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Rashtriya Janata Dal celebrates good show in Bihar by-polls

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, Sept 20 (ANI): The activists of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) here celebrated the party’s good show in the by-election for 18 legislative assembly seats.

The RJD-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) won eight seats in the by-election for 18 legislative assembly seats, a major set back to ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

The JD (U) bagged three seats while its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won two seats.

The activists burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the win at the party office.

RJD leader Lalu Prasad termed the results as referendum on the ruling government.

“It is not possible for the Bihar Government-led by Nitish Kumar to return. The RJD alliance will return to power. The people of Bihar have welcomed us with open arms,” said Yadav.

The RJD failed poorly in Lok Sabha election in April-May this year, winning just four seats out of the total 40 in Bihar. (ANI)

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Nine-day ‘Navratri’ festival begins all over India

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi/ Faizabad/Allahabad, Sept 19 (ANI): The nine-day ‘Navratri’ festival began across India with religious fervour on Saturday.

Thousands of devotees queued up at various temples dedicated to Goddess Durga.

In New Delhi, devotees converged at Jhandewalan to offer prayers prior to dawn and observed fast throughout the day.

“We observe fast on the first day of Navratri. On the first day, we pray for the whole day and meditate on Goddess Durga,” said Madan Gehlot, a devotee.

Meanwhile, at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, people made a beeline to the temple of Goddess Badi Devkali.

The devotees believe their wishes are fulfilled if they pray to Goddess Badi Devkali during the festival.

“People believe that coming here redeems them from their sins. Since the Goddess Devkali is the deity of Lord Rama’s dynasty, her significance is all the more. That’s why people come here to offer prayers to the Goddess,” said Poonam, a devotee.

Earlier on Friday, a day prior to the commencement of Dusshera, a unique annual horse procession was taken out through the streets of Allahabad.

The belief is that the horse representing sage Vyasa would relate the Ramayana.

Musical bands led the attractively decorated white horse procession organised by a leading Ram Lila committee of the city.

“Legend says that when Maharishi Valmiki narrated the story of Lord Rama to Luv and Kush then this horse standing next to them also listened to the story. The horse in the form of sage Vyasa tells the story of Rama to people during the Navratri celebrations,” said Ajay Kumar Shukla, secretary, Ramlila Committee.

“Naaratri”, which literally means nine nights, is observed twice a year.

The festival lasts for nine days in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power, and fall in the months of April-May and September-October.

It is believed that during the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. (ANI)

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Veraval riots: Nanavati Commission not to issue notice against Modi

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ahmedabad, Sep.19 (ANI): In a major reprieve for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Justice Girish Thakorlal Nanavati Commission on Saturday confirmed that it would not be issuing any notice to him in connection with the communal riots in Veraval.

However, the commission has asked the State Government to give it transcripts of the conversations that took place prior to the riots, during the riots and in its aftermath.

The commission has so far given a clean chit to Modi in the post-Godhra events. The Nanavati Commission said there was no evidence to show there was lapse in Modi’s or his ministers’ role in providing protection, relief and rehabilitation to the victims of communal riots or in the matter of not complying with the recommendations and direction given by the National Human Rights Commission.

Communal attacks on Muslims took place in Gujarat between February and May 2002.

The riots occurred after the burning of the Sabarmati Express. According to official figures tabled in the parliament, more than a thousand people were killed (790 Muslims and 254 Hindus) in the violence after the train incident. More than two hundred and fifty thousand people were displaced (about 200,000 Muslims and 40,000 Hindus).

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch criticized the Indian government for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of people, “overwhelming majority of them Muslim,” who fled their homes for relief camps in the aftermath of the events.

Many of the investigations and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots have been opened for reinvestigation and prosecution. According to an official estimate, 1044 people were killed in the violence, including those killed in the Godhra train fire. Another 223 people were reported missing, 2,548 injured, 919 women widowed and 606 children orphaned. About 100,000 Muslims and 40,000 Hindus were in relief camps. (ANI)

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Kashmir almonds ready to hit markets

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Werwan (J-K), Sept 19 (ANI): With the almond harvesting reaching its final stages, the growers are gearing up to hit the local market in Kashmir.

