Coloring book used to smuggle drugs into jail

PHILADELPHIA: Three inmates and their loved ones were charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into a New Jersey jail on the pages of a children's coloring book, authorities said.

The drug, Subozone, normally used to treat heroin addiction but itself classified as a controlled dangerous substance, was dissolved into a paste and then painted into the coloring book, said Cape May County Sheriff Gary Schaffer. Pages with "To Daddy" scribbled on top were sent to the prisoners at the jail in Cape May, New Jersey.

"I've been in law enforcement for 38 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Schaffer.

Authorities received a tip drugs were being smuggled in drawings, Schaffer said.

Charged in the case were prisoners Zachary Hirsch, Charles Markham and Paul Scipione. Also charged were Markham's mother, Debbie Longo, of West Wildwood, New Jersey, and Katelyn Mosbach, of Trevose, Pennsylvania, who was still being sought.

The New Jersey drug bust was the second one this month involving Suboxone smuggling behind bars.

Authorities at a prison in Carbon County, Pennsylvania earlier this month arrested 11 people in what they said was a scheme to hide the drug beneath postage stamps on letters mailed to inmates from family members.

After 30 years, war on AIDS at 'moment of truth'

With the war on AIDS nearing its 30th anniversary, the UN on Thursday declared "a moment of truth" had come for new strategies to address the campaign's failures and brake costs that were now unsustainable.

"We have a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress and to critically and honestly assess the barriers that keep us shackled to a reality in which the epidemic continues to outpace the response," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report issued in Nairobi.
It marks the date in 1981 when US epidemiologists reported on mysterious cases of fatal pneumonia among young gays. In 1983, French scientists pinned the cause on a new pathogen, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which destroyed the immune system in heterosexuals and homosexuals alike.

"AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives and more than 60 million people have become infected with HIV," Ban said in his progress report on the disease.

"Each day, more than 7,000 people are newly infected with the virus, including 1,000 children. No country has escaped the devastation of this truly global epidemic."

Ban said there had been many pluses over the past three decades, notably getting AIDS drugs to more than six million badly-infected people in poor countries.

But at this point, "the HIV response faces a moment of truth," he said.

Among the problems he highlighted was "a wholly unsustainable" rise in costs and a flatlining in resources, which have remained at under 16 billion dollars a year since late 2007.

More and more people are becoming infected, which means they will eventually join the numbers of patients who eventually need AIDS drugs, a treatment that has to be taken daily for the rest of one's life.

Ban spelt out ways by which countries could meet a target set last December 1 on World AIDS Day, of "zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths" by 2015.

"Of course progress has been frustratingly taking a long time," he admitted at a press conference.

But, he added, "I am sure that by 2015 we will have a much greater progress in our common efforts in fighting against HIV."

He called on member states to carry out a "prevention revolution," in which member states would commit to reducing sexual transmission of HIV by 50 percent by 2015.

Approaches should include new methods that have been validated by science, such as the use of male circumcision, which reduces the risk of female-to-male infection by around 60 percent. In the past two years, more than 200,000 men have been circumcised in 13 countries with a high prevalence of the HIV.

In the pipeline are promising trials involving a vaginal microbicide, to help women fend off HIV infection, and the use of AIDS drugs as a prevention against the virus, rather than treatment for it.

Ban also urged countries to ensure that all 13 million people who will need drugs by 2015 have access to them.

But a massive effort will be needed to brake the upward trajectory in costs, using smart but effective methods, he said.

The report called for a 50-percent reduction in fatalities from tuberculosis, the leading cause of death among people with HIV, and for the elimination of the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their babies.

"It is a grave global injustice that 370,000 newborns contract HIV in low- and middle-income countries each year, while vertical transmission has been virtually eliminated in high-income countries," Ban said.

The UN chief also called for a bonfire of the regulations that targeted people with HIV. He urged member states to commit to reducing by half the number of countries with HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay and residence.

The appeal is the third major initiative on AIDS to be launched by the United Nations in the past decade.

The two previous ones were the "Three by Five" goal of providing three million people with AIDS drugs by the end of 2005, and the objective of universal access to these drugs by the end of 2010.

Both initiatives fell short of their mark although the UN says they generated momentum, especially in building medical infrastructure in poor countries.

China leads challenge to ‘scientific superpowers’

LONDON: China and other emerging nations such as Brazil and India are becoming leaders in science to rival traditional ‘scientific superpowers’ like the United States, Europe and Japan, a top British academy said on Monday.

A report by the Royal Society science academy also found some rapidly emerging scientific nations not usually associated with a strong science base, including Iran, Tunisia and Turkey.

The report, entitled Knowledge, Networks and Nations: Global scientific collaboration in the 21st century, stressed the growing importance of international cooperation in the conduct and impact of science, and its ability to tackle global problems like energy security, climate change and loss of biodiversity.

"The landscape of science is changing. Science is increasing and new players are fast appearing," Chris Llewellyn Smith, chair of the advisory group for the study, told a briefing. "Beyond the emergence of China, we see the rise of Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, North African and other nations."

Llewellyn Smith said in the five years from 2002 to 2007, global spending on research and development (R&D) had risen by almost 45 percent -- broadly in line with rising economic growth -- but in developing countries it had risen by 100 percent.

"The increase in the developing world is mainly driven by China," he said. "But there are also others there."

He said the growth in scientific research and collaboration should help the world find solutions to global challenges, and added: "No historically dominant nation can afford to rest on its laurels if it wants to retain the competitive economic advantage that being a scientific leader brings."

SURPRISES

The publication data analyzed by the report showed changes in the share of the world's authorship of scientific research papers between the periods 1993-2003 and 2004-2008.

Although the United States still leads the world, its share of global authorship has fallen to 21 percent from 26 percent and its closest rival is now China, which has risen from sixth to second place with a share of authorship rising to 10.2 percent from 4.4 percent.

Britain is stable in the rankings at third place, although its share is down slightly at 6.5 percent from 7.1 percent.

Among big surprises in the report's findings were a handful of countries whose scientific credentials have come almost from nowhere to feature far more prominently in world science.Iran is the fastest growing country in terms of numbers of scientific publications in the world, growing from just 736 papers in 1996 to 13,238 in 2008.

