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Thursday, May 27, 2010

‘No frontal nudity for me’ Sherlyn Chopra

Sherlyn ChopraSherlyn Chopra on the cover of Playboy magazine may seem like a far-fetched thought for most, but the item girl claims the international magazine, which has made the who’s who of Hollywood shed their clothes, approached her to be on its cover. “Got a Playboy cover offer. Don’t know what to say,” posted Sherlyn on her Twitter account last week.

Before long, the actress, predictably enough, did a U-turn, explaining why she couldn’t go ahead with the offer. “I guess it’s my Indianness to blame. I adore nudity. It is pure and it projects the subject in its most genuine form. But to do full frontal nudity is something I am not ready for,” she said.

Ironically, the actress had posted a picture of herself in the buff on Twitter only last week. And, in earlier interviews, she even claimed that she would “love to be on the (Playboy) cover and make India proud.”

While Sherlyn’s claim sounds suspicious, to say the least, a close friend of the actress reveals, “It all started when Bob, the chief official Playboy photographer, saw bikini clad images of Sherlyn on the Internet and contacted her for a shoot. But the deal fell apart as they were not offering her a cover.”

In an attempt to verify Chopra’s claims, HT City contacted the Playboy head office in Chicago, but received no confirmation on the matter.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-frontal-nudity-for-me/Article1-549380.aspx
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Beauty contestant warns of 'careless sunbathing' after contracting skin cancer aged 24

 

A beauty queen contestant has issued a stark warning against careless sunbathing after revealing she developed skin cancer at the age of just 24.

Amy Hills, a finalist in the Miss York contest taking place this week, topped up her artificial tan at least once a week and refused to use suncream.

But during a routine visit to her doctor she happened to mention that a mole on her left arm had begun to change in appearance.

Amy Hills, of Selby, had a cancerous mole removed in an operation on the same day she took part in the Miss York contest

Amy Hills, of Selby, had a cancerous mole removed in an operation on the same day she took part in the Miss York contest

The dental student was horrified to be told just days later that it was cancerous.

Thankfully an operation last week revealed the cancer had not spread. However, Amy will have to have constant check-ups.

She is speaking out about her ordeal as a warning to other women tempted to take terrible risks in their quest for a golden glow.

Amy, of Selby, North Yorkshire, said: 'Like a lot of other young woman, I wanted  to look good and so would go for a tan about once a week.

'And when I sunbathed, I wouldn't normally use suntan lotion. I thought it  would never happen to me.

'But I noticed that the mole on my arm which I had always had had begun to  change about six months ago. It was darker, raised and had a jagged edge.

'The doctor called in with a colleague to have a look, and they both said it needed  to be removed as a matter of urgency. When the test results came back saying it  was cancer I was in a state of shock.

'The doctors said they were sure it was it was my sunbed sessions and sunbathing without lotion that had led to this.'

Amy underwent surgery last week just hours before she took part in a 'boot  camp' style challenge as part of the build-up to the Miss York contest.

Doctors have told her she needs a check-up every three months for the next five  years to ensure the potentially fatal cancer has not returned.

They also warned her off tanning salons for life and said she should always wear suntan lotion with a protection factor of at least 30 in the sunshine.

She added: 'It's left a dent on my arm which will always be there. They are very hopeful they have removed  everything that is cancerous.

'But if I hadn't been to the doctor about something else, I might have left it  for months more, which could have allowed it to spread further.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1281930/Sunbathing-worth-risk-warns-beauty-contestant-got-skin-cancer.html#ixzz0p9pjUcwP

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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Kendra's tape beats Kardashian’s

 

kendraKim Kadarshian has been knocked off the top spot, as sales of Kendra Wilkinson's sex tape beat Kadarshian’s.

Wilkinson's sex tape features her with boyfriend Justin Frye, and has become a hit even before its release - with pre-order figures completely overshadowing the raunchy film sold by the model-and-party girl, reports News.com.au.

