Why some smokers get cancer while others don't

They said people with high concentrations in their urine of a nicotine byproduct called NNAL had double the risk of developing lung cancer compared to smokers with lower NNAL concentrations in their urine.And smokers who had high urine levels of both NNAL and another nicotine byproduct called cotinine had more than eight times the risk of lung cancer compared to smokers with the lowest concentrations of these two compounds.

The findings may help explain why some smokers get cancer while others do not, they said."Smoking leads to lung cancer, but there are about 60 possible carcinogens in tobacco smoke, and the more accurately we can identify the culprit, the better we will become at predicting risk," said Jian-Min Yuan of the University of Minnesota, who presented the findings at the American Association for Cancer Research in Denver.

Only about one in 10 smokers gets lung cancer.Studies have found that laboratory animals with high concentrations of NNAL had higher rates of lung cancer, but its effect in humans has not been clear.

The researchers collected data from two large Chinese studies of 50,000 men and women aged 45 to 74. In addition to asking them how much they smoked, what they ate and other lifestyle factors, the researchers collected blood and urine samples.Yuan and colleagues identified 246 smokers who later developed lung cancer and 245 smokers who did not during the 10-year period following their initial interview and exam.

Spouse's old photo smiles predicts "marriage success"

Psychologists have found that how much people smile in old photographs can predict their later success in marriage.In one test, the researchers looked at people's college yearbook photos, and rated their smile intensity from 1 to 10. None of the people who fell within the top 10 percent of smile strength had divorced, while within the bottom 10 percent of smilers, almost one in four had had a marriage that ended, the researchers say. (Scoring was based on the stretch in two muscles: one that pulls up on the mouth, and one that creates wrinkles around the eyes.)

In a second trial, the research team asked people over age 65 to provide photos from their childhood (the average age in the pictures was 10 years old). The researchers scored each person's smile, and found that only 11 percent of the biggest smilers had been divorced, while 31 percent of the frowners had experienced a broken marriage.Overall, the results indicate that people who frown in photos are five times more likely to get a divorce than people who smile.

While the connection is striking, the researchers stress that they can't conclude anything about the cause of the correlation."Maybe smiling represents a positive disposition towards life," said study leader Matthew Hertenstein, a psychologist at DePauw University in Indiana. "Or maybe smiling people attract other happier people, and the combination may lead to a greater likelihood of a long-lasting marriage. We don't really know for sure what's causing it."

Hertenstein said he has considered other explanations, such as the possibility that people who smile more often tend to attract more friends, and a larger support network makes it easier to keep a marriage healthy. Or it could be that people who smile when a photographer tells them to are more likely to have obedient personalities, which could make marriage easier.

Stephen Hawking hospitalized, "now comfortable"

"Professor Hawking is very ill," said Gregory Hayman, the university's head of communications. "He is undergoing tests. He has been unwell for a couple of weeks."Later in the afternoon, Hayman said Hawking was "now comfortable but will be kept in hospital overnight."

The illness had caused Hawking to cancel an appearance at Arizona State University on April 6.Hawking, 67, gained renown for his work on black holes, and has remained active despite being diagnosed at 21 with ALS, (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), an incurable degenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

For some years, Hawking has been almost entirely paralyzed, and he communicates through an electronic voice synthesizer activated by his fingers.Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics a "unified theory" which would resolve contradictions between Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which describes the laws of gravity that govern the motion of large objects like planets, and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, which deals with the world of subatomic particles.

"A complete, consistent unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence," he wrote in his best-selling book, "A Brief History of Time," published in 1988.

IBM revenue falls more than expected

While International Business Machines Corp's first-quarter profit beat Wall Street projections and the technology giant reiterated its full-year outlook, its shares fell 2 percent in after-hours trading on Monday."I didn't expect them to miss on revenue by that much, which is probably why the stock is trading off," said Peter Misek, analyst at Canaccord Adams.

"Short-term bookings look a little weaker than everybody had hoped. That probably means that the next quarter will be mixed. The long-term guide looks solid."IBM said its quarterly revenue fell to $21.71 billion from $24.50 billion a year earlier. That compared with analysts' average forecast of $22.56 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.

Net profit for the quarter ended March 31 fell 1 percent to $2.30 billion, from $2.32 billion in the year-ago quarter.Profit per share, however, rose to $1.70 from $1.64, as the number of shares outstanding decreased. Analysts on average were expecting profit of $1.67 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

IBM has so far fared better than many other technology companies, thanks to its growing focus on software and services, such as outsourcing and technology support.

Oracle to buy Sun Micro amid stiff competition of hardware market

The announcement on Monday surprised many Oracle watchers, who believe the company can boost profitability at Sun's software businesses but were unsure if it can be as successful with Sun's hardware unit amid stiff competition from IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc and new entrant Cisco Systems Inc.

"It's an out-of-the-box, left-field type of a deal because Oracle is buying a predominantly hardware business," said Jefferies & Co analyst Ross MacMillan. "The push-pull of the deal is the uncertainty of the hardware business with the earnings accretion of the software business."The deal would make Oracle the world's fourth-largest maker of servers, with the No. 2 slot in the high-end of the market, which was worth about $17 billion last year. It is already the world's No 2 maker of business software after IBM.

Oracle will pay $9.50 a share for Sun, which values the high-end server and software maker at about $7.06 billion, based on 743 million shares outstanding as of the end of its fiscal second quarter on Dec. 28, according to Sun.Sun had previously rejected IBM's offer to pay up to $9.40 a share, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Shares of Santa Clara, California-based Sun jumped 36.3 percent to $9.12 in Nasdaq trading, while Redwood City, California-based Oracle shares fell 1.7 percent to $18.74. Shares of IBM, which declined to comment, fell 0.32 percent.Oracle President Safra Catz said on a conference call that Oracle intends to make the hardware division profitable. Sun's top-selling products are high-end servers and storage gearCatz said the acquisition, which the companies expect to close this summer, will add at least 15 cents per share to earnings in the first full year after closing.

Child of shorter-height women die 70% more in India

A look at 50,000 young children found that those whose mothers were shorter than 57 inches were 70 percent more likely to have died by age 5 than those whose mothers were at least 63 inches tall.Shorter women are likely to be less healthy as adults -- height can indicate a woman's overall health and nutrition from her childhood. Women with a smaller uterus may have more complications during gestation, the researchers said.

"What the study shows is the critical need to invest in children, and especially girls, as the payoff is not only for them as children and adults, but for their offspring as well," said S.V. Subramanian of the Harvard School of Public Health who along with colleagues conducted the research.

Their report, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, said that more than 2 million children younger than 5 years old died in India in 2006.This is more than in any other country, accounting for about one in four childhood deaths worldwide, according to United Nations data.

The findings "suggest the presence of inter-generational transfer of poor health from mother to offspring," said Subramanian."Since maternal height itself is a consequence of a mother's childhood environment, our study is suggestive of the long-run and durable adverse impact of poor childhood conditions of the mother on the health of her offspring 15 to 30 years later."

Oracle's purchase of Sun to re-shape industry

The $7.1 billion deal, which Oracle reached after the collapse of Sun's talks with International Business Machines Corp, will make it the No. 2 player in the $17 billion market for high-end Unix computers used in corporate data centers. That puts Oracle behind IBM and ahead of Hewlett Packard Co.

The acquisition also gives Oracle control of Sun's Java software, one of the world's most widely used computer languages, and the Solaris operating system for Unix servers."This is a competitor that is much more formidable than Sun standing alone," said Howard Anderson, a lecturer at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center and former CEO of the Yankee Group.

"If I were a Sun customer I was starting to get nervous about Sun. I was worried about their viability. I'm not worried about that anymore. I know that Oracle is going to be there."Analysts say Oracle, known for its aggressive marketing and tight cost controls, will cut Sun's bloated cost structure and energize a struggling company with 33,556 workers at the end of last year. Sun posted a loss of $1.9 billion in the first half of its current fiscal year.

Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi predicted that once Oracle takes over Sun, it will likely need to cut another 5,500 to 10,000 positions.

U.S. recession linked to more abortions, vasectomies

"More so now that we are in a recession ... I felt I had to go through with the procedure because I cannot afford another child," said the woman, a registered nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was worried about job security."People say, 'You're a nurse, you'll always have a job.' I think it's not as true as people think it is."

The recession may be a factor influencing more Americans to opt out of parenthood with abortions and vasectomies, although there is no data available yet to suggest a trendEven so, there is some anecdotal evidence that would-be parents are factoring the rough economic times into the most personal of reproductive choices, some experts said.

In 2005, the last year for which data is available, the U.S. abortion rate fell to the lowest level since 1974, according to the Guttmacher Institute in New York, a nonprofit group focusing on reproductive issues.But at the National Abortion Federation, a hotline for women seeking abortion information has been "ringing off the hook," according to the group's president, Vicki Saporta.