The Iranian government has committed to a "comprehensive plan for science" including boosting R&D investment to 4 percent of GDP by 2030, compared with just 0.59 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006.

Turkey has also dramatically improved its scientific performance, at a rate to almost rival China, with R&D spending increasing nearly six fold between 1995 and 2007.During that time the number of researchers increased by 43 percent, the report found, and four times as many papers with Turkish authors were published in 2008 as in 1996.

It also highlighted Tunisia, which has raised the percentage of its GDP spent on R&D to 1.25 percent in 2009 from 0.03 percent in 1996, at the same time as restructuring national R&D to create 624 research units and 139 research laboratories.

Chinese toddler wants to be superm

Lu Hao is a three-year-old who, like many others, wants to grow up to be a superman.Lu Hao is a three-year-old who, like many others, wants to grow up to be a superman and likes to play with action figures. The difference is that the toddler weighs over 60 kilogrammes (132 pounds), five times that of an average boy in his age.


Hao s parents, who live in a sleepy riverside village in China s southern Guangdong province, say his weight was normal at 2.5 kg (5.51 pounds) when he was born. But within months he started to grow overweight.

"I want to be superman," said the toddler, who stands about 1 metre tall (3 feet), half the height of a full-grown man. At dinner time, he wolfed down several bowls of rice and steamed fish.

When Hao was a baby, his parents Lu Yuncheng and Chen Huan thought it was cute to have a bouncing bundle of joy, but now they have grave fears for their son s health.

"Of course I worry about him. Basically his legs can t support his weight. A nearly four-year-old boy has to support 120 catties (60 kilogrammes). His heart is also under pressure because of the heavy load," said Hao s father, Lu Yuncheng, who works on a fish farm.

Some medical experts think he might have a growth hormone disorder, but others blame the "Little Emperor" syndrome, wherein parents, only allowed one child in China, spoil their kids.The one-child policy has been implemented in the last 30 years, and in some ways, has led parents to focus on rearing their only children.

Microsoft declares war on Google in EU anti-trust complaint

US computer giant Microsoft declared war on Internet king Google Thursday when it joined an anti-trust complaint in Europe that could result in billions of dollars in fines.

It is the first time Microsoft, which has itself been hit with multi-million-dollar anti-trust fines by Brussels, has gone public with submissions to European Union inspectors probing the online search giant.

"Microsoft is filing a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commission’s ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law," read an online posting from Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel, Microsoft Corporation.

The move adds momentum to the probe against Google launched by EU regulators in November on accusations it has rigged the search market for consumers.

EU competition watchdogs are investigating whether Google is guilty of "unfavourable treatment" of rival search services providers and whether the company's own services -- including YouTube video, book-scanning or telephony -- are getting "preferential placement" in consumer searches.

The Commission has "taken note" of the complaint and will ask Google for a response, said Amelia Torres, spokeswoman for EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

Asked to comment, Google said the action was hardly surprising given a Microsoft subsidiary was one of the original complainants in the probe.

"For our part, we continue to discuss the case with the European Commission and we're happy to explain to anyone how our business works," Google spokesman Al Verney said.

The November inquiry launched by the Commission, the European Union's anti-trust regulator, into Google's pre-eminent position in search services and online advertising followed several complaints, including one from internet portal Ciao, purchased by Microsoft in 2008.

"We should be among the first to compliment Google for its genuine innovations," said Microsoft's Smith. "But we're concerned by a broadening pattern of conduct aimed at stopping anyone else from creating a competitive alternative."

Google refused to divulge its share of the search services market but the Commission reckons it has clinched 95 percent in Europe.

In the United States, Microsoft says it serves around 25 percent of search needs either directly through its Bing search engine or its partnership with Yahoo!.

Actor-turned-politician thrashes party candidate during poll campaign

The polls to the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly will take place on April 13.

Actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth allegedly thrashed a party candidate during an election campaign in Dharmapuri of India s southern Tamil Nadu state.
Vijaykanth, the chief of regional Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), lost his cool when party nominee Baskar interrupted him and murmured something in his ears.

Aniston, Moore to direct short films on breast cancer

LOS ANGELES: Actresses Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore and singer Alicia Keys will each direct a short film about breast cancer and its impact on people's lives for cable television network Lifetime.

"Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman is overseeing the collection of five short films called "Project Five," the TV network said on Tuesday. This is the first time she and Aniston have worked together since the sitcom "Friends" ended in 2004.

Aniston, Keys and Moore will each direct a short movie, as will filmmaker Patty Jenkins, who made the 2003 crime drama "Monster." A fifth director will be chosen later.

Kauffman supervised a team of writers that came up with five stories that use humor and drama to show the effects of breast cancer on women's relationships and how they perceive themselves, said Lifetime Networks.

The collection of five short films, slated to air sometime this year, will be produced by Sony Pictures Television.

Gaza: Funeral prayer held, killed in Israeli air strike

Funeral prayer held, killed in Israeli air strike

Dozens of Palestinian participated in a funeral procession, who were killed in an Israeli air strike

Later the man was identified as Sabri Assila, a member of Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military said he was targeted with another man while they were preparing to launch rockets towards Israel. A surge in cross-border violence over the past week prompted fears of a possible escalation into war.
Israeli raids in Gaza martyred nine innocent persons last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened a lengthy "exchange of blows" if the violence goes on.

Young maid raped, killed in PML-Q’s ex-city nazim’s house in Gujranwala

A young maid allegedly has been killed after rape in the house of an ex-city nazim of Pakistan Muslim League-Quide (PML-Q) in Gujranwala on Sunday.

According to details, a nineteen-year old young girl of Sheikhupura was serving as a maid in the house of PML-Q’s ex city nazim, Babu Jawed, in Gujranwala.

Earlier today allegedly she has been killed with electric shocks after rape. The heirs of the killed maid have alleged that the ex-city nazim Babu Jawed and his son Abdullah are involved in rape and murder of the girl.

The heirs of the murdered maid, placed her dead body in front of Babu Jawed’s house on G.T. Road and staged a stern protest while angry people hurled stones towards the house and broke its mirrors.

Man missed key, tried to get home through balcony

An old man was stuck outside of his locked balcony.

