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Friday, July 30, 2010

Mallika Sherawat Published New Topless Photo on Twitter

 

Mallika Sherawat topless Photo

Mallika Sherawat topless Photo

Mallika Sherawat promotes her upcoming Hollywood film Hisss where she plays a snakewoman and movie directed by Hollywood’s Jennifer Lynch, and also stars Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta.
Mallika’s this topless photo on the popular social networking site Twitter as a publicity stunt for her new flick Hissss. The Bollywood hot babe is seen covering her modesty with her lustrous locks and hands. With her eyes covered in kajal, and arms covered in scaly snake design the actress sure looks like a snake woman

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Vodafone Brings Solar Powered Handset To India

Vodafone has announced the launch of its first solar powered handset in India.

The phone, known as the VF 247, is targeted at India's huge rural mobile phone market. The solar powered device would be a boon to many users who face shortage of electricity in the villages of India. They will no longer be required to be near an electrical outlet to charge their phones.

The VF 247's launch comes almost a year after Samsung launched its first Solar powered phone in India the Guru 1107. According to Vodafone,  the VF 247 solar powered phone charges by itself, by exposure to ambient light. Sun Boost, the special inbuilt hardware and software, ensures that the phone charges also in a room, under normal daylight. This means one doesn't require exposure to direct sunlight. Normal ambient light should be enough to power this one. The phone requires eight hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged. Once charged, it will last for more than eight days and offer about four hours of talk time. As for the features, it boasts of an FM radio, color screen and a powerful torch light. More details are yet to be unveiled by Vodafone.

The phone is expected to be priced at around the Rs.1,500 mark and would be available across India starting next month

http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Vodafone_Brings_Solar_Powered_Handset_To_India/551-112404-893.html
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Friday, July 23, 2010

It's a starry starry Knight for Cameron Diaz as she wears stunning sparkly minidress for premiere

 

She's done her fair share of promotion for new movie Knight And Day, but Cameron Diaz is still succeeding in pulling gorgeous dress after gorgeous dress out of her bag for the film's premieres.

And tonight was no exception, as the actress looked stunning in a sparkly silver Stella McCartney minidress for the London premiere of the film.

Teaming her look with a pair of simple black heels and with her hair tied back into a simple ponytail, Cameron looked radiant as she posed on the red carpet alongside friend and co-star Tom Cruise.

Tom also looked dapper in a navy blue shirt, jeans and a pair of black shoes as he spent time meeting and greeting fans at the event in London's Leicester Square.

Hollywood pair: Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise at the London premiere of Knight And Day in London's Leicester Square this evening

Hollywood pair: Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise at the London premiere of Knight And Day in London's Leicester Square this evening

Leggy lady: Cameron's short silver dress showed off her incredibly long legs and highlighted her lithe figure

Leggy lady: Cameron's short silver dress showed off her incredibly long legs and highlighted her lithe figure

Leggy lady: Cameron's short silver dress showed off her incredibly long legs and highlighted her lithe figure

Both Tom and Cameron looked happy and relaxed at the premiere, while Cameron gave no sign of the trauma she experienced earlier in the day filming a segment for BBC2 show Top Gear.

The 37-year-old actress was shooting the 'Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car' segment for the motoring programme when she had an issue with the clutch in her red Kia and the vehicle ground to a halt in the middle of the Surrey race circuit.

A clearly-shaken Cameron then jumped out of the car and waved at the Stig for help to get the car back on the road.

Star-studded: Cameron and Tom pose in front of a huge sign for the film as they arrive at the cinema

Star-studded: Cameron and Tom pose in front of a huge sign for the film as they arrive at the cinema

Close bond: Cameron and Tom have a close friendship since working on 2001 movie Vanilla Sky

Close bond: Cameron and Tom have a close friendship since working on 2001 movie Vanilla Sky

Close bond: Cameron and Tom have a close friendship since working on 2001 movie Vanilla Sky

But there was no sign of any distress on Cameron's face as she arrived at the event tonight, giggling and laughing with Tom.

