Thursday, May 26, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Simon Cowell wants Obama's Beast

Posted:

Security-conscious Simon Cowell is obsessed with US President Barack Obama's bomb-proof Cadillac -- popularly known as The Beast. The car-mad X Factor guru, who has a fleet of luxury motors, has ordered his people to get him his own version of the sleek, black monster.


Love at first sight: Simon Cowell's love of cars is well-known and
when he saw the Beast he immediately wanted the car. Pic/AFP

His spokesman Max Clifford admitted the star had been in touch about the limo, shipped over for the US President's trip to Britain and Ireland. Clifford confirmed, "Simon Cowell phoned me this morning and said he wants the same car as Obama." Its long list of security features include an armour-plated fuel tank.

It also has puncture-resistant tyres and bullet-proof glass.Simon, is known to be upping his security as he tours the States to discover new acts for his smash-hit US X Factor. His normal mode of transport is a Rolls-Royce -- he owns one in the US and another in London. His security was stepped up three years ago after a tracking device was found on his London Roller.

He also zips around town in a Mini. A pal said, "Simon's love of cars is borderline obsessional. He took one look at Obama's Beast and his first thought was, 'I need one.' Obviously it is not as simple as walking into a Cadillac showroom and getting one. "A Beast would take months, if not years, to complete."

Cowell's jewels
The long list of super-expensive cars in Cowell's garage:
>> Ferrari 360
>> Mercedes SL55AMG
>> Range Rover
>> Bentley Azure
>> Aston Martin DB7
>> Bugatti Veyron
>> Mini Cooper S
>> Jaguar XK120
>> Lamborghini Spyder


Kim Jong Il's search for salad dressing

Posted:

Once weighing nearly 90 kg, the 5 ft 2 Kim Jong Il has had to count the calories since suffering a stroke in 2008. So perhaps it was no surprise that he stepped away from a tour of China's top factories and solar panel plants earlier this week to try and find some salad dressing at a local supermarket. The 69-year-old leader of North Korea slipped out of his suite at the Yangzhou State Guest House on Monday afternoon and strolled for five minutes to the Suguo supermarket. Kim, who is a known gourmet, reportedly then accosted one sales clerk and asked "Where can I find oil for a salad?"


Getting rid of the junk: Kim Jong II inspects a radish while he
searches for salad dressing.

Good olive oil is, of course, hard to come by in North Korea, where the World Food Programme said in March there were more than six million people on the brink of starvation and requiring urgent food aid. The WFP estimates that some 4,75,000 tons of food are needed, and Kim was thought to be meeting Hu Jintao, the president of China, to discuss some of the problems yesterday, as well as a resumption of talks over North Korea's nuclear disarmament.

Whet his appetite
Kim's appetite, meanwhile, has been the subject of several legends, including that he likes to have his sashimi carved from a live fish and that he hates anchovies on his pizza. According to one of his chefs, Kim sends trusted couriers to fetch him back Danish bacon, Iranian caviar and Thai mangoes. A nephew of his first wife, meanwhile, relates that the Dear Leader likes to have his rice cooked over wood that has been cut down from Mount Paektu, Korea's sacred mountain. There is even an institute in Pyongyang devoted to making sure Kim eats only the healthiest produce. But, while the North Korean leader paid special attention to the rice and oil in the supermarket, he came away empty-handed. He went on to board his special train before heading to Nanjing and then to Beijing.

Did you know?
South Koreans ridiculed Kim Jong Il by calling him 'the only fat Prince of Pyongyang'


What's on Brit PM's DVD shelf?

Posted:

Samantha Cameron discloses details of the Downing Street DVD and book collection during an informal meeting with Michelle Obama

A rare glimpse of the Camerons' private life has been shown in a picture of Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama having a chat in the Prime Minister's home. The photograph of the leaders' wives on the sofa at the Camerons' Downing Street apartment, released by the White House, is sure to cement the image of the UK's "special relationship" with America. The Camerons, like the Blairs and Browns before them, chose to live in the larger four-bedroom flat above 11 Downing Street, rather than the smaller apartment above Number 10.
The backdrop to the photo of the leaders' wives -- taken before "having tea" -- shows the contemporary style in which the Camerons live away from the public eye.


Modern family: US First Lady has a cosy chat with Samantha Cameron
in the kitchen.