Both videos have been released through pornographic video company Vivid Entertainment.

While Justin was paid 100,000 dollars for the X-rated movie, Kendra is to receive up to 50 per cent of the profits made from sales.

Wilkinson had initially tried to block the release, but after realizing that she could rake in a lot of moolah, she entered into negotiations with the video company.

The 24-year-old star, who is married to American footballer Hank Basket and has a five-month-old son Hank Baskett IV with him, started dating Justin in high school, but split from him shortly before she embarked on a relationship with Hugh Hefner and moved into the Playboy Mansion.

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Mobile phone number 0888 888 888 suspended after every user assigned to it DIES

 

A girl checks her mobile phone (file photo). Bulgarian phone bosses have suspended the number 0888 888 888 after every user assigned to it died

A girl checks her mobile phone (file photo). Bulgarian phone bosses have suspended the number 0888 888 888 after every user assigned to it died

Spooked phone bosses have suspended the mobile phone number 0888 888 888 - after every single person assigned to it died in the last 10 years.

The first owner, Vladimir Grashnov - the former CEO of Bulgarian mobile phone company Mobitel, which issued the number - died of cancer in 2001 aged just 48.

Despite a spotless business record there were persistent rumours that his cancer had been caused by a business rival using radioactive poisoning.

The jinxed number then passed to Bulgarian mafia boss Konstantin Dimitrov.

He was gunned down in 2003 by a lone assassin in the Netherlands during a trip to inspect his £500million drug-smuggling empire.

Dimitrov, who died aged 31, had the mobile with him when he was shot while eating out with a beautiful model.

Russian mafia bosses - jealous of his drug-smuggling operation - were said to have been behind the killing.

The phone number then passed to crooked businessman Konstantin Dishliev.

He was gunned down outside an Indian restaurant in Bulgaria's capital Sofia in 2005, after taking over the jinxed line.

Estate agent Dishliev had secretly been running a massive cocaine trafficking operation before his assassination.

He died after £130million of the drug was intercepted by police on its way into the country from Colombia.

Since then, the number is understood to have been dormant while police maintained an open file on Dishliev's killing and his smuggling ring.

Now spooked phone bosses are said to have suspended the number, which from an international line is +359 888 888 888, for good.

Callers now get a recorded message saying the phone is 'outside network coverage'.

A Mobitel spokesman would only say: 'We have no comment to make. We won't discuss individual numbers.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1281327/Jinxed-phone-number-0888-888-888-suspended-EVERY-user-dies.html#ixzz0oxxtdQLx

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

U.S. boy, 13, becomes youngest person to conquer Everest

 

A 13-year-old American boy today became the youngest climber to reach the top of Mount Everest, surpassing the previous record set by a 16-year-old Nepalese.

Jordan Romero called his mother by satellite phone from the summit of the world's highest mountain, 29,035ft above sea level. He is now one climb away from his quest to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents.

'He says, "Mom, I'm calling you from the top of the world,"' said Leigh Anne Drake from California, where she had watched her son's progress on a GPS tracker online.

Jordan Romero poses with his father and stepmother at a hotel in Kathmandu last month.

Jordan Romero poses with his father and stepmother at a hotel in Kathmandu last month. The 13-year-old American boy today became the youngest climber to successfully scale Everest

Intrepid: 13-year-old Jordan Romero hopes to be the youngest person to scale the world's highest mountain

Intrepid: The teenager is pictured here leaving his hotel in Kathmandu as he headed off for the challenge

Steep: Mount Everest is 29,035 high and has claimed many lives

Steep: Mount Everest is 29,035ft high and has claimed many lives

'There were lots of tears and 'I love you! I love you!"' Drake said. "I just told him to get his butt back home."

The teenager with long curly hair - who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa when he was nine years old - says he was inspired by a painting in his school hallway of the seven continents' highest summits.

"Every step I take is finally toward the biggest goal of my life, to stand on top of the world," Jordan said earlier on his blog.

