Students join hands to clean River Ganga in Varanasi

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 13(ANI): A group of students wearing anti Swine Flu masks on Thursday participated in a cleanliness drive to clean the River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi city.

Students opined that although several action plans have been announced in the past to clean up the river and millions of rupees spent, but the non-stop inflow of civic waste and industrial effluents into the river has kept it devoid of its beauty.

“We are cleaning up River Ganga. It is our national river. And, it is said that the nation comes up before religion. We used brooms, cleaned the banks of the river and removed dirt from the river,” said Taufiq, a student.

Participating students said that despite being declared as the ‘National River’, no steps had been taken to improve the condition of the Ganga, forcing them to team up to lend their bit in cleaning the river ahead of Independence Day.

Under a looming threat of the swine flu pandemic, students were also seen wearing facemasks and gloves during the exercise.

“We have worn gloves and masks because of the swine flu threat. It has been worn to prevent its spread among students and tourists coming here,” said Mayank Shekhar, another student.

In 1996, the Supreme Court had banned the discharge of effluents from various tanneries and factories located on banks of the river in Kanpur.

As of now, tonnes of waste are dumped into the river everyday. (ANI)

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Sorry, no politics for me, says actor Mohanlal

Chennai, April 19 (IANS) Malayalam superstar Mohanlal Sunday ruled out a political career for himself.

‘I am doing well in films and have no interest in politics,’ Mohanlal told reporters on the sidelines of a private function in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

The actor defended his not casting his vote despite exhorting others, citing preoccupation with work April 16.

‘I was busy shooting in Hyderabad and could not therefore exercise my franchise,’ Mohanlal said.

Ahead of the release of the remake of Hindi hit in which he shares screen-space with Tamil thespian Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal said: ‘I shall do any role as my fans do not want me to typecast in any image.’

Tags: April 16, April 19, Chennai, Coimbatore, exercise, films, franchise, hyderabad, interest in politics, Kamal Haasan, malayalam, mohanlal, political career, preoccupation, private function, screen space, sidelines, Superstar, Tamil Nadu, vote
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The choice of location and some new suggestions from India

Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

8×10 TASVEER apart from the novelty of interpreting the narrative through the photographs is also characterized by some stunning visuals of locales of Canada that set the tone of the film in the beginning. It is altogether a different issue that the film after setting the tone through the locales meanders along. As a matter of fact the choice of locations play a very important role in setting the tone of the film and no wonder the producers and the directors are at their wits end to select the locations to mesmerize and entice the audience to come back repeatedly into the cinema halls. After all it is the grandeur of the locale that is the initiating factor in setting the tone and tenor of the film.

It has also been observed that if the locations are chosen from India the ability to identify with the location is stronger than if it is a foreign country. RANG DE BASANTI and JAB WE MET are prime examples of the choice of Indian locations that set the tone for the movie. If the producer is able to bring the spectacle of the unknown India within the reach of the audience in the cinema hall then he has won half the battle. But the problem is of searching the locations.

At a time when the industry is virtually shutdown as the films are not releasing, it presents an opportune moment to suggest some of the locations that the cinema fans may be introduced to. It indeed is amazing that even after such a long time the Taj Mahal Hotel of Mumbai has not figured prominently as a back drop in any film. Now that a massive rebuilding exercise is being undertaken to build the heritage block, may be the film fraternity could come forward and used the magnificent facade of Taj as a location. After all, Taj Mahal Hotel along with the Trident and the Oberoi has been conferred with the PRIDE OF INDIA, under the National Tourism Awards for 2007.