The man tried to get into his apartment because he left his key at home. Mistaking him as a thief, residents around called the police. "At first, we thought he was a thief. But later some neighbors recognized him. The fact is that he left his key in the apartment and was trying to get inside though the balcony enclosure."A policeman said.
Firemen first wanted to help the old man get downstairs through the rescue ladder. However, he insisted on getting inside the apartment through the balcony. The firemen had to follow his request and cut open the balcony enclosure while protecting the old man from a side. Although the firemen tried everything to help him, the old gentleman did not really appreciate it and was even cross for a while.
Don t touch me, I know where I am," said the old gentleman to one of the firemen who was holding him.
After 20 minutes, the old man finally came into his apartment through the balcony with the firemen s help.     

Mobile company launches BlackBerry Torch 9800 in Pakistan

A local mobile company Saturday introduced the much anticipated and latest BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone which allows multi tab browsing, supports multiple video and audio formats and has integrated social networks & RSS feeds in one simple view.
This is mobile company’s 8th consecutive feat to be the first to launch the latest BlackBerry handsets in the country.
According to official sources in the mobile company, the Torch 9800 is Pakistan’s first slider plus QWERTY pad BlackBerry smartphone which is loaded with the new Version 6 BlackBerry operating system and a 5 mega pixel camera.
Unlike the previous 512 MB on board memory the 9800 smartphone comes with an 8 GB storage memory which is expandable to 32 GB.
These exclusive and dynamic BlackBerry services are packed with a dedicated 24/7 helpline service, the largest international roaming data network, the largest application portal offering a one stop shop and genuine accessories. The Torch 9800 smartphone is competitively priced at Rs. 55,000/- only.

Over 35 countries confirmed for London meeting on Libya

Foreign ministers from more than 35 countries have so far confirmed they will attend a London conference Tuesday to discuss coalition military action against Libya, Britain said.
“US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of over 35 other countries have already confirmed attendance,” said the Foreign Office in a statement Sunday.
The meeting would “forge a wide group looking at long-term support” and “begin to support a new political future for Libya” where rebels were winning back ground against Moamer Qadhafi’s forces after coalition air strikes.
“It is vital that we learn the lessons of the past and ensure early and coordinated international planning for the long term,” the statement added.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of continuing uncertainty about the mission’s aims.
The Foreign Office also said that African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping would be at the conference. London has already announced that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Qatari Prime Minister Hamed bin Jassem will attend.
All countries that have contributed militarily to the UN resolution which approved “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya would attend the meeting, said the Foreign Office.
Those that are considering doing so will also be there.
The conference was aimed at demonstrating “the international community’s unity of purpose, bringing together a broad grouping of countries committed to a better future for the people of Libya,” said the Foreign Office.

Soha, Kunal ready to marry!

Facing the camera with her mom was not an easy task for Soha Ali Khan who was “nervous” while shooting with Sharmila Tagore for the film “Life Goes On”. This is the first time the duo will be seen together on screen.
“I didn’t forget my lines or anything, but I was nervous because she has a very good aesthetic sense,” Soha told in an interview here.
“When in a good mood, she is amazing. But when in a bad mood, it’s like the worst thing ever. But she was very good and restrained during shooting and also suggested to me to follow director Sangeeta Datta’s instruction carefully,” added the 32-year-old actor who was here for an event.
“Life Goes On” opens Friday and it is an emotional drama about generational conflict set in contemporary London.

Talking about her personal life, Soha, who is dating Kunal Khemu, said she is ready to settle down in a couple of years.

Lady Gaga becomes the first with 9 million

Lady Gaga continues to take over and has now become the first person to reach nine million Twitter followers.
Gaga first joined Twitter in 2008 and has had a growing online popularity ever since, states Sify. Justin Bieber is currently the second most popular as he trails behind with 8.3 million.

Gaga has also done well on Facebook with 31 million fans and on YouTube as her videos have topped a billion views.

Japan nuclear crisis far from over, UN agency warns

TOKYO: Japanese engineers struggled on Sunday to pump radioactive water from a crippled nuclear power station while the United Nations' chief nuclear inspector said the crisis triggered by this month's earthquake and tsunami was far from over.  

Radiation levels in the sea off the Fukushima Daiichi plant  rose on Sunday to 1,850 times normal just over two weeks after the disaster struck, from 1,250 on Saturday, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.   

The radiation particles will be dispersed and diluted, however, posing no threat to marine life or food safety, a senior agency official said.   
"There is no need to worry about health risks," Hidehiko Nishiyama said.  

The crisis at the plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, has overshadowed a relief and recovery effort from the magnitude 9.0 quake and the huge tsunami it triggered on March 11 that left more than 27,100 people dead or missing in northeast Japan.  

Yukiya Amano, the director general of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), cautioned that Japan's nuclear emergency could go on for weeks, if not months more.    

 "This is a very serious accident by all standards," he told the New York Times. "And it is not yet over."

Study suggests fish oils curb diseases

WASHINGTON: A study of Alaska's Yup'ik Eskimos, who consume 20 times more omega-3 fats from fish than most Americans, suggests these oils can prevent obesity-related illness such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said.

The researchers analyzed data from 330 people living in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region of southwest Alaska.

Although 70 percent of the population was overweight or obese, they did not show the same risk factors for heart disease and had a lower prevalence of diabetes than the overall US population.

The fats the researchers were interested in measuring were those found in salmon, sardines and other fatty fish -- docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

In participants with low blood levels of these fats, obesity strongly increased heart disease risk measured by triglycerides and C-reactive protein, a measure of overall body inflammation.

Additionally, the researchers said that although the Yup'ik Eskimos have overweight/obesity levels similar to those in the US overall, their prevalence of type 2 diabetes is significantly lower -- 3.3 percent versus 7.7 percent.

"Because Yup'ik Eskimos have a traditional diet that includes large amounts of fatty fish and have a prevalence of overweight or obesity that is similar to that of the general US population, this offered a unique opportunity to study whether omega-3 fats change the association between obesity and chronic disease risk," said Zeina Makhoul, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author.

"Interestingly, we found that obese persons with high blood levels of omega-3 fats had triglyceride and CRP concentrations that did not differ from those of normal-weight persons," Makhoul said.

"It appeared that high intakes of omega-3-rich seafood protected Yup'ik Eskimos from some of the harmful effects of obesity."

The study was led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and conducted in collaboration with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. It published online March 23 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

For the study, the participants provided blood samples and health information via in-person interviews and questionnaires. Diet was assessed by asking participants what they ate in the past 24 hours and asking them to keep a food log.

The researchers said however that further studies would be needed to make specific recommendations on diets or supplements.

"If the results of such a trial were positive, it would strongly suggest that omega-3 fats could help prevent obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes," Makhoul said.

Novel Blackberry alerts for Philippine disasters

MANILA: A Philippine charity said Monday it had launched a novel early warning system for disaster-prone areas using Blackberry devices and laptops.

The devices are hooked to a text message system that would immediately alert the communities to typhoons, storm surges, tsunamis, landslides and earthquakes, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) said.

The 200,000-dollar project was carried out with the World Bank and one of the country's leading mobile phone operators, said PBSP, which is funded by the country's top chief executives.

The areas covered by the project are all in Southern Leyte province in the central Visayas region, which lies along a fault line and is also often battered by powerful typhoons.

"The province was chosen (for the project) being one of the country?s top 10 provinces highly prone to natural disasters like floods, tsunamis, storm surges, landslides, earthquakes, and typhoons," it said in a statement.

In 2006, heavy rain triggered a deadly mudslide that buried the entire village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte, killing more 1,000 people in one of the country's worst natural disasters of recent years.

The deaths were blamed on a lack of proper seismic and weather equipment and an alert system that could have immediately led to a mass evacuation.

The project's web-based information system enables officials from the towns to use BlackBerries and laptops to access and quickly spread alerts or store surveillance data, before, during and after disasters.

The Philippines is considered among the world's most vulnerable countries to natural disasters.

It sits on the Pacific's earthquake and volcano belt, and is battered by an average of 20 typhoons a year.

Tweeting the turmoil in the Middle East

For the nearly 40,000 followers of his Twitter feed, Andy Carvin is providing a unique window into the turmoil in the Middle East.
For a media industry facing its own ferment, Carvin, who works online for National Public Radio (NPR), is offering a glimpse into journalism's future, using the Web to report the historic events in a fresh and innovative way.
The Washington-based Carvin has been glued to his desktop at work and his laptop at home since late December, firing off tweets first on the protests in Tunisia and continuing through Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and now Syria.
Carvin's Twitter account, @acarvin, is a steady stream of messages from participants in the protests, eye-witnesses, expatriates and observers along with links to news reports

Mexico's growing child obesity rate stokes concerns

Country’s child obesity rate has reached alarming levels as some 4.5 million kids are overweight.

Mexico’s authorities have warned that the country’s child obesity rate has reached alarming levels as some 4.5 million kids aged between five and 12 years are overweight. Health and education officials have implemented anti-obesity programmes in schools with bans on junk food and soft drinks rich in salt, sugar and saturated and trans-fats. Yet, most children still have sweets and greasy treats within reach in food carts and shops.

Elementary school director Maria Teresa Zamorano said that parents also contributed to their children s unhealthy diet. "There are many obese children in schools because even though we work with them inside schools, even though education authorities tell us  you shouldn t sell this , outside the school there are many things for sale and their parents buy them," she said. In Mexico, unlike developed countries, children are not given lunch at school, which makes the control of their diet a much harder task for authorities.

Obama locked out of the White House

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama, the world's most powerful man, was confronted by a locked door when he tried to enter the Oval Office, the US president's office, from a terrace at the White House as he returned early from a trip to Latin America.

With a nonchalant stroll and a whistle, he walked past another set of locked doors before he was finally able to gain access to his office.

White House staff members were reportedly not informed before his arrival on Wednesday evening that the president was returning to work.

Lights off as 'Earth Hour' circles the globe

PARIS: Hundreds of landmark buildings and millions of ordinary homes were switching off their lights Saturday as the annual "Earth Hour" moved around the globe in what was dubbed the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

Australia's Opera House was the first of many global landmarks to go dark as the event got under way, as hundreds of millions of people prepared to follow suit to enhance awareness of energy use and climate change.

Others in their turn included Beijing's "Bird's Nest" stadium that hosted the 2008 Olympics, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the London Eye Ferris wheel, Times Square in New York and Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue.

Most were switching off their floodlighting, advertising signs and other illuminations for an hour from 8:30 pm local time.

"The amount of power that's saved during that time is not really what it's about," Earth Hour co-founder and executive director Andy Ridley told in Sydney, where the movement began in 2007. "What it is meant to be about is showing what can happen when people come together."

Ridley said a record 134 countries or territories were on board for this year's event, which organisers have dubbed the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

Organisers this year also asked people to commit to an action, large or small, that they will carry through the year to help the planet. For example, Dalian city in northeastern China will spend 1.5 billion dollars planting 340 million trees and Chengdu city in the southwest will make up to 60,000 bicycles available for public rental.

The event kicked off in the Pacific, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, rolling into Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas as it followed the descending sun.

Ridley said Earth Hour, organised by global environment group the WWF, this year would also focus on connecting people online so they could inspire each other to make commitments to help protect the environment.

In Australia, organisers said an estimated 10 million people, nearly half the population, took part, with Sydney Harbour Bridge another of the landmarks to go dark.

Hong Kong's neon waterfront dimmed, while in Singapore all decorative lights were switched off and non-critical operational lights lowered at Changi Airport for an hour. The airport said the effort would result in energy savings equivalent to the total amount of electricity consumed by a four-room apartment over three months.

In Japan, which is reeling from a huge earthquake and tsunami that struck this month, several thousand people and a hotel-turned-evacuation centre in the northeast marked Earth Day.

In Paris a minute's silence was to be observed for Japan as the city of light went dark, with illuminations switched off at the cathedral of Notre Dame, City Hall, the two opera houses and many bridges, fountains and public places.

Mexico: Green entrepreneurs make bamboo bicycles

Mexico gets an alternative transport option from lighter, greener bicycles made out of bamboo.

A young student has come up with a new form of transport for the overcrowded streets of Mexico City: the bamboo bicycle. Diego Cardenas, 25, says his creations are lighter and greener than conventional bikes and he is now pedaling the idea to design-savvy commuters. The industrial design student was inspired by pictures of other bamboo bicycles - the first one having been showcased at a London trade fair in 1894 - and decided he could improve on them.

