Mid Day International News |
- Twitter pays tribute to Kurt Cobain
- British exhibition pokes fun at royals
- 'Bush invited me to the White House'
- Beginning of the end for Berlo?
- 'Papa Gaddafi loved camel meat, couscous'
- What it's like being a supermodel in Pakistan
- YouTube removes sex video implicating Malaysian opposition leader
- George Bush 'invited Osama bin Laden's son to White House'
- What it's like being a supermodel in Pakistan
- Malaysian speaker bars sex video's screening in parliament
- Japan dumps contaminated water into ocean
| Twitter pays tribute to Kurt Cobain Posted: Kurt Cobain, Nirvana Frontman, died 17 years ago yesterday, prompting the mandatory wave of Twitter tributes. "17 years today one of the brightest stars in our musical sky was taken from us. R.I.P Kurt Cobain," tweeted c_hardwick, with many other posts quoting Nirvana lyrics and/or Cobain soundbites.  Kurt Cobain PurebloodNerd posted, "RIP Kurt Cobain :( I wish he could replace Justin Bieber's existence..." Meanwhile, other people maintained candlelight vigils in Cobain's Washington hometown of Aberdeen and at Seattle's Viretta Park, where some of the singer's ashes are scattered. Curse of 27
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| British exhibition pokes fun at royals Posted: Prince William and Kate Middleton embrace on rumpled sheets and Queen Elizabeth II's head on a bank note is adorned with a clown nose, in an irreverent exhibition just weeks before the royal wedding. The Royal Family show at the Hayward Gallery brings together a range of work poking fun at William and Kate and other royals as excitement mounts ahead of their wedding on April 29.  The photograph of William and Kate in Bed 2011, which shows doubles of the royal couple relaxing in their bedroom by British artist Alison Jackson The fake photo by British artist Alison Jackson, William and Kate in Bed 2011, shows doubles of the royal couple relaxing in their bedroom, with the angle of the picture suggesting it was taken by a hidden camera. "Alison's work is about the anxiety that surrounds sex and royalty," said the show's curator Tom Morton. "When I was a child, in 1981, the virginity of Diana was trumpeted by the palace. No one talks about William and Kate, yet we know they lived together before their marriage," said Alison. The queen features on a 10 pound bank note wearing a bright red circus clown nose, in a work by German artist Hans Peter-Feldmann. Prenup Rumours
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| 'Bush invited me to the White House' Posted: Omar, Osama Bin Laden's son, claims he was invited by then president George Bush in an attempt to find the world's most wanted terrorist Omar bin Laden, the fourth son of the al-Qaeda leader, claims he received a visit from White House staff in January 2009 at his home in Doha, the capital of Qatar.  Omar believes that his father is still alive but says he hasn't been in contact with him "They invited me to accompany them to the White House, offered to defend, help and protect me, on the condition that I helped them find my father," he said to a Spanish daily, in an interview. But the 29-year-old said he refused because of filial duty. "I told them I was sorry but it wasn't something I could do. He is my father and I am his son, and as is the way the son must love and respect his father," he said, adding, "Even if in many cases a man may be against the ideas of his father." But the son who was once groomed to take over from Laden later admitted that he had had no contact with his father for almost a decade. The younger Laden claims to have renounced violence and walked away from his father's compound in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan, months before the attacks on September 11, 2001. "Since I was at his side I have not received any messages from my father," he admitted. During the years, Omar married a British woman, who converted to Islam and changed her name from Jane Felix-Browne to Zaina. The couple married in 2007 but separated last year reportedly after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The split came several weeks after it emerged that a surrogate mother was carrying twins for the couple. The pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Omar bin Laden is now offering his services as a Middle East peace envoy. Asked if he thought his father was dead or alive he answered, "I do not know, but I think he's alive." A White House spokesperson said no comment would be made on activities carried out under the previous administration. "We cannot provide any insight as to whether such a thing happened or not." Omar bin Laden is Osama's fourth son. As a teenager, he was considered his father's chosen successor but gave up on violence
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| Beginning of the end for Berlo? Posted: The Italian parliament has challenged the jurisdiction of a Milan court to try Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi on charges he paid for sex with an underage Moroccan prostitute and then used his office to try cover it up. Berlusconi's trial opens today in Milan before an ordinary tribunal.  Silvio Berlusconi But the leader's lawyers and political allies say Berlusconi should be tried by the Tribunal of Ministers, which deals with offences committed by public officials in the execution of their duties. The lower house of parliament, which is controlled by Berlusconi's conservative allies, voted yesterday to ask Italy's Constitutional Court to rule on who should try Berlusconi. Oscar-winning actor George Clooney is being called to make appearances in Berlusconi's trial on charges he paid for sex with an underage prostitute, then tried to use his influence to cover it up. Prosecutors allege Berlusconi paid Moroccan girl Ruby for sex at his villa, then personally called police to have her released from custody.