"We are currently getting more calls from women who report that they or their partner have recently lost their job, and we are also hearing from more women facing eviction," she said.One recent inquiry came from a 24-year-old married woman in Colorado who was evicted after her landlord went into foreclosure. Another came from a 32-year-old pregnant mother in Virginia who had lost her job and health insurance.

Witnessing high-crime violence can harm children's health

They found that children who experienced shootings, knife attacks or fights showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as worries, flashbacks and difficulty paying attention.The youngsters also had higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol, which can lead to a weaker immune system and other illnesses.

"Our study indicates that important biological effects occur in children living in high-crime neighborhoods," said Dr Shakira Franco Suglia, of the Harvard School of Public Health.She added that stress-induced changes to how cortisol is produced and regulated can lead to a weaker immune system, and increased fat storage in the abdominal region linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Suglia and her colleague, Dr. Rosalind Wright, of Brigham and Women Hospital in Boston, collected saliva samples from 28 girls and 15 boys, aged seven to 13, four times each day for three days to measure cortisol production.They also questioned the children about violence they had witnessed. If they scored higher on stress symptoms, there were higher levels of the hormone, particularly in the afternoon and evening.

Suglia and Wright, who reported the findings in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, said the children's symptoms were less severe that those in youngsters with post traumatic stress disorder."As a result, they may not come to the attention of healthcare providers and a large number of children may be impacted with broad adverse effects," Suglia added.The study's initial goal was to test the effect of tobacco exposure in children, but was expanded to add the research on the impact of witnessing violence.

A nearly Earth-sized planet found, "the most exciting discovery"

"The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone,'" said Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland.An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet "extraordinary."

Gliese 581 e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, w hich NASA says could swallow more than 1,000 Earths.Gliese 581 e sits close to the nearest star, making it too hot to support life. Still, Mayor said its discovery in a solar system 20 1/2 light years away from Earth is a "good example that we are progressing in the detection of Earth-like planets."

Scientists also discovered that the orbit of planet Gliese 581 d, which was found in 2007, was located within the "habitable zone" a region around a sun-like star that would allow water to be liquid on the planet's surface, Mayor said.He spoke at a news conference Tuesday at the University of Hertfordshire during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science.

Gliese 581 d is probably too large to be made only of rocky material, fellow astronomer and team member Stephane Udry said, adding it was possible the planet had a "large and deep" ocean.

Microsoft to release version of Windows 7 next week

The version, known as a 'release candidate', or RC, essentially means the world's largest software company is in the final stages of completing the operating system, the successor to the unpopular Windows Vista.Microsoft said the RC will be available for download by program developers and IT professionals subscribing to the MSDN and TechNet networks on April 30 and available more broadly on May 5.

The company has still not said when the finished version would begin to be installed on PCs or available to buy in shops, but the company's chief financial officer said on Thursday it could be as early as July.That would allow Microsoft to capitalize on back-to-school sales and set it up for a strong holiday shopping season.

Microsoft's operating systems, installed on the vast majority of the world's PCs, are still the backbone of the company, providing more than half of its $4.4 billion profit last quarter.Vista, launched to the public in 2007, was incompatible with some low-power machines and perceived by many to be too complicated. Rival Apple Inc ridiculed Microsoft's problems with the system in a series of popular TV ads.

Windows 7, which has been getting good reviews in limited public tests over the last few months, is much cleaner looking and features an array of new touch-screen functions. Microsoft says it will also interact better with digital cameras and music players.

World closer to swine flu pandemic

The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert for the swine flu virus to phase 4, indicating a significantly increased risk of a pandemic, a global outbreak of a serious disease.The last such outbreak, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic in 1968, killed about one million people.

Although deaths have only occurred in Mexico, more than 40 people in five states were sickened with the flu in the United States, including 20 at a New York City school.The streets of Mexico City were a sea of blue surgical face masks as most residents preferred to cover up against infection than stay home from work. Cafes, bars, gyms and even law courts were closed, however, and the city was eerily quiet.

Fearful Christians paraded a centuries-old statue of Jesus, believed to protect against disease, through the city center for the first time in more than a century.Mayor Marcelo Ebrard stopped short of closing the packed subway system, saying: "We have to exhaust every avenue before we resort to a complete economic paralysis of the city."

The swine flu is not caught from eating pig meat products, but several countries imposed import bans on pork from the United States. Stocks in companies such as airlines were also hit as investors worried about the impact on travel.Spain became the first country in Europe to confirm a case of swine flu when a man who returned from a trip to Mexico last week was found to have the virus.

Current vaccines will not stop swine flu: experts

The flu virus has killed as many as 149 people in Mexico and has spread into the United States, Canada and Europe, prompting fears the new strain could mark the start of a pandemic.So-called swine flu is a variant of the H1N1 form of the human influenza virus. Mutations of this strain have been circulating in the human population for years and the current seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against H1N1.

But tests show the H1N1 component of the current seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against the new strain although the jabs may still offer some benefit, experts say."There may well be some immunity to H1N1 at the population level that will provide a degree of protection," said Dr. John McConnell, editor of the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

While the virus has so far has killed no one outside Mexico, it spreads quickly between humans which makes health officials fear it could cause the flu pandemic that scientists say is long overdueExperts agree the process for making vaccines is clumsy and outdated, but new and more efficient technologies are still a few years away.

At least 20 companies make flu vaccines including Sanofi Pasteur, Australia's CSL Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG, Baxter and nasal spray maker MedImmune, acquired by AstraZeneca Plc."Clearly if this virus evolves into a pandemic, the first wave will come and go before a vaccine can be produced," Karl Nicholson, a vaccine expert at Leicester University in Britain said in a telephone interview.

New York City-sized iceberg collapses off Antarctica

"The northern ice front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf has become unstable and the first icebergs have been released," Angelika Humbert, glaciologist at the University of Muenster in Germany, said of European Space Agency satellite images of the shelf.Humbert told Reuters about 700 sq km (270.3 sq mile) of ice -- bigger than Singapore or Bahrain and almost the size of New York City -- has broken off the Wilkins this month and shattered into a mass of icebergs.

She said 370 sq kms of ice had cracked up in recent days from the Shelf, the latest of about 10 shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula to retreat in a trend linked by the U.N. Climate Panel to global warming.The new icebergs added to 330 sq kms of ice that broke up earlier this month with the shattering of an ice bridge apparently pinning the Wilkins in place between Charcot island and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Nine other shelves -- ice floating on the sea and linked to the coast -- have receded or collapsed around the Antarctic peninsula in the past 50 years, often abruptly like the Larsen A in 1995 or the Larsen B in 2002.

The trend is widely blamed on climate change caused by heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels, according to David Vaughan, a British Antarctic Survey scientist who landed by plane on the Wilkins ice bridge with two Reuters reporters in January.

Mexicans put faith in masks, but do they work for flu

While Mexico has handed out millions of facial coverings, U.S. officials have held off, saying there is little evidence of their effectiveness. Some doctors warn they might even be harmful, causing people to take risks like venturing into crowds or neglecting to wash hands in the mistaken belief that the mask protects them.

The ubiquitous masks give an eerie, unsettling air to this overcrowded city, as if 20 million people have entered a scene from some kind of apocalyptic future. They're also a reminder of an equally frightening episode: Technicolor versions of those dotting scratchy black and white photographs from the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic, which claimed up to 50 million lives worldwide.

Soldiers hand them out at subway stations. Pharmacies and hardware stores can't keep them in stock. Newspapers have begun running front page instructions on making do-it-yourself mouth coverings. President Felipe Calderon proudly boasted over the weekend that more than 6 million masks have been distributed.

"They must be worn when one is out in public or in a closed, crowded space," Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova insisted Monday, while acknowledging in the same breath that the government-distributed masks are too porous to eliminate all risk.

Researchers find first common autism gene

Three studies, two in the journal Nature and one in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest changes in brain connections could underlie some cases.While the findings do not immediately offer hope for a treatment, they do help explain the underlying causes of the condition, which affects as many as one in 150 children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"These findings establish that genetic factors play a strong role in autism spectrum disorder," National Institutes of Health acting director Dr. Raynard Kington said in a statement."Detailed analysis of the genes and how they affect brain development is likely to yield better strategies for diagnosing and treating children with autism."

Autism refers to a spectrum of diseases, from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation, to relatively mild symptoms called Asperger's syndrome.Doctors have been at a loss to explain it, although it has been clear autism can often run in families, suggesting a genetic cause.

"Previous studies have suggested that autism is a developmental disorder resulting from abnormal connections in the brain. These three studies suggest some of the genetic factors which might lead to abnormal connectivity," Dr. Thomas Insel, director of NIH's National Institute of Mental Health, said in a statement.