Residents of Werwan village in Pulwama district, very famous for almonds, are busy harvesting the almond crops.

Eighty-five per cent people are doing the almond business. These days, they are very busy in harvesting.

“This year, the almonds were bigger and the kernel was also large. We hope that this year because of good quality, we will get good rates for our almonds,” said Jan Muhammad Lone, a grower.

With a comparatively good and timely rainfall this season, the state authorities are hoping for a better return for the growers.

“This year and even last year, the kernel developments were excellent. Compared to last year, this year we have received timely rainfall during the fruit development months of almonds that is May and June.

Therefore, the almond farmers are quite happy that their crop yields are good and they will receive good money of it,” said Manzoor Ahmed, a horticulture development officer.

Shalimar, Makdoon and Waris are some of the varieties of almonds that are grown in Kashmir. By Afzal Butt (ANI)

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Planck spacecraft obtains first peek of big bang’s ‘afterglow’

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 18 (ANI): European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Planck spacecraft has obtained its first peek at the afterglow of the big bang, revealing it in unprecedented detail.

The ESA spacecraft was launched into space on May 14 this year. It is observing the glow of hot gas from just 380,000 years after the big bang, called the cosmic microwave background (CMB).

According to a report in New Scientist, the detailed properties of this background may contain hints of hidden extra dimensions or multiple universes, as well as providing clues to what caused a brief, early period of incredibly rapid cosmic expansion.

Planck began surveying the microwave background on August 13, a few weeks after reaching its planned perch 1.5 million kilometres from Earth at a point called L2 and cooling its detectors to within 0.1 degrees Celsius above absolute zero.

Now, the Planck team has released the probe’s first image, an observational strip covering about 5 per cent of the sky.

Slight variations in temperature from place to place in the early universe give the image its mottled appearance.

“With a few per cent of the data in, you can see it’s working well and delivering good stuff,” said team member George Efstathiou of the University of Cambridge.

Planck is expected to provide the most detailed all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background yet, improving on the best current map, obtained by NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which launched in 2001.

Planck’s detectors have more than 10 times the sensitivity of WMAP’s, and about 2.5 times the angular resolution.

“Every strip that Planck scans, we’re getting data that is many, many times more sensitive than WMAP,” Efstathiou told New Scientist.

Although Planck was only designed to observe the sky for 15 months, the team believes it could last for more than 30 months, based on new estimates of how long its coolant will last.

The extra time will allow Planck to measure the radiation with even greater precision, since it will scan the entire sky four times – two more than originally planned. (ANI)

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Tight security at Vaishno Devi shrine ahead of “Navratri”

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Katra, Sept 18 (ANI): Security has been beefed up at the famous Vaishno Devi Temple near Jammu ahead of the nine-day “Navratri” festival.

Paramilitary and police personnel are patrolling and frisking people at important points in Katra, which is thronged by thousands of devotees every year, especially during Navratri.

The nine-day Navratri festival will begin from Saturday and the authorities claim to be in full control of the situation.

“There is much fanfare in Katra during Navratra festival and the inflow of tourists also rises manifold during those days. We have made proper security arrangements. We have taken the help of the CRPF. This time, we also have one contingent of Haryana police,” said Ashok Sharma, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

The devotees making their way to the shrine were also put through rigorous checking, a routine, exercised with extra care, considering the sensitive nature of the shrine and keeping recent threats in mind.

The devotees complied without complaining.

“There was not much trouble during the security check. We were checked several times but we did not face any problem. It was all done very safely,” said Vijay Kumar, a devotee.

‘Navratri’, which literally means nine nights, is observed twice a year.

The festival lasts for nine days in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power ,and fall in the months of April-May and September-October.

It is believed that during the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. (ANI)

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Sharad Pawar says end of season rains will help winter crops

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 18 (ANI): Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said that late end-season rains will help India’s winter crops.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Pawar said, “It’s true that because paddy area transplantation has been dropped, but the late rains are very helpful particularly for Punjab, Haryana, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.”

“There would not be any pressure on food grains supply, as the stock position was good,” Pawar added.

