): Children must eat more fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of cancer in later life, a charity has said.

The latest published Health Survey for England (HSE) for 2008 suggested that four in five children are not eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables.

Now the World Cancer Research Fund has warned that this could lead to an increased risk of them developing cancer in later life.

“The fact that only a fifth of children are getting enough fruit and vegetables is a concern because it is important that we encourage children to get into healthy habits as early in life as possible,” the Daily Express quoted Nathalie Winn, nutritionist for the WCRF, as saying.

“This is because scientific research shows that eating a plant-based diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and pulses probably reduces the risk of a number of types of cancer later in life,” Winn added.

Ahead of its annual Fruity Friday campaign, the WCRF is highlighting the importance of a good diet.

The research shows that, on average, boys aged five to 15 eat 3.1 portions of fruit and vegetables while girls have 3.3 portions a day, according to the Health Survey for England 2008.

It even showed that one in 14 boys and one in 25 girls did not eat any fruit or vegetables at all on the day of the survey. (ANI)

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Cheryl Cole’s mum gives will.i.am stamp of approval

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 7 (ANI): Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole has taken her friendship with Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am to another level – by introducing him to her mother who gave him her approval.

will.i.am, 35, met Joan, 50, on May 5 for drinks after Cheryl, 26, supported the Black Eyed Peas at London’s O2 Arena.

The meeting between the three went so well that the rapper promised Joan he will take care of Cheryl, and he also praised the way she has been brought up.

“Joan is a great lady. You can see why Cheryl is such a good girl, she gets it from her mum,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

“Cheryl’s mum is behind our friendship.

“I think anybody that will look after her little girl and protect her – after the last few months she has had – is only a good thing in her mum’s eyes.

“The most important thing for Cheryl at the moment is to have a man around her who she can trust and who makes her laugh. I promised mum that’s what I’m doing.

“We couldn’t ask for a better supporting act than Cheryl, the crowd absolutely love her and she really is a princess in the British peoples’ eyes.

“I am having a great time working with her, but I already knew that I would anyway. We are having a great time during the show, but also a great time after,” he added.

Will, who worked with Cheryl on her debut solo album 3 Words, has made no secret of his feelings for the Girls Aloud star.

“Cheryl turned up with her mum after Will had arrived,” an onlooker at the Bacardi VIP bar said.

“He spent some time talking to Joan, who came to watch her perform.

“She obviously got on with Will, so she seems to approve of the friendship,” the onlooker stated. (ANI)

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