&cat=7&pid=16813&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=16813&cache=true " alt="Talent show opener seen by 10.6m" class="alignleft" />
The first show of the fourth series of Britain’s Got Talent was watched by an average audience of 10.6m, according to overnight figures. At its peak, the programme was seen by 11.5m people and captured almost half the entire television audience. The show, hosted by Ant and Dec, beat last year’s debut which comfortably beat Doctor Who in the same time slot. The 2009 season discovered singer Susan Boyle, who was the eventual runner-up to dance troupe Diversity. Saturday night’s show, which featured Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden back on the judging panel, saw a wide range of acts compete to advance in the competition. X Factor judge Louis Walsh, meanwhile, appeared on the panel to cover Simon Cowell who was ill during some of the auditions screened in the first show. The judges were impressed with 10-year-old schoolgirl Chloe Hickinbottom, who performed Vera Lynn’s wartime classic The White Cliffs of Dover. Another act going through to the next round was dancing dog Chandi and her owner Tina. But there was also a parade of more eccentric auditionees, with puppeteer Persephone Lewin prompting Cowell to declare: “I can’t do this any more, I’m 50 years old.” Part of her performance involved attempting to inflate a rubber glove with a hosepipe. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 18, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=16367&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=16367&cache=true " alt="Million-dollar couple – Obamas’ income doubled in White House" class="alignleft" />
US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle earned $5.5 million (
April 15, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=16202&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=16202&cache=true " alt="Mike Leigh competing at Cannes" class="alignleft" />
British director Mike Leigh will return to this year’s Cannes Film Festival to compete for the event’s top prize with his latest offering, Another Year. US director Doug Liman makes his Cannes debut with Fair Game, alongside Abbas Kiarostami and Takeshi Kitano. Woody Allen and Oliver Stone’s latest movies will be premiered at the May event, out of competition. Benicio Del Toro and Kate Beckinsale are joining the festival jury, which is headed by Tim Burton. Between them, they will decide the film which will take home the prestigious Palme d’Or prize. Leigh has previously won the award twice, for Naked in 1993 and then Secrets and Lies three years later. The Oscar-nominated director’s latest movie stars Jim Broadbent and Imelda Staunton. Last year, The White Ribbon by Austrian director Michael Haneke was announced as the winner. A total of 16 directors will compete for this year’s honour, including South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and France’s Bertrand Tavernier and Xavier Beauvois. Oliver Stone will showcase Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the sequel to his 1987 hit, which once again reunites Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, alongside younger stars Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan. Woody Allen’s British-set film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts, will also receive its premiere. The Queen director Stephen Frears returns with Tamara Drewe, based on the comic strip and graphic novel of the same name. Gemma Arteton stars in the movie, which will be screening out of competition. The festival is the most prestigious event in the film calendar after the Oscars, and attracts more than 33,000 people to the French town each year. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 15, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=16170&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=16170&cache=true " alt="Fatherly chats ‘can stop smoking’" class="alignleft" />
Boys and girls who discuss issues that are important to them with their fathers are less likely to smoke in their early years, a study has found. A big factor in stopping children trying cigarettes was how often their fathers talked with them about “things that mattered”. The study by Dr James White, of Cardiff University, involved 3,500 youngsters between the ages of 11 and 15. He said fathers should be encouraged to talk to their children more often. Dr White, of the university’s School of Medicine, will present his findings to the British Psychological Society’s annual conference later. The three-year study used data from the British Youth Panel Survey. Youngsters were asked to rate how often they spoke to their fathers on issues that were important to them on a scale of from “hardly ever” to “most days”. What was important to them depended on the child and could cover any subject. Only children who had never smoked at the time the study began took part. After three years, the responses of children who had remained non smokers were compared to those who said they had experimented with smoking at some point. Dr White said: “This study suggests that a greater awareness of parents’ and especially fathers’ potential impact upon their teenagers’ choices about whether to smoke is needed. “Fathers should be encouraged and supported to improve the quality and frequency of communication with their children during adolescence. “The impact of teenager parenting is relatively un-researched and further research is very much needed.” ‘Arguments’ He said the study also looked at the influence of mothers and while they did not seem to be as influential in terms of smoking, Dr White said they were a positive influence in many other aspects of a child’s wellbeing. As well as their smoking, the children were also asked about the frequency of parental communication, arguments with family members and the frequency of family meals. The study found the frequency of family arguments and family meals did not have a significant effect. Dr White said recognised risk factors for smoking, such as age, gender, household income, parental monitoring and parental smoking were all taken into account during analysis of the study’s findings. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 15, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=15247&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=15247&cache=true " alt="Leading Moscow judge gunned down" class="alignleft" />