Meteorological Department has said that since June 1, monsoon rains have been 20 percent below normal and heavy showers in the past week have reduced the total seasonal deficit by three percentage points.

Met department said the country can expect heavy rains for at least another week, but the withdrawal of the monsoon, which usually begins to wind down in early September, would be delayed.

A surge in food prices unexpectedly pushed the annual change in India’s wholesale price index into positive for the first time since late May, putting pressure on the central bank to bring forward an exit from its easy monetary policy.

The annualised wholesale price index rose by an unexpected 0.12 percent in the year to September 5, compared with the previous week’s 0.12 percent fall and analysts’ forecast of a 0.08 percent decline.

The food articles sub-index rose an annual 15.4 percent, up from the previous week’s 14.8 percent rise, as a dry spell hit nearly half of India’s districts, hurting summer crops and prompting the government to take steps to raise supplies. (ANI)

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Rashtriya Janata Dal celebrates good show in by-polls in Bihar

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, Sep 18 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) celebrated its good show in state by-election on Thursday.

The RJD-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) won eight seats in the by-election for 18 legislative assembly seats, a major setback to ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

JD (U) bagged three seats while its ally Bharatiya Janata Party won two seats.

RJD activists gathered at the party office and burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the win.

Rabri Devi, leader of opposition in Bihar legislative assembly, termed the results as referendum against the ruling government.

“Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar is fooling the public. The people of Bihar have understood it and that’s why they have rejected the ruling party. I congratulate the people of Bihar. I am sure that people will keep on voting for Rashtriya Janata Dal alliance,” said Devi.

RJD failed poorly in Lok Sabha election in April-May this year, winning just four seats out of the total 40 in Bihar. (ANI)

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Pakistan got 970-mn dollars and not 3-bn dollars from US

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep 17 (ANI): The United States has provided 970 million dollars in aid to Pakistan since the PPP-led Government came to power and not three billion dollars as claimed by US Ambassador Anne Patterson, a Pakistani Finance Ministry official has said.

The statement of US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, about giving 3 billion dollars assistance to the Zardari Government even surprised the top economic managers of the country. They were completely clueless about the figure of 3 billion dollars floated by the US.

“Out of the total 970 million dollars funding, a major chunk of 550 to 600 million dollars was in shape of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) as it was the money which was spent by Pakistan on military’s movement and it took several months for clearance from the US authorities,” The News quoted a a senior official of the Finance Ministry, as saying.

The US has provided less than one billion dollars to Pakistan since the PPP-led government came into power, he said.

The US provided 497 million dollars in shape of CSF in May 2009. Earlier, the US provided around 100 million dollars on the same head a couple of months back – at the end of last financial year.

Around 300 million dollars were provided through USAID during the last financial year. Recently, the US authorities provided over 100 million dollars for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the Malakand Division.

“The US ambassador should provide details of 3 billion dollars assistance given to Pakistan during the last one and a half years period,” the official said.

Official sources pointed out that Pakistan was bearing the borrowing cost owing to delays in payments from the US related to the CSF. (ANI)

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NASA’s Swift satellite makes best-ever ultraviolet portrait of Andromeda galaxy

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 17 (ANI): NASA’s Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet.

The galaxy, known as M31 in the constellation Andromeda, is the largest and closest spiral galaxy to our own.

“Swift reveals about 20,000 ultraviolet sources in M31, especially hot, young stars and dense star clusters,” said Stefan Immler, a research scientist on the Swift team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“Of particular importance is that we have covered the galaxy in three ultraviolet filters. That will let us study M31′s star-formation processes in much greater detail than previously possible,” he added.

M31, also known as the Andromeda Galaxy, is more than 220,000 light-years across and lies 2.5 million light-years away.

On a clear, dark night, the galaxy is faintly visible as a misty patch to the naked eye.

Between May 25 and July 26, 2008, Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) acquired 330 images of M31 at wavelengths of 192.8, 224.6, and 260 nanometers.

The images represent a total exposure time of 24 hours.

The task of assembling the resulting 85 gigabytes of images fell to Erin Grand, an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland at College Park who worked with Immler as an intern this summer.

