Mid Day International News |
- Isabelle Adjani tops Time Magazine's beautiful women list
- Obama 'kicks the butt'; Michelle and kids delighted
- 'Win a wife' competition sparks outrage
- Australian Open was great start to 2011: Andy Murray
- Sarah Palin trademark? Not so fast
- Hurley flies in for Warne rendezvous
- Nude female TV chef to entice men to cook
- 'Radical Feminist' all out to get Assange
- Asylum in Germany for egyptian Prez?
| Isabelle Adjani tops Time Magazine's beautiful women list Posted: French actress Isabelle Adjani, known for her roles in 'Queen Margot' and 'Possession', tops Los Angeles Times Magazine's poll of 50 most beautiful women in film. Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry and Spanish actress Penelope Cruz too feature on the list. Another French actress Brigitte Bardot, who starred in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 cult film 'Contempt', is on number two, American actress and former model Kim Basinger has landed on third spot, Monica Bellucci is on fourth, followed by Berry on number five, thanks to her role as a Bond girl in 'Die Another Day', reports contactmusic.com. Cruz is on 11th place and Jennifer Connelly and Anne Hathaway too make it to the top 20. 'Gossip Girl' actress Blake Lively was the youngest star on 30th position, while Oscar-nominated 'Black Swan' star Natalie Portman stood at 39th position, and 'Slumdog Millionaire' beauty Freida Pinto at 38th position. Hollywood's pretty woman Julia Roberts is at 40th position. Los Angeles Times Magazine's top 50 most beautiful women in film 2011: 1. Isabelle Adjani
| ||
| Obama 'kicks the butt'; Michelle and kids delighted Posted: Two years into office, the White House's puffer-in-chief Barack Obama has quit smoking and a delightful First Lady Michelle has confirmed it. "It's been a while now... a year now,.... Barack has quit and I am very proud of it as he can now look his kids in the eye and say he doesn't smoke", the First Lady said of the development. Perhaps his two daughters have been his motivation, she said. "He has always wanted to stop our kids are getting to the age where he wants to look them in the face because they want to know, 'You don't smoke do you dad? He wants to be able to say no," the First Lady said. Obama has been struggling to beat his addiction during his barnstorming campaign in 2008 and the first two years of his presidency, but his wife refuses to take credit for it saying she has not been cajoling or nagging him about it. Michelle said she had not bugged Obama about quitting... all along as he was on world's most stressful job. "I don't have a discussion with him because it's always been. It's a personal challenge for him. It's not something that I can be like 'Have you smoked today, have you smoked today?" she said. Media reports said that the Obama had been urged by his doctors in February last year to 'kick the butt' after his first medical checkup as President after he had been found otherwise in 'excellent health'. It must have been a big thing in the White House as the tidings were also commented upon by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who said a number of Obama's advisors had also left smoking. He told reporters, "I think that when somebody decides to quit smoking, to try to overcome the physical addiction that they have, they do it not just because they want to, but because others want them to, and because others around them give them the type of encouragement that they need to break what is a tough habit to break."
| ||
| 'Win a wife' competition sparks outrage Posted: A New Zealand based radio company has come under fire after it launched a new Radio contest to 'win a bride'. The competition in which the winner will fly to Ukraine and be given the chance to pick a bride from an agency has been severely criticised across the nation. The winner of the contest, launched by MediaWork's station The Rock, which is broadcast nationwide - will also get 12 nights' accommodation and USD NZ2000 (USD 1,521) spending money, according to media reports. On its website, the company acknowledged that some people will get "their panties in a twist over this one". A social activist Sue Bradford said the contest "takes commercial radio to new depths". "It is unusual and somewhat disturbing that a commercial entity would commercialise what should be one of the most meaningful human relationships and actually offer it as a prize for a radio show," she said. The promotion began on Monday and ends on February 28, with five finalists to be subjected to character assessment from friends and family, and psychometric testing and suitability for marriage testing by a psychologist appointed by MediaWorks. The prize does not include travel for the Ukraine woman to come to New Zealand. The Rock programme director, Brad King told the New Zealand news agency NZ Press Association that the competition was "a bit of a laugh". "At the end of the day, it's up to both people if they decide to get married and return to New Zealand. We're not actually marrying anyone or bringing women back to New Zealand," he said.
| ||
| Australian Open was great start to 2011: Andy Murray Posted:
"I was always going to play here after Australia. It's tough to adjust to the first indoor match in a few months," said the Scot, who is seeded second here and begins his campaign against another former Aussie Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis today. World No 5 Murray said that he dealt with his straight-sets Melbourne defeat by good friend Novak Djokovic "pretty well," adding that it did not affect his desire to front up so soon after his Grand Slam loss. "I had always planned on playing here, Australia was a good start to the year. I would have liked to have gone one win further but I'm looking forward to the year ahead," added Murray, who won here in 2009.
| ||
| Sarah Palin trademark? Not so fast Posted: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's application to trademark her name has been rejected by US officials. The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate filed paperwork with the US Patent and Trademark Office in November.  Sarah Palin However, it emerged over the weekend that the application to register her name for "motivational speaking services" has been turned down. According to official records the bid, filed by her lawyer, was rejected on the grounds that she failed to personally sign the application. The records also show that two examples she had given supporting her application were 'not acceptable'. Reports say that her daughter Bristol had also applied for the trademark to protect her brand image but her request too was rejected.