The former record for the youngest climber to scale Everest had been held by Temba Tsheri of Nepal. He reached the peak at age 16.

Also today, officials said a Nepalese Sherpa who lives in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper broke his own world record by climbing Everest for the 20th time.

Apa, who goes by one name, went up with fellow climbers on a mission also to collect garbage, a growing environmental problem on the mountain.

Mountaineering Department official Tilak Pandey said several climbers took advantage of Saturday's clear weather to reach the summit.

Jordan's climbing team reached the peak hours earlier than expected.

"The first thing, they all hugged each other and said, 'I love you, I can't believe we're finally here' and started crying," said Rob Bailey.

Tag team: The teenager will be accompanied on the climb by his father Paul and stepmother Karen

Tag team: The teenager was accompanied on the climb by his father Paul (right). He is also seen here with his stepmother Karen

Jordan, from Big Bear, California, was climbing Everest with his father and three Sherpa guides. He left for the peak from the base camp on the Chinese side.

Everest was his first challenge above 26,240ft.

Unlike neighbouring Nepal, the other approach to Everest, China has no age limit for climbers. Jordan registered with Chinese officials in April, said Zhang Mingxing, secretary general of China Tibet Mountaineering Association.

No interview with Jordan would be possible until he returns to advance base camp, which could take a couple of days, Bailey said. Climbers stay overnight at three or four camps before the summit, depending on their route and pace.

Jordan carried a number of good luck charms, including a pair of kangaroo testicles given to him by a friend who has cancer.

"That's the one that probably meant the most," Bailey said.

At the summit, Jordan left behind his lucky rabbit's foot and planted some seeds that a Buddhist monk at a local monastery had given him for luck on his journey, Bailey said.

Then he took the satellite phone and called his mom.

Jordan continues the recent trend of young adventurers.

Earlier this month, 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted. Thousands lined Sydney Harbor to cheer as she cruised past the finish line in her pink yacht.

A Dutch court late last year blocked an even younger sailor, 14-year-old sailor Laura Dekker, from pursuing a similar round-the-world voyage, ordering her to prepare more and wait at least until this year before starting.

And in January, 17-year-old Johnny Collinson of Utah became the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents.

Just one mountain remains in Jordan's own quest to climb those peaks, the Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

Jordan's team leaves for Antarctica in December, Bailey said.

"A piece of cake," his mother said

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1280419/Jordan-Romero-U-S-boy-13-youngest-person-conquer-Everest.html#ixzz0oir21yVP

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Air India crash kills 158 after plane overshoots runway and bursts into flames

 

An Air India Express passenger plane from Dubai crashed outside an airport in southern India today killing 158 people when it burst into flames after overshooting the runway and ploughing into a forest.

There were only eight survivors after the Boeing 737-800, with 166 people on board including crew, appeared to have skidded off the runway in rain at Mangalore airport in Karnataka state, Air India director Anup Srivastava said.

It is not believed that any Britons were on board the plane, according to Air India's office in Mangalore.

But unconfirmed reports suggest that the Boeing 737-800 was piloted by a 53-year-old British citizen of Serbian origin who is considered highly experienced and has landed on the runway at Mangalore before. He has been named as Captain Zlatko Glusica.

Indian firefighters spray foam on the Air India plane wreckage as they try to extinguish the fire

Indian firefighters spray foam on the Air India plane wreckage as they try to extinguish the fire

A firefighter carries a child, reportedly a survivor, out of the debris of an Air India plane that crashed in Mangalore

A surviving child is taken to a hospital after the plane crash in Mangalore May 22, 2010

A rescuer runs up a hill carrying a girl, believed to be a survivor. The foam-covered seven-year-old is taken to waiting medics and rushed to hospital where she's treated for severe burns

Smoke billows into the valley after the Air India plane crashed into a gorge killing all but a few of the 169 passengers on board

Smoke billows into the valley after the Air India plane crashed into a gorge killing all but a few of the 169 passengers on board

Rescue workers pulled out scores of burned bodies from the blackened tangle of aircraft cables, twisted metal, charred trees and mud at the crash site. Many of the dead were still strapped into their seats, their bodies burned beyond recognition.