Scientists struggle to understand new swine flu virus

American health officials believe they are getting closer to answering those questions, or, at least, to ruling out wrong-headed theories."We've begun to knock off hypotheses," said Dr. Scott F. Dowell, director of global disease detection with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among the factors disease detectives have discounted are Mexico's air pollution, secondary infections and poor health care. But they still do not know why so many Mexicans have died, although it could be because many more people actually have had the virus than health officials realize.

In Mexico, the virus is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening more than 2,400. Recent information suggests swine flu-related hospital admissions and deaths may have peaked and are declining, but no other country has shown any numbers close to those seen in Mexico.

The only other country to report a swine flu death is the United States, and that involved a toddler from Mexico who was visiting Texas with his family.The leading theory remains that the virus itself is not significantly different in Mexico, but that the outbreak has for some reason just hit harder there, infecting more people overall. The more people who are infected, the more likely there will be severe cases and even deaths.

Pigs endanged, WHO to stop using term 'swine flu'

WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the agriculture industry and the U.N. food agency had expressed concerns that the term "swine flu" was misleading consumers and needlessly causing countries to ban pork products and order the slaughter of pigs.

"Rather than calling this swine flu ... we're going to stick with the technical scientific name H1N1 influenza A," Thompson said.The swine flu virus originated in pigs, and has genes from human, bird and pig viruses. Scientists don't know exactly how it jumped to humans. In the current outbreak, WHO says the virus is being spread from human to human, not from contact with infected pigs.

Egypt began slaughtering its roughly 300,000 pigs Wednesday even though experts said swine flu is not linked to pigs and not spread by eating pork. Angry farmers protested the government decree.In Paris, the World Organization for Animal Health said Thursday "there is no evidence of infection in pigs, nor of humans acquiring infection directly from pigs."

Killing pigs "will not help to guard against public or animal health risks" presented by the virus and "is inappropriate," the group said in a statement.China, Russia, Ukraine and other nations have banned pork exports from Mexico and parts of the United States, blaming swine flu fears.

Africans have world's greatest genetic variation

The largest study of African genetics ever undertaken also found that nearly three-fourths of African-Americans can trace their ancestry to West Africa. The new analysis published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science."Given the fact that modern humans arose in Africa, they have had time to accumulate dramatic changes" in their genes, explained lead researcher Sarah Tishkoff, a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania.People have been adapting to very diverse environmental niches in Africa, she explained in a briefing.

Over 10 years, Tishkoff and an international team of researchers trekked across Africa collecting samples to compare the genes of various peoples. Often working in primitive conditions, the researchers sometimes had to resort to using a car battery to power their equipment, Tishkoff explained.

The reason for their work? Very little was known about the genetic variation in Africans, knowledge that is vital to understanding why diseases have a greater impact in some groups than others and in designing ways to counter those illnesses.Scott M. Williams of Vanderbilt University noted that constructing patterns of disease variations can help determine which genes predispose a group to a particular illness.

This study "provides a critical piece in the puzzle," he said. For example, there are clear differences in prevalence of diseases such as hypertension and prostate cancer across populations, Williams said."The human genome describes the complexity of our species," added Muntaser Ibrahim of the department of molecular biology at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. "Now we have spectacular insight into the history of the African population ... the oldest history of mankind.

Swine flu goes person-to-pig

The never-before-seen virus was created when genes from pig, bird and human viruses mixed together inside a pig. Experts fear the virus that has gone from humans back into pigs in at least one case could mutate further before crossing back into humans again. But no one can predict what will happen.

"Could it gain virulence? Yes," Juan Lubroth, an animal health expert at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, said Sunday. "It could also become milder. It could go in both directions."

Canadian officials announced Saturday that the virus had infected about 200 pigs on a farm the first evidence that it had jumped to another species. It was linked to a farmworker who recently returned from Mexico, where 19 people have died from the virus. The farmworker has recovered, and the mildly infected pigs have been quarantined.

Agriculture officials believe the worker may have sneezed or coughed near the pigs, possibly in a barn. About 10 percent of the herd experienced loss of appetite and fever, but all are recovering.Experts say pork even from infected pigs is safe to eat.Lubroth stressed that sick people should avoid contact with swine, but said healthy farmworkers don't need to take any extra precautions because the chance of catching flu from a pig is small.

Bullying victims have more psychotic symptoms

In fact, with longer-lasting and more severe bullying comes greater risk, Dr. Andrea Schreier of Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England and her colleagues found.

"Chronic or severe peer victimization has non-trivial, adverse, long-term consequences," they write in the Archives of General Psychiatry. "Reduction of peer victimization and the resulting stress caused to victims could be a worthwhile target for prevention and early intervention efforts for common mental health problems and psychosis."

Both kids and adults "commonly" have psychosis-like symptoms or experiences, without full-blown mental illness, Schreier and her team explain. Young children who have these symptoms are more likely to develop schizophrenia and similar types of mental illness as young adults, the researchers add, while trauma in childhood also has been tied to adult psychosis risk.

To investigate whether there might be a direct link between trauma from bullying and psychosis symptoms, the researchers looked at 6,437 12-year-olds participating in a long-term study of children and their parents. All of the children had been completing annual psychological and physical health assessments since they were seven years old.

Some baby foods worse than junk food with sugar and fat

Publishing results of a survey of more than 100 foods for babies and toddlers, the Children's Food Campaign said Farley's rusks were 29 percent sugar and some Cow & Gate toddler biscuits contained trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease."The results of this survey are staggering," said Christine Haigh, spokeswoman for the CFC.

"Many foods marketed for babies and young children are advertised as healthy. In reality, in terms of sugar and saturated fat content, some are worse than junk food."The CFC survey found that 100g of Farley's Original Rusks, made by Heinz, contained 29g of sugar, more than that contained in the same weight of some chocolate digestive biscuits.

Heinz Toddler's Own Mini Cheese Biscuits contained 7.3g of saturated fat per 100g, more than the 6.7g in an equal weight piece of a McDonald's quarter pounder burger with cheese.Cow & Gate, which makes a range of baby and toddler formula milks and foods, responded to the survey by halting production of its baby biscuits.

"In discussion with the Food Standards Agency we have already taken the decision to discontinue our baby biscuits, when we became aware of the presence of hydrogenated fat, which contains a very small amount of trans fats," a spokeswoman said.Heinz defended its Farley's rusks as an "ideal weaning food for babies from around four months."Farley's Rusks have been enjoyed by generations of babies, and some adults too, for 120 years," it said in a statement. "Enriched with vitamins and minerals, the unique Farley's Rusk recipe has remained virtually unchanged."

Hope and fear mark Yahoo at crossroads

The 60-year-old executive has moved swiftly to rebuild the Internet company to her specifications, upending the organizational structure, replacing executives and cutting costs including 675 jobs, or 5 percent of the workforce.Analysts say that is exactly the kind of shake-up needed at Yahoo, which has seen its sales growth slow and its market share overtaken by Google Inc in recent years.

For Yahoo's ranks, still shell-shocked from deep cuts in 2008 -- including 1,600 axed jobs -- the hope that Bartz brings is increasingly mixed with a dose of fear and uncertainty.Yet broad support remains for Bartz despite the tough talk, canceled holiday parties and forced vacations that have come to define her era.

"We are all sort of wanting to believe in her because we really want to see Yahoo turned around," said one Yahoo insider who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. "But it still doesn't make it any less scary when you don't hear about what's coming up."With a new round of layoffs under way, and a steady stream of Yahoo sites getting axed, anxiety within the ranks has been exacerbated by what some say is a growing sense of secrecy.

Bartz' famous penchant for tight lips, which initially showed in her emphatic displeasure toward news leaks, is increasingly evident in other aspects of Yahoo's operations. The informal flow of information once common within the company has come to a halt. "Everything is on a need to know basis," the Yahoo source said.

My daughter is a genius TomKat spends $1m on Suri's education

According to the National Enquirer, Cruise and his wife Katie Homes are keen for the cute tot to have a rounded upbringing, so have decided to spend a fortune on private tuition.

A source reveals, "It doesn't matter what Suri is doing, Tom wants her to be able to do it better than any other child. All parents think their kids are special, but Tom and Katie firmly believe Suri is gifted.

"She is learning French and Spanish and has a tutor she sees once a week."Suri has shown a real love of dancing, so Tom and Katie are encouraging her as much as possible. She practices ballet, tap and modern dance for hours, nearly every day. She also has private gymnastics lessons and is learning soccer."

Katie is said to be convinced that socializing with older kids will benefit her daughter's development.The source added, "Katie likes to have Victoria and David Beckham's sons around, since they are older. She thinks Suri will emulate what they do and learn even faster."Piano and violin lessons are on the to-do list. Tom and Katie just have to find time in Suri's busy schedule!"

India can beat anyone anywhere, says Harbhajan

India's test series win in New Zealand this week was their first in four decades. It was also their third successive test series victory since beating top-ranked Australia in November.

"This team is capable of winning anywhere," Harbhajan told Reuters in an interview on Friday."If we play to our potential, stick to the basics and focus on the job, we have the team that can beat anyone anywhere."