“After ten weeks of processing that immense amount of data, I’m extremely proud of this new view of M31,” she said.

Several features are immediately apparent in the new mosaic.

The first is the striking difference between the galaxy’s central bulge and its spiral arms.

“The bulge is smoother and redder because it’s full of older and cooler stars,” Immler explained. “Very few new stars form here because most of the materials needed to make them have been depleted,” he added.

Dense clusters of hot, young, blue stars sparkle beyond the central bulge.

M31′s disk and spiral arms contain most of the gas and dust needed to produce new generations of stars.

Star clusters are especially plentiful in an enormous ring about 150,000 light-years across.

“Swift is surveying nearby galaxies like M31 so astronomers can better understand star- formation conditions and relate them to conditions in the distant galaxies where we see gamma-ray bursts occurring,” said Neil Gehrels, the mission’s principal investigator at NASA Goddard. (ANI)

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Twitter could help track swine flu spread

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): People’s updates on popular social networking websites such as Twitter about having coughs and colds could help health officials track early warning signs about flu outbreaks.

The Health Protection Agency annual conference at Warwick University, UK, heard that such websites could indicate an outbreak of flu earlier than conventional disease surveillance methods based on doctor visits.

Combing for messages or “tweets” such as ‘I have flu’ or ‘I’ve got swine flu’ may help provide valuable insight into the spread of infectious diseases, research showed.

Ed de Quincey, a computer scientist at City University London conducted the research and developed the system with his team at the City eHealth Research Centre.

“As UK public health agencies and the NHS are preparing for the approaching flu season amid the H1N1 pandemic, new forms of social interaction via web sites such as Twitter and Facebook can expand the sources used in monitoring such outbreaks,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“The flu pandemic was the perfect opportunity to test this idea and we found that at least 4,000 people reported flu symptoms via Twitter since May 2009.

“We are currently analysing over a million ‘tweets’ that we have collected and exploring the potential of incorporating data from other social networking websites. We hope in the future to expand this approach to investigate other health issues such as drug and substance abuse,” he added. (ANI)

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Pak-New Zealand ODI series to be held in UAE

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep 14 (ANI): Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ijaz Butt has said that he has had constructive talks with Emirates Cricket Board officials about holding a proposed ODI series against New Zealand there later this year.

Butt, who is in London, said that he would officially announce the venues for the four One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches on Monday after returning home.

“The venues, 90 per cent, would be Abu Dhabi and Dubai once again,” The News quoted Butt, as saying.

New Zealand has refused to tour Pakistan for the scheduled series in October this year because of the volatile security situation in the country.

However, it has agreed to play the matches at neutral venues and host the three Tests in New Zealand in November-December.

Pakistan has already played a one-day series with Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in April-May this year.

Butt visit to the Emirates came after differences erupted over the hosting fees being demanded by the Abu Dhabi and Dubai cricket bodies.

After meeting with the Emirates board officials, Butt travelled to London where he held two rounds of talks with Giles Clarke who heads the Wales and English cricket Board and also leads the special task force of the International Cricket Council formed to explore possibilities for resumption of international cricket in Pakistan. (ANI)

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Congress screens aspiring candidates for polls in Maharashtra

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep 12 (ANI): Congress party has begun shortlisting candidates aspiring for party’s nomination for the October 13 assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Congress party, which is running a coalition government with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra for the second term in a row, is yet to sort out hiccups on seat sharing with its ally.

As the days for nominations to open on September 18 draws close, state Congress party leaders went in a huddle in Mumbai to screen aspirants seeking ‘ticket’ to contest polls on the party symbol.

“I have given my profile, I have told about major problems in our area including drinking water and irrigation and people do not get benefited from the policies of the government,” said Anil Chandra Kumar Gupta, an aspirant from Tiroda seat of Gondia district.

Congress party, which also heads the central coalition, is on a high after its good performance in the April-May general elections. (ANI)

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Lover of collapsed MG Rover director paid 1.7-mn pounds for a year’s work

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 12 (ANI): MG Rover’s director paid his lover 1.7 million pounds for a year’s work, according to a report on the collapse of the car manufacturing giant.