"It all came from a trip to Europe, specifically to a workshop in France. It was a bamboo workshop and when I came back I had a class in design trends. While investigating this material, I found bamboo bicycles and I made the first one based on what I had seen. I saw that there were lots of possibilities for improvement. It was because of that I decided to improve on the one that had been done previously and continue with the process," said Cadenas.

He made a workshop in his garage and set to work. He found bamboo created a sturdy yet flexible framework that was ecological too. After assembling and trailing various models, in 2010, he formed his company, Bamboo Cycles, with partner Luis Cuellar. "This bike is much lighter. It is handmade. It is something that people can appreciate and it a different design. Ultimately, the aim is the same: to transport people from one place to another with their own energy, but it has these added values of design, lightness and also the bamboo gives it ecological value," said Cardenas.

Libya fighting rages as Kadhafi 'looks for way out'

TRIPOLI: Fighting raged on Tuesday between forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi and insurgents, despite a UN-mandated no-fly zone and amid reports the Libyan leader may be looking for a way out of the conflict.

As a senior US officer said Kadhafi forces were still attacking civilians, doubts persisted over the best way to continue the campaign to stop Kadhafi, and where it was leading.

However, US President Barack Obama said there has been a "significant reduction" in US flights over Libya, and he expected "clarity" on the future command structure of allied military operations "over the next several days."

He was cutting short a Latin America trip to fly home to meet his security team about the Libya conflict, the White House said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News that people close to Kadhafi have been contacting Libya's allies worldwide to see how they can "get out of this."

"We've heard about... people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world -- Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond -- saying what do we do? How do we get out of this?" she said.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said earlier that future actions of the coalition, which began air strikes on Saturday on Kadhafi military installations, depend in part on the embattled Libyan leader.

"The military operations could stop at any moment. All it would take is for the Tripoli regime to adhere precisely and completely with UN Security Council resolutions, and to accept a genuine ceasefire," Juppe said.

He called on Kadhafi to withdraw troops engaged in military advances and send them "back to their barracks."

Philippines: Probe starts on atrocities on soldiers in training

The Philippines Army has started a probe into atrocities on new recruits.

A video that emerged a few days ago showed the recruits being tortured during the training. The army officials have taken notice of the incident and have ordered an investigation.

The video was uploaded on the YouTube March 17 and has been circulating on networking site Facebook ever since. It shows the recruits screaming in pain as their trainers hit them with ropes and sticks. Another trainer is shown punching the recruits.

China denies Google's accusations of Gmail blocking‎

China dismissed Google's allegation that Beijing was hampering access to its email service.

The internet provider said it believed government blocks were responsible for technical problems using Gmail from China.

The problems arose amid a tightening of internet controls that has made it increasingly difficult to use several popular virtual private networks. VPNs allow people to access material hosted overseas even if it is blocked by the Chinese government. The new restrictions appear to be part of a security clampdown sparked by anonymous online calls for a jasmine revolution akin to the recent uprisings in the Middle East.

Amazon opens Appstore, Apple files suit

Amazon began offering applications for mobile devices running Google's Android software on Tuesday as Apple seeks to prevent the online retail giant from calling it an "App Store."
The Seattle, Washington-based Amazon is offering free and paid programs for Android smartphones and tablet computers in its "Amazon Appstore for Android" at www.amazon.com/appstore.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Apple, which sells applications through its "App Store," urged a California court to bar Amazon from using a similar name.
Amazon's new Appstore gives the company a presence in the fast-growing market for applications for smartphones and tablet computers.
Google offers free and paid applications through its Android Market while Apple's App Store provides programs for its popular iPhones, iPods and iPad devices.
In the complaint filed against Amazon in US District Court for the northern district of California, Apple accused Amazon of "unauthorized use of Apple's App Store trademark."
Apple said it coined the term App Store with the July 2008 launch of the service and has spent "millions of dollars on print, television, and Internet advertising.
"The enormous public attention given the App Store service, and the success of the service, have cemented the public's identification of App Store as a trademark for Apple's service," Apple said.
It said the US Patent and Trademark Office had approved Apple's application to register App Store as a trademark -- a move opposed by Microsoft, which offers mobile applications for devices running its Windows Phone software.
The case is currently being heard by an appeals board.
Apple said it had contacted Amazon asking that it not use the name App Store but had received no substantive response.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and for the court to enjoin Amazon from using the phrase App Store.
Among the applications available in Amazon's new store are Angry Birds, Pac-Man, Doodle Jump Deluxe, Evernote, WeatherBug Elite and Zagat to Go.
Amazon said it will offer customers a paid application for free every day.
"The Android platform's openness provides a great opportunity to reach new customers," Mikael Hed, the chief executive of Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds, said in a statement.
The Amazon Appstore can be reached through a Web browser or from Android smartphones or tablets using the Amazon Appstore application.

First full face transplant held in US

Dallas Wiens was badly injured in 2008, doctor saved her life but his face was badly damaged.

Dallas head came in contact with an electrical line while he was working atop a lift. He was checking in for a full face transplant surgery the first of its kind in the United States.

Doctors were able to save his life, but most of his facial features were lost and he was left blind. But last week, more than 30 physicians, nurses, and anaesthesiologists worked for more than 15 hours to replace his nose, lips, facial skin, muscles of facial animation and nerves. Plastic surgeon Doctor Bohdan Pomahac, who led the medical team, says their only setback was not being able to restore his vision.

Yemen: Opposition gives President 48 hour ultimatum to resign

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been given a 48 hour ultimatum by the opposition to resign.

The anti-government protests in Yemen gained momentum as major army generals along with people from various Yemeni tribes came out in support of the protestors. The opposition party turned down a proposition by the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in which he proposed that he will resign after holding the parliamentary election in 2012.

The pressure on President Saleh is increasing as the opposition gave him an ultimatum of 49 hours to resign in which if the president resigns peacefully, he will be allowed to stay in the country.

On the other hand, many government officials have started to resign being in favour of the protesters. President Saleh warned the rebel generals and bureaucrats that they will regret the decision for their disassociation with the government.

President Saleh said that if he resigned, a civil war will start in the country. At least, two soldiers have been killed in the war against the rebel forces and the Republican guards, in the southern city of Al Mukalla.
 

Gadhafi makes public appearance outside his compound

CAIRO: Libyan TV broadcast on Tuesday night what it said was a brief live address by ruler Moammar Gadhafi before supporters at his encampment near Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

Gadhafi was shown standing on a balcony before a crowd of supporters.