A leading judge from Moscow’s city court has been shot dead at his apartment building in the Russian capital, court officials have said. Eduard Chuvashov was shot by unknown gunmen who fled the scene, police told the Ria Novosti news agency. He had presided over several cases involving nationalist organisations and had received many death threats. In February, he sentenced nine members of a neo-Nazi skinhead group called the White Wolves to up to 23 years in jail. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 12, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=15215&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=15215&cache=true " alt="US hears India Pakistan concerns" class="alignleft" />
Indian PM Manmohan Singh has expressed concerns about neighbouring Pakistan to US President Barack Obama ahead of a nuclear security summit in Washington. Mr Singh told Mr Obama that Pakistan’s government lacked the will to punish those responsible for the Mumbai attacks, Foreign Secretary N Rao said. The November 2008 attacks left 174 people dead, including nine gunmen and soured ties between India and Pakistan. Late last year, Pakistan charged seven people in connection with the attacks. They include the suspected mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who is alleged to head the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. In his 50-minute meeting with Mr Obama, Mr Singh spoke about the activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba and “also the fact that unfortunately there was no will on the part of the government of Pakistan to punish those responsible for the terrorist crimes in Mumbai,” Ms Rao told reporters. ‘State elements’ India put peace talks on hold after the attacks, blaming them on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan admitted they had been partly planned on its soil. India has also suggested what it calls “state elements” were involved. Both Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba have denied any involvement. In February, the two sides held their first formal talks since the 2008 attacks and agreed to “remain in touch”. Mr Singh and Mr Obama also discussed nuclear security and non-proliferation, Afghanistan, food security and reduction of poverty, reports said. Mr Obama also met Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Mr Gilani “indicated his assurance that Pakistan takes nuclear security seriously and has appropriate safeguards in place,” the White House said in a statement. Leaders from 40 states are attending the meeting in Washington which is expected to focus on how to secure nuclear material. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 12, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=14821&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=14821&cache=true " alt="How Cliff predicted he would always be a Bachelor Boy" class="alignleft" />
Sir Cliff Richard dumped his first serious girlfriend by letter, saying he had to put his pop career before any “lasting relationship”. Britain’s “Bachelor Boy”, then 21, wrote the letter to dancer Delia Wicks from Australia where he was on tour. The pair had been dating for 18 months. In the letter, Sir Cliff said “showbiz was in his blood”. The 150-word handwritten missive has been published following the death of Sir Cliff’s ex-girlfriend from cancer. Sir Cliff, who is 70 this year, is probably Britain’s best known bachelor, with a 52-year career as a singer and an actor. He is also the biggest selling UK singles artist of all time, with total sales of more than 21m. Last year, he reunited with The Shadows for an arena tour. ‘Big decision’ The letter – written in October 1961 misspells Delia Wicks’ name as “Dellia”. In it Sir Cliff writes: “Being a pop singer I have to give up one priceless thing – the right to any lasting relationship with any special girl.” He also said it was “one of the biggest decisions” he would ever have to make. The singer urged her to “find someone who is free to love you as you deserve to be loved” and who “is able to marry you”. He continues: “I couldn’t give up my career, besides the fact that my mother and sisters, since my father’s death, rely on me completely. “I have showbiz in my blood now and I would be lost without it. Delia – who performed in the then-popular Black and White Minstrel Show – was said to have been heartbroken by Sir Cliff’s decision to break off the romance. She went on to marry company director John Pyle in 1970 but later divorced. After she retired from the stage, she worked in a shoe-shop in Warwickshire. The letter was made public by Delia’s brother Graham Wicks following her death from cancer, aged 71, last weekend. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 10, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=14041&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=14041&cache=true " alt="Afghan election officials resign" class="alignleft" />