MahaParinirvan Express is the train that covers whole of the Buddhist circuit and it has been awarded the most innovative tourism project by the government of India. A film made on the live of Buddha can be shot through the train route covered by this train, or for that matter a love story can also be shot. It was in JOHNY MERA NAAM that the backdrop of Buddhist circuit was used by Dev Anand and it is height time it is revisited again as Buddhism as a religion has great popularity internationally, and if a film is shot covering these spots it sure is going to catch the eye of foreign viewers as well. May be a Richard Gere and a Shilpa Shetty love story to begin with…

While Goa has featured in score of films, how many of he producers are aware about the fact that Karmali Railway Station at Old Goa has been cited with the award of ‘ best tourist friendly railway station’ by the GOI, and should it not for this reason feature in one of the films that is on the drawing board stage. Orissa as a state has yet to be featured with prominence in a Hindi film and may be the time for it has come.

Locations for their sheer novelty dot the landscape of the country, and there is no need to venture outside India, but these locations should be used to market the potential of the country as a tourism destination of its own kind, and if the film industry initiates the process it would ad one more feather in its crown as an industry whose heart beats and vibrates for the betterment of the country.

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immy Sheirgill goes on 3500 kilometers ‘yatra’…

After Abhishek Bachchan, it is Jimmy Sheirgill’s turn to make a whirlwind trip of multiple cities to promote his upcoming film. While Abhishek Bachchan is aiming for a Guinness record after covering six cities in 24 hours to promote DELHI 6, Jimmy Sheirgill too has gone all out to take his Punjabi film TERA MERA KI RISHTA to all parts of Punjab.

In a span of one week, he covered more than half a dozen cities by taking a 3500 kilometers road trip through Punjab. These cities were Panchkula, Chandigarh, Patiala, Mandi Gobindgarh, Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

“I was there along with Kulraj Randhawa, the leading lady of TERA MERA KI RISHTA, along with Gurpreet Ghuggi and the director of the film Navnaint Singh. All of us were together in 2-3 cars with a matador following us that had posters of the film”, says Jimmy Sheirgill who continues to stay rooted to Punjabi films in spite of his career in Bollywood.

“We wanted to promote the film in a unique way to reach out to the masses in the innermost regions of Punjab. It wasn’t a typical road show though since we had planned it more on the lines of a ‘rath yatra’. In the end we ended up having a Punjab yatra”, quips Jimmy who, after the super success of A WEDNESDAY, is going choosy with his roles and has only signed Karan Johar’s under production film MY NAME IS KHAN.

Other than promoting the film through the road trip, the cast and crew also made frequent stoppages at colleges and universities to have a direct dialogue with youth.

“In current times, you can’t stay aloof like a conventional hero and wait for audiences to reach out to you. It’s your job to reach out to the audiences. You can’t afford to have a distance from them”, Jimmy states the reason behind organizing a road trip.

Touted to be the costliest Punjabi movie ever made, TERA KERA KI RISHTA is expecting some great footfalls on it’s release if huge turnaround of crowds for it’s promotional campaign is any indication.

“Imagine 10000 odd people turning up in a mode similar to that of an election rally and screaming ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ in unison. It was surreal”, says an emotionally charged Jimmy, “For a lack of a better word, it was actually a ‘bawaal’ situation in Punjab.”

Is he going to repeat a similar exercise in future for his Hindi films too?

“Of course yes”, Jimmy is quick to respond, “Given an opportunity, I would certainly repeat this. This was a first of it’s kind of me and I couldn’t believe it since such reactions were not just in one city but literally everywhere. I guess this is what the power of communication does to you and your film.”

Presented by EROS, TERA MERA KI RISHTA also boasts of prominent Bollywood names like Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher and Archana Puran Singh in supporting roles. The film is all set for a 10th April release.

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North Korea begins fuelling rocket – CNN

North Korea has begun fuelling a long-range rocket it plans to launch between April 4-8, CNN said, starting a process that experts say means the rocket will be ready for lift-off in three to four days.

South Korea, Japan and the United States see the planned launch as a test of North Korea’s longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2, and have said it would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed after an earlier exercise in 2006.

The U.S. news broadcaster quoted a senior U.S. military official as saying North Korea had begun fuelling its long-range rocket, according to a report on its website seen in Seoul on Thursday.