The crash happened during heavy rains that also hampered the rescue effort.

It is believed that cloudy conditions and reduced visibility may have contributed to the incident.

The airport is located on a plateau surrounded by hills, making it difficult for the firefighters to reach the scene.

Its 'table-top' runway ends in a valley. As a result, if a plane overshoots it is likely to result in a major incident, aviation experts have said.

Air India Express is the budget arm of the loss making state-run carrier Air India, which has been fending off growing competition from private airlines. First indications are that the crash was an accident, officials say.

Television channels said the plane crashed around 6:30 a.m. (0100 GMT). TV images showed it struck a forested area. Flames were seen blazing from the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.

A man who survived the Air India plane crash lies on a hospital bed in Mangalore

A man who survived the Air India plane crash lies on a hospital bed in Mangalore

Indian firefighters and rescue personnel try to extinguish the flames

Onlookers and firefighters stand at the site of a crashed Air India Express passenger plane in Mangalore May 22, 2010

Parts of the charred plane can be seen sticking up from the gorge

Survivors have told how they jumped from the plane as it began to break up.

Pradeep G Kotian, 28, said: 'The flight started fine from Dubai and there was no problem en route. The pilot announced landing and we were all prepared, with our seat-belts on.

'As soon as the plane touched the runway, it started vibrating and before we could realise what was happening, we heard a loud sound and the plane broke into two pieces. Then there was smoke and fire on the plane.'

He added that he could hear the screams and shouts of people around him but said: 'Nobody could do anything.

'Luckily, I saw the opening where the plane had split into two, and I jumped out of it. I could see three others who had also jumped out from the same opening.'

Another survivor, 47-year-old Krishnan K, thanked God for his miraculous escape.

'It happened all of a sudden and I considered myself really lucky to have survived this crash. I thank God for my survival,' he said.

Mayan Kutty, 48, believes today was 'the luckiest day of his life'.

He said: 'I consider myself really lucky. As soon as I jumped out of the plane, I spoke to my wife thinking she might be worried. But she was shocked to hear the news.'

Nearby residents rushed to the scene, describing 'shocking' scenes as they pulled charred bodies from the wreckage.

Enlarge plane crash in india

Smoke rises from the plane as rescuers and onlookers crowd around the wreckage of the Air India Express plane that crashed in Mangalore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. There are said to be eight survivors and 158 were killed

Enlarge plane crash in india

A police officer co-ordinates rescue work as onlookers gather at the site of the crash

One witness described plumes of smoke coming from the valley after the crash.

Mohammad Haris, 42, who lives near the airport, said: 'I heard a loud bang early in the morning. Initially I couldn't understand what happened, but then I saw smoke coming out from the valley near the airport.

'Along with a few other neighbours, I rushed to the spot. It was rather difficult to reach the site because of the dense vegetation. We began pulling bodies from the wreckage and one of us informed the local authorities.'

He added: 'I have never seen anything like this before. I am shocked.'

Another local resident known only as Balakrishna, 34, said: 'It took a while to absorb what had happened. After that we did what was needed to be done.'

Rescue workers estimate the efforts could carry on well into the evening, but the chances of finding any more survivors are bleak.

Scroll down to see video report

Indian firefighters and rescue personnel hose down the site while many residents look on

Indian firefighters and rescue personnel hose down the site while many residents look on

Locals break down in tears as they try to help survivors at the crash site

Locals break down in tears as they try to help survivors at the crash site

Enlarge plane crash in india

Rescue workers search for survivors amid the wreckage of the Air India Express jet which was flying in from Dubai

C Basavanna, a regional fire officer, said: 'We arrived here at 7am after receiving an emergency call. Only 30 per cent of the rescue work has been done so far and it may carry on beyond 7pm.'