The close bond between the pair was clear to see at the premiere, and Cameron says after starring alongside Tom in 2001 movie Vanilla Sky, she was keen to act alongside him again.

Speaking about shooting new action film Knight And Day, Cameron explained: 'Every day we just went in and had a laugh.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1296897/Knight-And-Day-premiere-Cameron-Diaz-wears-stunning-sparkly-minidress-London-premiere.html#ixzz0uWkrQaTa

6.8 lakh sex workers in India, Delhi red-light capital

New Delhi is situated in the centre of Delhi

Image via Wikipedia

 

Dipak Kumar Dash, TNN, Jul 21, 2010, 12.43am IST

NEW DELHI: There are a whopping 6,88,751 "registered" sex workers in the country and it's not mandatory for them to have a health certificate on sexually transmitted diseases. Put together, these two pieces of information -- revealed by the government in an RTI reply -- should send the alarm bells ringing as unprotected paid sex is the main driver of the HIV epidemic in India.
The reply by the ministry of health and family welfare also reveals that the southern states have the largest number of sex workers, at least on government records. Andhra Pradesh leads the list with more than one lakh registered female sex workers while Karnataka has 79,000. These two states are followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Interesting, there is not a single sex worker as per government records in Dadra and Nagar Haveli as well as Daman and Diu. Jammu and Kashmir has the least number of registered sex workers -- 259.
Among the metros, Delhi leads the list. Though the capital has only one known red light area, GB Road, there are 37,900 sex workers -- more than those in India's financial capital, Mumbai.
Experts say a large number of sex workers in the country go undetected in government records. Naco estimates the total number of sex workers in India to be 12.63 lakh.
The ministry in its reply says that the calculation of the total number is based on information from state AIDS Control Societies. "The numbers are based on listings done under targeted interventions in the states and may change as per new registrations," the reply says.
Ved Pal, a resident of Delhi, who had filed the RTI, said that though he had sought information on what steps government was taking to rehabilitate the sex workers and to bring them back to the mainstream, he did not get a satisfactory reply. "The government must find a way to identify women who have entered this profession for financial compulsions and they must be rehabilitated," Pal said.
Meanwhile, the annual report (2009-10) of the health ministry's Aids control department states that India has the third largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS -- 22.7 lakh, as per the provisional HIV estimates of 2008-09.
The report says though sex workers are 0.5% of adult female population, they account for 7% of HIV-infected women. "Sex work continues to act as the most important source of HIV infections in India due to the large size of clients that get infected from sex workers... Men who buy sex are the single most powerful driving force in India's HIV epidemics and constitute the largest infected population group in the country," the report adds.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/68-lakh-sex-workers-in-India-Delhi-red-light-capital/articleshow/6193566.cms
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Azhar rubbishes reports about romance with Jwala

 

Press Trust of India, Updated: July 23, 2010 16:23 IST

New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin on Friday sought to scotch speculation of his romantic relationship with Jwala Gutta, saying the ace badminton doubles player is just a "good friend."
According to media reports, Azharuddin has been dating 26-year-old Jwala and is on the verge of filing for divorce from his wife of 14 years Sangeeta Bijlani within a week.
However, Azharuddin, a Congress MP from Moradabad, rubbished all such reports, terming them as baseless, fabricated and in bad taste.
"These reports are completely rubbish, baseless and are in bad taste. I am very hurt by all these. I know Jwala, she is a good friend of mine and to write such reports which are completely false and fabricated is disgusting," a livid Azharuddin said.

Azhar said these are motivated by people in the Badminton Association of India, who want to tarnish his image since he tried to contest for the presidential elections last month.
"These are planted stories and motivated by people, who are against me in the Badminton Association of India. I think they should look into their homes first before casting aspersions on others and make such allegations," he said.
"Jwala is a very good player and she is a great prospect for the country. She has been doing well and will win many medals for the country in future. So I just want to request everybody to just leave her alone and not get her into this cheap controversy," he added.
World number seven mixed doubles player Jwala is married to India's ace shuttler Chetan Anand, who is also the current national champion.
According to the media report, which quoted a source from the Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association, Jwala was seen many times with Azharuddin after her practice session at the Gachibowli stadium.
The 47-year-old cricketer was also spotted with Jwala during the Asian Badminton Championship in Delhi.
Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs for India and has two sons -- Asaduddin and Abbasuddin -- from his eight-year marriage to first wife Naureen.
After his divorce with Naureen, he married Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/sports/azhar-rubbishes-reports-about-romance-with-jwala-39244?cp

Azharuddin planning to divorce Sangeeta Bijlani?

Updated on Friday, July 23, 2010, 17:10 IST

  
Mumbai: If the latest buzz is to be believed, former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has had a major fall out with his second wife, Sangeeta Bijlani, and is contemplating to divorce her. The couple has been married for the past fourteen years.

According to a news daily, Azharuddin is currently dating Jwala Gutta, ace Indian badminton player, who is ranked seven in mixed doubles in the world. Jwala is married to Chetan Anand, who’s also one of India’s ace badminton players.
Talking to the news daily about Azharuddin-Jwala’s alleged love affair, an anonymous source from the Andhra Pradesh Badmintion Association said, "Whenever he (Azharuddin) is in Hyderabad, he is seen in Pullela Gopichand`s academy where Jwala practises and they both leave together. They head to some hotel but I am not sure if they stay together in the same room."
Meanwhile, Azharuddin has refuted the news, calling the split up rumours baseless and illogical.
"These reports are completely rubbish, baseless and are in bad taste. I am very hurt by all these. I know Jwala, she is a good friend of mine and to write such reports which are completely false and fabricated is disgusting," a livid Azharuddin told.
However, when contacted, Jwala said, “You can write what you want, it`s neither a yes nor a no.”
However, Chetan Anand downplayed the entire issue and said, “It`s a personal issue and I don`t want to comment anything.”

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Buzz off, wrinkles: An anti-ageing cream with an electric charge.

 

Have you heard the latest buzz? Forget fancy ingredients with unpronounceable names, what's getting the beauty business excited right now is something a little more, well, current. Electrical micro-current, to be precise.

Kate Moss recently confessed that she was addicted to a hand-held anti-ageing gadget called Tua Viso (£179, tinarichards.com).

It uses electrical micro-currents to lift facial muscles and stimulate new collagen in a similar way to traditional CACI electrical facelifting treatments.

Meanwhile, Parisian beauty guru Dr Veronique Simon has arrived in London with her patented anti-ageing mask, which uses micro-currents to push collagen into the skin for a replumped look which A-listers and foreign royals are queuing up for.

Young woman wrapped in el-wire

Feel the force: New creams harness the power of natural electricity

Using similar technology, but for home use, Estee Lauder recently launched Perfectionist Power Correcting Patches (£80 for eight pairs of patches), which contain a paper-thin battery to deliver a gentle micro-current of energy to drive anti-ageing peptides deeper into the skin and 'dramatically reduce the look of eye lines and wrinkles in just 20 minutes'.

But the newest and most innovative use of 'bio-electricity' is also the most astonishing - it comes in the form of a cream.

It has long been understood that skin cells naturally communicate and stimulate repair and regeneration via tiny electrical currents. These currents are stronger in young skin, and weaken as we age.

This knowledge inspired U.S. scientists at Johnson & Johnson, parent company of the skincare giants RoC and Neutrogena, to discover a way to harness the power of natural bio-electricity in a pot. And this year, both companies launched new high-tech skin creams which claim to do just this.

Described as a 'true revolution in skincare' RoC's Brillance range contains E-Pulse Skin Electro-Stimulation Technology, which is protected by no less than ten U.S. patents, while Neutrogena's Clinical Skin Care also contains a patented ion2 complex.

Both claim to rejuvenate in a similar way - by producing low level micro-currents to boost collagen, making skin appear firmer, smoother and less wrinkled.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1295763/An-anti-ageing-cream-electric-charge-isnt-shocking-think.html#ixzz0uL6Q7bA8

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Here's how to download new rupee symbol for free

 

MANGALORE: Fret no more about downloading the rupee symbol on to your computer. The symbol may take a while to appear on the keyboard but can

Rupee

rightaway be typed as a character, thanks to a newly-created font.
Mangalore-based Foradian Technologies Pvt Ltd has created a font called Rupee_Foradian. It can be downloaded from the company’s blogsite — http://blog.foradian.com — and used for free.
The company's CEO Unni Koroth told TOI that it was "something of an amusement to us in this era of technological advancement" that the government of India said it would take more than a year for the symbol to become commercially available. "We thought of doing something about it," he said. The company created a vector image of the new rupee sign and mapped the 'grave accent' symbol — the key just above the tab button on the keyboard — with it. This keystroke was chosen because most users and programmers don't use it.

Within the hour, the trial version of the font was downloaded 1,100 times. When downloads crossed the 5,000 mark, the company worked on the full version, which it has also made available for free on the site. A YouTube video — www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSfhzuU7Crw — shows how easy it is to use the symbol. Many users of social networking sites have started using it, as have hundreds of bloggers. Version 2.0 of the font was released within 24 hours of the announcement of the rupee symbol.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Joss is named latest Bond girl

 

She first emerged as a teenage soul singer from Devon, who preferred going barefoot and wearing grungy clothes than dressing up for the red carpet.

But today Joss Stone emerged as a stunning, sleekly-styled young woman as she posed at the launch of the new James Bond video game, James Bond 007: Blood Stone.

The 23-year-old singer looked glamorous in the tight black dress embellished with diamantes and sky-high black heels as it was revealed she has been cast as femme fatale Nicole Hunter in the digital game.

From scruffy to sleek: Joss Stone looked worlds away from her former bedraggled appearance as she posed at a press launch today (right)

Bond girl: Joss Stone was unveiled as the femme fatale Nicole Hunter in James Bond 007: Blood Stone, the new video game

From scruffy to sleek: Joss Stone looked worlds away from her former bedraggled appearance as she posed at a press launch today (right)

Stone said: 'I'm the first Bond girl from the West Country - instead of Martini in my glass I'm drinking cider and nobody will ever know.'

And the pierced singer also pointed out: 'I'm the first Bond girl with a nose ring.'

The Brit Award-winning artist has also penned an original song for the game with Eurythmics star Dave Stewart - swapping her R&B sound for something more 'Shirley Bassey', she said.

'Oh my God, Shirley Bassey rocks and nobody will ever get to there,' Stone said.

'She's really powerful but there's no ad-libbing or warbling because it wasn't needed. I was just inspired by her and I tried to sing it in a really straight, powerful way.

'But I haven't really got a big voice like Christina Aguilera or somebody, it's trickery, I'm just loud and I can fake it a little bit.'

Career comeback: Stone also revealed she is planning a new album, in the style of Shirley Bassey

Career comeback: Stone also penned a new song for the game, in the style of Shirley Bassey

Stone said she played her Bond girl a 'bit like a posh version of Paris Hilton.'

The game is not her first acting role. She has previously played 'the ugliest woman in Europe' -  Anne of Cleaves - in BBC2's The Tudors, so a Bond girl was an 'ego boost'.

Fake lashes leaving women 'bald' as race for eyelash thickener crashes Boots website

 

fake eyelashes

Popular: Debenhams has reported a 1,000 per cent increase in the sales of false eyelashes in the last year

When it comes to a woman's eyelashes, fashion dictates that big and batable is best.

But it seems the popularity of false eyelashes has fuelled an unwelcome side effect.

The news comes after thousands of women crashed the Boots website as they clamoured to get hold of a new 'miracle' eyelash thickener.

Growing numbers of women are turning to hair transplant surgery after damaging their natural lashes through repeat use of false ones and extensions, experts said.

A specialist in intricate hair transplant surgery has been approached by more and more young female patients left with a bald patch on their eyelid.