North Korea has said it is putting a satellite into orbit as part of its peaceful space programme.

The launch will be the first big challenge for U.S. President Barack Obama in dealing with the prickly North, whose efforts to build a nuclear arsenal have long plagued ties with Washington.

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Sayajibaug zoo’s search for friends a huge letdown, admit authorities

The concept of ‘Friends of Zoo’ fails to catch up in Vadodara unlike in Ahmedabad and Rajkot

‘Friends of Zoo’ is a concept in which citizens are motivated to lend financial assistance to the zoo and adopt animals there. The Ahmedabad and Rajkot zoo authorities have been successful in promoting this concept, but their counterparts in Vadodara are still struggling to generate awareness about the same.

Ahmedabad zoo authorities have already collected over Rs 10 lakh; Rajkot zoo authorities have collected Rs 33,000. However, the Sayajibaug zoo has been able to collect only Rs 7,000. The reason, according to the zoo officials, is inadequate publicity about this concept.

Ahmedabad authorities said that they have been trying non-stop to bring the public closer to the wild animals. “The fact that we have collected Rs 10.94 lakh speaks for our efforts. Today, we have a group of people who are not just lending financial help but are also emotionally attached to the animals that they have adopted. This is the basic motive of the whole exercise,” said R K Sahu, Superintendent, Ahmedabad zoo.

The concept was mooted in Rajkot in July 2008. “It is not the money which is the main factor behind the Friends of Zoo scheme but it is the effort to bring people closer to the wild animals. We keep on floating different ideas that attract people. Now they are realising the cause behind the efforts and are coming forward to adopt birds and animals,” said M G Maradia, Curator, Rajkot zoo.

The situation at Sayajibaug zoo, however, is glum as people have adopted only a couple of birds. “The scheme was never given due importance, and proper publicity has not been done to attract the people. The results are evident: only a couple of parrots have been adopted by the people against the payment of Rs 7,000,” said an official at Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) refusing to be named.

VMC Commissioner M K Das also admitted that there has been a lack of effort. “It is true that we have not been successful in popularising the concept due to lack of publicity. The amount generated is also negligible. However, we are planning to make a renewed approach. A meeting of the concerned persons would be called in which prospective people who can adopt animals would also be invited,” he said.

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Varun moves SC, challenges detention under NSA

BJP’s Pilibhit candidate Feroz Varun Gandhi on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court to challenge his detention under the National Security Act for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches last month. The entire exercise on the part of the Mayawati Government was “malafide, perverse and smacks of arbitrariness and capriciousness” and intended to “sabotage his electoral debut”, Gandhi has claimed.

Agreeing to an “unlisted” submission by senior advocate Mukuk Rohtagi for the BJP leader, the Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan allowed him to file the petition later in the day and ensured it was taken up for an “urgent” hearing on Thursday itself.

Seeking a direction for his “forthwith” release, the petition of the BJP’s candidate from Pilibhit claimed that “the entire attempt is a combined effort of the District Magistrate, Pilibhit and UP government to ensure that the petitioner is not able to contest and campaign for the General Elections scheduled for next month so as to sabotage the electoral debut of the petitioner.”

“The said detention order and grounds supplied are bad in law and have been passed with political motivations,” accused Gandhi who has arraigned the Pilibhit DM and the Standing Counsel of State as parties in his petition.

The petition, filed through advocate Sandeep Kapoor of a leading law firm, Karanjawala, sought quashing of the DM’sorder invoking Section 3(2) of NSA for allegedly making inflammatory statements and causing a breach of public order when he went to Pilibhit to surrender on March 28 in cases registered against him for his communal speeches during the campaign.

The petition also alleges that Gandhi was detained under NSA as the state believed that he would be released on bail in cases registered against him for the alleged hate speeches. “It is obvious that the detention order is to overcome the grant of bail.”