Denouncing the coalition bombing attacks on his forces, he told them, "in the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them."

Gadhafi said it was "a new crusader battle that the crusader nations have launched against Islam" and that "all of the Islamic armies in all places must participate in the battle."

He also denounced what he called "unjustified aggression" and said "we'll be victorious in this historic battle, we won't surrender."

"O great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living," he said during the brief appearance of less than five minutes.

"We are leading the revolution," Gadhafi added. "We are leading the global revolution against imperialism."

Radioactive materials in Japan broccoli, milk: report

Radioactive materials beyond legal limits have been detected in broccoli and raw milk in areas close to a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan, a report said early Wednesday.
The tainted milk was in Ibaraki prefecture and the broccoli was in Fukushima, site of the troubled plant, Kyodo News said, giving no further details.
It comes amid growing concern in Japan and beyond about the safety of food from the country after cooling systems were knocked out at the Fukushima No. 1 plant in the March 11 quake and ensuing tsunami.
France has urged the European Commission to impose "systematic controls" on imports of fresh produce from Japan into the EU, amid fears of nuclear contamination, the agriculture ministry in Paris said Tuesday.
Contaminated milk had previously also been found in Fukushima, while tainted spinach had earlier been discovered in neighbouring Ibaraki.

Pakistan Day is being observed

Pakistan Day is being celebrated across the country today on Wednesday.March 23 is the day when ‘Pakistan Resolution’ was adopted in Lahore in 1940. The day began with 31 gun-salutes in the federal capital, while 21 each in provincial capitals of the country.

The change of guard ceremony was held at the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal in which Pakistan Air force took the guard from Pakistan Rangers. Specials prayers were held at mosques for country’s solidarity and prosperity. There is a national holiday in the country today.

Karachi: Sindh Lower Education staff stages protest

Sindh Lower Education staff staged a rally from Karachi Press Club to the chief minister’s house for their demands.

Education Department’s lower staff -- grade-1 to grade-4 -- staged a sit-in to demand their rights. He demanded the government to make them permanent but the provincial education minister was of the view that the contract employees have to reapply for permanent posts.


When the protesters wanted to rally towards the CM House, police stopped them near the Press Club and arrested several demonstrators. The protesters pelted stones on police due to which SHO Asif Munawwar got injured. Police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the protesters

India, Pakistan head closer to cricket W.Cup collision

COLOMBO: Bitter rivals India and Pakistan are on a World Cup collision course, but first the two neighbours have quarter-final hurdles to overcome as the marathon tournament enters its sixth week.

India take on defending champions Australia in Ahmedabad on Thursday while Pakistan face an inconsistent West Indies in Dhaka to kick-start the last eight stage on Wednesday.

Victory for both Asian giants will set-up a semi-final blockbuster in Mohali on March 30.

New Zealand and South Africa meet in Dhaka on Friday before Sri Lanka and England clash in Colombo on Saturday as the World Cup, which staged its opening ceremony on February 17, comes down to the world's eight top-ranked sides.

India's 80-run win over the West Indies in Chennai on Sunday handed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men a quarter-final against Ricky Ponting's team in Ahmedabad.

India have lost to Australia in nine out of 15 matches played on home soil in the last five years.

"Australia are a very strong side and very expressive on the field," said Dhoni.

"But it's about how we prepare. Preparation is very important and we are just thinking about that particular day and match rather than thinking about the result."

Pakistan, meanwhile, topped their qualifying group with 10 points.

They will be overwhelming favourites to defeat West Indies who squeezed into the quarter-finals by virtue of a superior run-rate to Bangladesh.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has cautioned his team against over-confidence after they secured top spot in Group A by ending Australia's 34-match unbeaten World Cup run.

"After what we have achieved against Australia, now it’s a knockout system so we've got to really start building up again," said the coach.

"We have to make sure we enjoy this victory, forget it and go to the next one fresh and think of the team we are going to face."

The West Indies are enduring a roller-coaster tournament.

They were on the brink of victory against England in Chennai when, chasing a modest target of 244, they were comfortably placed at 222-6 before losing their last four wickets for three runs.

Against India on Sunday, they caved in again as eight wickets fell for 34 runs after they were 154-2 and lost by 80 runs.

The West Indies have now lost 18 successive matches against the leading nations.

New Zealand are hopeful that captain Daniel Vettori will be fit to face South Africa in Dhaka on Friday.

Vettori was sidelined for the win over Canada and defeat against Sri Lanka after hurting his knee while fielding against Pakistan in Pallekele nearly two weeks ago.

England have had a topsy-turvy tournament and will be underdogs against Sri Lanka who will be playing on home soil in Colombo on Saturday.

Ashes winners England tied with co-hosts India and beat a highly-fancied South Africa yet lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh in the group stage.

They were then on the brink of elimination from the World Cup when the West Indies, chasing 244 for victory, were 222 for six at Chennai last Thursday.

Yet England took four wickets for three runs to stay in the tournament.

"In the last 12-18 months, when we've had matches we've got to win we've come out well," said England batsman Ian Bell.

"I'm sure there are a lot of teams around that don't really want to play England -- because they don't quite know what they're going to get at the minute."

Djokovic beats Nadal to claim Indian Wells Title

Novak Djokovic outplayed top-seeded Rafa Nadal to win his second Grand Slam title, on Sunday.Djokovic extended his remarkable win record for the year to 18-0.

Djokovic lost the opening set but later outplayed Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in a thrilling match that lasted two hours 25 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

World number three Djokovic, overcame Swiss world number two Roger Federer in the semi final and then beat Spanish world number one Rafa Nadal in the final. This was Djokovic’s second triumph at the Indian Wells tournament, having first won the title here in 2008.

Dacoits loot three buses at Kala Shah Kaku Interchange

Dacoits looted three buses including Punjab University bus at Kala Shah Kaku Interchange near Lahore

Motorway Police didn’t reach the spot and students shouted slogans against the police at GT road. Students were returning to Lahore after completing their tour to Rawalpindi when dacoits blocked the road at Kala Shah Kaku Interchange.

When the university bus reached there, the dacoits broke its windowpanes and started looting the students. The dacoits fled the scene after snatching 10 mobile phones and case of thousands of rupees. The students protested against police after the incident.