India defeated Australia and England in back-to-back series at home last year and are once again considered a true force in world cricket.India have yet to win a test series in Australia, although they squared a close series 1-1 in 2004 and lost a controversial test series 2-1, before winning a tri-series last year.

India won their first test in South Africa in 2006 and emerged surprise winners of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup there two years ago.The 28-year-old bowler said winning matches overseas has made a big difference."The guys are confident, confident of performing in any conditions," said Harbhajan, the side's main spinner since Anil Kumble retired last year."I think this team can win anywhere -- South Africa, Australia -- we have got the ability to exploit any conditions."

Slumdog kid to play SRK's childhood

Tanay Cheda who plays the protagonist Jamal's childhood avatar in Slumdog Millionaire has had his share of fame and recognition, at least for now. He wants to concentrate on his studies and focus on just that one film.

"And that's Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan. I play the childhood portions of Shah Rukh Khan's role. It's a small role and a very important film. And it will be shot during my holidays. Except My Name Is Khan my parents have decided to let me concentrate on my studies."

Tanay is shifting from his current school Campion in Colaba to the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Bandra and is geared for a new life in a new school.

He completely dismisses stories of replacing Darsheel Safary in Anil Monga's film Padduram. "I don't know where that came from. I haven't said yes to any such film." Protests Tanay.Tanay who played Darsheel Safari's best friend in Taare Zameen Par got the role of the younger Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire by chance.

Amir Khan :I will go off alone

For these two months he will most of the times stay away from blogging. He writes to his blog fans, "I'm going to go off the map for the next two months folks.

I think I needed a break in any case, as I was kind of not really there last couple months, if you know what I mean. So I will see you now in June. Or end May. Unless I start turkeying in which case I'll drop a line. And once I"m back rested from my holiday I'll be much more connected. "

Aamir has been an active participant of inspiring our countrymen to go out and vote. Speaking in this regards he requests, "Remember to vote, and make an informed choice. Check out all the candidates from your area before you decide who to vote for. "

Talking about the multiplex owners v/s producers issue Aamir states, "Also, you probably have heard by now that all film producers and distributors have decided not to release any films in any Indian national multiplex chains until we get fair terms, and they stop bullying us, and they stop all irregularities. So please bear with us. "

Jolie Jealous of gorgeous Natalie Portman

The 'Changeling' star reportedly flew into a rage with partner Brad Pitt - with whom she raises six children - after learning the 'Closer' actress had personally asked for him to play her older lover in a new movie.A source said: "Angelina had a massive fit and was shouting her head off. She accused Brad of flirting with Natalie.

"Angelina can't help but feel threatened. Brad knows how jealous she gets but won't stop saying how gorgeous and intelligent Natalie is. He keeps saying she is 'cute as a button.Angelina is particularly worried because she and Brad started their relationship after meeting on the set of 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' in 2005 while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston, and she fears a case of history repeating itself.

The source added: "Angelina worries about karma. It's eating her up and we're sure the cause of a lot of the rows is her not quite trusting Brad."Angelina and Brad have been dogged by rumours their relationship is in trouble in recent weeks.

It was recently reported Brad had pleaded with his girlfriend to attend couples' counselling in a desperate bid to save their relationship.Angelina is said to have agreed, but only after seeking the advice of her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton

Miley Cyrus tops teenage pop idol, but not a role model

The 'Hannah Montana' actress has topped an online poll about young celebrities, with almost a third of voters - 32 per cent - naming her the biggest rising star.However, only 10 per cent of participants believe the 16-year-old singer-and-actress is a good role model.

Squeaky-clean band the Jonas Brothers finished second in the favourite idols poll with 27 per cent of votes, while former winner Britney Spears was demoted to third position.According to the survey, fans are frustrated by the 'Womanizer' singer's turbulent personal life.

The pop princess received less than a quarter of votes and only four per cent of voters believe the mother-of-two is a positive influence.Meanwhile, 19-year-old singer Taylor Swift - who starred alongside Miley in 'Hannah Montana: The Movie' - was named the celebrity with the most influence over adolescents.

The online questionnaire by PopEater.com - which was completed by 57,000 members - also saw the Backstreet Boys named as the greatest teen idols of the 90s, while Kirk Cameron won the award for the 80s and David Cassidy was the most popular star from the 70s.

Abhishek and Aishwarya: No time for love

According to reports, the couple had planned a quiet day with a small get-together with parents Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan . But little did they know that their Mani Sir (read Mani Ratnam ) had other plans chalked out for the day.

Ratnam, reportedly, was in no mood to slacken the ongoing shooting schedule of his Ravana in the south and had planned a shoot for April 20 for both Ash and Abhi. As the schedule can't be delayed, the husband-wife duo cordially agreed to work on their second wedding anniversary.

So there's going to be no celebration, no family get-together for Ash and Abhi as they mark two years of their life has husband and wife. However, the big consolation is that they would be together on the special day.

'Ravana' is a modern-day adaptation of epic 'Ramayana'. This bilingual movie, to be made in Hindi and Tamil, has south star Vikram playing one of the leads.Recently, Abhi-Ash also signed Ritesh Sidhwani 's spy-thriller 'Crooked' to be made on the lines of 'The Bourne Identity'. The movie is set to roll soon and also features Boman Irani , Gul Panag and Jimmy Shergill .

Freida Pinto honored as world's most beautiful woman

Among the 19 names shortlisted by the magazine, Freida, who shot from anonymity to fame with her role in the multiple-Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire , is in running to be adjudged the world's most beautiful woman even though some of the expected names like Hollywood beauties like Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman haven't been named in the list.

"Of the billions of women on this planet, only 19, we believe, could start wars. These modern-day Helens of Troy come from both hemispheres and include legends and ingenues," said the magazine about it's chosen list.

The list is an eclectic mix of personalities. From Hollywood, actresses like Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, made to the list.

While from the political circles, Queen Rania of Jordan and France first lady Carla Bruni stand tall to give a tough competition.Also in the list are two of Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriends -- Gisele Bundchen and current love interest Bar Rafaeli.

Bollywood super-stars bank on IPL success

Leading figures in India's Hindi-language film industry are closely involved in the eight teams who will battle it out for Twenty20 supremacy in South Africa from Saturday.Top actor-producer Shahrukh Khan part-owns Kolkata Knight Riders, actress Preity Zinta has a stake in King's XI Punjab and fellow star Shilpa Shetty has taken a share in defending champions Rajasthan Royals.

Action hero Akshay Kumar is brand ambassador for Delhi Daredevils, movie hearthrob Hrithik Roshan is flying the flag for the Mumbai Indians, while screen siren Katrina Kaif is supporting the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Top performers and music directors have also got in on the act, producing music videos for many of the teams that owe much to Bollywood's song and dance routine tradition.In their oversized filmstar sunglasses and designer clothes, Shetty, Zinta and Kaif added much-needed glamour to the gathering of corporate suits at the auction for new players in the resort state of Goa earlier this year.

For the actors, many of whom who have been making the rounds at promotional events before the start of IPL's second season, merging cricket and film makes perfect sense given the fanatical following that both have on the subcontinent.

Aamir is next for Madame Tussads

Aamir is definitely next," says our source. And that's not all the news on the Tussaud's front there's more. Some time ago, we'd told you that Bobby plans to bring Tussaud's to Delhi first, before Mumbai and Hyderabad. Says our source,

Yes, Bobby (who's currently in Hong Kong) is working out the terms and conditions with people in Delhi. He may choose either Saket or Gurgaon. Work on it is slow right now because it's election time and talks have been put on hold. But after May 20, things are going to move fast.

But why Delhi first, isn't Mumbai the Bollywood hub? "It is, but Delhi is a bigger market and the people here are crazy about stars. Mumbai isn't like that. And when the museum opens in Delhi, we're also going to organise a poll in the city to find out which other stars among Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan they'd want to see in the museum next. And the figures are going to be installed with all the effects JLo and Angelina Jolie will blush, for instance. And yeah, you could actually hug and feel Brad Pitt's bottom," the source adds.

When contacted, Bobby didn't confirm this, but did say that from this year on, out of the six new wax figures put up at Tussaud's every year, "one is going to be an Indian personality. A prominent Indian personality and that need not be a film star, necessarily."

Youth can change fate of India: Celina wooes voters

Salman Khan has already been on the campaign trail for some days and now Celina too has joined the list of Bollywood stars wooing the voters. On Wednesday, the actress campaigned for Congress hopeful Vibhakar Shastri, grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Fatehpur seat.

Addressing the crowds, Celina underlined the importance of youth power and said she favoured Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the post of the Prime Minister."Rahul will prove to be a better Prime Minister," she told an election rally in Chiwlaha village, adding the youths should vote for him and his party."The youth power can change the face and fate of the country," said the actress.