| ||
| Hurley flies in for Warne rendezvous Posted: Spin king Shane Warne has turned his stately Brighton manor into a paparazzi-proof love bunker, as his jetsetting romance with Elizabeth Hurley heats up. The actress kept a low profile when she flew into Melbourne last night, but a crowd of about 100 at the arrivals gate broke into applause when they saw her.  Elizabeth Hurley gets into a car after she arrived at Melbourne International Airport Hurley smiled but said nothing about her plans with her new romeo as she exited. She disappeared into a car and was on her phone constantly as she was driven straight to Warne's mansion. Warne briefly left his house about the same time Hurley arrived at Tullamarine, but returned after apparently driving around the block. Teams of cleaners, builders and gardeners had slaved at the house all day. Workmen arrived early to construct screens behind the wrought-iron fence at the front of the multi-million-dollar property to obstruct views from the street. While the privacy wall was being erected, a cleaning crew arrived and was soon working its way through the property with an industrial vacuum cleaner. And a furniture van turned up to drop off new goods, including what appeared to be a large mattress. Warne is expected to host Hurley at his home. The relationship between the two was revealed late last year when a British newspaper ran pictures of the couple kissing in a London hotel.
| ||
| Nude female TV chef to entice men to cook Posted: A Hong Kong adult channel is set to debut a cooking show headlined by a nude host who will prepare Cantonese dishes wearing a transparent apron an apparent bid to encourage more men to cook. Host Flora Cheung will start each 30-minute show shopping for fresh ingredients in the city's famous wet markets, undressing once she is back in the privacy of her studio kitchen, the local media reported.  Cheng believes the risque format of the show will draw more men into the kitchen Cheung, who admits she has never worked in a restaurant kitchen, said she hopes the risque show will draw more men into the kitchen. The first episode is set to air later this month. Spreading joy "I have always liked cooking and I thought I should share (the) enjoyment with more people," said the 26-year-old. "Most men don't like to cook, but I want to get them interested... From shopping to cooking it's the whole shebang," Cheung added. The host promised that her tailor-made, transparent apron won't leave much to the imagination. "It covers pretty much everything but hides nothing," she was quoted as saying. Producer Jesse Au told the paper that the show may spawn similar offerings with nude hosts cooking up a range of Asian cuisines: "This could be an endless series if it proves popular." 2004
| ||
| 'Radical Feminist' all out to get Assange Posted: Swedish prosecutor attempting to extradite WikiLeaks founder to Sweden for alleged sex crimes has been accused of being biased against men A Swedish prosecutor in London attempting to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face sex charges has been accused of having a "biased view" against men. Retired Swedish appeal court judge Brita Sundberg-Weitman launched an outspoken attack on the authorities responsible for an arrest warrant in the whistleblower's name.  Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protest outside the court, in south-east London yesterday She was flown to London by Assange's legal team to give evidence supporting their argument that extraditing him would be a "flagrant denial of justice". Speaking in the witness box at Woolwich Crown Court, sitting as Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, she said she could not understand the "attitude" of prosecutor Marianne Ny. Sundberg-Weitman, a published academic and associate professor at Stockholm University, accused Ny of having a "rather biased view against men". She added, "She seems to take it for granted that everybody under prosecution is guilty. I think she is so preoccupied with the situation of battered women and raped women that she has lost balance." The claims were made on the first day of a two-day hearing that will decide whether Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, should be sent to Sweden. He is wanted by police over allegations he sexually assaulted one woman and raped another during a visit to Stockholm last August. Assange's legal team argue extradition would breach his human rights and fear he could ultimately be taken against his will to the United States and executed. But a barrister representing the Swedish authorities said the fears are unfounded, the proper legal process is being followed and Assange has a case to answer. Tell all book Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a cryptic computer scientist, WikiLeaks' best-known face after Assange himself will reveal never-disclosed details about the group's operations in his new book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website. Fashion Fund WikiLeaks plans to launch an online store that sells branded paraphernalia including T-shirts, hoodies, mugs and tote bags. All profits from the sales will go to WikiLeaks.
| ||
| Asylum in Germany for egyptian Prez? Posted: Could a German resort town become Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's new home in exile? Media reports are speculating that Germany, because of his previous medical visits to the country, could be Mubarak's next stop. The rumors were triggered by a recent report, which claimed that secret talks were being held between the US government and Egyptian military officials over a possible German exile for Mubarak.  Egyptian demonstrators hold anti-Mubarak slogans as they gather at Cairo's Tahrir square yesterday on the 15th day of demonstrations against the President Hosni Mubarak For years, statesmen and politicians from Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and even Yemen have been treated in cities such as Munich, Berlin or the spa town of Baden-Baden. The list includes Mubarak, who underwent a gall bladder operation at the University Clinic in Heidelberg in March 2010 and had back surgery at a hospital in Munich in 2004. According to media in Germany, the plans for his exile are so far along that there have already been talks with a private luxury clinic, the Max-Grundig-Klinik nestled at the edge of Black Forest. However, the spokeswoman at the facility refused to comment on the issue. Political debate While European leaders are still grappling with how to deal with Mubarak, it should comes as no surprise that politicians across the German political spectrum have been quick to comment on whether Germany should host the ousted dictator. Elke Hoff, security policy spokesperson for the liberal Free Democrats, said she would welcome Mubarak, if it helps to stabilise the situation in Egypt. But she added that Mubarak's possible stay should not be considered "political asylum." Elmar Brok, a European Parliament member for Germany's conservative CDU party, said, "The German government should discretely signal to Mubarak that he can come to Germany if he wants to." But officially, the German government has remained mum. Yet, even Egyptians living in Germany, who have been protesting against Mubarak, say that they would not necessarily oppose the idea of Mubarak finding refuge here. "If Mubarak does not continue his political activities from afar, and if this helps to bring a peaceful solution for our country, then why not," said Sarawat Ramadan, a leader of Germany's Egyptian community. But there were few who opposed to the idea.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mid Day To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment