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Brits turning to nip ’n’ tuck to shed Christmas bulge

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:50:00 -0500

An increasing number of Brits are ditching diets and going under the knife to get rid of their Christmas bulge.

Plastic surgeons say that they have already seen a 40 percent rise this year.

Apart from liposuction or tummy tucks, gastric bands have also gained popularity.

Surgery firm Transform has recruited more staff to cope.

The company revealed that liposuction inquiries have increased 21 percent while gastric band calls rose from just 2 percent to 8 percent of all inquiries.

“Christmas can be a depressing time once the guilt sets in after a period of over-indulgence,” the Daily Star quoted Transform spokesman Shami Thomas, as saying.

“But for some starting yet another dieting programme or joining a gym is too much of a daunting process, or they don’t see immediate results,” Thomas added. (ANI)

Brit pilot accused of sending sexually explicit txt msg to air stewardess

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:50:00 -0500

A pilot has been accused of sexually harassing an air stewardess after sending her a text message, commenting on her ‘sexy, kinky boots’ and asking for oral sex.

Rachel Quinn, 29, from Killingworth, Newcastle upon Tyne, told an employment tribunal hearing in Southampton, England, that she was sexually harassed by Ed Murray, 63, after a series of inappropriate comments and an explicit text message.

The pilot told the air hostess, who was looking after rich clients onboard business jets, that the text message was meant for his wife.

Quinn said she initially believed him but began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as further inappropriate incidents occurred.

Quinn said Murray had visited her in a hotel room and commented on her ‘sexy, kinky boots’ even though she was wearing plain, flat black boots at the time.

Murray also allegedly asked if they could ‘get wet together’ in a swimming pool at a Dubai hotel.

“I felt uncomfortable. I felt what he said was inappropriate,” the Sun quoted her, as saying.

Quinn was working for Farnborough based Gama Aviation in late 2007 and early 2008 when the incidents occurred.

She said she complained to her manager Alexandria Proud about the text message who contacted her bosses, but nothing was done.

Proud alleges that owner Marwan Khalek told her to sack Quinn in April last year.

At the hearing, Proud also said she had “felt uncomfortable” when she flew with Murray and accused him of looking at her breasts.

Quinn is claiming sexual discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract. (ANI)

102 Dalmation doggie becomes granny to record breaking 18 new puppies!

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:50:00 -0500

A dalmatian managed to break a local record by delivering 18 puppies – a little over a year after producing a cluster of 16.

Owners Adam and Nicola Morley and their 17-year-old son, Michael, have been on their feet 24X7 to help nurse the exhausted three-year-old mother, Button, feed and tend the puppies.

Button is the daughter of a dog in the Disney film 102 Dalmatians, reports TimesOnline.

The massive bunch was said to be the biggest to be delivered at Chine House Veterinary Hospital in Sileby, Leicestershire, on December 23.

Con Hassett, the vet carried out the delivery by Caesarean section, said: “I delivered all 18 puppies in about 9 to 12 minutes.

“The surgery itself is reasonably straightforward, but it’s the aftercare that’s harder. We had to have five or six nurses there to revive and tend to the puppies.”

Nicola added: “It was a big shock. They are all doing well but we’re only going to keep one.” (ANI)

Princess Beatrice’s BMW stolen after she leaves keys in ignition

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:49:00 -0500

The prized BMW of Princess Beatrice was stolen on January 7 after she left the keys in the ignition of the car, while she stepped into a shop.

The princess was on her way to visit a friend when she stopped at a store in Devonshire Place, central London.

Beatrice’s police protection officer had gone into the store with her, but when they emerged later, they discovered that the 15,000 pounds Beamer had vanished.

Passers-by revealed that the car had been driven off at high speed.

The theft of the car in broad daylight left the 20-year-old princess feeling very upset and extremely embarrassed.

“She is naturally very shocked and upset,” the Sun quoted a source close to her as saying.

“It is particularly embarrassing given that she is always accompanied by a police bodyguard,” the source added.

The car, which had been presented to her by her dad, Prince Andrew, on her 17th birthday in 2005, is said to have contained some personal items, though Buckingham Palace sources have said that they are not of a sensitive nature. (ANI)

Bloggers declare war against Howard for leaving Obama homeless

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:49:00 -0500

US bloggers have declared war against ex-Australian Prime Minister John Howard for kicking US president-elect Barack Obama out of a bed at Washington''s Blair House in the lead-up to the inauguration.

Last month, the Obama family asked the Bush administration if they could move into Blair House – the security home near the White House – a fortnight early to get their daughters settled at their new schools, reports the Daily Telegraph.

However, they were refused saying that it was not possible because foreign dignitaries had been booked in.

Now, it has come to light that the only dignitary staying overnight on January 12 is Howard.

Howard will be staying at the Blair House the night before he receives the US Medal of Freedom from retiring President George W Bush next week.

Meanwhile, the Obamas are staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel at Lafayette Park while they wait to move to Blair House. (ANI)

8-year-old Indian student may be world''s youngest college lecturer!

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:49:00 -0500

An eight-year-old Indian boy, who teaches adult students computer-generated animated film at Dehra Dun''s College of Interactive arts, has applied to Guinness World Records to recognise his achievement.

Aman Rehman’s family believes that he may be the world''s youngest college lecturer.

It was at the age of three, when Aman’s parents became aware of his talent.

His father, an illiterate scooter-mechanic who supports his wife and three children on 60 pounds a month, had struggled to buy a second-hand computer for their older son, and Aman was fascinated by it, watching his brother''s every move on the cursor.

By the time he was three-and-a-half, he had mastered his first animation programme and made a film with dancing alphabet letters.