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| 'Papa Gaddafi loved camel meat, couscous' Posted: Says Libyan leader's nurse, Oksana Balinskaya, calls him generous employer who gave gold watches to staff Moammar Gadaffi is in rude health, enjoys Italian food and couscous with camel meat and likes to give gold watches to his aides, according to a nurse who worked on the Libyan leader's personal staff.  Gaddafi arrived in Rome last year followed by two of his Amazonian Bodyguards. He has an all-female contingent of 40 such guards, all supposed to be 'virgins'. Oksana Balinskaya returned to Ukraine after war broke out in the north African country. She said "Papa" as she calls Gaddafi was generous, giving watches featuring his image to staff every year. "We had no complaints," she said. "When [we] were in New York, for example, Papa gave a personal order to give us some money so we could run around the local boutiques." Rumours untrue She denied rumours that another, more senior nurse from Ukraine, Galyna Kolotnytskaya, was romantically involved with Gaddafi. Kolotnytskaya (38), also returned to Kiev at the end of February but has not given any public statements. She was described in US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks in December as a "voluptuous blonde", one of Gaddafi's closest confidantes and possibly his lover. However, Balinskaya said that was not true in an interview with the Russian daily, Komsomolskaya Pravda. "Galyna worked in the hospital that serviced Gaddafi's family for eight years. She had the same responsibilities as the other nurses there were five of us but was more experienced. The things that have been written about her are made up." Fit as a fiddle Balinskaya also rubbished speculation that the Libyan leader is "not entirely well" another claim made in a WikiLeaks cable. "Despite his age, he's in better shape than a lot of people," she said. "He looks after his health and has a check-up every year. As for his [blood] pressure, if only everyone could have that level." Gaddafi was unfussy about food, she added. "He likes couscous, which is served to him with camel meat or lamb. And like all people in Libya, he loves Italian food, especially pasta." Passing Power? It is understood from media reports that a source close to the country's leadership said a Libyan envoy is floating the idea of ruler Moammar Gaddafi passing power to a son, a notion rebel leaders deem merely cosmetic. Under the proposal, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (38), would help to usher in swift reform. But Saif has become one of his father's most outspoken defenders since the start of the unrest. And the proposal to shift power from Gaddafi to his second-oldest son is "a ridiculous offer," said Ali Aujali, a former Libyan ambassador to the United States who now represents the Libyan opposition in Washington. Aujali said the rebels are willing to offer Gaddafi and his family safe passage out of Libya in an exchange for an end to the fighting but that's as far as their offer goes.
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| What it's like being a supermodel in Pakistan Posted: Pakistani supermodels have revealed their experiences, trials and triumphs of walking the runway in the Islamic republic. Mehreen Syed, 26, one of the most popular and best-paid of Pakistan's new generation of catwalk, campaign and magazine cover stars, had to endure severe beatings at the hands of her uncle and brothers when she first voiced her desire to enter the profession, the Telegraph reported. "My uncles, they beat me, and they said, ''You are not doing this profession''...but only my mother said, ''You should do this, whatever you want''....My whole family, they wear burqas, they cover their faces," The Huffington Post quoted Mehreen, as telling the Telegraph''s Hilary Alexander backstage at Pakistan Fashion Week. "I chose this profession and I love this profession. And, of course, our culture is different because people think that in Pakistan there's no fashion shows and there's no fashion designers. And that there are no models. But I am glad that our fashion industry is popular and is helping us," she added. Aamina Haq, who was one of Pakistan's supermodels between 1995 and 2007, recalled how difficult it was for her father- former Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab, Mustafa Khar- to deal with her showing off her body and rising to a higher level of fame than perhaps he had achieved. Aamina said she was initially disowned by her father, but was inspired by her mother. "I started modeling in 1995 at that time things were very different, we hadn't had terrorism, things were very open," she said. Another ramp beauty, Ayyan Ali, began modelling when she was 16 years old and still in school. "My parents are quite modernized, but we are a Muslim country and quite religious. You just have to watch your image," she said. Although she is happy to appear on the catwalk in mini-skirts, she would not model swimwear. "You should know the difference between vulgar and decent. You can carry a short skirt in a nice way. It depends on you," Ayyan maintained.
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| YouTube removes sex video implicating Malaysian opposition leader Posted: YouTube has removed a sex video implicating Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, citing violation of its policy on 'nudity and sexual content'. The Star quoted a YouTube notice posted at about 11.35pm as saying that the video "was removed as a violation of YouTube's policy on nudity or sexual content". The one-minute and 47-second clip was uploaded on YouTube on Sunday and was also discovered on Facebook on Monday. Meanwhile, media editors who had seen the 22-minute video on March 21 have confirmed that the footage was the same. Following the incident, three men have reportedly claimed responsibility for the screening of the sex video. The trio, who called themselves Datuk T, are former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Perkasa treasurer Shuaib Lazim. Eskay had earlier admitted to the media that he was also in the video. Anwar however, has denied being part of the video, and has already lodged a police report saying that he is not the man in the video. "Now, the video has been distributed. And whether the person looks like me or not, I don't care. It wasn't me," the paper quoted him, as saying. The clip does not show any sexual act in detail as only beginning of the original 22-minute recording have been seen playing on the site. It shows a man wrapped in a towel walking around in a room in the presence of another man dressed in slacks and a short-sleeved shirt. A woman with Chinese features is seen sitting on a bed wearing a tube dress before going to the bathroom and emerging only in a towel. A sentence in Thai language could be seen across the screen, raising speculation that the video was uploaded in Thailand.
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| George Bush 'invited Osama bin Laden's son to White House' Posted: George W Bush invited Osama bin Laden's son Omar to the White House in the final days of his presidency in a last-ditch attempt to track down the world's most wanted terrorist, bin Laden junior has claimed. The fourth son of the al-Qaeda terror network founder has claimed that he received a visit from White House staff in January 2009 at his home in Doha, the capital of the Gulf state of Qatar. "They invited me to accompany them to the White House, offered to defend, help and protect me, on the condition that I helped them find my father," he told Spanish daily newspaper 'La Vanguardia'. But the 29-year-old said he refused because of filial duty. "I told them I was sorry but it wasn't something I could do. He is my father and I am his son, and as is the way the son must love and respect his father," he said. Omar added: "Even if in many cases a man may be against the ideas of his father." But the son who was once groomed to take over from bin Laden later admitted that he had had no contact with his father for almost a decade. The younger bin Laden claims to have renounced violence and walked away from his father's compound in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan, months before the attacks on September 11, 2001. "Since I was at his side I have not received any messages from my father," Britain's 'The Daily Telegraph' quoted him as telling the Spanish newspaper. A spokesman for the White House said no comment would be made on activities carried out under the previous administration. "We cannot provide any insight as to whether such a thing happened or not," he said.