Moderate earthquake jolts Pakistan

A moderate earthquake was felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern Areas, FATA and Punjab.

An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted various parts of the country on Monday.

The quake tremors were felt at 2:49pm in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mansehra, Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal, Kusur, Khyber Agency, Mirpur, Batgaram. According to the Met Office, the epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindu Kash region.

Libyian leader pledges ‘long, drawn-out war’

TRIPOLI, LIBYA —U.S. and European officials Sunday declared a no-fly zone “effectively in place” over Libya after nearly 24 hours of massive strikes by air and sea, as Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi promised “a long, drawn-out war” against foreign forces he called “traitors” and “Nazis.”
“Initial operations have been very effective,” Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning. “We’ve taken out most of his air defense systems and some of his airfields. But there is still a great deal to be done.”
Reporters travelling east of Benghazi on Sunday morning found a graveyard of smoking military vehicles, the apparent remnants of the military force Gaddafi had sent to wrest control of the rebel-controlled city in eastern Libya. The overturned armored vehicles and trucks, news agencies reported, had apparently been struck in attacks by U.S., French and British aircraft. The operation had “put a halt, at least temporarily,” to the government’s assault on Benghazi and coalition air cover over the city would continue, Mullen said.
U.S. and British warships rained scores of Tomahawk cruise missiles on Libyan air defenses and French warplanes swooped down on military vehicles Saturday, launching the U.N.-supported military intervention intended to stop Gaddafi’s brutal assault on opposition forces.
More than 100 missiles slammed targets along Libya’s western coast, destroying radars, transmitters and antiaircraft batteries to signal the start of “Operation Odyssey Dawn,” a multi­national military campaign intended to protect Libyan civilians and rebels forces.

Protest against target killing continued in Karachi

A large number of people staged protests against the violence in Karachi.

A large number of people staged protests against the Karachi violence in different areas of the city on Sunday which causes a massive traffic jams on the roads.

They alleged that law enforcement agencies were not cooperating; therefore, target killing incidents were increasing in the city. They demanded that immediately a crackdown should be conducted against criminals.   

9 dead, 46 trapped in mine collapse near Quetta

Nine miners were killed and 46 were trapped in coal mine explosions on Sunday near Quetta.

According to Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) Chief Inspector Iftikhar Ahmad, some 35 kilometres away from Quetta, a mine was collapsed after gas filled the mine that caused three explosions in which five miners were killed and 46 others were trapped.


The rescue workers have recovered the dead bodies and the efforts have been made to evacuate the stranded miners.

Radioactive contamination of food risks: experts

The risk from radioactive contamination of food depends on several factors but the duration of the problem depends especially on which type of radioactive element is to blame, say experts.
Japan on Saturday said that it had discovered abnormal levels of radiation in milk and spinach from areas near Fukushima, and in tap water in Tokyo and five central prefectures, but there was no threat to health.
In historical cases of contamination, the main source has been wind-borne dust which is deposited on fruit or vegetables or which falls on the soil, where it is absorbed by grass and leafy plants.
Radioactive particles are then transmitted through the food chain, which explains why cattle can have higher-than-normal levels of radioactivity in their milk and meat.
Ingested, these particles are hazardous because they release energy that can slice through molecular bonds in DNA, thus increasing the risk of cancer.
The problem can be short-term or long-term, depending on the nature of the radioactive source and the amount of contamination in the local environment, which in turn is also influenced by the weather.
Iodine 131, for instance, has a "half life" -- a measure of decay -- of only eight days, which means it is likely to break down in the environment in a few weeks.
"There is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday.
"If ingested, it can accumulate in and cause damage to the thyroid. Children and young people are particularly at risk."
Taking "stable" forms of iodine, such as potassium iodide tablets, can block radioactive iodine in the thyroid, the IAEA said.

The longer-term problem comes from enduring elements such as caesium 137, whose "half life" is measured in 30 years and may even take several centuries before it breaks down totally.
Caesium fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986 caused long-term contamination problems in many European countries, leading to restrictions on the sale of milk or dairy beef as far as Scotland.
According to a 1993 study by the IAEA, more than six years after Chernobyl, farmers in some mountain areas of southern Norway, more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the disaster, were raising reindeer with up to 20,000 becquerel per kilogram (Bq/kg) of radiation, and sheep with up to 10,000 Bq/kg.
Strontium 90 is another dangerous long-term contaminant, as is plutonium 239.
Plutonium is one of the most toxic substances for man, but through direct contact rather than through food.
"Plutonium 239 is absorbed to a negligible extent from soil by plants and is very poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract of animals and man," says the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).
The maximum dose for radioactive iodine, according to Euratom guidelines, is 150 Bq/kg or becquerels per litre (Bq/l) for infant food; 500 Bq/kg or Bq/l for dairy products; 2,000 Bq/kg or Bq/l for other foods and 500 Bq/l for liquids intended for consumption.
The maximum dose of radioactive elements lasting beyond 10 days -- thus including caesium -- is 400 Bq/kg or Bq/l for infant food; 1,000 Bq/kg or Bq/l for dairy products; 1,250 Bq/kg or Bq/l for other foods; and 1,000 Bq/l for liquids intended for consumption.
Radioactivity also exists in the natural environment, for instance as a background source that comes from certain kinds of rocks. In addition, many countries permit safe irradiation of food products to kill or prevent bacteria in order to prolong shelf life.

Japan crisis deepens Europe's nuke rift

BRUSSELS: Japan's atomic crisis has widened an old chasm in Europe between critics calling for a nuclear-free world and advocates who see it as a vital source of energy for decades to come.

Jolted by images of Japanese workers scrambling to prevent a new Chernobyl, the European Union decided to test the ability of the continent's 143 nuclear reactors to survive earthquakes, floods and terrorist attacks.

EU energy ministers will now discuss the details of these so-called "stress tests" at an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on Monday that was convened to assess the impact of events in Japan on the 27-nation bloc.

Critics of nuclear energy say that's not enough.

Sigmar Gabriel, head of Germany's Social Democrat opposition, predicted the "end of the atomic era" as he announced plans backed by the chancellor of nuclear-free Austria to gather one million signatures to demand EU legislation on the matter.

Under a new law approved by the European Parliament in December, citizens can force the European Commission to draft legislation if enough signatures are gathered.