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Poll panel notifies second polling phase in Karnataka

Bangalore, April 2 (IANS) The Election Commission Thursday notified the second phase of polling in Karnataka for the remaining 11 of the 28 parliamentary constituencies that will witness voting April 30, a state poll panel official said.

‘We have received the gazette notification from our New Delhi office on the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state April 30. With this, the process of filing nomination papers in 11 constituencies begins,’ an official told IANS.

In the first phase, polling in 17 constituencies will take place April 23.

‘In the second phase, last date for filing nominations is April 9, scrutiny April 11 and last date for withdrawal April 13,’ the official added.

About 10.5 million voters are eligible to exercise franchise in the second phase from the following constituencies: Bagalkot, Haveri, Dharwad, Davanagere, Shimoga, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar (SC).

The delimitation exercise has led to the formation of Haveri in place of Dharward (South) and clubbing Chikmagalur with Udupi.

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Be transparent on casino sealing, poll official tells Goa

Panaji, April 1 (IANS) The chief electoral officer in Goa Wednesday asked the state government to behave in a transparent manner over the controversial and much publicised sealing and de-sealing of offshore casino vessels and avoid ‘undue haste’ in its actions.

Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer Ajit Srivastava has directed the environment secretary to personally monitor the offshore casino issue ‘to ensure that all principles of natural justice are followed in processing all such cases’.

‘Any undue haste may not be shown without giving reasonable opportunity to affected parties in taking action, foreclosure or revocation of sealing,’ the order issued by Srivastava said.

There was a political furore last month after both the Congress-led coalition government as well as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed credit for the action taken against the offshore casinos, which have been the major flogging horse in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

Three offshore casinos – Rio, Caravela and Maharaja – were sealed by the North Goa district magistrate following recommendations from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) for alleged violation of pollution norms March 24.

However, the vessels were de-sealed only a few hours later, with the government claiming there was a ‘communication gap’ between the GSPCB and the district administration.

Srivastava had earlier issued notices to the GSPCB and the North Goa district administration, asking them to justify their action.

In his order Wednesday Srivastava added: ‘The Pollution Control Board has to ensure that the exercise conducted by them in such cases is carried out in fair and transparent manner.’

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Sayajibaug zoo’s search for friends a huge letdown, admit authorities

The concept of ‘Friends of Zoo’ fails to catch up in Vadodara unlike in Ahmedabad and Rajkot

‘Friends of Zoo’ is a concept in which citizens are motivated to lend financial assistance to the zoo and adopt animals there. The Ahmedabad and Rajkot zoo authorities have been successful in promoting this concept, but their counterparts in Vadodara are still struggling to generate awareness about the same.

Ahmedabad zoo authorities have already collected over Rs 10 lakh; Rajkot zoo authorities have collected Rs 33,000. However, the Sayajibaug zoo has been able to collect only Rs 7,000. The reason, according to the zoo officials, is inadequate publicity about this concept.

Ahmedabad authorities said that they have been trying non-stop to bring the public closer to the wild animals. “The fact that we have collected Rs 10.94 lakh speaks for our efforts. Today, we have a group of people who are not just lending financial help but are also emotionally attached to the animals that they have adopted. This is the basic motive of the whole exercise,” said R K Sahu, Superintendent, Ahmedabad zoo.

The concept was mooted in Rajkot in July 2008. “It is not the money which is the main factor behind the Friends of Zoo scheme but it is the effort to bring people closer to the wild animals. We keep on floating different ideas that attract people. Now they are realising the cause behind the efforts and are coming forward to adopt birds and animals,” said M G Maradia, Curator, Rajkot zoo.

The situation at Sayajibaug zoo, however, is glum as people have adopted only a couple of birds. “The scheme was never given due importance, and proper publicity has not been done to attract the people. The results are evident: only a couple of parrots have been adopted by the people against the payment of Rs 7,000,” said an official at Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) refusing to be named.