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| What it's like being a supermodel in Pakistan Posted: Pakistani supermodels have revealed their experiences, trials and triumphs of walking the runway in the Islamic republic.
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| Malaysian speaker bars sex video's screening in parliament Posted: The speaker of Malaysia's Dewan Rakyat (parliament) Tuesday rejected suggestions that a sex video, allegedly showing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, be screened in the house. Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said that he will not allow parliament to be used by the parties for furthering their political agenda. "As long as I am still speaker, I will not allow any party to use the house for their political means," he said. He noted that MPs were free to play their political games outside parliament but could not use the house for such purposes. His refusal came amid a strong denial by Ibrahim's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, that the man in the video was her husband. Wan Azizah, who is the chief of the main opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), told a packed media conference here that she had watched the short video clip posted on YouTube. "It is not him. It is clear that the body and physique of the actor in the video is extremely different from that of Anwar. "This is strengthened by the fact that for over a year now, he has been accompanied by his children whenever he exercises and undergoes physiotherapy as part of the recuperative measures for his injured spine," Star Online, website of The Star reported. Besides a strong denial by Anwar himself, there was a strong rebuttal by the opposition parties. Wan Azizah and her daughter Nurul Izzah were accompanied by Karpal Singh, the ethnic Indian chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). PKR and DAP are key constituents of the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat(PR). Karpal Singh condemned the lack of action against the "Datuk Trio" - a businessman and two politicians all having Datuk, the traditional Malaysian title - who made the video public. Singh called for them to be arrested immediately. Anwar Ibrahim Monday said the sex video may have caused PKR a few bruises ahead of the Sarawak state elections, but he would not be distracted by the allegations. Admitting that he has declined to comment on the video clip during his visits to the state, Anwar said that others have misconceived his lack of response as being defensive. "I want to give my full concentration to the issues in Sarawak. "I will fight them (the perpetrators of the sex video clip) on any grounds. But do you expect me to trust the system," Anwar Ibrahim asked. Ibrahim is currently on trial, his second since 1998, on the charge of sodomising an aide. He has alleged that the charge, as also the sex video allegedly showing a man having sex with a foreign woman in a hotel room, is "politically motivated". There have been charges that the video is doctored to implicate Ibrahim. The police investigating the case have quoted unnamed experts to say the video is not doctored. Karpal Singh Monday suggested that the video be shown in the country's parliament. He said although showing such a film would invite the censorship law pertaining to public exhibition, showing the video within the four walls of the house would not attract the legal provisions.
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| Japan dumps contaminated water into ocean Posted: The operator of the Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has started to discharge contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean to speed up efforts to tackle the crisis caused by last month's earthquake and tsunami, Xinhua reported Tuesday. The nuclear plant had been damaged March 11 in a magnitude-9 earthquake that spawned a massive tsunami, leaving over 12,000 people dead. In a bid to free up storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilise the reactors, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it would have to get rid of the less toxic water. A total of 15,000 tonnes of water containing radioactive material was set to be released, including contaminated groundwater from near No. 5 and No. 6 reactors, the plant operator said. The level of radioactive substances in the water is up to 500 times the legal limit permitted for release in the environment, the Kyodo news agency reported. TEPCO has revealed that radioactive iodine-131, which was more than 10,000 times the legal concentration limit, was detected in the water found in the pit. Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency authorized the dumping as an emergency measure and said the disposal would pose "no major health risk". "We have no choice but to release water tainted with radioactive material into the ocean as a safety measure," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. Experts say that while the radioactive material is likely to be diluted in the sea, it remains uncertain how the marine environment will be affected when considering the impact of highly radioactive water already leaked into the sea. Contamination from the plant has been found in the air, ground, seawater and in local produce, including vegetables, dairy products, and mushrooms.
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