The incident at Fukushima No. 1 plant, caused by an earthquake and tsunami, has raised public fears about nuclear energy, with 100,000 protesters in Germany demanding the closure of that country's nuclear plants.

The emergency in Japan has brought back bad memories in Europe of a disaster that hit closer to home, the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in the Soviet Union in 1986.

Japan quake dead, missing tops 20,000

OSAKA: The number of people confirmed dead or listed as missing in Japan surpassed 20,000 on Sunday, nine days after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck.

‘Paul’ brings alien life down to Earth

   

Even among the countless variations of extraterrestrial species encountered in decades of sci-fi moviegoing, an alien who, when moved to depart, says, "Let's bounce," is a new breed.

Paul, the title character of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's latest genre comedy, is a sarcastic stoner steeped in pop culture and busting with well-timed, crude observations. In short, he is Seth Rogen.

Rogen is the voice of Paul - a CGI-created alien with green skin and big, glassy eyes - and it's difficult to ever forget that. Though Paul has powers of healing, invisibility and thought transfer, his defining characteristics aren't his exoticism, but his normalcy. He wears cargo shorts and digs Marvin Gaye.

Two vacationing, unabashedly nerdy Brits, Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost), stumble upon Paul in their tour of Southwest America. Having started at Comic-Con, they continue in a rented RV to Area 51 and other fabled sites of paranoia.

Disheveled and adorned in "The Empire Strikes Back" T-shirts and the like, Graeme and Clive are fanboys to the tilt. Clive eagerly brandishes the sci-fi novel he wrote, with a cover featuring a woman with, well, a multiplied anatomy. Sitting in a hotel room in white robes, they remark on their maturity before the bellhop's arrival makes them squeal "Pizza!"

On the desert highway, a car comes careening past them, crashes and Paul stumbles out. Brought face-to-face with the genuine article of their make-believe ardor, Graeme and Clive are thrown ("We're on a tight schedule," one first replies), but take Paul in.

Trailing him are a handful of agents (Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio), with a higher-up (sci-fi queen Sigourney Weaver) sending commands from some unknown location. Paul, as he explains, has been on Earth for decades, allowing him to absorb culture and help it along, too.

In one scene, he's shown giving Steven Spielberg advice over the phone for "E.T." If it wasn't already clear, "Paul" is brimming with loving references to sci-fi films, from "Predator" to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The height of these winks comes when the gang stumbles into a dive bar, where a country band is playing the Cantina Band song from "Star Wars."

Along the way, they encounter a Bible-thumping, gun-toting trailer-park nut (John Carroll Lynch) and his equally religious one-eyed daughter Ruth (the wonderful Kristen Wiig). The existence of an alien is an obvious blow to, as Paul describes it, "one world theologies" and this gives way to an interesting - and surely polarizing - subplot to the movie.

Religion is satirized with only fanatical, one-dimensional characters (Ruth wears a T-shirt of Jesus shooting Darwin and the tag line `Evolve this!'). A police officer is baffled by the thought of British police going without guns. Aggressive rednecks (David Koechner, Jesse Plemons) are compared to those from "Deliverance."

As much as America deserves parody on those scores, there's an unmistakable smugness that's crept into the humor. It's a notable misstep in the film, otherwise guided by the light touch of director Greg Mottola ("Superbad," "Adventureland"). His skill in finding comedy in the quieter moments is all the more obvious in a big production such as this.

It's the first time Pegg and Frost, who also wrote the film, have set a film in America or worked with Mottola (Edgar Wright helmed the previous films). The result is an interesting mix of British and American comedy (Jeffrey Tambor and Jane Lynch also make cameos) that mostly comes off amiably and consistently funny.

Zimbabwe plunder 308-6 against Kenya

KOLKATA: Zimbabwe piled up 308 runs for six wickets in their 50 overs against hapless Kenya in the teams' final World Cup Group A match here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

After captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to bat first, Zimbabwe set a huge target of 309 for Kenya.

Craig Ervine (66), Vusi Sibanda (61) and Tatendu Taibu (53) all made confident half-centuries as Zimbabwe looked for their second win of the tournament.

West pounds Libya, Kadhafi vows retaliation

TRIPOLI: The US, Britain and France pounded Libya with Tomahawk missiles and air strikes into the early hours of Sunday, sparking fury from Moamer Kadhafi who declared the Mediterranean to be a "battlefield."

In the biggest Western intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, American warships and a British submarine fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya on Saturday, the US military said.

Admiral William Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon the cruise missiles "struck more than 20 integrated air defence systems and other air defence facilities ashore."

The action came two days after a UN Security Council resolution with Arab backing authorised military action to prevent Kadhafi's forces from crushing an uprising against his 41-year autocratic rule.

A correspondent said bombs were dropped early Sunday near Bab al-Aziziyah, Kadhafi's Tripoli headquarters, prompting barrages of anti-aircraft fire from Libyan forces that lasted about 40 minutes.

State television had earlier said hundreds of people had gathered to serve as human shields at Bab al-Aziziyah and at the capital's international airport.

A Libyan official said at least 48 people had died and 150 were hurt -- mainly women and children -- in the assaults, which began with a strike at 1645 GMT Saturday by a French warplane on a vehicle the French military said belonged to pro-Kadhafi forces.

Libyan state media said Western warplanes had on Saturday night bombed civilian targets in Tripoli, causing casualties while an army spokesman said strikes also hit fuel tanks feeding the rebel-held city of Misrata, east of Tripoli.

Kadhafi, in a brief audio message broadcast on state television, fiercely denounced the attacks as a "barbaric, unjustified Crusaders' aggression."

He vowed retaliatory strikes on military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean, which he said had been turned into a "real battlefield."

"Now the arms depots have been opened and all the Libyan people are being armed," to fight against Western forces, the veteran leader warned.

Libya's foreign ministry said that following the attacks, it regarded as invalid the UN resolution ordering a ceasefire by its forces and demanded an urgent meeting of the Security Council.

The attacks on Libya "threaten international peace and security," the ministry said.

"Libya demands an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council after the French-American-British aggression against Libya, an independent state member of the United Nations," it said.

On Thursday, the Security Council passed Resolution 1973, which authorised the use of "all necessary means" to protect civilians and enforce a ceasefire and no-fly zone against Kadhafi's forces