The glue used to fix the lashes can pull natural eyelashes out as the fake set is removed, and if repeated frequently can stop hair growing.

Such is the popularity of false eyelashes - sported by celebrities from Cheryl Cole to Katie Price - that some women wear up to three pairs at the same time for maximum impact.

Dr Bessam Farjo, of the Manchester-based Farjo Medical Centre, said: 'We're seeing a significant number of enquiries from patients who have suffered from damage caused by repeatedly wearing false eyelashes.

'As with any hair follicle, eyelashes will cease to grow if they are repeatedly plucked out at the root.

'Hair transplant surgery may seem like an extreme solution, but in many cases it's the only way to restore hair permanently,' he said.

His £3,000 procedure removes hair from the back of a patient's head and implants it into the eyelid. The implants grow just like head hair and need regular trimming.

The surgeon then threads the hair through the upper eye lid in the same spot that the natural eyelashes would grow. Any number of lashes from just a few to up to about 50 can be 'transplanted' this way, under a local anaesthetic.

They are then cut to the appropriate length and the patients has to trim them.

Over the last twelve months, Debenhams reported a 1,000 per cent increase in sales of fake eyelashes.

Pandemonium: The Boots website was crashed as women raced to buy the new eyelash enhancer

Pandemonium: The Boots website was crashed as women raced to buy the new eyelash enhancer

More than 1,000 women had already joined a waiting list for the £39.99 RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum, which went on sale yesterday.

The 'miracle' serum claims to boost the length and thickness of eyelashes by fifty per cent with daily use.

Yesterday a tube of the serum was sold every minute in Boots stores as women dashed to the shops on lunch breaks or on the way home from work to snap up the new product.

And last night the website was so inundated with women trying to snap up tubes of the serum online that it crashed under the strain.

A spokesman for Boots, who are selling the product exclusively, said it had been one of the most popular lines it had ever stocked.

The product could go on to become an even bigger sensation that Boots' flagship anti-aging serum, No 7 Protect and Perfect.

A 2007 BBC Horizon programme showed how the £19.75 cream reduced the appearance of lines and wrinkles more effectively than any of its more expensive rivals
At one point a pot of the cream was being sold every ten seconds and Boots was forced to draft in emergency supplies.

Like Protect and Perfect, the new Rapidlash serum  is reported to have produced startling growth in trials.

If applied nightly,. the clear serum is said to make eyelashes to appear significantly longer after just four days.

Some testers reported that friends had asked them if they were wearing false eyelashes after they had been using the product.

'I have been lucky enough to trial this product for Boots, and have been using it daily for the past four months,' one tester said.

'Put simply, this product is amazing!

'It really delivers its promise as my lashes are now fuller, thicker and considerably longer than before.'

A spokesman for Rapidlash said the response to the product had been 'out of this world.'

'Women have been telling other women that it has worked for them,' a spokesman for the company told the Daily Express.

'Rapidlash is particularly good for women with sparse lashes or even eyebrows, and can really help to boost self-esteem.'

The active ingredient in the serum, prostaglanadin, is a compound which helps gells to multiply and replenish themselves.

It is also used in treating the eye condition glaucoma.

There has been a huge scramble to develop a lash-lengthening product since it was noticed that eye drops designed to treat glaucoma had the side-effect of making lashes longer.

Although the product does not actually claim to make lashes grow faster, it contains a treatment that conditions the lashes, giving them the appearance of being thicker.

Impressive clinical trials show it gives up to 50 per cent longer-looking lashes, so long as you use it daily for eight weeks.

The science is expected to soon be applied to regular mascaras.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1295183/Race-eyelash-thickener-crashes-Boots-website.html#ixzz0tvVKZADe

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Pamela Anderson's new PETA ad branded 'sexist' and banned in Canada

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Indian government approves new symbol for rupee

15 July 2010 Last updated at 10:44 GMT

India currency symbol

Five symbols were shortlisted, and this won

India is to have a new symbol for its currency, the rupee, after the government approved the winning entry in a national competition.

The symbol is a cross between the Roman letter R and its Hindi equivalent, and was designed by a teacher at the Indian Institute of Technology.

A panel of artists, officials and bankers picked the new design.

The Indian government hopes it will soon be as recognisable as the dollar, the pound or the euro.

Correspondents say choosing the symbol reflects India's ambition to be seen as a global power.

The winning entry was one of five shortlisted in the public competition announced in March 2009. Designers were given a brief to come up with a symbol that captures the ethos and culture of India.

'Distinctive'

Until now the rupee has generally been shortened to the letters Rs or sometimes INR (Indian rupee).

India's government says these are not symbols but mere abbreviations.

The new symbol will be the "identity of the Indian currency", information minister Ambika Soni says.

"It will distinguish the rupee from other currencies."

The winning design is made up of half the letter R with a horizontal line on top and in between to make it also look like its equivalent in the Devanagari script, which used in a number of Indian languages including Hindi and Sanskrit.

It will soon be introduced on computer keyboards and banknotes in India and is expected to take a year or two to be fully implemented.

The winning entry was submitted by D Udaya Kumar, a newly-appointed teacher of design at the Indian Institute of Technology. He will receive prize money amounting to $5,350 (£3,500).

Experts say implementing a new currency symbol can be an expensive exercise.

According to one estimate, when the euro was introduced in 1999 it cost Europe's biggest companies more than $50bn to update their computer systems to deal with the changeover.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south+asia-10644730

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Friday, July 9, 2010

Scientists develop 'fake' genetically-engineered blood for use on the battlefield

 

American scientists have developed 'artificial' blood that could soon be used to treat wounded soldiers in battle.

The genetically-engineered blood is created by  taking cells from umbilical cords and using a machine to mimic the way bone marrow works to produce mass quantities of usable units of red blood cells.

Known as 'blood pharming' the programme was launched in 2008 by the Pentagon's experimental arm, Darpa, to create blood to treat soldiers in far-flung battlefields.

The firm Arteriocyte, which received $1.95 million for the project, has now sent off its first shipment of O-negative blood to the food and drugs watchdog in the US, the FDA.

U.S. soldiers carry a wounded soldier in Iraq. The breakthrough could help provide enough blood for battlefield transfusions

U.S. soldiers carry a wounded soldier in Iraq. The breakthrough could help provide enough blood for battlefield transfusions

The blood is made by using hematopoietic cells taken from umbilical cords in a process called ‘pharming’ – using genetically engineered plants or animals to create mass quantities of useful substances.

One umbilical cord can be turned into around 20 units of usable blood. A wounded soldier in the field will require an average of six units during treatment.

Blood cells produced using this method are 'functionally indistinguishable from red blood cells in healthy circulation', the company claims.

‘We’re basically mimicking bone marrow in a lab environment,' Arteriocyte boss Don Brown told Wired magazine.

‘Our model works, but we need to extrapolate our production abilities to make scale.’

If approved it could revolutionise battlefields where a shortage of blood donors can hamper treatment of wounded soldiers.

The process of giving transfusions in war zones is also made more difficult because donated blood has to be transported long distance before it reaches the field hospitals where it is urgently needed.

Enlarge Darpa launched a search for a renewable blood supply in 2008

Darpa launched a search for a renewable blood supply in 2008

Some blood is already 21 days old before it reaches patients, meaning it only has around a week-long shelf-life before it must be discarded. There are increased risks of infection or organ failure if blood is too old.

Mr Brown said: ‘Until now, the military’s strategy has mainly been contained to basically using stale blood,’

‘And they’ll set up mobile blood banks in a war zone, but even every troop rolling up their sleeve might not be enough when you’ve got a crisis with dozens or more injuries.’

Human trials are not likely until 2013, but the firm predicts the ‘pharmed’ blood could be used by the military within five years if the Pentagon calls for it sooner.

A unit of blood is around a pint and the human body contains between eight and ten pints of blood in total.