"To ensure participation of youths in government and the administration, the Congress has given tickets to a number of youths," she added.The silver screen star also lauded the role of late Lal Bahadur Shastri in country's development.

"My ancestors had very good relations with the Shastri family. Therefore, I am here to campaign for Vibhakar," she said wooing voters for the Congress nominee.

Sushmita breaks up with Mudassar, "no same feeling"

A source close to the couple said, "While Mudassar had a soft corner for Sushmita, she only considered him a friend. Initially, the two shared a good rapport and Sushmita could understand Mudassar`s feelings when they started working together for 'Dulha Mil Gaya'.

For her, his feelings were what a first time director usually feels for his lead actress. But when reports linking the two started doing the rounds with alarming regularity, Sushmita began wondering who was responsible for leaking the stories to the media."

When Sush learnt that it was Mudassar who always mention her name in interviews, she felt irritated and started to keep distance from him. Moreover, the film 'Dulha Mil Gaya' which brought Sushmita and Mudassar closer is in the making for three long years but showing no sign of release.

With so many holes in Sush and Mudassar affair, their relationship is obvious to go kaput. They are no longer in talking terms.

"Slumdog" team donates $750,000 to India child charity

The donation to Plan India will support a programme in a slum in central Mumbai, the city where the film was largely shot, to fund the childcare, education, health, water and sanitation needs of about 2,000 families, a statement said.The film, a rags-to-riches romance about a poor Indian boy competing on a TV game show, scooped eight Academy Awards earlier this year but caused controversy in parts of India.

The cast and crew became associated with the charity when actor Anil Kapoor, who plays a quizmaster in the film, donated his fee to the organisation, the statement said."The film's success is an inspiration and a way forward to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children of Mumbai," said Kapoor, who is also a goodwill ambassador for Plan India.

The donation will benefit about 5,000 children, according to producer Christian Colson and director Danny Boyle, who have in the past rejected accusations they exploited and underpaid children in the movie.The film's title raised an outcry and sparked protests in parts of India, because "Slumdog" was seen as derogatory to India's millions of slum dwellers.

Boyle and Colson have said the film's two main child stars were paid above the local wage and enrolled in English-medium schools for the first time with a fund set up to pay for their education, medical emergencies and basic living costs.

Sports minister slams Dhoni, Harbhajan over awards snub

Both were in the country but did not travel to New Delhi on Tuesday to collect the prestigious government award, given to Indian citizens excelling in various fields.Cricket-mad India is debating their attitude, days after praising the team for a successful tour of New Zealand.

The sports ministry has re-issued a directive asking everyone to receive its annual awards in person and urging the interior ministry to issue a similar directive for its function.

"I don't agree with the casualness by anyone. I deplore it," Gill told the Times of India on Friday."Selection for Padma award is the highest honour for any Indian and we are lucky if we get it and receive it from the president," he said.

Harbhajan, who was present at a promotional event in New Delhi the day after the awards, told reporters he could not attend the awards function due to family issues.

Jackie Chan's "freedom control" comments prompt sharp rebuke

Chan told a business forum in the southern Chinese province of Hainan that a free society may not be beneficial for China's authoritarian mainland."I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said Saturday. "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

He went on to say that freedoms in Hong Kong and Taiwan made those societies "chaotic."Chan's comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders, but did not sit well with lawmakers in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

"He's insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren't pets," Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator Leung Kwok-hung told The Associated Press. "Chinese society needs a democratic system to protect human rights and rule of law."

Another lawmaker, Albert Ho, called the comments "racist," adding: "People around the world are running their own countries. Why can't Chinese do the same?"Former British colony Hong Kong enjoys Western-style civil liberties and some democratic elections under Chinese rule. Half of its 60-member legislature is elected, with the other half picked by special interest groups. But Hong Kong's leader is chosen by a panel stacked with Beijing loyalists.

Singing sensation star says she's handling attention

The unlikely star, who sprung to fame after her appearance on a British televised talent competition became an online hit, said she loves the attention and isn't bothered by those who poke fun at her unpolished appearance.

"It goes with the territory," Boyle told the Associated Press on Friday. "It doesn't bother me."In a telephone interview from her home in the Scottish town of Blackburn, Boyle did express some impatience with questions over her love life: The 47-year-old Scot raised eyebrows when she told a British television audience on Saturday that she'd "never been kissed."

"It was said as a joke, not an advert. Can we move on?" Boyle said, laughing. And as for the flood of attention with fans and even competition judge Piers Morgan offering to give her a peck Boyle said she's flattered, but isn't letting herself be carried away.

"If people want to kiss me, it has to be controlled," she said, still chuckling.Morgan took part in an interview Boyle via satellite with U.S. cable channel CNN. He asked her to have dinner with him in London and she accepted according to a transcript released ahead of her appearance Friday night on "Larry King Live."

Selling 'Slumdog' kid is lie: Dad

Indian media said on Monday that Rafiq Qureshi described the News of the World report on Sunday as lies, although he accepted meeting a man claiming to be from the Middle East who approached them with an offer for the nine-year-old.

The man, posing as a wealthy Arab sheikh, was in fact a reporter at the weekly tabloid. The tactic has been employed successfully in the past in sting operations against the rich and famous in Britain.'They kept saying we will give you a lot of benefits and it will be good for your daughter, but I declined,' Mr Qureshi was quoted as telling reporters.

'The reports that I wanted to sell Rubina are false.' Rubina, who played the young Latika in the hit film and still lives in Mumbai's teeming slums, was also quoted as saying: 'I want to remain with (my father).' The News of the World claimed Mr Qureshi demanded 20 million rupees (S$600,000) for Rubina during a meeting with the 'sheikh' at a Mumbai hotel.

He allegedly complained that the family had not made any money out of the film, which won eight Oscars in February, including the coveted best picture.Rubina's mother, Ms Kursheed, who is separated from Mr Qureshi, has now filed a complaint against him with police and claimed she had heard about his intention from their eldest daughter about two weeks ago, according to Indian media.

Police probe report of father selling Slumdog's Rubina

The mother of 9-year-old Rubina protested after a sting operation by a British tabloid alleged her father tried to sell her.Police called Rubina and her father, Rafiq Qureshi, to a police station on Sunday night and recorded their statements.

"On Sunday, Rubina's mother Khurshid complained to us that her ex-husband was trying to sell her daughter, saying she saw some reports on television to that effect," Deputy Commissioner of Police Nisar Tamboli told Reuters.The film, a rags-to-riches romance about a slum boy competing on a TV game show, won eight Academy Awards earlier this year but sparked controversy in parts of India.

The sting operation by the News of the World quickly made headlines in India.Rubina, who starred as the youngest incarnation of the film's heroine, Latika, lives with her father and step-mother in a teeming slum in the suburbs of the financial hub.

Rubina's family denied they were willing to sell her."We never thought that we would have to face this. We are poor people, for us, our children are everything. Why would we give her away like that?" Rubina's uncle Moinuddin Qureshi said."This is just an attempt to malign her name. After all she has become world famous now, hasn't she?" Qureshi added.

"Blue Lagoon" beauty star Shields feels rejected by the film for age

"For years, I was the youngest person on the set, and it occurred to me recently that I wasn't 26! I'd read a script and say, 'Oh, that's a great character, that's something I'd love to do.' And they'd say, 'Um, no, we're thinking of you for the mother.' And then I'd say, 'Oh, of course! Of course! I knew that.' "

She believes there are far less parts for actresses once they reach their 40s."There aren't a lot of movies out there for my age group. They're still stopping at the mid-30s. Then you're Diane Keaton or Glenn Close.

"I always find it funny that so many skin cream adverts star people like Jessica Alba. She's gorgeous, and 12! They're all that age! I don't care how much La Mer I put on my skin, I'm not going to have Jessica Alba's face!"

Even though she feels rejected by the film and modelling industry, Brooke still thinks she is beautiful."I'm proud of my longevity more than anything else. There's a lot to be said for endurance. I'm trying to find the beauty in the whole picture rather than the crow's feet.

IPL's foreign affair leaves Indian players in cold

Organisers insist the IPL is a domestic Indian tournament with teams allowed to field only four foreign players per match, but local cricketers are already feeling the pinch in the event's second season.All eight teams are coached by foreigners and only four sides are captained by Indian players.

The fascination with international stars does not end there. Among those cricketers bought at IPL auctions, seven of the top 10 earners were foreigners"This whole talk of IPL being a domestic Indian tournament is a joke," former India captain Ajit Wadekar told AFP.

"It is Indian money, our country's money on which foreigners are thriving. But they do not think twice before sacking an Indian.India star Mohammad Kaif, 28, was shown the door by Rajasthan Royals two days before the IPL's second season started in South Africa because skipper Shane Warne said "he did not fit into the scheme of things".

The removal of Kaif, who has played 13 Tests and 125 one-day internationals, left many fuming."It has exposed the complete ruthlessness of the owners," said Sharda Ugra, sports editor of the respected India Today magazine.

'No evidence against father in 'Slumdog' row'

We have not registered a case against Rubina Qureshi's father and are still continuing with investigations," senior police officer Nisar Tamboli was quoted as saying by the domestic Press Trust of India news agency.

Police opened an investigation into whether Rafiq Qureshi tried to sell his nine-year-old daughter after a report this weekend in a British tabloid newspaper.

The News of World alleged that Qureshi demanded 20 million rupees (400,000 dollars, 310,000 euros) for Rubina during a meeting with an undercover newspaper reporter posing as a wealthy Arab sheikh.

He allegedly complained that the family had not made any money out of the Oscar-winning film, in which Rubina plays the younger version of one of the central characters, Latika, and were still living in poverty in Mumbai's slums.Qureshi accepts that he met the "sheikh" at a hotel in the city but denies agreeing to sell his daughter.

India weighs up impact of Australia pullout

Tennis Australia (TA) said it would not send its players "into an area of such high risk", despite security clearance by the governing body of the sport, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and could face a year-long ban and a hefty fine.

Australia's stance provoked an angry response in India and the world's second most populous nation fears TA's move could send mixed signals to the international sporting fraternity ahead of a series of global events to be staged by the country.

"It's an indication that Tennis Australia thinks the security situation in India is as bad as Pakistan," New Delhi-based security analyst Uday Bhaskar told Reuters on Sunday."Such a perception can affect other sporting events to be held in India."

India, which has the second fastest growing major economy after China, is scheduled to host the world badminton championships this year, followed by the hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in 2010.Cricket-crazy India will co-host the one-day cricket World Cup along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011 after Pakistan was stripped of hosting rights due to the security situation in that country.

'Bollywood's Clint Eastwood' Feroz Khan dies

"Feroz Khan passed away post-midnight at the Feroz Khan ranch in (the southern city of) Bangalore," the publicist said.Khan was diagnosed with cancer last year and was being treated at a private hospital in Mumbai but discharged himself earlier this month. His family was at his bedside when he died, she added.

The actor was born to a father with Afghan roots and a mother of Iranian origin and brought up in Bangalore. He found fame in "Oonche Log" (High Society) and in the saccharine-sweet musical "Arzoo" (Wish), both in 1965.

Khan was known to push boundaries. As a producer and director, he made "Dharmatma", the first Hindi-language movie made on location in Afghanistan and inspired by the Oscar-winning Hollywood epic "The Godfather".But it was with the 1980 Hindi/Urdu gangster film "Qurbani" (Sacrifice) that he scored his biggest hit as an actor, producer and director, introducing foreign locations to Bollywood that are now the norm.

He repeated his success with films like "Janbaaz" (Braveheart) starring a young Anil Kapoor, who later went on to feature in the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire", and "Dayavaan" (Kindhearted) in the 1980s.

Shahid Iranian fan won't leave India without him

The Bollywood star found one lady, Pirhana Sahila from Iran camping outside his house.She ran away from her country to come to India and find Shahid.A source said: "Pirhana landed up at the building a couple of weeks ago and stayed outside his gates. It was the residents of the apartment complex, who informed him about her presence.

"He waved out to her a few times, thinking that the acknowledgment would be enough to make her leave. But it didn't work."Pirhana continued to be a constant presence outside his compound. She appeared a bit emotionally unstable and so a concerned Shahid sent down food, and water to her with a member of his staff."

Eventually Shahid arranged some financial aid for her and got in touch with the Iranian Consulate but he refused to lodge a police complaint.Pirhana finally left but she created a scene before boarding the plane as she didn't want to leave without Shahid. Some people really will go to extreme measures!

Shahid's close friend and director Ahmed khan admits that Shahid helped out Pirhana, "He's very kind-hearted but he hates anything being written about his personal life and his kind deeds so he doesn't talk about it."

Furious Brangelina to battle against bodyguard's tell-all bookc

The bodyguard, who began working for Jolie in 2001, is thought to have written a proposal for a memoir and an accompanying TV show, which will offer an insight into his life protecting the rich and famous.

However, the couple's lawyer Marty Singer has told the New York Daily News that Brett is a "pathological liar" who falsely claimed to have been a British SAS commando and is now banned from the US after lying to immigration officials.He added that Brett had previously been arrested for assault and making racial insults, and was once accused of choking a paparazzo in India.

"Our client disputes what has apparently been said by Mr Singer, but is not in a position to comment further at this stage.Bret's ghost write, Robin McGibbon denied the allegation but confirmed that "there's not going to be any book" at this stage, adding: "Mickey was definitely going to consider a book or TV deal if the offer was good enough."

Other celebrity clients who are thought to have been discussed in the memoir include Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere.

'Slumdog' kid stars haven't found yet happiness

Two months ago, the child star of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" was worrying about what to wear to the Oscars. Now she has come home to a very different problem: How to get the fetid water out of her family's one-room shack.

The 9-year-old picked up a plastic bucket Monday and began to scoop, but it was hopeless. "There are a lot of rats," she told the Associated Press with a shudder, standing in water above her ankles. "In the night also."

Eight Oscars and $326 million in box office receipts have so far done little to improve the lives of the film's two impoverished child stars.Rubina and co-star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail have been showered with gifts and brief bursts of fame, but their day-to-day lives are little changed. In some ways, things have gotten worse: Azhar's neighborhood has grown crowded and tense. Rubina's house is flooded. And fame has brought both opportunity and shame.

If there is a happily ever after, Azhar and Rubina haven't found it yet."Slumdog" filmmakers insist they've done their best to help. They set up a trust, called Jai Ho, after the hit song from the film, to ensure the children get proper homes, a good education and a nest egg when they finish high school. They also donated $747,500 to a charity to help slum kids in Mumbai.

Britney's ex-manager forced to stay away from her for 3 years

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aviva Bobb's order bars former Spears guru Sam Lutfi and the attorney Jon Eardley from coming within 100 yards of the singer and her sons until April 2012.

The court had already issued a temporary order against Lutfi and Eardly in January. Lawyers for Spears father Jamie, who controls his daughter's estate, alleged the two men had caused the singer emotional distress.

Jamie Spears and lawyer Andrew Wallet were appointed conservators of the star's estate last year in the wake of the singer's much publicized mental health scare when she was admitted to hospital in Los Angeles.

Jamie Spears alleged Lutfi and Eardley had tried to undermine the court ordered conservatorship established last year.Britney Spears endured a torrid period following her 2006 divorce from ex-husband Kevin Federline, attracting a string of lurid headlines in the tabloid media which culminated in her admission to hospitalSince then however the singer has gradually got her career back on track, releasing a chart-topping album and beginning her first concert tour in five years last month.

Voting bolly-stars shows 'power of democracy' in general elections

Among the big names to cast their ballots at a school in the upscale Bandra West area of north Mumbai were leading actor-director Aamir Khan, megastars Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and his family, plus screen hunk John Abraham.

"Being an Indian it is our duty to come out and vote," said Aamir Khan, whose blockbuster film "Ghajini" recently became the highest grossing Hindi-language film of all time."We should elect good people... who don't divide the country. We should elect clean and honest people in politics," he added, as Mumbai went to the polls in the third phase of India's five-stage, month-long election.

Shahrukh Khan, who held the previous Bollywood box office record with "Om Shanti Om," said voters should choose the best-qualified candidates and be patient for change.

"People expect politicians to solve problems immediately. But it's not that easy. It takes time. That's why we should vote and give a chance to better people," he said.Abraham echoed Aamir Khan, calling for stable government and reminding voters in the world's biggest democracy that they can make a difference.

Sleeping and eating - the French do it best

The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Despite their siesta habit, Spaniards rank only third in the poll after Americans, who sleep more than 8.5 hoursAnd while more and more French people grab a bite at fast-food chains these days or wolf down a sandwich at their desk, they still spend more than two hours a day eating.

That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who dedicates just over an hour a day to food, the OECD's "Society at a Glance" report on work, health and leisure in Asia, Europe and North and South America found.

The Japanese, scrimping on sleep and burdened with long commutes and working hours, still manage to spend close to two hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders.The Japanese like to spend what remains of their scarce free time watching television or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of leisure time in Japan.

Special courts to try 2002 Gujarat riots

The "fast-track" courts will hold daily hearings in the trials which have slowed amid complaints of witness intimidation in lower courts in Gujarat, where some 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the 2002 riots.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, from India's main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is accused of turning a blind eye to the religious violence.

The court order, which comes in the middle of India's general election, has embarrassed the BJP and could affect its electoral chances, analysts say."Considering the fact that seven years have passed it is necessary to hold day-to-day trial," the court said, adding the "fast-track" courts would be set up in five districts of Gujarat.

The court asked police to protect witnesses and ordered a special team probing the riots to file a quarterly progress report on the trials.The Gujarat riots are seen as testing of whether minority Muslims can get justice in officially secular but Hindu-majority India. The violence also became a rallying point for radical Muslims and an effective recruitment tool for Islamist militants.

