Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Disparaging remarks about Ganesha upset Hindus

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Hindus have urged the Random House Group Limited of London to remove the words disparaging to Lord Ganesha from its recent publication 'Leela's Book'

The book reportedly calls Ganesha as 'Misshapen son of Lord Shiva', "abusively given this flippant elephant replacement", etc.

Esteemed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Connecticut (USA) on Tuesday, said that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and it was disturbing for the devotees to read this disparaging description of him.

Ganesha was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for being needlessly trivialized in a novel to push the author's selfish agenda, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.

'Leela's Book' is an English novel written by Alice Albinia, 35, the author of award winning 'Empires of the Indus', and published under Harvill Secker label by The Random House Group Limited London. Its Hardcover edition of about 400 pages and dated June 2, 2011, sells for 11.59 pounds at amazon.co.uk where under book description it says that the novel 'weaves a story of sexual and textual mistakes'. Albinia reportedly lived in Delhi for two years.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

9-yr-old becomes world's youngest balloonist

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Bobby Bradley, a nine-year-old New Mexico boy has floated into history, taking off solo in a hot air balloon and landing perfectly about half an hour later to become the youngest trained pilot to accomplish such a feat.

Showing maturity and composure well beyond his years, Bobby proved any doubters wrong as he strategically touched down on Saturday on a dirt road exactly as his parents had instructed.

"It was awesome. It was amazing. I loved it," he said. He added, " I knew I was ready," I had all my equipment.

I just wanted to go up."
Bobby is a fourth-generation balloonist and has been flying in them for more than half his life.

But he can't get his pilot's licence until he is 16, so his family and friends built the smaller balloon, which is
classified as an ultra-light aircraft, so the solo flight could go ahead.

Smurfs branded as anti-semitic, racist

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The Smurfs, the cuddly blue comic strip creatures loved by generations of children, are anti-Semitic and racist, treating blacks like moronic primates, a new book claims.

The claims by Antoine Bueno, a lecturer at Paris' Sciences political sciences school, have been branded a "disgrace" that "soils the legends of our childhood" by an army of Smurf lovers.



Under the guise of a "critical and political analysis of Smurf society", Bueno's 'Little Blue Book' deconstructs the world of Smurfs.

His conclusions are that the blue men created in 1958 by artist Peyo, represent an "archetype of totalitarian society imbued with Stalinism and Nazism".

The author backs up his claims of racism by citing Peyo's first work The Black Smurfs in French but translated as The Purple Smurfs for reasons of political correctness.

In the story, a Smurf gets stung by a black fly that turns his skin black, drives him insane and deprives him of speech. Soon the entire village has changed colour.

Bueno says the story is clearly racist. When the Smurfs turn black, "they are reduced to the state of primitives who jump around and cry: 'Gnap! Gnap!' They lose all trace of intelligence and become completely moronic."

He also claims that the Smurfs' arch-enemy, the wizard Gargamel, is a anti-Semitic caricature of a moneygrabbing Jew.

Papa Smurf, is portrayed as a dictator, whose red hat and trousers are a nod to Stalin. The book has sparked a wave of anger on the Internet from Smurf lovers.

Palace to display royal dress, cake

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It has been announced that the wedding gown of the Duchess of Cambridge would be displayed during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace between July 23 and October 3.

Kate's veil, tiara and wedding shoes and the diamond earrings she wore on her wedding day would also form part of the display.


In addition to Kate's dress, veil, tiara and wedding shoes and the diamond earrings will also be on display

William and Kate's wedding cake, created by cake designer Fiona Cairns, will also be shown in the state dining room to complement the wedding dress exhibition, according to the Royal Collection.

The Duchess's gown featured lace applique floral detail and was made of ivory and white satin gazar, with a skirt that resembled 'an opening flower' with white satin gazar arches and pleats.

The dress's beautiful, intricate train measured nine feet.

Individual flowers were hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered on to ivory silk-tulle to create a design that incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

More than half a million people are expected to pay the ticket price of �17.50 (Rs 1,300), breaking the previous highest attendance figure of 4,20,000 in 1994.