In May 2000, the Phoenix consortium-John Towers, Nick Stephenson, Peter Beale and John Edwards-acquired the business for a nominal 10 pounds from BMW.

BMW ensured that MG Rover could survive for a few years. But from the outset, it was clear that it had no long-term future unless it could find a substantial business partner within the motor industry.

The report into the demise of the giant compiled by Gervase MacGregor, a partner at the accountants BDO Stoy Hayward, and the barrister Guy Newey QC condemns the consortium which made a fortune out of the collapsed car maker, The Independent reports.

They reported that the four directors supplied inaccurate and misleading information about Rover’s finances to MPs, and singled out evidence Beale gave to the Commons trade and industry select committee.

They expressed concern over the plainly excessive fee of almost 1.7 million pounds paid to Dr Qu Li for advice she gave the Phoenix management about potential business partners in China.

For some of the time Dr Li was paid by Rover, she and Stephenson were having an affair. The report protested about the poor “corporate governance” of the Phoenix team: some board members were not invited to several board meetings and inaccurate minutes were taken of discussions.

Despite the failure of MG Rover between 2000 and 2005, the Phoenix Four continued to pay themselves generously right up to the group’s demise in 2005.

Towers, who led the buyout, was paid 8.96 million pounds, Stephenson 8.98 million pounds and Edwards received 9.02 million pounds. Beale, who is accused of misleading the parliamentary inquiry into the company’s collapse, was paid 8.98 million pounds over the four years, while Howe pocketed 5.71 million pounds.

The report cleared ministers of blame for MG Rover’s demise. (ANI)

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Mafia may be behind Berlusconi’s sex scandal, claims coalition partner

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 12 (ANI): Responding to the sex scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi, Umberto Bossi, the key coalition partner in the Italian PM’s government, said he believed Mafia had orchestrated all the dirty activities.

“I think everything has been put in place by the Mafia,” Bossi, the leader of the Northern League, said as he arrived at an event in Pian del Re in the north of the country.

He added: “We have introduced very tough laws against the Mafia.

“I already said to Berlusconi, ‘Look out because the Mafia is involved in that; the Mafia organises prostitution’. I am convinced that the Mafia organised this thing here.”

On Thursday, for the first time, Berlusconi admitted that Giampaolo Tarantini, a businessman, had brought “beautiful women” to his parties but denied that he had ever paid for sex, reports The Times.

In May, Berlusconi’s estranged wife, Veronica Lario, had announced that she wanted a divorce from the premier after accusing him of being “not well” and obsessed with young women.

She was apparently furious over his attendance at the 18th birthday party of an aspiring lingerie model, Noemi Letizia.

Later an escort, Patrizia D’Addario, claimed that she and another prostitute had sexual intercourse with the prime minister at his official residence in Rome following a private party. (ANI)

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Brit woman thinks she has finally found Mr. Right in sixth hubby!

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 11 (ANI): A Brit woman, who has spent 31-years looking for Mr Right, thinks that she has finally found him in her sixth husband.

Lady Rosemaris Chanie-Cridge, 50, a former dancer and actress, saw her five previous marriages last between 18 months and ten years, with her choices ranging from a wealthy property developer to a Texan Marine named Butch Gayheart.

Now, Lady Rosemaris, who has kids Sabrina, 23, Krystle, 24, and 14-year-old Joshua by two different men, says that she has found her true love in plumber Gary Cridge, 40, who she met last year when he came to fix her washing machine.

“I really have found my Mr Right after all these years. Each time I thought the marriage was going to last. I said my vows with sincerity,” the Sun quoted her as saying.

She met her first husband, 25-year-old Michael Robins, at the age of 17 and they wed two years later.

“He was extremely attractive, I fell in love immediately,” she said.

They had a church wedding in Ealing, West London, in 1978, but the marriage broke down after two years.

“I was devastated – I thought that marriage was for life. My parents split up when I was three. I became obsessed with the idea that my marriage would be different,” she said.

She then wed former Marine Harry ‘Butch’ Gayheart, 25, in 1983 but split after two years.