VMC Commissioner M K Das also admitted that there has been a lack of effort. “It is true that we have not been successful in popularising the concept due to lack of publicity. The amount generated is also negligible. However, we are planning to make a renewed approach. A meeting of the concerned persons would be called in which prospective people who can adopt animals would also be invited,” he said.

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Accidentally swallowed chopstick removed from kung fu master’s body after 20 years!

New Delhi, March 26 (ANI): Twenty years after being accidentally swallowed by a kung fu master during a training session, a chopstick has finally been removed.

The 21-cm stick was ingested by Wing Ma during an exercise.

Ma has revealed that he was conditioning his body to take pain when the accident occurred, Metro reports.

According to the China Daily, the 40-year-old was rid of the chopstick at a hospital in eastern Wuhan, China.

“It never came out the other end. I forgot about it until the other day when I started to get pains in my stomach,” he said. (ANI)

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Wearing mask in traffic reduces heart attack risk

Washington, Mar 13 (ANI): Facemasks can help prevent adverse cardiovascular effects caused by pollution, scientists have shown.

Researchers discovered that pollution from car exhausts caused arteries to stiffen, resulting in higher blood pressure and reduced blood flow to the heart, reports BioMed Central’s open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology.

Nicholas Mills from the University of Edinburgh worked with a team of researchers to investigate the cardiovascular damage that can be caused by inhaling diesel smoke.

He said, “Acute exposure to diesel exhaust is associated with an immediate and transient increase in arterial stiffness. This may, in part, explain the increased risk for cardiovascular disease associated with air pollution exposure”.

To reach the conclusion, the researchers invited a group of 12 non-smoking young men to cycle on exercise bikes while breathing air that had either been filtered or been contaminated with smoke from a diesel engine.

They found that when the subjects were exposed to the polluted air, the blood vessels in their wrists temporarily lost the ability to expand and contract.

In a separate article also published in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, researchers report how wearing a facemask reduces exposure to airborne pollution particles and leads to a reduction blood pressure and improved heart rate control during exercise in a city centre environment.

Jeremy Langrish from the University of Edinburgh said, “We tested a range of facemasks that differed widely in their efficiency as particle filters. In general, those masks designed to reduce occupational exposure to dusts in the workplace were more efficient than those marketed to cyclists and pedestrians.”

The authors say, “This simple intervention has the potential to protect susceptible individuals and reduce cardiovascular events in cities with high concentrations of ambient air pollution.” (ANI)

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Person can murder when there exists reasonable apprehension: SC

New Delhi, Mar 12 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday absolved two men accused of murdering a man thirty years ago.

Dismissing an appeal filed by the Uttar Pradesh Government against the acquittal of Gajey Singh and Rajpal Singh in a murder case that occurred on January 27, 1979 in Meerut, the apex court argued that the murder was committed in self-defense, which is permitted under the law.

The apex court held that a person can kill another when there exists reasonable apprehension that his adversary is going to cause him/her grievous injury even though he might not have actually inflicted any.

A bench, including Justice Dalveer Bhandari and H S Bedi said, “In that event he can go to the extent of causing the latter’s death in the exercise of the right of private defense.”

In this case, Lakhi Ram, the murdered, along with a few companions had assaulted Gajey and Rajpal with sharp weapons at their residence.

In a bid to save his life, Rajpal fired a shot at Ram, resulting in his death. (ANI)

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Rajnath Singh regrets BJP-BJD alliance breakdown

New Delhi, Mar 8 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Rajnath Singh on Sunday, expressed his regret over Biju Janata Dal (BJP) supremo Naveen Patnaik’s decision to discontinue the 11-year-old alliance between both parties.

In an interview to Times Now, Singh said, “I feel it is unfortunate. We could not ever imagine that the BJP-BJD alliance will break down.”