Following friends’ advice, his father took Aman to Dehra Dun''s College of Interactive Arts.

Officials thought they were meeting older child and laughed when Aman''s father told them the candidate was sitting in his lap, reports the Telegraph.

However, after a week of intense lobbying Rehman persuaded the college to watch his child on a computer which convinced them to offer him a place.

Within five months he had written his own software programme.

Aman knows how to operate 18 softwares. He has also completed his animation course in span of three months, which is usually completed by others in 15 months.

Aman said: "Whenever I am having holidays, I make it a point that I should work on computer for at least eight hours. And usually I work on computer for four hours because I have to complete my schoolwork also.

"Presently I am making projects on black hole, aliens and water conservation." (ANI)

Obama likely to revise Bush’s counter-terrorism efforts

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:48:00 -0500

US President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to scrap the way President Bush oversaw domestic security in the White House and name a former Central Intelligence Agency official to coordinate future counter-terrorism efforts.

Quoting people close to the Obama transition team, the New York Times said that a plan is being discussed to eliminate the independent homeland security adviser’s office and assign those duties to the National Security Council to streamline overlapping functions.

The paper also reveals that a deputy national security adviser would be charged with overseeing the effort to guard against terrorism and to respond to natural disasters.

Democrats close to the transition said Obama’s choice for that job was John O. Brennan, a longtime C.I.A. veteran who was the front-runner to head the spy agency until withdrawing in November amid criticism of his views on interrogation and detention policies.

His appointment would not require Senate confirmation.

Though Obama has made no final decision about how to structure domestic security in his White House, his advisers plan to wait until his inauguration to conduct a formal review.

Several key advisers have publicly advocated folding it into the National Security Council, and those involved in discussions said the only real questions appeared to be how to do that and how to explain it without looking like domestic security was being downgraded as a priority.

Bush’s aides, including the national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, have privately urged Obama’s advisers not to get rid of the separate homeland security office, warning that it would load too many responsibilities on the National Security Council and risk important matters’ falling through the cracks.

In his new capacity, Brennan would report to Marine General (retired) James L. Jones, who is slated to serve as Obama’s national security adviser.

The idea of merging the two councils has been recommended by a number of reports, most notably in November by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and by Third Way. Among those preparing their report were John D. Podesta, Obama’s transition co-chairman, and members of his team. (ANI)

Did a tentacle-shaped UFO destroy wind turbine in UK?

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:47:00 -0500

A wind turbine in Conisholme, Lincolnshire, has been destroyed – and locals are blaming UFOs for it.

Locals have reported sightings of a bizarre tentacle-shaped UFO above a local wind farm, on the night before the wind turbine was mysteriously destroyed.

Several residents said that they were woken by the smash after strange lights were spotted streaking towards the 290ft-tall generator on a wind farm.

Dorothy Willows, who stays half a mile from the scene, was in her car when ‘strange lights’ loomed in the evening sky.

She was among dozens who spotted the mysterious flashing orangey-yellow spheres over Lincolnshire — where the turbine was left wrecked.

“The lights were moving across the sky towards the wind farm. Then I saw a low flying object. It was skimming across the sky towards the turbines,” the Sun quoted Dorothy, of Louth, as saying.

Hours later there was an almighty smash.

Dorothy said: “My husband Stephen was woken at 4am by the bang.”

John Harrison, another witness, described how he looked out of his landing window and saw a “massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground” over the wind farm.

“It was huge. With the tentacles it looked just like an octopus,” he said.

Baffled power chiefs said of the smash, which left one of the wind turbine’s giant 65ft blades torn off, in Conisholme, Lincs: “We have a team investigating.”

There was no trace of the missing blade.

A UFO expert said: “We are very excited.” (ANI)

Fear of Mumbai like attack grips US

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:47:00 -0500

Fears of Mumbai like attacks in the U.S. have gripped the policymakers of the United States, who believe that US cities too are vulnerable to such attacks, which shook the whole world last November.

“US cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assaults that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people,” the News quoted Ken Wainstein, the White House Homeland Security Adviser, as saying.

"You can envision that happening in any American city, and it''s chilling when you think about it," Wainstein said.

The methodology of the Mumbai attacks has created new problems for intelligence agencies, as it considers that the November, 2008 attacks may have established a new model for terrorism.

Wainstein said that the possibility of attacks in any of the mega cities of the world has increased after Mumbai witnessed one of the deadliest terror activities recently.

"That''s the kind of thing that is all too realistic anywhere in the world,” Wainstein said while delivering a speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Meanwhile, the Senate Homeland Security Committee will meet today to study the response by Indian officials in the Mumbai attacks, and what is needed to prevent such an attack in the United States.

"We''re going to go through where they screwed up, and how do we fix it - how do we make sure we don''t make the same mistakes?" committee spokesman Seamus Hughes said. (ANI)

No credible threat information related to Obama’s oath taking ceremony: DHS

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:45:00 -0500

The US Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies have released a bulletin reminding local law enforcement that the inauguration could present an enticing target for potential terrorists.

But the bulletin states that there is currently no credible threat information related to President elect Barck Obama’s oath taking ceremony on January 20, CBS News reported.

The DHS has no plans to adjust any of the national threat levels, but is reminding the public to remain vigilant.

The Secret Service also announced on Wednesday that bridges connecting Northern Virginia to Washington, D.C., will be closed to most traffic on Inauguration Day, and a 3.5 square miles corridor of the nation’s capital will be shut off starting on January 19, the day before the Inauguration.

The security perimeter is larger than what has been cordoned off for previous inaugurations.

Estimates have varied over the last few weeks, but officials expect two to three million people to cram into Washington to witness Barack Obama taking the oath of office. (ANI)