Northeast celebrates peaceful Holi with enthusiasm

Guwahati, Mar 10 (ANI): Holi, the festival of colors, was celebrated with enthusiasm in northeast along with rest of the country recently.

People splashed water, threw water filled balloons, smeared gulal and colors on each other and chanted “Holi Hai”.

The reason for high spirits of the people result from the fact that peace and normalcy could soon return to the region as indicated by surrender of militant groups and ongoing peace talks.

They celebrations marked the happiness of the people for a better future.

Holi is a centuries old festival, which brings together people and spreads the message of love and harmony.

“We hope that all those people who have been isolated and not joined the mainstream, on this day of Holi we want to send them a message that they should come and join people of Assam and add more to its happiness,” Sapnanil Baruah, a local.

“We are all getting together for the festival of Holi. We would like to say that this festival of colours sends a message through which we can bring peace and harmony can achieve by gathering together,” Atul, Nagaland

The festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the country. (ANI)

“Optimistic” Musharraf leaves for London in ‘high spirits’ after Saudi visit

Riyadh, Sep.3 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has returned to London after his three day visit to Saudi Arabia, and it seems his tour has yielded the desired results.

Musharraf, who had a long one to one talk with King Abdullah amid speculations of yet another Saudi-backed political arrangement in Pakistan, was in ‘high spirits’ after the meeting, sources said.

While the details of the meeting are still behind curtains, sources privy to the developments said Musharraf would disclose his future course of action only after returning to London, but as it transpires Musharraf has succeeded in his aim to ensure a safe return to Pakistan without any fears of being tried for high treason under Article Six of the Constitution.

“Musharraf was in ‘high spirits’. His body language was ‘positive’ and he sounded ‘very optimistic’,” The Dawn quoted sources close to the former general, as saying.

It is worth mentioning here that Musharraf had resigned from the Presidency last year, following an agreement in which Saudi Arabia was one of the guarantors.

The accord says that Musharraf would not be tried in any court. The US and Britain are believed to be the other two guarantors of the agreement, which has been kept secret.

While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is pushing for Musharraf’s trial under high treason charges, observers believe that it would be naïve to think that PML-N chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is unaware about the agreement.

Sources also revealed Sharif may visit Riyadh next week where he is likely to meet King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. He will also have meetings with some other Saudi leaders including Prince Mukrin, chief of the Saudi Intelligence Agency. (ANI)

Becks ‘makes his kids watch BBC to retain Brit heritage’!

London, Sep 2 (ANI): Brit footballer David Beckham is said to be so keen to make his kids retain their British roots that he has resorted to making them watch the BBC at home in Los Angeles.

Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz prefer to watch American cartoon networks, but their dad told pal Gordon Ramsay that he makes them watch BBC to keep them connected to their country of birth.

“After the LA Galaxy match Gordon, Victoria and David went for drinks on Sunset Boulevard,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

“They were in high spirits and David used the occasion to tell Gordon that he makes his lads watch BBC America at home.

“However, Ramsay’s Channel 4 shows Kitchen Nightmares and The F-Word are often aired on BBC America, which means he has to swiftly switch over to avoid the fruity language.

“David was explaining that he wants his kids to appreciate their British heritage and its language and thinks watching BBC America will keep them connected to their country of birth,” the source added. (ANI)

Pope ends summer Alpine break in high spirts

Pope ends summer Alpine break in high spirts Le Combes di Introd, Italy – Pope Benedict XVI appeared in high spirits Wednesday, as he left the Italian Alps where his two-week holiday was marred by a fall in which he broke his wrist.

Ahead of his return to Rome, the 82-year-old pontiff joked about his injury with reporters as he said goodbye to well-wishers in the northwestern town of Le Combes di Introd.

“This year you had little to write about,” the German-born Benedict said, then raising his plastered right-hand wrist, he added: “This was more than enough of an event, we didn’t need anything else.”

Benedict, also noted how his “guardian angel,” perhaps acting on “superior orders,” had failed to prevent the July 16 night-time bedroom fall in which he suffered the fracture.

“Maybe the Lord wanted to teach me to be more patient, and to give me some time for prayer and meditation,” he said.

According to the Vatican, the plaster cast on the pontiff’s wrist is set to remain in place for another 20 days.

Vatican and medical officials have described the fracture as “minor,” and have said the pontiff is in good health.

Later Wednesday Benedict was scheduled to travel from Rome to his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, a town situated in the hills south of the Italian capital.

The Vatican said a delegation of some 100 swimmers currently participating in the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome, would visit the pontiff on Saturday.

Besides two pastoral visits in September – first to the central Italian town of Viterbo and later to the Czech Republic – Benedict plans to to remain in Castel Gandolfo until early October, before returning to Vatican City. (dpa)

Morrissey celebrates 50th birthday with fans

Washington, May 25 (ANI): British singer Morrissey celebrated his 50 birthday in a jam-packed musical event in his hometown on May 22.

Despite being asked to cancel his shows to recover from a mystery illness, the singer seemed healthy and in high spirits as he celebrated half a century at England’s Manchester Apollo.

Morrissey was also seen shaking hands with his fans hands and cracking jokes about his “fifty gruesome years”, before his backing band surprised him by launching into a version of Happy Birthday, which the crowd sang along to.

According to Contactmusic, he responded: “I’m not 50, I’m actually 40/10.”

The tickets for the special birthday gig were sold out within 15 minutes of the opening. (ANI)

Robin Williams was given just weeks to live by doctors

London, May 15 (ANI): American comedian Robin Williams has revealed that he had been given just weeks to live by his doctors, before he underwent life-saving heart surgery in March this year.

Williams, 57, made an appearance on May 13 on the Late Show with David Letterman, eight weeks after he underwent surgery at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, to replace an aortic valve.

The actor thanked the doctors who saved his life, and showed pictures of his chest scars on the show, admitting at the same time that the doctors had warned him that he would die if he did not have the operation.

“They gave me… they said two weeks. I mean, when they initially went in, there was one doctor who I found out was going on vacation the next day who wanted to do the surgery that day,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

“(Another) doctor said, ‘Maybe you want to wait. You never want to have a surgery with a guy who wants to go someplace’… But they said two weeks, and that allowed me to make the decisions? You want to look for someone who’s done a lot of them,” he said.

But Williams is in still high spirits after postponing the rest of his comedy tour until September, when he’ll return to the stage in Indiana, and joked about his new body parts.

“I have one new valve and a repaired valve. I have a cow valve, which is great, and the grazing’s been fun,” he added. (ANI)