“I am shocked at the decision…Naveen Patnaik never indicated his dissatisfaction with the alliance,” he added.

Singh said the BJP had sent senior MP Chandan Mitra to ‘amicably resolve the issue’, but that exercise had been unsuccessful.

Blaming the BJD solely for the alliance breakdown, he said, “It was a decision of the BJD to break the alliance. Our party leaders are meeting to chalk out the future course of action.”

The BJP-BJD parted ways on Saturday night after seat-sharing talks between Mitra and Patnaik failed.

The BJP withdrew support from the Navin Patnaik-led government and demanded the imposition of President’s rule in the state.

“The late-night happening was unfortunate. It is not beneficial for both BJP and BJD. Non-Congress vote is sure to be divided but all is not over,” a top party leader said.

According to sources, the BJP is still trying to hold talks on the issue with the BJD, as it fears that the party might join hands with the Third Front.

Apart from Orrisa, the party is slated to discuss coalition developments in Bihar, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani, who is slated to address a rally in Dehradun later in the day, would be coming back to New Delhi to attend the crucial meeting on Sunday evening. (ANI)

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Symonds dreams of playing at Lord’s

Brisbane, Mar.8 (ANI): Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds still relishes a challenge, inspite of being out the squad to settle some off-the-field problems.

“I’m happy to concede to a better man. That’s fine. But I still want the challenge, the battle, of playing for Australia. It’s something that’s still burning inside of me,” the Herald Sun quoted him, as saying.
Unable to bowl for two months, Symonds said his knee had improved and he began bowling off-spin in the nets last Thursday.

“If I was to go back into the team, they talk about playing every game like it was your last – that’s a reality for me,” Symonds said.

“I’d have to approach every game like it was my last. Everyone knows it’s a very special competition, the Ashes, it’s got a lot of history and obviously to get to play a Test match at Lord’s would be an unbelievable feeling. That, to me, really is a dream at the moment,” he said.

“I’m not sure whether it’s a couple of big scores that’s going to put me in line to go on tour or whether it’s the off-field development I’ve been going through, whether that’s the main part of the exercise. But I’m doing everything possible to give myself the best chance,” he said. (ANI)

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Middle age activeness boosts men’s longevity

London, Mar 6 (ANI): It’s never too late to start exercising, concludes a new study, which found that men who start doing physical activity when they are 50 can extend their life span by more than two years.

Swedish researchers from Uppsala University came to the conclusion after monitoring over 2,200 men from the age of 50.

From analyses, the researchers found that those who increased activity levels from 50 to 60 ended up living as long as those who were already exercising regularly by middle age.

In the British Medical Journal study, volunteers were asked about their activity levels at the start of the study in the early 1970s, when they were aged 50, reports The BBC.

The men were put into three groups – high levels of activity, moderate levels and sedentary. High levels was classed as those who did at least three hours of sports or heavy gardening each week. Moderate was said to be the equivalent of several hours of walking or cycling, while people who were classed as sedentary spent most of their free time watching TV.

Their exercise habits were then reassessed at the age of 60.

The team found that those who were doing high levels of activity at the age of 50 lived 2.3 years longer than sedentary men and 1.1 years longer than those who reported medium levels of activity – once a range of factors such as weight, alcohol intake and smoking was taken into account.

But interestingly the researchers found that those who increased their activity level to high – whether they were in the moderate or low group – from the age of 50 to 60 also lived the longest.

Lead researcher Karl Michaelsson said the study showed it was essential to encourage men to become active. (ANI)

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Kelly Brook lets out secret about not exercising at all

London, Mar 5 (ANI): English model Kelly Brook has revealed that when she heads out to an LA gym, it is only for appearance, and that she does not go there for exercise at all.

Brook, 29, further admitted that the only reason she pretends to be working out is to please her sporty boyfriend, England rugby star Danny Cipriani.