Currently, each unit made by Arteriocyte costs $5,000 to produce. If approved, the firm expects to bring this down to around $1,000 per unit by scaling up the production process.

As well as being needed by the military, 'pharmed' blood could also be used in hospitals to make up for shortfalls in blood donations if it is approved.

The 'pharmed' blood is type O negative which is the most sought after variation because it can be used with any patient, regardless of their own blood type.

Last month the US Red Cross issued an urgent appeal for blood donors to come forward after it said that its supply of O Negative blood was hitting 'critically low levels.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1293361/Scientists-develop-fake-genetically-engineered-blood-use-battlefield.html#ixzz0tG9YiJCg

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Lady Gaga rains on her own parade as she puts on wet and wild performance amid dramatic storm in New York

Lady Gaga is used to creating a storm of publicity wherever she goes.

So it seemed appropriate today that the pop diva performed to thousands of fan amidst a dramatic rainstorm.

The 24-year-old was caught in the downpour as she sang on NBC's Today Show in New York in front of around 18,000 fans at the Rockefeller Plaza.

 Singer Lady Gaga performs on NBC's

Drenched: Lady Gaga was left soaked to the skin as she performed on NBC's Today Show at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City 

But despite the adverse weather conditions the diva battled on through her set, dressed in a jumpsuit-style ensemble, split at the chest to reveal her black underwear.

The singer looked a bit of a fright after getting drenched, leaving her hair standing up on end.

But see seemed to enjoy writhing around in puddles on the stage, with the rain only adding to her lively performance.

Singer Lady Gaga

Singer Lady Gaga

Frightfully good: The singer battled on despite the inclement weather conditions but looked like she had received an electric shock as her hair stood on end

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1293458/Lady-Gaga-rains-parade-performs-amid-dramatic-storm-New-York.html#ixzz0tG5lYfUi

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Bobby Fischer's Body Exhumed In Iceland Over Paternity

 

Bobby Fischer

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Authorities in Iceland have exhumed the body of American chess champion Bobby Fischer to determine whether he is the father of a 9-year-old girl from the Philippines.

Police district commissioner Olafur Helgi Kjartansson said Fischer's corpse was dug up from a cemetery near Selfoss in southern Iceland early Monday in the presence of a doctor, a priest and other officials.

Kjartansson said the exhumation "was done in a professional and dignified way and according to law. The privacy of the deceased was protected at all times."

He said Fischer was reburied after DNA samples were taken.

Fischer died in Iceland in January 2008 aged 64. He left no will, and legal wrangling continues over his estate.

Last month Iceland's supreme court ruled Fischer should be exhumed so DNA testing could determine whether he was the father of Jinky Young, whose mother Marilyn says she had a relationship with Fischer.

Jinky, who lives in the Philippines with her mother, flew to Iceland to provide her own blood sample in December.

Fischer, who was born in Chicago and raised in Brooklyn, New York, became world famous in 1972 when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the world championship in a tournament, played in Reykjavik, that brimmed with Cold War symbolism.

Fischer became an American hero, but his later life was dominated by his erratic, eccentric behavior.

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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Trinidad's PM breaks the cultural mould

 

Page last updated at 09:17 GMT, Thursday, 24 June 2010 10:17 UK

Ms Persad-Bissessar holds the Gita as she takes the oath of office in Port of Spain 27/05/2010 Ms Persad-Bissessar is a devout Hindu

Barely 24 hours after she was sworn in as the first woman prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar donned a life jacket and waded into the flood waters to tour areas affected by torrential rains sweeping across the Caribbean.

A devout Hindu, she swore on the Bhagavad Gita - the Hindu holy book - to do her duty to her people.

Even as congratulations poured in from around the world, she remained focused on "dealing with the people's business".

It was the most important task at hand, she told her 1.3m citizens during the live televised address of her historic swearing-in ceremony.

A descendant of Indian indentured labourers who came to Trinidad to work the sugar plantations from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917, Ms Persad-Bissessar grew up with traditional Indian values and strong religious ties.