The head of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) and his deputy have resigned, officials say. A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said commission president Azizullah Ludin’s tenure had ended and that he did not want to continue in the post. The commission’s chief electoral officer, Daoud Ali Najafi, has also submitted his resignation. The resignations follow international pressure over last year’s presidential elections which were marred by fraud. Mr Karzai won the election but the IEC was criticised for failing to deal with widespread irregularities. The BBC’s Martin Patience, in Kabul, says the resignations appear to show President Karzai has backed down in his stand-off with Western powers over electoral procedures. The changes will allay Western concerns of fraud in parliamentary elections planned for September, he adds. President Karzai’s spokesman said on Wednesday that both resignations had been accepted and new appointments would be made. A quarter of all votes cast in last August’s election were declared invalid following an investigation by the UN-backed watchdog, the Election Complaints Commission (ECC). President Karzai – under strong diplomatic pressure – eventually accepted that irregularities had occurred but his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from a run-off saying the vote could not be free or fair. Dr Abdullah strong criticised the IEC, which was widely accused of being biased towards Mr Karzai. However, last week the Afghan president angered the West by alleging that the “widespread” fraud had been carried out by international agencies, namely elements within the UN and EU. He later called US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to allay concerns, saying that Afghans were grateful for the international community’s help. But tensions clearly remained. On Tuesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs hinted that any future controversial remarks by President Karzai could jeopardise a planned invitation to Washington on 12 May. “We certainly would evaluate whatever continued or further remarks President Karzai makes as to whether that’s constructive, to have such a meeting,” he told reporters. Asked several times if President Karzai was an ally of the US, Mr Gibbs declined to answer directly. Afghan assurances Mr Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omer, played down Mr Karzai’s anti-Western comments, saying they would not affect relations with the West. “The strategic relationship between Kabul and Washington is still in the partnership of the international community. Our stance and position are the same,” he said. He added that the Afghan government had not received any official reaction from the US about May’s planned visit. He said that the US had invited President Karzai to visit the US and it was up to the US to comment about this. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 7, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=13898&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=13898&cache=true " alt="Racial divide" class="alignleft" />
Sixteen years after the end of white minority rule in South Africa, the court appearance of two young men accused of the murder of white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche has highlighted the level of racial intolerance and hatred still felt by many South Africans – black and white. Outside court in Ventersdorp, North West province, hundreds of white farmers, many dressed in camouflage, staged a protest, with many saying Terreblanche’s killing was the last straw and vowing to “protect” themselves at all costs. “The gun was loaded, it has been so for years, but the trigger has now been pulled. South Africa is not safe at the moment,” said Shaun Labuschagne, an Afrikaner who had travelled from Johannesburg for the court hearing. “For the past seven years, our people have been wiped out. We are here to plan our next move,” he says to me before walking off. He is referring to the fact that some 3,000 white farmers have been killed since the end of apartheid. But then about 50 people – mostly black – are murdered each day in this country. Next to Mr Labuschagne is a man in his mid-20s, Dirkie Cronwright, dressed in full army camouflage. At first he is reluctant to speak to me, worried that he will say something he might regret, he says. But then he lets loose, screaming: “There is going to be war here – it is only a matter of time. “The blacks want everything – they have the country what more do they want?” “They don’t care about us – about the white guys – and that makes me very angry. “This means war,” he says, as if oblivious to the fact that he is speaking to a black person. ‘He deserved it’ On the other side of the colour bar, some black people have hailed the two men who killed Terreblanche as heroes. “God gave them power to kill that man. They did what no-one else could do,” says Maria Gantane. “When [anti-apartheid fighter] Chris Hani died, no white people cried, only us blacks cried” “Terreblanche should have died a long time ago. He has been abusing black workers for years, he deserved to die. We can now live in peace,” says a man outside court. “If Terreblanche was to show up now, we would kill him,” says another man, a farm worker. No rainbow nation Members of Terreblanche’s paramilitary group AWB (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) waved flags, carried placards and distributed badges with Afrikaner nationalist symbolism, in a show of unity against what they term “a siege by blacks”. Time has stood still here, monuments celebrating the lives of Afrikaners dating back to the 1800s still stand in many parts of the predominantly white town. The streets all bear Afrikaans names and many of the shops also have Afrikaans names – there is a silent message that this is no place for blacks. But a crowd of about 150 black people from surrounding communities did venture into the town for the court appearance. When the larger crowd of Afrikaners started singing the former national anthem – Die Stem, they retaliated by singing the new post-apartheid anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica (God Bless Africa). A white woman then splashed water on a young black woman, causing a scuffle to break out and forcing police to use razor wire to separate the two groups. The Afrikaners hurled racial slurs – calling the blacks “baboons” and “kaffirs” – both derogatory names used to refer to black people. This was far removed from Nelson Mandela’s vision of a new South Africa – a rainbow nation. In the days of apartheid, the Afrikaners used to dominate South Africa and some still yearn for those days. Many agree that Saturday’s brutal murder has turned a town which had learned to cope with its racism into one which now calls for drastic action including taking up arms, if only for protection. This has caused a wave of fear in black residents of South Africa’s farming areas, where racism remains rife. In the rest of the country, open signs of racism are rare but black and white South Africans largely lead separate lives. “I live in the township a few kilometres from town and we don’t feel safe as blacks, especially now Terreblanche has been killed,” said university student Lesego Tsui. “I don’t even want to go out at night any more because you don’t know if the Boers [whites] will come after us.” This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 6, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
&cat=7&pid=13252&cache=true">
&cat=19&pid=13252&cache=true " alt="South Africa racial tension grows" class="alignleft" />
Tension is growing in South Africa after the killing of white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche, with President Jacob Zuma calling for national unity. Mr Zuma called on political leaders to think before making public statements. The remnants of Mr Terreblanche’s AWB party said the killing was a “declaration of war” and vowed revenge. It blames Julius Malema, head of the ruling ANC’s Youth League, for inflammatory actions, including singing a song about killing white farmers. Mr Terreblanche, 69, was attacked on Saturday evening at home on his farm near the town of Ventersdorp, North West province. ‘Sad moments’ Mr Zuma knows that such a prominent killing could rapidly trigger racial violence, if not handled sensitively, says the BBC’s Karen Allen in Johannesburg. He was quick to condemn the attack amid criticism that he had failed to rein in the ANC Youth League. The president went on television on Sunday to condemn what he said was a “cowardly” murder. He said he had spoken to Mr Terreblanche’s daughter and hoped to speak to the leader’s wife in order to convey his condolences. “This is one of the sad moments for our country that a leader of his standing should be murdered,” said Mr Zuma. He said South Africans must not let anyone take advantage of the “terrible deed” by inciting racial hatred. The AWB (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, or Afrikaner Resistance Movement) echoed Mr Zuma’s call for calm as relatives and friends of Mr Terreblanche gathered near his home to pay their respects on Sunday. But the far-right movement’s secretary general, Andre Visagie, said Mr Terreblanche’s killing had political overtones. “The next step for the AWB will be to bury their leader in peace, but thereafter we shall avenge the death of our leader,” he said. “Of course we do blame Julius Malema,” Mr Visagie told the BBC. “The death of Mr Terreblanche is a declaration of war by the black community of South Africa to the white community that has been killed for 10 years on end.” He said there was “fierce anger” among AWB members. “They all call for revenge for Eugene Terreblanche’s death,” he said. He said some some members advocated violent retribution, but he encouraged them to wait until actions could be co-ordinated “right across the country”. More than 3,000 white farmers are estimated to have been murdered since the end of apartheid in 1994. A committee of inquiry found in 2003 only 2% of farm attacks had a political or racial motive, although critics said this figure was far too low. Last week, South Africa’s High Court banned Mr Malema from singing the racially charged apartheid-era song with the words “kill the Boer”. It ruled the song was hate speech, although the ANC is appealing. Boer is Afrikaans for a farmer, but is sometimes used as a disparaging term for any white in South Africa. Mr Malema denied responsibility during his official visit to Zimbabwe. “The ANC will respond to that issue. On a personal capacity, I’m not going to respond to what people are saying. I’m in Zimbabwe now, I’m not linked to this.” South Africa is a nation still nursing racial wounds from the past, our correspondent says, and in some quarters there is nervousness about the future. Ventersdorp has already seen some heated racial exchanges since the killing. “A black guy killed a white guy. Obviously it’s going to stir a lot of trouble,” said Kgomotso Kgamanyane, a cashier at a local petrol station. “Just earlier a customer came in, a white guy, and he told us to go to hell,” he told AFP news agency. “It could get violent, because whites in their minds they think that we did it because of hate.” ‘Sad day’ Police have arrested and charged two male farm workers – aged 21 and 15 – who they say beat Mr Terreblanche to death in a dispute over wages. Mr Terreblanche had founded the white supremacist AWB in 1973, to oppose what he regarded as the liberal policies of the then-South African government. His party tried terrorist tactics and threatened civil war in the run-up to South Africa’s first democratic elections, before sliding into relative obscurity. Mr Terreblanche served three years in jail after being convicted in 2001 of the attempted murder of a farm worker. This article is from the BBC News website . © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
April 5, 2010 | Posted in
General News |
Read More »