Yogish Bhat, member of legislative assembly, who rushed to the scene as soon as he heard the news, said: 'Many relatives are coming to the spot. But the bodies are so charred, it is impossible to identify them here. So we are sending them to hospitals.'

It was India's first major crash in more than a decade, which has seen a boom in private carriers amid growing demand from India's middle class.

A series of near misses at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, have sparked debate about how India's creaking infrastructure was failing to keep pace with an economic boom.

One television channel showed a fireman carrying what seemed to be the remains of a child. Charred bodies lay in the forested terrain.

'The flight had already landed. There was slight rain. The flight skidded off,' witness Mohiuddin Bava told CNN-IBN channel. 'After that it caught fire. Villagers, everyone there, came to rescue.'

Enlarge A new Air India Express Boeing

An Air India Express 737-800 similar to the one which crashed today in one of the worst air accidents in India in years

plane crash map

Air India director Anup Srivastava said in a statement today: 'Air India Express regrets to announce that a B737-800 aircraft operating as flight IX-812 from Dubai to Mangalore was involved in an accident early this morning.

'The accident occurred after the aircraft landed at Mangalore airport and overshot the runway. We are confirming the number of casualties.

'We have opened helplines and are making arrangements for rescue. As per our information, the airport has been shut. We are extending our support to emergency services, relatives and investigation agencies.'

The crash is believed to be the worst in India since the November 1996 mid-air collision between a Saudi airliner and a Kazakh cargo plane near New Delhi that killed 349 people.

The last major crash in India was in July, 2000, when an Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashed into a residential area during a second landing attempt in the eastern city of Patna, killing at least 50 people.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

Mallika Sherawat’s Love, Barack Poster.

 

Quantcast

Yes, she is very much alive! In Hollywood, as she claims! And in just few months has even managed to put a fake accent. We will come to that later. BTW, first look of Mallika Sherawat’s s0-called Hollywood film is out. Have a look. Its called Love, Barack.

The film is directed by William Dear. Mallika Sherawat plays Aretha Gupta, a devoted local Obama volunteer coordinator. And a month before the election day, Democrat Aretha unexpectedly falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso),a handsome, dynamic African-American working for the local McCain office.

And coming back to her accent, click on the play button and enjoy! She was at Cannes for her film Hisss’ promotion. Interview by NDTV’s Anupama Chopra.

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How a beautiful stranger will send a man’s stress hormones soaring...especially if he’s not in the same league

 

bo derek

Sensation: Bo Derek bewitched Dudley Moore in the film 10 and scientists have shown this effect can cause inferior men health-worsening stress

A racing pulse and sweaty palms are well known as the signs of instant attraction.

Now research shows that for men just five minutes spent alone with a beautiful stranger causes so much stress it may be bad for the heart.

The effects are worst for men who might think they are not “in the same league” as the woman now sharing their space but still try to attract her interest, scientists claim.

For those men, their anxiety rate is said to be similar to jumping from an aircraft. Their cortisol levels rise even higher, bringing on the possibility of heart attacks and strokes.

It is the sort of extreme stress portrayed by Dudley Moore when encountering statuesque Bo Derek in the movie 10.

While he eventually got the girl, reality can be more painful, say experts at the University of Valencia in Spain.

‘Exposure to physical or psychological stresses for a long period of time may cause chronically elevated cortisol levels.

'That can have adverse effects on health as it worsens various disorders, such as myopathy, adult-onset diabetes, hypertension and impotency,’ said the research team.

They paid 84 male students £10 each to take part in an experiment – approved by the Faculty of Psychology’s ethical committee – which measured their cortisol levels before and after they had been left alone with a stranger.

The men, who had been told to avoid alcohol and other stimulants for 24 hours, were led to a room and given a Sudoko puzzle to solve.

Each one presumed the other two people in the room were a researcher and another student guinea pig.

When the researcher left the room –  on the pretence of getting another puzzle – the other two were left alone.