'No novice'

The landslide victory of the coalition led by her United National Congress (UNC) party in last month's election has brought a sense of euphoria and feeling of hope to this incredibly wealthy republic.

Trinidad and Tobago has sailed smoothly through the global recession, cushioned by a sea of oil and natural gas.

A woman walks past graffiti promoting Ms Persad-Bissessar in Port of Spain on 23/05/2010 Ms Persad-Bissessar ran a high-profile election campaign

The squandering of billions of dollars by the former government and alleged corruption helped bring this 58-year-old grandmother-of-two into power.

She unseated former PM Patrick Manning whose People's National Movement (PNM) party had governed the country for 42 of the 48 years since its independence from the UK.

An attorney by profession, Ms Persad-Bissessar is no novice to politics having been the MP for her area Siparia, a rural town in the south of the island, since 1995.

In the last 15 years she has weathered many political storms, even as she broke gender barriers.

Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday (1995-2001) appointed her attorney general and education minister during the UNC's first stint in office, and she even acted as PM.

But in 2007, in the lead-up to a general election, when it was clear that she was the best person to lead the party, Mr Panday refused to resign.

Ms Persad-Bissessar, who is married to a doctor and has a son, swallowed the humiliation, even giving a famous speech to the theme of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry, in which she declared her undying support for her political guru.

But all that changed last December.

As then Prime Minister Manning became increasingly unpopular, Ms Persad-Bissessar saw a golden opportunity for the opposition forces to unite to topple the ruling People's National Movement.

'Smear campaign'

But as she launched her bid to take over the UNC, Mr Panday unleashed an attack on her reputation, suggesting that she was an alcoholic.

Ms Persad-Bissessar called the accusation "total falsehood".

Ms Persad-Bissessar is of Indian origin Ms Persad-Bissessar is of Indian origin

"It is a smear campaign of lies, half-truths and innuendoes. Smear campaigns do not win elections. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words cannot hurt me."

Indeed, they did not.

On 24 January, Ms Persad-Bissessar became leader of the UNC with a landslide victory.

When Mr Panday refused to step down as leader of the opposition, she dealt with that too - persuading his loyal MPs to cross over to her side.

After she was appointed leader of the opposition, she hired the strategist who worked on Barack Obama's presidential campaign to assist her.

After a blistering, hugely expensive campaign that used high-tech, slick advertisement in all the media, including the internet, Ms Persad-Bissessar and her coalition emerged victorious.

And on 24 May she became prime minister.

Ms Persad-Bissessar has shown admirable political savvy in the last few weeks, openly courting the media and reacting swiftly to public opinion.

In her 30 May Indian Arrival Day speech she touched on "soft" issues such as race, gender and class inequality.

"As a child in the rural district of Penal I remember sharing meals from the same pot with neighbours of different racial, ethnic, social and economic backgrounds," she said.

"We all managed. If one had, then all had. Because then we were intuitively and instinctively our brother's keepers.

On her terms

"Time and circumstances have allowed many factors, including the divisiveness of some politicians, to keep us apart. But to go forward, we must go back.

"We need to rekindle those values, those strengths as a nation and as a people… And we must do so as one people with one goal."

Trinidad and Tobago's former Prime Minister Patrick Manning Ms Persad-Bissessar unseated former PM Patrick Manning

She is intensely aware of the chance she has to make and change history on these islands.

She has already shown that she will be a prime minister on her own terms.

She declined the opportunity to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because parliament had not yet been convened.

She graced the catwalk at Trinidad and Tobago's annual fashion week at the end of May.

And she also made an appearance with local chutney musicians at a show.

Ms Persad-Bissessar, who graduated top of her class from law school, also confronted the delicate issue of gender tensions.

"Looking towards the future, one of the most important issues the national community must face is the widening gap between the liberated, modern, independent women and our traditional men who are being left behind," she said.

"Women are outperforming men in almost every sphere of life in our society and the women of east Indian ancestry are no exception to this rule. They have broken the cultural mould," she said.

No-one as much as her

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