Visitors can also view the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI used by Kate and her father Michael to travel to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony on April 29, and the 1902 State Landau carriage in which the newlyweds returned to the Palace.

Rs 1,300
Cost of ticket for the royal wedding collection

No end to 'bunga bunga' parties

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Reports suggest Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi still staging his so-called sex parties despite being on trial for paying for underage sex

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is still holding his 'bunga bunga' parties despite being on trial for sex with an underage prostitute, it has emerged.

The details were revealed in a series of leaked wire taps between Grand Prix chief Flavio Briatore and friends which form part of a separate investigation and have been passed onto Berlusconi prosecutors.


The wiretaps reveal that bunga bunga parties organised by Italian PM Berlusconi have moved to a new property. Berlusconi also faces charges of abusing power when he paid officials to keep Karima's age under wraps


According to the wire taps between London-based Briatore and his friends, the billionaire media tycoon has switched the venue from his villa at Arcore near Milan, to another property he owns a few miles away.

The phrase 'bunga bunga' is said to refer to a crude after dinner sex games that place at the parties Berlusconi hosted at Arcore.

Prosecutors say the women were given money and jewellery by Berlusconi in return for sexual favours and among them was exotic belly dancer Karima el-Mahroug who at the time was just 17-years-old.

Investigators passed on details of the new events at Berlusconi's Villa Gernetto after stumbling across them during a tax probe into Briatore's yacht Force Blue which was seized by revenue chiefs last year.

Prosecutors in the port of Genoa investigating Briatore have passed the wire taps between the racing chief and his friends, onto colleagues in Milan involved in the bunga bunga case.

Details of the conversations between Briatore and his friends were leaked which reveal how Berlusconi is still partying but at the Villa Gernetto venue.

The house serves as headquarters of University of Freedom which is linked to his People of Freedom partly and is also used by visiting VIPs.

A newspaper said that "although no new crimes have emerged from the wiretaps the conversations would certainly seem to to confirm the prosecution scenario".

Briatore's lawyer, Massimo Pellicciotta, said, "I find it absurd that a newspaper has revealed wiretaps before an investigation has even formally closed."

While in a statement Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said, "This article which says parties have been organised at Villa Gernetto is completely without foundation.

It should be noted that these telephone calls, if they exist, are recordings that this newspaper has in violation of the investigation and which the defence are not even aware of."

He added, "In spite of this is should be noted that at Villa Gernetto no parties were ever organised but instead, as can be proved by documentation there have been numerous events between foreign and Italian political visitors."

His trial is set to resume later in the week and although he has insisted he will attend hearings to clear his name so far he has not appeared in court and has already said he will not be at the next session. " Agencies

Did you know?
The age of consent in Italy is 14 but paying for sex with a woman under 18 is seen as under age prostitution and punishable by up to three years in jail.

Bunga Bunga
The phrase bunga bunga refers to crude after dinner sex games

US woman wakes up with Transylvanian accent after oral surgery!

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A US woman who was sedated for oral surgery a year and a half ago woke up to find she had gained a Transylvanian accent

Karen Butler, who lives in Butler, Oregon, is believed to have developed foreign accent syndrome after the surgery, reports the Fox News.

Butler told The Oregonian that she ''sounded like (she) was from Transylvania'', and it softened a little over time - but she still has not recovered her original Northwestern tone.

Doctors diagnosed Butler with foreign accent syndrome, a neurological condition that has only been documented 60 times in the last 100 years.

"What happens with foreign accent syndrome to the best of our understanding is that a very, very small part of the speech area is affected so that the normal intonation of speech gets altered," said Dr. Ted Lowenkopf, medical director of the Providence Stroke Center.

Butler said she does not hear the accent unless she watches herself on video.

Foreign accent syndrome is usually caused by strokes, but it can also be associated with migraines, head injuries and multiple sclerosis. (ANI)

Ramdev protests spread to Nepal

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Protests began in neighbouring Nepal's capital Monday after the Indian police abruptly ended the fast undertaken by yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the Indian capital New Delhi.