“I always lie about this (working out)!” the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

“The truth is, no – but I tell my boyfriend that I do,” she added. (ANI)

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‘9 minute butt-lift’ miracle cream to hit market shelves in UK

London, Mar 5 (ANI): A miracle cream which claims to destroy cellulite in nine minutes will go on sale in the UK this week.

The serum, which is worth 68 dollars, is made from plant stem cells.

According to the makers of Adonia LegTone, the plant extracts help tone up weak skin stem cells.

They are said to be the main cause for cellulite, reports The Sun.

The serum has been hailed as a ‘major breakthrough’ in America where it is dubbed ‘the nine minute butt-lift’.

As per clinical tests carried out in independent American laboratories found the cream reduced cellulite by as much as 47 per cent in nine minutes and around 70 per cent over a six-week period.

Dr Mark Binette, of maker Greek Island Labs, said: “A healthy diet, lashings of water and a regular exercise regime will help keep cellulite levels down – but sometimes a girl just needs a little extra help. The secret has been captured in a bottle.”

One of the main causes of cellulite is when skin stem cells become weak and dormant. (ANI)

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Nuclear-armed Pak spinning out of control: Oz experts

Melbourne, Mar.5 (ANI): A senior reporter with The Australian newspaper and author of the book “In the Shadow of Swords: On the Trail of Terrorism from Afghanistan to Australia”, has reiterated that nuclear-armed Pakistan is spinning out of control.

Sally Neighbour’s reaction to Tuesday’s attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, is that it has reinforced her belief that a force like the Taliban, which has been created by the Pakistani military and intelligence services, now is bent on destroying its benefactor.

“The country’s powerful security forces seem impotent to stop terrorist atrocities such as Tuesday’s attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore that have seen the country branded as the new epicentre of global terrorism,” Neighbour says.

“It is clear that the roots of the militant uprising and the new wave of terrorism lie next door in Pakistan, where a far graver crisis looms,” she adds.

William Maley of the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University in Canberra observes: “There are huge problems in Afghanistan.

Confidence has plummeted because of the insecurity, but people haven’t turned against the democratic transition, they are still strongly committed to it, and that may well carry Afghanistan through.”

“But in Pakistan there is a profound crisis of confidence in the political system. It’s a failing state and a decidedly roguish state. And this is why a lot of Western leaders are becoming profoundly concerned,” he adds.

Maley says that the latest deal between the NWFP Government and the Taliban in the Swat Valley should only seen as a ” balloon-squeezing exercise”.

The militants will simply pop up somewhere else. The likeliest place seems to be the nearby Swat Valley, where the Pakistani Government last month agreed to allow sharia law in return for a ceasefire.

Like many experts, Maley predicts this will prove disastrous, merely creating a new sanctuary for the extremists bent on destroying the Pakistani state. (ANI)

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India to review security for Indian Premier League: Jaiswal

New Delhi, Mar 4 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal on Wednesday said that Indian Government would review security for the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the attack on Sri Lankan cricket players in Pakistan.

“The two (elections and IPL) are going to take place around the same period. What has happened in Pakistan has also raised concerns. We don’t want to take any risk by being negligent,” said Jaiswal.

He said that the priority of the government is to ensure smooth elections. He added that the safety of the cricketers would also not be compromised.

“We will sit and talk with IPL. All the paramilitary forces would be engaged in the elections work. And keeping in mind the new security threats, we don’t want to have any lapse in security. We want to take all the precautions. So, we need to chalk a way out so that we are able to give full security to the cricketers as well as the elections also take place in a smooth manner,” said Jaiswal.

The league had been looking to rework dates for some of the games because it would have clashed with the poll, a multi-phased affair to help deploy security forces for the massive exercise.

The attack has thrown major sporting events in the region into serious doubt. New Delhi is due to stage the Commonwealth Games next year and India are then due to jointly host the 2011 World Cup alongside Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s hopes of co-hosting the games have almost vanished following the attack. (ANI)

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