May Day turns violent in Turkey, Germany, Greece

Rising unemployment across Europe and beyond has added intensity to May Day marches as last year's market crash and banking meltdown rolls into the real economy.There were early morning clashes in Germany and protests in Istanbul swiftly turned violent. Greek police clashed with self-styled anarchists.

Turkish riot police fired water cannon and tear gas, firing shots and pepper spray to disperse masked protesters. Young men hurled stones and Molotov cocktails, smashing bank and shop windows in side streets.

An Istanbul police spokesman said 68 demonstrators were detained and 11 police wounded. Leftists and Kurdish separatists regularly clash with police at demonstrations in Turkey and the May Day protest last year also turned violent.

Turkey's government had declared May Day, traditionally marked across Europe and beyond by rallies by labor unions, a public holiday this year under pressure from the unions."Those who are here are unemployed and need work," said Mehmet Guleryuz, a film director. "These are students who cannot pay tuition fees. Things are bad everywhere but it hits Turkey hard."

'Greater Paris' project unveiled, "grand, beautiful and fair city"

French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to reinvent the city as a single entity "Greater Paris" with revamped transport and infrastructure.A 35 billion euro transport corridor is already planned for the capital's outskirts, as Sarkozy explained, paraphrasing the French author Victor Hugo:

"Paris will become a real city when we drop the concept of sink estates, of deprived urban areas, when where you live, your address, can no longer be a matter of social discrimination. Greater Paris will be big, grand, beautiful and fair for everyone."

It is hoped the projects will create a million jobs over the next 20 years. There are even plans to open up the Seine as a working waterway leading to Le Havre.But the entire project faces big political hurdles.

The city itself, the Ile de France region and seven surrounding departments are controlled by the Left.Sarkozy says he will take their projects into account during a national consultation next year.

Face masks part of Japan fashion chic for decades

Japan's love affair with surgical masks baffles many visitors who are disconcerted at the sight of air passengers, commuters and office workers wearing the protective cotton safeguards otherwise associated with hospitals.

Gauze masks designed to stop bugs, dust and allergens are sold in convenience stores on almost every city street in Japan, which counts on 42 manufacturers to protect its population of 127 million from airborne nasties.

"The Japanese essentially like cleanliness and hygiene," Naoya Fujita, head of the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association, told AFP."I think it's part of the Japanese psyche to want to protect yourself at all cost from outside diseases. That feeling is stronger than the feeling of social embarrassment at wearing a mask."

Social etiquette in Japan also dictates that people don't just wear masks to protect themselves, but also to shield others from their own germs when they catch a cold, he said.Latest industry figures show 1.96 million masks were made in Japan in 2007, including models against viruses and bacteria, pollen, industrial pollutants, dry airplane air, and as a thermal protectors in winter.

Mexico says flu epidemic over the worst, "phase of descent"

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the flu was easing but warned that it was too early for Mexico -- the epicenter of an outbreak that has spread to 19 countries -- to let down its guard.

The mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, said the capital of 20 million inhabitants was likely to resume normal activities on Thursday, observing certain health precautions, after a five-day partial shutdown to limit the virus' spread.

Cordova said the H1N1 flu outbreak appeared to have peaked in Mexico between April 23 and 28 and fewer people had gone to hospitals with serious flu symptoms in the past few days."The evolution of the epidemic is now in its phase of descent," he told a news conference in Mexico City, where millions of people heeded government advice to stay at home.

After days of alarm that had kept streets eerily quiet, the atmosphere in Mexico City appeared more relaxed on Sunday, with some people venturing out on bikes or running. Many no longer wore the surgical masks that have been almost obligatory in the city in the last week as residents feared infection.

Bitter at West, Sri Lanka looks East for support

Many Western nations have outlawed the Tamil Tigers and cut off their funding networks, but the Colombo administration is deeply upset over repeated calls from the United States and the European Union for a truce.

President Mahinda Rajapakse believes he is on the verge of victory over Tamil separatists after 37 years of fighting, and he fears that nations such as Britain, France and the US could throw a lifeline to the rebels."Never did history unmask the hypocrisy and the sanctimony of the Western powers than (it has in) their behaviour towards Sri Lanka during recent times," the defence ministry said on Sunday, without naming specific countries.

Rajapakse himself vowed last week that he would not bow to outside pressure for a ceasefire, and lashed out at what he regards as Western interference."They are trying to preach to us about civilians. I tell them to go and see what they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said in a speech.

Historically, Sri Lanka has had close links with the West after four centuries of colonial rule starting with the Portuguese and then the Dutch, and ending when the British left in 1948.

Indian billionaire's high-flying life gets sabotaged

The billionaire industrialist often commutes by helicopter, soaring far above the traffic jams that clog his sprawling hometown of Mumbai.But Ambani's high-flying life could have ended last week a complaint filed with police said pebbles and gravel were found in the chopper's engine debris that could have caused the craft to crash.

The case took a bizarre twist this week: the technician who discovered the suspected sabotage turned up dead. Bharat Borge's body was discovered on suburban Mumbai railway tracks after he was apparently hit by a train a death police are calling suicide but Borge's family believes was murder.

The intrigue is only the latest chapter in the Ambani saga, a multigenerational tale that began with an ambitious patriarch and includes warring brothers, Bollywood starlets, and egos that match their multibillion dollar fortunes. Whoever placed the pebbles in the engine understood helicopters, senior pilot R.N.

Joshi of Reliance Transport & Travels one of Anil Ambani's companies said in the police complaint. The chopper likely would have been able to take off, he said, but the debris would have entered the gear box and cut the power, bringing down the aircraft.The latest developments have gripped the country, with newspapers splashing the story across their front pages and TV news channels giving repeated updates.

Communists face farmer backlash in election

Yet the communist's power base is slowly being eroded by farmers alienated by aggressive plans to attract foreign and local industry to regain the economic glory days when this region was one of the nerve centres of the British empire.

Across Kolkata, a city of 12 million and for years a symbol of India's deep urban poverty, posters and banners bearing the traditional communist red hammer and sickle symbols promise new industries and jobs to the younger generation.

These businesses have often taken shape on prime farmland, enraging farmers, the leftists traditional supporters, who have launched violent protests against factory projects, including a plant to produce the world's cheapest car, the Nano.

"The left has a compulsion to go ahead with industry, and knows very well they might have to pay a price for it in this election," said Ashis Chakrabarti, senior editor of The Telegraph newspaper, referring to a national election to be finalised this month. Meanwhile, West Bengal's communist government may face trouble in a 2011 state poll.

Congress ready to sit in opposition

Congress party's general secretary Digvijay Singh said at the weekend "the heavens will not fall" is the Congress ultimately decides not to form a government after the elections, saying the option of sitting in opposition "is always open" to any political party. (The Asian Age and The Times of India)

Rahul Gandhi said he was confident "we will improve our tally (and) we will win and form the government" when asked how the paty would perform in the remaining two phases of the general election. (The Asian Age)

The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), an ally of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, may join the Congress party after the election, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit told the CNN-IBN news channel.

"Nitish Kumar has hinted at joining Congress. But he has not confirmed as yet. He is waiting for the election results to decide which party to support," she told the TV channel.A BJP spokesman and a JD (U) spokesman refuted her statement.

Beggars learn foreign languages, eye Commonwealth windfall

More than one lakh foreigners will be in the city during the period," Vijay Babli, reported by Hindustan Times as the leader of over 1,200 beggar families living in New Delhi's Rohini's Lal Quarter, told the paper.

"Even if one beggar earns 150-200 rupees per day ($3-4), you can understand the turnover for us," he addedThe multi-sports event is scheduled to be held in October 2010.An informal academy had been set up in the colony and children given coaching to beg in foreign languages, the paper said.

"Bright children are taught how to say phrases like, 'I am an orphan, I have not eaten for days, I am ill, have no money for medicine, please help me in the name of God'," Raju Sansi, reported as a head tutor at the school, told Hindustan Times.

Patni, an eight year-old girl who had never been to school, could speak English, French and Spanish, thanks to the makeshift school, the paper said.eal foreign currency notes were shown to the children so they can recognise them, Patlu, who trains some of the children in Katputli Colony in west Delhi's Patel Nagar, told the paper.

S&P may revise India ratings after election

The ratings agency also believes that recent signs of global economic recovery are prompted by government stimulus packages and that another downturn could still be possible, Elena Okorotchenko, S&P's senior director for Asian sovereign ratings, said in an interview.

"Once the new (Indian) government is in place, we will be talking to them in order to understand their additional fiscal measures and how this would reflect on their budget performance and debt burden both in the short and medium-term," she said."Depending on what we learn from this, we may be able to act either by affirming the rating and revising the outlook back to stable or downgrading."