The Patanjali Yog Kendra established in Kathmandu by the yoga teacher, whose fans number millions in India and abroad, Monday took out a silent protest rally from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to the foreign ministry office nearby, condemning the police eviction in New Delhi.

Protesters, including officials of the Yog Kendras and students, had sought to hold a meet at a public hall in the neighbourhood Monday but were prevented by police who surrounded the venue and prevented them from leaving.

The detained officials then called up Nepal's Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal asking him to intervene. The premier consulted his Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and then permitted the protesters to convey their grievances in a restrained manner to the Indian Embassy and the foreign ministry.

Seven members from the Yog Kendra then handed over memorandums to the embassy and foreign ministry, saying that the Nepal chapter was extending moral support to Ramdev's fight against corruption and was condemning the Indian government's attempt to suppress it.

The general feeling in Nepal is that the Indian police acted ham-handedly by forcibly breaking up a peaceful protest against corruption undertaken by Ramdev.

"It was not right. The government should have gone deep into Ramdev's demands and seen how much of it could be implemented and drawn up a time frame in consultation with him. When someone seeks a change in society, it is imperative to know what is the root cause of the demand," said Swami Prem Krishna, a follower of another Indian guru, Osho.

Baba Ramdev's campaign, termed by many critics as a gimmick, is being closely followed in Nepal.

Ramdev has yoga centres spread across all 75 districts of Nepal that employ more than 5,000 teachers and 27 ayurvedic centres selling herb-based medicines. Thousands of people in Nepal, including Nepal's leading politicians, actors and captains of industry, follow his yoga instructions and flock to his yoga centres.

Last year, Ramdev held yoga camps in Nepal and was hailed by the President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, with Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, former prime minister and Maoist chief, attending one of the early morning sessions.

Nepal's government has given land to Ramdev at subsidised rates to set up his centres and the Baba, in turn, has gifted the republic 50,000 milch cows to improve the production of milk and agriculture.

Chinese official interrogated over corruption dies

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A Chinese government official, who was being interrogated over corruption charges, has died, authorities said

Ran Jianxin, 49, a deputy of the people's congress in Lichuan city of Hubei province, was arrested May 26 for allegedly taking bribes from construction contractors, Xinhua reported.

He died while being interrogated, the local government said in a statement.

Gan Guowei - a cousin of Ran - however, said he found signs of wounds on Ran's body at the hospital where his body was kept and believed it was an "unnatural death".

The Hubei administration has launched an investigation into Ran's death.

Student shocks Canada with stunt inside parliament

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A young Canadian woman has become an instant national celebrity by pulling off a protest stunt against Prime Minister Stephen Harper inside parliament

Brigette DePape, 21, stunned the Senate by raising 'Stop Harper' banner and disrupting the speech by the governor-general to open the first session of the new parliament Friday. The young woman, employed as a page in parliament, said she raised the sign 'Stop Harper' to protest the prime minister's agenda on environment, defence, tax and other issues.

She had smuggled the protest banner inside by hiding it in her skirt.

DePape was arrested and fired from her job. A page is someone employed to run errands or carry messages in parliament in North America. They are mostly students who work with legislature during summer holidays.

The protester said the prime minister's agenda is "extremely harmful" for Canada."We need to challenge the assumption that democracy happens only once every four years. Real democracy happens in our everyday lives and in everyday actions.''

As the young student became an instant celebrity, she got many offers of job.

Oscar-winning documentary maker Michael Moore came out in her support and urged Canadians to back her.

The maker of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' also posted the photo of DePape's protest on his website.

"For a young person to do that and to do it peacefully, and quietly and with grace, I thought it was a very powerful moment," Moore told the Canadian Press.

"Every now and then there is an iconic moment where an individual takes action, and it inspires others to think about, you know, what else would we be doing."

The young protester's mother said she was proud of her daughter.

"It is only through these inappropriate actions that we will challenge the status quo. If it weren't for non-violent direct action taken by women for the right to vote, as a woman, I wouldn't have been able to vote in the last election,'' the mother said.
Posted by Harshad at 7:12 AM

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