US President Obama and UK's PM David Cameron roll up their sleeves
as they serve BBQ to military personel during an event hosted to honour
military families from US and Britain and veterans at 10 Downing Street
yesterday. pics/AFP, White House

The smart mustard sofa, simple wooden flooring and neutral walls are a stark contrast to the traditional, elegant decor the Obamas will have been enjoying at Buckingham Palace. Behind the Prime Minister and First Lady, the Camerons' book and DVD collection, though hard to make out, may give away some of their literary and TV likes and dislikes. On the shelves are two box sets of the American TV series 24 and an array of other movies and TV collections including Band of Brothers, Brideshead Revisited, Michael McIntyre's Live and Laughing DVD and the Bruce Willis film Armageddon. Books include The Family Cookbook, Paris Interiors, and Arts And Artists. No strangers to technology, the photo also shows a peek at their flat-screen TV.

Most noticeable in the background may be the sleek, state-of-the-art kitchen. The Camerons were known to have had the small 70s kitchen in the flat renovated at their own expense before they moved in, but it later emerged they had also had a second kitchen fitted. Both dubbed fashion icons in the past, their outfits do not disappoint. Obama wore a vibrant purple wool-crepe dress, teamed with a blue coat by New York designer Narciso Rodriguez for other engagements in the day. Sam Cam doesn't let down the side, backing British in a Peter Pilotto embroidered floral silk dress.

Oops moment
Barack Obama made a gaffe during his state visit yesterday -- signing Westminster Abbey's visitors' book with the incorrect year. The president dated his entry May 24, 2008, rather than the current year.


Sensation Sania a great 'shaker' in Pakistan

Posted:

Tennis star's inclusion in Pakistan's influential women's list gets lukewarm response

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik last year, has been included in a list of 100 women who can 'shake Pakistan'. Mirza, who chose to live in Dubai after her high-profile and controversial marriage to Malik, finds a mention in the list alongside former federal minister Sherry Rehman, women's rights champion Mukhtaran Mai, and Um-e Hassan, the wife of hardline Lal Masjid cleric. The list compiled by Newsweek Pakistan magazine describes Mirza as a "tennis pro (who) has been welcomed by Pakistanis as their own".



Surprise inclusion
Many Pakistanis have expressed surprise at Mirza being included in the list. "One conflicting lady is Sania Mirza who I think cannot and should not be included in this list unless she becomes a Pakistani citizen," posted a Pakistani housewife who blogs by the same name. "How did Sania Mirza make it to that list. Last I saw her she was winning games for India. Don't mean to be harsh or anything but isn't this thread about proud Pakistani women?" wrote a reader on the defence.pk website.

A "Karachi feminist" pooh-poohed the list, saying "it fits the paradigm of how westerners write about Pakistan.
"If it's not going to be the terror militant suicide angle, then it should be about defiance, spirit, resilience -- their art, their bold and talented women, unique industries," the author posted on lurkinginambush.blogspot.com.

Hyderabad reacts
But in Hyderabad many seemed to be amused as to how Pakistanis could stake claim on an Indian who is married to a Pakistani and has not yet accepted that country's citizenship. If some said it was silly on the part of Pakistanis to stake claim on her, some thought it was unjust to include Sania on the list of influential women just like that as she had done nothing for the society there.


Chinese woman cuts open her belly to save surgery cost

Posted:

A Chinese woman cut open her stomach with a kitchen knife to relieve fluid accumulation so that she didn't have to pay the surgery cost, a media report said.

China Daily reported that 53-year-old Wu Yuanbi, a migrant worker living in Chongqing municipal area, had not bought medical insurance as she wanted to save money.

After her plight came to light, she was taken to a hospital and is now being given treatment free of cost.

Wu is suffering for the past 13 years from Budd-Chiari syndrome, which is a condition in which her stomach fills with fluid.

In 2002, her family pooled its savings to pay for a surgery that led to a large amount of fluid being taken out.

When she suffered a relapse, her family was too poor to pick the 50,000 yuan ($7,680) tab for the second operation, the media report said.

As Wu was desperate to relieve the pressure in her stomach, she cut herself open with a kitchen knife May 8.

Her husband, Cao Yunhui, had left for work when she slit open her stomach and she had to endure intense pain for hours.

When Cao returned later in the day, he found Wu with a 10 cm-long wound in her stomach. She was lying in a fluid pool.

Wu was immediately taken to hospital.

"If I had passed away, I would have at least spared my family the trouble of looking after me," Wu was quoted as saying.
Posted by Harshad at 7:10 AM

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