Okorotchenko spoke to Reuters on the sidelines of the Asia Development Bank's annual meeting, held in Indonesia.India's month-long elections are due to finish by the middle of this month and the next government is expected to take office in June.

India's deteriorating finances and swelling budget deficit have been a growing concern for investors, with the current government sharply increasing borrowing to pay for economic stimulus programmes.

Saudi Arabia mulls marriage ban for girls under 18

"Among the options that are available and excluding the issue of puberty, is to ban marriage for (people) under 18," Justice Minister Mohammed al-Eissa told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

He was responding to a question about his ministry's plan to deal with the marriage of young girls."A girl below 18 is often not fit to take the family responsibility especially if she quickly gives birth (after marriage)," he said.

Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society that applies an ascetic form of Sunni Islam which bans unrelated men and women from mixing and gives fathers the right to wed their sons and daughters to whomever they deem fit.

Many Saudi clerics, including the kingdom's chief cleric Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, endorse the practice of marrying underage girls, arguing that in doing so they avoid spinsterhood or the temptation of engaging in relationships outside the wedlock.A 50-year old man in the small Saudi town of Onaiza agreed this week to divorce his eight year-old bride.

Snaps of Carla Bruni with fomer lover stolen

The break-in took place at the weekend at the Paris home of Julien Enthoven, whose brother Raphael is the father of Bruni's seven-year-old son Aurelien, said a police official close to the investigation.

Several dozen photographs of Ms Bruni were among others that was taken on Sunday night from the home of Julien Enthoven, the younger brother of Raphaël Enthoven, a philosopher with whom she lived and bore a son, Aurél-ien, in 2001. The couple separated in 2006.

French gossip sites speculated on the possibility that the photographs could be embarrassing to President Sarkozy's wife. In her days as a model Ms Bruni occasionally posed in the nude and pictures from that time have circulated widely on the internet

In Spain on Tuesday accompanying President Nicolas Sarkozy on a state visit, Bruni-Sarkozy signed a series of deals for her cultural foundation, created in April, to work with youths from underprivileged backgrounds in fashion and the arts.

New swine flu infections intensify travel fears, 159 dead in Mexico

The number of infections in the United States rose to 65, Canada has 13 and new cases were also confirmed in Israel and New Zealand.But global health officials cautioned that the numbers meant little in a rapidly changing situation, with doctors and clinics rushing to test people with respiratory symptoms and no one sure just how far the virus had spread.

Americans, Canadians and Europeans were advised by their governments to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. Argentina halted all flights from Mexico until Monday and Cuba cut air links for 48 hours.

Mexico closed all of its archeological sites until further notice on Tuesday, and cruise ships and tour operators turned away from the country, threatening to batter a tourism industry that is its No. 3 source of foreign currency.

In the United States, President Barack Obama asked Congress for an extra $1.5 billion to fight the flu threat, and California declared a state of emergency, allowing it to deploy more resources to prevent new infections.

Pakistan drop troops behind Taliban front line

Pakistan's demonstration of military resolve will reassure U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, when they meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Washington on May 6/7 to discuss regional strategy.

The Taliban's entry into a region just 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Islamabad earlier this month had sent shivers through Pakistan and sparked alarm in the United States.

The army, however, said a few hundred militants holed up in the mountains did not represent a real threat to the capital of the nuclear-armed Muslim nation, despite their proximity.

Residents could see and hear the fighting on the slopes overlooking Buner town on Wednesday, and several saw troops rappelling down ropes from helicopters in a drop behind enemy lines"We saw a helicopter dropping troops on the hills early this morning. It came about seven or eight times," said Arshad Imran standing in the town's central bazaar.

Prompt action needed: Antarctica, Greenland getting awaken

We have to act and we have to act quickly because we don't want to cross this tipping point," the Nobel peace laureate and former U.S. vice president told a meeting of foreign ministers, experts and scientists from the most affected countries.

The meeting, called "Melting Ice Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call" was held the day before a meeting of the Arctic Council of foreign ministers. The council members are the United States, Russia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

Dorthe Dahl Jensen, an expert from Denmark's Niels Bohr Institute, told the conference in the Arctic town of Tromsoe that the need for a wake-up call was genuine for the polar and glacial regions."Antarctica and Greenland have been sleeping until now," she said. "Now they are awakening giants.She said if Greenland's ice sheet melted, sea levels would rise by 7 meters (23 feet). If Antarctica melted, the rise would be up to 70 meters (230 feet), she said.

Gore, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo for his campaign to draw attention to global warming, said there was a danger of permafrost melting. He said that would thaw vast amounts of organic matter that microorganisms would then turn into climate damaging methane gas, doubling current levels of climate gases.

WHO raises flu threat level, becoming pandemic

"Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world," WHO Director General Margaret Chan told a news conference in Geneva as she raised the official alert level to phase 5, the last step before a pandemic.

"The biggest question is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start," Chan said. But she added that the world "is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history."

Nearly a week after the H1N1 swine flu virus first emerged in California and Texas and was found to have caused dozens of deaths in Mexico, Spain reported the first case in Europe of swine flu in a person who had not been to Mexico, illustrating the danger of person-to-person transmission.Both U.S. and European officials have said they expect to see swine flu deaths.

Despite worries that a major flu outbreak could hit the struggling global economy, world stocks rallied on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said the U.S. recession appeared to be easing.Almost all cases outside Mexico have had mild symptoms, and only a handful have required hospitalization.

Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu, farmers angry

he measure was a stark expression of the panic the deadly outbreak is spreading around the world, especially in poor countries with weak public health systems. Egypt responded similarly a few years ago to an outbreak of bird flu, which is endemic to the country and has killed two dozen people.

At one large pig farming center just north of Cairo, scores of angry farmers blocked the street to prevent Health Ministry workers in trucks and bulldozers from coming in to slaughter the animals. Some pelted the vehicles with rocks and shattered their windshields and the workers left without killing any pigs.

"We remind Hosni Mubarak that we are all Egyptians. Where does he want us to go?" said Gergis Faris, a 46-year-old pig farmer in another part of Cairo who collects garbage to feed his animals. "We are uneducated people, just living day by day and trying to make a living, and now if our pigs are taken from us without compensation, how are we supposed to live?"

Most in the Muslim world consider pigs unclean animals and do not eat pork because of religious restrictions. One Islamic militant Web site carried comments Wednesday saying swine flu was God's revenge against "infidels."

The last days of Sri Lanka's long war

Sri Lanka earlier in the week promised to stop using heavy weapons in its fight to finish off the rebels and to concentrate its military efforts on freeing the civilians, but both sides report continued fighting and casualties.Here are questions and answers about what happens next on the Indian Ocean island:

This is all but certain to be the last conventional battle in a war that has raged off and on since 1983. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) control less than 10 square km (4 square miles) of coconut groves along the coast. The area is surrounded by water on three sides, and troops on the fourth. If the government follows its announced strategy, fighting will now be close-quarters as troops pick their way across what satellite images show to be a sea of makeshift tent.

Military officers, speaking privately, say the advance has been slowed by fields of land mines and LTTE snipers, although on Wednesday a government spokesman said the Tiger-held area had been reduced to five km.

The army has been deploying snipers, commandos and special forces troops alongside infantrymen. The Tigers say the government has kept using heavy weapons, killing scores of civilians. The military denies that, while saying it continues to inflict significant casualties among the Tiger fighters.

Pakistan troops take town, kill over 50 Taliban

The Taliban's advance earlier this month into a region just 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the capital had sent shivers through Pakistan and heightened fears in the United States that the nuclear-armed Muslim state was becoming more unstable.

"We assure the nation that armed forces have the capability to ward off any kind of threat," military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told a news conference in Rawalpindi, the garrison town close to the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan had used jet fighters at the start of the operation on Tuesday, as well as helicopter gunships"Last night after the airstrike, attack helicopters engaged the miscreants and inflicted more than 50 casualties," Abbas said, adding that one soldier had been killed in the operation.

The government's demonstration of military resolve will likely reassure U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai when they meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Washington May 6-7 to discuss regional strategy.

8-year-old Saudi girl divorces 50-year-old husbandc

The girl was allowed to divorce the 50-year-old man who she married in August after an out-of-court settlement had been reached in the case, said her lawyer, Abdulla al-Jeteli. The exact date of the divorce was not immediately known.

A court in the central Oneiza region previously rejected a request by the girl's mother for a divorce and ruled that the girl would have to wait until she reached puberty to file a petition then.There are no laws in Saudi Arabia defining the minimum age for marriage. Though a woman's consent is legally required, some marriage officials don't seek it.

But there has been a push by Saudi human rights groups to define the age of marriage and put an end to the phenomenon.One Saudi human rights activist Sohaila Zain al-Abdeen was optimistic that the girl's divorce would help efforts to get a law passed enforcing a minimum marriage age of 18.

"Unfortunately, some fathers trade their daughters," she told The Associated Press. "They are weak people who are sometimes in need of money and forget their roles as parents."