The researchers discovered that cortisol levels stayed the same when two men were together but rose when a man was left alone with what was perceived as an attractive woman.

They measured cortisol, which is secreted by the adrenal glands, by taking mouth swabs and saliva samples from the volunteers.

The team concluded: ‘In this study we considered that for most men the presence of an attractive woman may induce the perception that there is an opportunity for courtship.

'While some men might avoid attractive women since they might think they are “out of their league’’, the majority would respond with apprehension and a concurrent hormonal response.

‘This study showed that male cortisol levels increased after exposure to a five-minute short social contact with a young attractive woman. It provides evidence that interpersonal interaction can influence the secretion of cortisol.’

There are times when cortisol does have benefits. Small increases give quick bursts of energy for survival and pain endurance. But in high quantities it can lead to stress-related changes – and danger

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1270271/Beautiful-women-bad-health-raise-stress-hormones.html
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Thursday, May 20, 2010

TV to carry first abortion services advert

I had an Abortion

Image by willem velthoven via Flickr

London, May 20, 2010

Last Updated: 19:28 IST(20/5/2010)

An advert offering abortion advisory services will be screened on British TV for the first time next week, provoking opposition from anti-abortionists and religious groups.

Sexual health services provider Marie Stopes International said its campaign, which uses the slogan "Are you late?", aims to confront the taboo of abortion by offering non-judgmental advice on unplanned pregnancies.

Nearly 216,000 abortions were carried out in Britain in 2008, but according to an opinion poll quoted by the not-for-profit organisation only 42 percent of adults know where to go for specialist advice on an unplanned pregnancy apart from to their GP.

"We hope the new `Are you late?' campaign will encourage people to talk about abortion more openly and honestly, and empower women to make confident, informed choices about their sexual health," said Marie Stopes CEO, Dana Hovig.

Its helpline took about 350,000 calls last year and the organisation, which works in partnership with the National Health Service, performed about a third of all abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2009.

"Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice, and access to services," Hovig added.

The advert, which features a woman running late, will be shown on Channel 4 on Monday and run through June.

It does not mention the word abortion, but directs women with unplanned pregnancies to the Marie Stopes' 24-hour helpline, offering post-conception advice and support.
The anti-abortion Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the advert would trivialise abortion.

"Allowing abortion to be advertised on TV will lead to more unborn babies being killed and to more women and girls suffering the after-effects of abortion," said its communications manager Anthony Ozimic in a statement.

It was taking legal advice and called on the Secretary of State for Culture to intervene.
Non-commercial providers of post-conception advice services have long been permitted to advertise on British television.

The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales said services which offer or refer for abortion, whether commercial or not-for-profit organisations, should not be allowed to advertise on broadcast media.

"Abortion is not a consumer service," the Bishops' Conference said. The Christian Legal Centre also questioned the advert's legality.

"Members of the public will be enraged that such adverts are allowed to be beamed into their living rooms, especially as early as 10.10pm, when very many teenagers are around," said Andrea Minichiello-Williams, director of the centre.

Britain's independent advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority, said the advert had been cleared by the relevant body, and that it could only act once it had been aired, passing judgment on whether it was misleading or offensive.

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First Facebook, now Pakistan bans YouTube over 'un-Islamic' content

 

The Pakistan government blocked access to YouTube today in protest at its 'sacrilegious' content.

The move comes just a day after the country blocked Facebook in outrage over a page that encouraged users to submit images of the Prophet Mohammed.

The government is challenging the power of the world wide web in a growing crackdown against sites deemed offensive to the country's majority Muslim population.

Outrage: Pakistani religious students shout slogans during a protest in Karachi against the Facebook page asking using to submit images of the Prophet Mohammed today

Outrage: Pakistani religious students shout slogans during a protest in Karachi against the Facebook page asking using to submit images of the Prophet Mohammed today

Revolt: Supporters of Islamic political party Jamat-e-Islami carry placards during a protest against the international social networking website Facebook in Karachi today

Revolt: Supporters of Islamic political party Jamat-e-Islami join the Karachi protest today. A Pakistani court has temporarily banned the entire Facebook website

Today access to encyclopaedia site Wikipedia and photo-sharing site Flickr was also restricted.

But resourceful internet users simply switched to micro-blogging site Twitter to broadcast their protests against the crackdown to the world.

However, there are fears today that Twitter could become the next target as Pakistani traffic to the site surged.

'Sad and embarrassing day in the history of Pakistan. Tough times to be a Pakistani. Questionable decisions in a so-called "democracy,"' one user tweeted.

'What's common to Facebook and Lashkar-e-Taiba?' one user on Twitter wrote, referring to a Pakistani militant group that is believed to have carried out the terrorist atrocities in Mumbai.

'They are both banned in Pakistan, but Pakistanis can still find them if they want to.'

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have all been at the forefront of anti-government protests in the last few years, most notably during last year's Iranian elections.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority did not point to specific material on YouTube that prompted it to block the site, only citing 'growing sacrilegious content'.

Outcry: Female activists of Pakistani Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami carry placards as they march during a protest rally against Facebook in Karachi yesterday

Outcry: Female activists of Pakistani Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami carry placards as they march during a protest rally against Facebook in Karachi yesterday

One woman looks proud as she holds up her signing calling on Pakistanis to log out forever

One woman looks proud as she holds up her signing calling on Pakistanis to log out forever

The government took action against both Facebook and YouTube after it failed to persuade the websites to remove the 'derogatory material,' the regulatory body said in a statement.

It welcomed representatives from the two websites to contact the Pakistani government to resolve the dispute in a way that 'ensures religious harmony and respect'.

The regulatory body said it has blocked more than 450 Internet links containing offensive material, but it is unclear how many of the links were blocked in the last two days.

The Facebook page 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' encourages users to submit images of the prophet on May 20.

Images of the Prophet are considered blasphemous. A series of cartoons of the prophet published in a Danish newspaper in 2005 sparked violent protests and death threats against the cartoonists.

More students join in today's protest. As of early this afternoon, Facebook was still available in Pakistan

More students join in today's protest. As of early this afternoon, Facebook was still available in Pakistan

It was set up to protest threats made by a radical Muslim group against the creators of 'South Park' for depicting Muhammad in a bear suit during an episode earlier this year.

'We are not trying to slander the average Muslim,'' the Facebook creators wrote on the information section of the page, which was still accessible this morning.

'We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Mohammad depictions that we're not afraid of them. That they can't take away our right to freedom of speech by trying to scare us into silence.'

Pakistan blocked access to YouTube once before for two days in 2008 because of what it said was unIslamic content. Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia and Morocco have all blocked access to YouTube in the past for various reasons.

It remains to be seen how successful the government will be at keeping Pakistan's nearly 20 million Internet users from accessing the blocked sites.

Other countries, such as China, permanently ban Facebook and YouTube. But citizens often have little trouble working their way around the ban using proxy servers and other means

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1279889/YouTube-Facebook-banned-Pakistan.html#ixzz0oTE2OiI3

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Big B falls short of Sachin's Twitter record

 

New Delhi, May 19, 2010

Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan may be the megastar of Bollywood, but his draw of 37,500 fans on the first day of Twitter was far less than that of Sachin Tendulkar at 79,000.

Tendulkar was bitten by the Twitter bug early this month, while Amitabh joined Twitter on Tuesday and got plenty of welcome messages from various celebrities.

But the 67-year-old, who regularly writes on his blog and also has a mobile blog and a voice blog, is excited with his first day's experience on Twitter.
"Day 1 on Twitter, Day 757 on blog, Day 138 from the year... endless days of love and affection to those that count and follow... love,” Amitabh posted on his Twitter account. 

“33,341 followers in a few hours of starting! Tweety baby I love you!! Keep it rolling,” he added.

Currently the actor is following his son, Abhishek and Sachin on the site.

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Miranda Kerr poses in another racy GQ shoot

 

Last time Miranda Kerr posed for GQ it led to one hapless Australian banker nearly losing his job.

So for his sake let's hope he isn't looking this time. The model has stripped off yet again, posing in the June issue of the men's magazine in her underwear.

Images of banker David Kiely gazing at Miranda were broadcast around the world after he was inadvertently filmed during an interview on Channel 7 news at Maquarie Bank in Sydney.

Miranda Kerr

Look away now: Miranda Kerr poses in her underwear in these new shots for GQ magazine

Miranda Kerr

More pictures can be seen in GQ

'It was a big deal,' Miranda told GQ. 'I wasn’t offended. I just felt sorry for the poor guy.

'I wonder if he’ll get into trouble if we send him this cover.'

And she said that this time she hoped Kiely would not be caught out.

'We should send him a signed cover!' she said.

'He can read the magazine at home instead of at work on the Internet.'

 

The trader was marched off the bank's trading floor by security when the incident made headlines, remaining at home while his case was decided.

Kiely kept his job when Victoria's Secret model Miranda, 26, offered her support.

Miranda told Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper: 'I am told there is a petition to save his job and of course I would sign it.'

Earlier this week, Miranda was questioned about what she finds attractive in a member of the opposite sex.

'Personally, I believe that women need to be stimulated mentally by the man,' she revealed. 'It's not necessarily about his looks.

It’s more about being stimulated mentally, like when a man is funny or he is witty or charming, I think that’s attractive. It’s all about personality, really.'

Miranda Kerr

Don't look now: The hapless banker who was caught ogling GQ photos of Miranda Kerr while at work

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1279553/Miranda-Kerr-poses-underwear-GQ-shoot.html#ixzz0oQsYpVaw

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Microsoft gives Hotmail a major makeover

 

Microsoft have given their popular free email service Hotmail a thorough spring clean.

The upgrade, expected in July, is an attempt by the software giant to get the edge over rival offerings from Yahoo and Google.

Although Hotmail remains the world's biggest email provider with 360million members sending eight billion messages a day, Microsoft fear it could fall out of favour with the rapid progress of social networking.

Enlarge Some content will be viewable on the email inbox window

Some content will be viewable on the email inbox window

So the overhauled service will automatically sort incoming messages into different categories devoted to users' key contacts and various networks. It will also sync more readily with mobile phones.

Emails sent with photos and videos will show a thumbnail previews without the user having to open an attachment or click on a link.

Other tools are being added to make it less cumbersome to send photos, videos, documents and other attachments to email recipients.

A new insert bar will allow users to send up to 10 gigabytes - about 200 photos each containing 50 megabytes - by uploading them to Microsoft's free online storage service Skydrive, where they can only be viewed by the recipients of the e-mail.

Microsoft expects this feature to be particularly popular because it says 55 per cent of Hotmail's storage is consumed by photos sent as attachments.

The Active View system will preview pictures at the top of a browser window rather than send users to a separate page

The Active View system will preview pictures at the top of a browser window rather than send users to a separate page

It's all part of the most extensive overhaul to Hotmail since Microsoft bought the service 12 years ago, said Chris Jones, a Microsoft executive who is overseeing the renovations.

'Our service wasn't doing the best job that it could,' Mr Jones admitted..

As it spruces up Hotmail, Microsoft also will try to make it more secure. Embracing a change recently made by Gmail, Microsoft is adding a so-called 'secure sockets layer' (denoted by "https" before a Web address) that encrypts email to make it less vulnerable to computer hackers.

Microsoft is hoping the added features will help overcome the perception that Hotmail was growing stale as Google and Yahoo added more bells and whistles to their free web-mail services.

Yahoo currently ranks second globally with around 284million users followed by Google's Gmail at 173million.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1279427/Microsoft-gives-Hotmail-major-makeover.html#ixzz0oIoyNv1y

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