“He proposed after a month. He was so romantic and seemed to offer the love I craved,” she recalled.

Property developer Gordon O’Shea, 40, became her third husband, but the marriage did not last when he decided to give his money away and go to Africa to work as a missionary.

They divorced in 1989 after 18 months of marriage.

Lady Rosemaris met Goran Koroliga at a cocktail party in LA and they wed in 1990, but split after two years.

Her fifth marriage, to Max Jesson in 1997, lasted a decade and left her “absolutely devastated” when it ended.

But Lady Rosemaris, of Banstead, Surrey, believes her new love will last forever after marrying Gary in May.

“I told him about my past. A lot of men would have felt intimidated, but it didn’t matter to him,” she said.

“When I said my vows, they seemed extra special. I always knew true love was out there. I’ve finally found the man of my dreams,” she added. (ANI)

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Aarushi murder case: CBI reconstitutes team

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 9 (ANI): The CBI has reconstituted its team of officials investigating the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case.

CBI chief Ashwani Kumar took the decision in this effect, as he did not agree with the line of investigation taken by the team, sources said.

The new will most probably start investigation right from scratch as now even the vaginal swab of 14-year-old Aarushi seems to have been misplaced or not taken at all, they said.

Sources said that there was no semen, as alleged initially, in the slides sent to the centre and corroborative testing revealed that the material was not drawn from Aarushi.

Aarushi was found murdered in her Noida home on May 15, 2008. Their domestic help Hemraj was later found dead on the rooftop. (ANI)

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Hilary Swank says there was no ‘spark’ when she first met beau John Campisi

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 8 (ANI): Hilary Swank has said that there was no initial “spark” between her and new beau John Campisi because both of them were nursing a broken heart at the time, and their romance was completely “unexpected”.

Hilary was in the process of divorcing Chad Lowe when she started working with John in May 2006.

“There was no spark. What’s interesting is, there was never anything. It wasn’t until we were well into the dissipation of our respective relationships. Going through something so difficult at the same time, we became very good friends. We became closer and closer,” Contactmusic quoted Swank as telling Britain’s Hello! Magazine.

“It was so unexpected. We both recognised that if we were going to take the relationship to the next step, we could no longer work together,” she added.

While the 35-year-old star has no intention of marrying John, 41, in the near future, she hopes to start a family with him one day.

She even enjoys spending time with his son Sam, from a previous relationship.

“Sam’s a sweetheart. I most definitely want children. It’s something I’d like to do someday. And when the timing is right I’ll hopefully know it,” she said. (ANI)

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Boy George turns to raw diet to shed ‘jail weight’

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 8 (ANI): Fallen pop star Boy George has reportedly turned to a strict diet of uncooked food to shed weight he gained as he served his sentence in jail.

The former Culture Club frontman, real name George O’Dowd, was also said to have resorted to a gruelling exercise routine to get back in shape.

“He’s on a raw food regime and doing an hour’s walking a day,” Contactmusic quoted friend of the star as saying.

“He’s also got some DJ shows lined up so hopefully things are back on track,” the friend added.

The ‘Karma Chameleon’ singer was jailed in January for falsely imprisoning a male escort in his flat and beating the 29-year-old after a drug-fuelled nude photo shoot in 2007.

The 48-year-old was granted early release in May for his good behaviour, but was let off with a curfew and an ankle monitoring tag that was recently removed. (ANI)

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Boy George plans comeback after prison release

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 8 (ANI): Former Culture Club frontman Boy George is drawing plans to head back to the studio and resurrect his career just fourth months after he walked free from jail.

The fallen pop star, real name George O’Dowd, was jailed in January for falsely imprisoning a male escort in his flat and beating the 29-year-old after a drug-fuelled nude photo shoot in 2007.

The 48-year-old was granted early release in May for his good behaviour, but was let off with a curfew and an ankle monitoring tag that was recently removed.

And now, the singer has revealed that he is preparing material for a new album of cover songs.

“I’m choosing songs that speak to me and have lyrics that reflect my personal journey and experiences,” Contactmusic quoted him as telling British newspaper The People. (ANI)

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